Qualifications

A member must be:

• At least 16 years of age (with parent permission if under age 18)
• Able to commit to the time and work their position requires
• Respectful of convention attendees as well as other staff members
• In good standing with Altonimbus Entertainment
• Capable of attending all required trainings and meetings pertinent to their position
• Available to their department director and their supervisor, and their subordinates, and other staff as their position requires
• Able to obey the requirements listed in this document
• Adherent to the standards and policies set forth within Altonimbus Entertainment bylaws for members

Benefits

Altonimbus Entertainment Members are unpaid volunteers who commit their time and effort for such intangible benefits as the joy of the experience, camaraderie with fellow dedicated anime fans, and professional development. To acknowledge that commitment, members are also referred to as “staff members”.

Members may be granted certain privileges including, but not limited to, discounts on hotel reservations, Convention Membership, T-shirts, merchandise, access to staff-only areas, and attendance at staff events. Members of Altonimbus Entertainment have certain voting rights in accordance with Altonimbus Entertainment bylaws.

Altonimbus Entertainment Membership covers your attendance at Kumoricon, and separate Convention Membership registration is not needed. If you have already registered as a Convention Member, Altonimbus Entertainment Membership is an upgrade, and your Convention Membership cost will be refunded to you.

Requirements

Staff members must be approved to at least one specific position by a director. Staff members may work in more than one position and may work in more than one department, but must be approved by the respective department’s director for each position. Approval is at the discretion of the hiring director.

The enumeration of the responsibilities of a staff member’s position is at the discretion of the supervising director of the position. Staff members are expected to fulfill the responsibilities of the position they have been appointed for, as determined by their supervising director. Staff members may be expected to perform roles outside the scope of their official duties during Altonimbus Entertainment events.

Staff members may not claim to represent or act on behalf of Altonimbus Entertainment or its events except only in a manner expressly permitted by their supervising director and in accordance with their position.

Staff members should never spend money on any item or service for Altonimbus without prior written approval from their director. Staff members will not be reimbursed if they cannot provide written approval from their director along with itemized receipts documenting their purchases.

Some events and contests prohibit staff members from competing. Staff members are responsible for adhering to specific event rules.

Staff members who do not fulfill the requirements of their position(s) may be subject to punitive action up to and including removal of staff membership.

Resignation

A staff member may resign from one or more staff positions by delivering written notice to either the Secretary or to the director to which the staff member reports. Because it is possible for a staff member to hold more than one position, the resignation should specify the exact position(s) the member is resigning from. Resignation from all current staff positions will result in resignation as a member of Altonimbus Entertainment.

Removal

Unfortunately, it is occasionally necessary to remove a staff member from a position. The director to which a staff member reports for a specific position will make such a decision if it becomes necessary. The staff member may request an appeal from the director or the whole board regarding a removal. The director or the whole board will decide whether to hear an appeal on a case-by-case basis.

Also, occasionally, an individual will be barred from becoming staff either indefinitely or for a certain period of time. Such an individual may request an appeal to lift this status. The board will decide whether to hear such an appeal on a case-by-case basis. Appeals will usually not be heard in the 90 days leading up to the convention. In hearing an appeal, the board will decide whether the appeal will be heard by the whole board, or only by certain directors. The board, among other factors, may consider the amount of time that has passed since the individual’s offenses in deciding either whether to hear an appeal or in considering a specific appeal. The board may contact the individual with questions prior to deciding whether to hear an appeal. If the board decides to lift the status barring an individual from becoming staff, understand that this does not mean the individual has now been granted a staff position; it only means that the individual may now apply for positions. It is possible that an individual will be unbarred from staff but will then not, in fact, be appointed to any staff positions.

Miscellanea

Staff members will be able to access the staff mailing list, private staff area of the Kumoricon website, and private staff forums for the purposes of organizing the convention and discussing issues privately among fellow staff members. Staff members are strongly encouraged to use the Kumoricon Forums to interact with fellow staff members and to respond to questions from the general public.

Staff member contact information is listed in a private directory available on the website only to other staff members. Position titles, phone number, email address, forum name, and city (but not address) are listed. Street address is available to other staff members by request, subject to certain conditions. Birthdate, emergency contact, and other information are not listed. Staff member photos are displayed to convention executives, any coordinators and managers to whom a staff member reports, and any people who report to a staff member (directly or indirectly). Individual staff members may choose to make their own photos visible to the entire staff.

Staff members may be listed by name and position in public areas, such as the program book or public website.

Staff members who need a public email address but do not wish to publish their personal email address may inquire about getting a public Kumoricon email alias that redirects mail to their personal email address. Staff members should be aware that Kumoricon email aliases are provided based on the position, for the duration of the member’s appointment to the position, and may be reused by the member’s successor in their position.

Staff policies are subject to change. The latest version of the staff policies will be available in the “Get Involved” section of the website.