Staff Registration

So you wanna work for Kumoricon?

Kumoricon is an organization designed, staffed, and held together by volunteers. Everyone who puts their time and effort into the production of this convention is a volunteer! From the board of directors and executive staff of Altonimbus Entertainment (our corporate name and the company that holds Kumoricon) to the people who come to the convention every year and help out with line control or checking in attendees. All of these people get no monetary compensation for their hard work and dedication to the convention, making them all amazingly valuable volunteers.

Staff volunteer vs. attendee volunteer

Joining staff FAQ

When does staff registration start?

Staff register for Kumoricon on a year-to-year basis. When you're approved for a position, it applies for the upcoming Kumoricon, and doesn't automatically renew for the next year.

Staff registration is open for most of the year. Staff registration runs up until the convention, and in certain limited cases, we accept staff registrations during the convention. However, registration for most positions closes earlier, based on the needs of each individual position. We encourage you to sign up early to provide you with the most options for positions.

What is the difference between "staffing" and "volunteering"?

Before we get into the differences, there's one big clarification: Both "staff" and "volunteers" are unpaid. So in that sense they are both volunteers. But we do use the words differently.

If you are a "volunteer", that means you hold a regular attendee badge, and help out at the convention as much or as little as you'd like. It's a good way to test whether you want to make the bigger jump to staff the next year. If you'd like to volunteer, look for the Volunteer Booth at registration. We're happy to have you!

If you are "staff", that means you have made the commitment to join our organization's ranks. You sign up for a title, sign an agreement to follow our staff policies, become an organization member with voting rights, and make a commitment to the needs of your position.

When I join staff, how long is my commitment?

We sign up staff on a year-to-year basis. Your commitment lasts up through the next convention, and in some cases has some duties a little bit past it.

Am I automatically staff for the next-year convention, or do I need to renew each year?

Staff positions do not automatically renew for the year after. Staff need to be approved, and officially register, every year.

If I join staff, do I need to register as an attendee also?

No need! Your staff registration also serves as your convention registration, and is all you need to enter the convention and get your badge. (Make sure to pick up your badge at the staff registration booths, not the regular registration area.)

If I already registered as an attendee, what happens if I join staff? Do I get a refund?

If you already registered as an attendee, then your staff registration is considered an upgrade, and you are eligible to get a refund. However, our systems won't detect this automatically—you must request your refund. Please email membership@kumoricon.org to request a staff upgrade refund.

Do staff work only at the convention, or do preparation work year-round? Or both?

This depends on which position you join. Most positions require at-con duties, and some additionally require pre-convention (or after-convention) duties. On our open positions page, positions list whether they are more at-con focused or pre-con focused.

All of the year-round convention planning and at-con hosting are done by the same group of people, who we call "staff", who work for a single organization (Altonimbus Entertainment).

Are any staff paid?

Altonimbus Entertainment (the organization which produces Kumoricon) is an all-volunteer organization. No staff are paid, not even our executive staff or board members.

What is the deadline to join staff?

There is not a single deadline, but the sooner you register, the more likely it is that the position you're interested in will remain open, and the more choices you'll have.

Can I register as staff at the convention?

For most positions no, but sometimes, yes.

If you are interested in joining staff but haven't yet by the time the convention starts, please stop by the staff registration booths (in the registration hall) and ask, and there's a good chance we will have some positions that are understaffed and will be happy to have you!

Do staff just help out where needed, or do I need to join a specific position?

All people who are joining staff (instead of just volunteering as attendees) need to join a specific titled position. We sometimes ask staff to help outside their position if emergencies arise, and for dedicated staff you can seek out opportunities to help out beyond your position, but as a staff member your primary and first duty will be to the position(s) you signed up for.

Joining staff sounds interesting, but I'm not sure where to start. What kinds of positions are available?

There are some great ways to get started!

• Browse our open staff positions.
• Start the online staff application, select "I'm unsure which position is best", and answer some survey questions of your interests. Our system will show search results tailored to your choices, and you can change your choices and see the results change in real time.
• Attend one of our monthly membership meetings (open to the public) and join the breakout sessions after the official meeting ends. In recent years, these meetings have been online (simulcast on Twitch and Discord), but we are also hoping to return to some in-person meetings soon.

I completed my application for staff. Am I now staff?

Not yet. Submitting a staff application does not guarantee you a staff position. (Also, applying for staff and registering for staff are not the same thing.) If you have not heard back after a few weeks, please feel free to reply to the email receipt or reach out to staff.registration@kumoricon.org and we may be able to give you an update.

I received an email saying I was approved for a staff position. Am I now staff?

Not yet. You must still complete your registration. Only when you receive the email saying you are "ratified" are you officially staff.

How much work is involved in being a staff member?

This varies a huge amount based on the position you choose. Some positions are primarily at-con (and this can range from 16 hours to a full-convention commitment) with very little outside-of-con work. Many positions have a pre-convention commitment. This can be a little bit of training at the low end; planning an at-con event at the mid-range; and working year-round to run a department at the high end.

Our organization has four ranks (general, coordinator, manager, and executive) which correlate to a rough level of time commitment. Most positions include the rank in their title, and the open positions list will show a rank icon next to every position. Some of the higher-ranked positions can almost be like a second job. Most of the people who sign up for these know what they are getting into and love it, but we encourage everyone to choose the right level of staffing for them!

If I work for 16 hours, does that mean I have fulfilled my staff commitment?

Not exactly. The "16-hour rule" is probably the most misunderstood part of Kumoricon's staffing rules.

Every position has its own requirement to fulfill its duties. For some positions it may be 16 hours, for others, 20 hours, for others, 24 hours, and quite frequently, both for general-rank and especially for higher-ranked positions, requirements are not measured by amount of time, but rather, by whether the work is done.

The misunderstanding arises from the fact that the organization bylaws has a governance rule that says "the organization must structure its requirements such that no person holding a Kumoricon staff position is subject to a combined requirement of less than 16 hours of volunteer work associated with each Kumoricon event". In other words, the "16-hour rule" is a rule intended to be followed by the board of directors when it approves the annual org chart (roster of available staff positions), and is not a rule that is directly presented to individual staff members. Rather, if you are a staff member: You need to fulfill the individual requirements of your staff position, whichever number of hours or list of achievements it may be.

Do staff have any free time at the convention to have fun?

Usually, yes! As staff, we are fans too, and your duties can often be scheduled around things you want to do at the con. (Having said that, emergencies can arise, and even off-duty staff are occasionally needed to fill in if they are on-site at the convention.)

Can staff cosplay while on duty?

Usually, yes! As long as it doesn't interfere with the needs of your position. Attendees love to see staff cosplaying, and it gives the con the by-fans, for-fans feel.

Can staff join more than one position at the same time?

Usually, yes. However, it's your responsibility to make sure that your manager for each position knows about the other position, and it's your responsibility to raise any conflicts that may occur between the two positions to ensure that you're fulfilling the duties of each position.

This can work well if one of the positions is primarily at-con and the other is primarily pre-con.

What is the minimum age to staff?

There is a general requirement to be age 16, and many positions have an age-18 requirement. A small number of positions have a minimum age of 21 if they require being in alcohol-controlled space (such as staff for the Late Night Lounge, or guest of honor liaisons).

Staff under age 18 (at time of registration) must submit a signed parent permission and liability release form (see links above) prior to their staff registration being complete.

We sometimes make case-by-case exceptions for the age-16 requirement.

What is the difference between "staff" and "organization member"?

These are almost the same thing. When you join staff, you become an organization member (as defined by Oregon nonprofit corporation law) which means you have organization voting rights. Members are eligible to vote for the 7 out of 9 positions on the Altonimbus Entertainment board which are designated as elected by the members, as well as any organization bylaws amendments that may be proposed and come to a vote.

Organization membership lasts a little bit longer than your staff status (see question further below).

What is the difference between "convention member" and "organization member"?

"Convention members" are people who have registered to attend Kumoricon. They do not have organization voting rights.

"Organization members" are people who have joined staff. They have voting rights.

If I am a staff member, when does my position officially end?

Staff positions for a given convention end 30 days after full staff registration opens for next year. This means that staff terms overlap with each other. This is intentional, so that important staff positions are filled year-round, and also so that staff at all levels are given the opportunity to maintain uninterrupted staff membership, if they wish, if they want to staff Kumoricon year after year.

For a convention held in November, this means that your official staffing end date (if not yet renewed) would usually fall in the February-to-April range, though the date will be determined and announced each year.

If your staff position primarily consists of at-con duties, then the exact end date of your position may be more symbolic than practical. But it determines your official status in our records, and your access to some of our online systems. In certain situations, whether you are officially staff or not on a given day could also matter under our staff policies such as an incident under the staff harassment policy or conflict of interest policy as these govern how staff behave outside-of-convention when talking to other staff members or if they appear to be representing the organization.

When in doubt, you can check your current staff status by checking your profile page from the staff directory. Your profile page shows all credited positions you have held in the past. Currently active positions are marked with "(active)" after their name.

If I am a staff member, when does organization membership officially end?

Organization membership lasts a little bit longer than staff status.

If you satisfactorily completed your position, then your organization membership lasts an additional 180 days after the last day of your staff status (see previous question). (Otherwise, it usually ends 10 days after the last day of your staff status, with certain exceptions.)

I'm a current staff member and have some more detailed questions about organization membership, organization governance, or elections.

Certainly! Please visit corporate Q&A (staff login required), policies and corporate (staff login required), and elections process (staff login required) for detailed information.