As RMFW volunteer coordinator, I keep trying to count the ways.
To the Breadth and Height
More than one hundred volunteers contributed to the success of Colorado Gold this September. Thank you!
What on earth takes a hundred volunteers?
Some of the most visible roles at conference include working at the registration and information desk, serving as conference chair, and monitoring workshops. Have you ever thought about all of the other volunteers you see, such as those who check in attendees for pitch appointments, round-table critiques, mentor sessions, and pitch-coaching? Don’t forget the people who welcome first-time conference-goers and transport VIPs from the airport to the hotel and back. There are volunteers who organize the author readings and the author signings, as well as those who help set up the bookstore. Throughout the conference, there are people who run errands and arrange supplies. There’s our photographer, too. Table hosts facilitate conversation at the Friday-night dinner. Other volunteers coordinate and present the awards and raffle prizes.
To Everyday’s Most Quiet Need
For all of the volunteers you see at the conference, there are several more you don’t. Our technology team keeps the Web site updated with information and enables online registration. Volunteers provide items for the gift bags and stuff them. There are volunteers who process and assemble all of the items you receive in your registration packet. And long before conference starts, volunteers recruit keynote speakers, agents, and editors. Volunteers arrange travel for the special guests. There are those who review workshop proposals, those who arrange the conference schedule and set up all of the various appointments, as well as those who manage each of these disparate activities. Planning for next year’s conference began before this year’s event took place.
And Beyond
While the work of our volunteers might be most visible and most concentrated in our largest event of the year, volunteers make each of our events come to life and provide for every task, large and small.
There are plenty of ways to get involved. Here are just a few:
• Write a blog post.
• Write a newsletter article.
• Lead a program in Denver or on the Western Slope.
• Help manage the Web site.
• Set up and manage a critique group.
• Help with social media.
• Volunteer for the History Project.
Which volunteer job is right for you? Think of the skills in which you have expertise. Maybe you’d like to volunteer in one of those skill areas. Is there a skill in which you wish you had more knowledge? For example, have you wanted to host a podcast, but want to learn more about podcasting and are willing to put in the time and effort? Offer to help our Podcast Chair. Do you feel shy on social media but ready to overcome that anxiety? Help our Publicity Chair.
Time is also a factor in volunteering. Do you prefer to focus your efforts in a defined timeframe or like to spread out your efforts over time? Have you volunteered in the past, but are looking to contribute in a new way? Do you feel ready to take on a bigger role in the organization? If you’d like to brainstorm ideas, send me an email at: volunteer@rmfw.org.
Some of the benefits of volunteering include making new friends, giving back, and learning new skills. Health studies have shown that volunteering can improve weight loss, memory, cholesterol, stamina, and even memory. When you volunteer with RMFW, you are helping writers live their dreams of sharing their stories and seeing their work in print. You. You are doing that. How amazing that is!
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Angela La Voie serves RMFW as newsletter editor and volunteer coordinator. Her articles have appeared in The Chicago Sun-Times, Daily News of Los Angeles, The Dallas Morning News, Detroit Free Press, on MS-NBC.com, through The New York Times News Service, and elsewhere. She holds a BA (Phi Beta Kappa) in English and communication from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles.
You can learn more about Angela at her website and on Facebook and Twitter. And please check out the RMFW Blog Spotlight featuring Angela that was published August 1st, 2016.