True Colors Annual Conference: Volunteer Job Descriptions

Volunteer Coordinators

Criteria:

Understand, and be able to explain, all volunteer positions and responsibilities
Able to handle multiple tasks and demands in a fast paced environment
Ability to delegate
Sense of Humor and ability to be an oasis in the storm

Responsibilities:

Assist with assessing volunteers and assigning them to specific jobs
Helping to create a list of :quick and easy” jobs for new volunteers and for volunteers in-between assignments
Checking in volunteers as they arrive;
Assigning/confirming two hour volunteer slot(s);
Sending them to the volunteer training coordinator if necessary,
Receiving and filling requests for volunteers from other liaisons and troubleshooting the day.
Use radios and a high level of interaction college staff with for troubleshooting

Supplies Needed:

List of workshops
List of presenters
List of audio-visual needs
Laptops/Printers
Maps
List of emergency #’s
Pencils/Pens
Badges/Lanyards
Tape

*Training Required If New To Position

Volunteer Trainers

Criteria:

Good presentation skills
Understand, and be able to effectively explain, all volunteer positions, responsibilities, volunteer policies, expectations and agency values
Ability to train and supervise a core group of other volunteers to train new volunteers both before and during the conference
Sense of Humor and ability to be an oasis in the storm

Responsibilities:

Learn and understand all volunteer policies as above
Develop outline and training (using models from past years)
Recruit and train 9 volunteer trainers who will:

Meeting with volunteers prior to their shift to review True Colors volunteer policies
Obtain a signature on the volunteer agreement,
Review the basis requirements of their volunteer assignment.

Supplies Needed:

Handouts
Pens/Pencils
Outline
Volunteer T-Shirts
Volunteer Training List
Volunteer Registration List

Professional Presenter Liaison

Criteria:

Ability to organize and quickly explain responsibilities to volunteer liaisons
Ability to prioritize responsibilities, handle multiple and competing demands
Sense of Humor and ability to be an oasis in the storm

Coordinator Responsibilities:

Ensure that all presenters for the current workshop slot have checked in, notify volunteer coordinators if a needed presenter has not checked in
Identify specific presenter requests for materials and supplies
Assign a liaison to each presenter and ensure they understand the presenters supply needs

Thursday: each presenter has his or her own liaison
Friday and Saturday: assign individuals to each professional workshop, assign by floors within each building for youth only, college and general

Communicate with liaisons regarding missing materials, etc and assign runners to respond

Liaison Responsibilities: (professional)

Receive your assigned Presenter information.
Introduce yourself to your assigned workshop Presenter(s).
Remind Presenter(s) about the CEU sign in and sign out sheets in their packets.
Be sure that all materials/supplies/technology the Presenter(s) requested for their workshop is in the classroom before they begin their workshop presentation.
Accompany Presenter to their classroom. (Professional track only)
Explain Workshop Evaluations and Overall Conference Evaluations to participants. (Professional)
Introduce Presenter at the beginning of their workshop presentation. (Professional)
If the Presenter needs anything during the workshop, inform the Building Manager. (Be specific & detailed as possible: Presenter Name, Room #, etc.)
Collect all Workshop evaluation forms after the workshop is over from attendees and bring them to the Presenter Liaison. Be sure to also collect the Overall Conference evaluations if participants won’t be attending any more workshops. (Professional)

Supplies Needed:

Map of Classrooms/Locations of Building Managers; Pen/Pad of Paper
Checklist of technology requirements
Printout of Presenter Bios & Workshop Title

*Training Required

TLC Coordinator Responsibilities

Criteria:

Clinical background and experience
Expertise in crises management and risk assessment

Coordinator Responsibilities:

Participate in the two-session training for potential Peer Tender Loving Care (counselors)
Schedule TLC’s to various two hour shifts,
Providing supervision at the event;

Be available as a support person on site, and via radio during scheduled shift to TLC’s
Assess youth risk of imminent harm to self or others, report as appropriate
If necessary, triage psychological emergency and request intervention as necessary from police, ambulance, or on-call emergency intervention

TLC responsibilities:

To be visible
To be available to listen (not give advice). You do not have to handle any situation that makes you feel uncomfortable or overly concerned
To actively reach out to youth who seem lost, sad, lonely, not connected.
Walk around, actively looking for people who might need you (pay attention to body language).
Be there if people want to express their feelings and use good listening skills.
Offer support if it’s needed.
If you see someone all alone, go over and say “Hi,” and introduce them to other people.

Supplies Needed:

Training Handouts
Arm Bands
Name Tags/Lanyards

*Training Required

Entertainment Coordinator

Criteria:

Some stage management experience
Very good organizational skills
Ability to relate to different kinds of people, to coordinate multiple priorities and organize schedules
Ability to delegate and work both as a leader and as a member of the team

Coordinator Responsibilities:

Responsible for coordinating all entertainment and performer events including the conference opening, closing and performance based workshops.
Contacting each performer to obtain and review technical riders
Discussing each technical rider with Barbara Curry and the UCONN and UCONN technology staff.
Scheduling and coordinating load in, rehearsals and sound checks in Jorgensen and the Student Union.
Identify and Coordinate any transportation needs with the transportation coordinators
Schedule and coordinate volunteer support activities such as ushering of all participants in and out of Jorgensen Auditorium, staffing the Green Room for performers and volunteer runners
Anyone with food/drinks can NOT enter Jorgensen. They must either throw it out or eat/drink it before they enter.

Note: coordinators should be on the radios to coordinate runners

Resource Room Liaison

Criteria:

Good organizational skills
Ability to relate to different kinds of people, to create a floor plan for the space
Ability to supervise both volunteers and vendors

Coordinator Responsibilities:

Manage and oversee all operations of the resource table room located within the Student Union at UCONN.
Help with outreach to potential and existing vendors
Coordinate vendor set up, loading and unloading
Ensure that vendor policies are reviewed with each vendor
Ensure that table signs are created for each vendor and volunteers assist with set up;
Review the contents of all vendor and organizational table to ensure compliance with True Colors values and vendor policies. Review the materials at each table as early as possible on Friday to ensure the appropriateness of the handouts
Be available in the Resource Room especially first thing in the morning and on Thursday afternoon.
Works with volunteers to ensure that all booths and vendors needs are met and that the flow of the room as well as the technology in the room is set in place and working appropriately.
Will also work directly with the resource table volunteers to ensure that the appropriate materials and information is available throughout the conference.

Volunteer Responsibilities:

Report to Resource Room Liaison
Ensure that all booths and vendors needs are met.
Ensure that appropriate materials and information is available at the resource table.
Be sure that people filter in and out of the Resource Room appropriately.

Materials:

Pens/Pencils
Signage

Vendor/Exhibitor List

Information Desk

Criteria:

Good people skills
Ability to answer questions, direct participants to the correct space

Coordinator Responsibilities:

Manage and oversee all operations of the information table room located within the Student Union at UCONN.
Set up space and materials
Ensure that there are containers for CEU’s and Conference, Presenter, and Workshop Evaluations

Supplies Needed:

Pens/papers
List of workshops with rooms
List of overflow workshops
Lunch and volunteer information
Extras of everything
Resource Guides

Registration Coordinator

Criteria:

Excellent Organizational Skills
Excellent Understanding of the Registration Process (inside and outside)
Ability to train other registration volunteers quickly and effectively
Good people skills
Ability to manage large numbers of volunteers and to delegate specific volunteer roles including:
Greeting, running materials outside, moving participants into the auditorium after registration

Coordinator Responsibilities:

Space set up including express (drop off sheets and enter the resource room); walk-in, pre-registered, DCF, presenter and outside bus check-in
Ensuring all volunteers have the appropriate materials, in all locations inside and out
Delegating specific volunteer roles to volunteers including various registrations, greeting/ushering, setting up lanyards and packets etc.
Ensuring that workshop presenters have arrived and been checked in, have responded (and paid if appropriate) to the presenter dinner and have received a package that includes:
- An envelope with workshop evaluations (with their workshop title on it)
- Water
- A presenter package with their name tag, information about where their workshop will be, as well as all conference attendee materials

Overall Volunteer Task List: Walk-in, Express, Individual, DCF, Group

Report to Registration Liaison.
Give Participants their lanyard and participant packets.
Rates have been negotiated with participants prior to the Conference.

There is no one pre-registration rate- let people pay what they expect to pay.

Walk-in participants who don’t have the resources to pay must volunteer for a work exchange. Have them report to the Volunteer booth.
Check off names as people register so we have an accurate count.
Cash and checks should be secured at all times and placed into the cash box
Remind participants they have to wear Conference Lanyard to gain access into the Conference: (lanyard colors vary annually)

Additional Registration Positions

Registration: Greeters

Smile, say hello, offer stickers and welcome people
Send Presenters to the Presenter Check-in
Send Volunteers to the Volunteer booth
Send Walk-in participants to Walk-in Registration
Send people who have already registered and paid to Express Check-in.
Send group registrants to Group Registration

Registration: (Presenter Registration)

Give Presenter Packets & Presenter Bag to presenter.
Introduce Presenter to Presenter Liaison (Professional Presenters only).
Ask Presenter if they want to attend the Presenter Dinner.
Sell tickets to the presenters interested but not yet registered for Presenter Dinner.
Mark down their name on list for a head count.
Give volunteer coordinator and/or presenter liaison the list of missing presenters.

Registration: (Bus-Runners) Friday only

Get on the bus before anyone gets off. Welcome the group to the Conference.
Inform them that the students must remain on the bus until the group has been registered by a chaperon.
Give lanyards and participant folders to Chaperone to distribute to Students.
Have Chaperone fill out Contact/Information Form (name/# of students)
Collect Additional money from Chaperone.
After the group has been registered, direct them to Jorgensen.

Registration: (Express Check-In)

Collect express check in forms
Provide correct number of packages and lanyards
Direct participants to auditorium
After registration is concluded, check participants off on Registration lists

Registration: (DCF)

Check participant name(s) off on Registration sheet
Provide correct number of packages and lanyards
Direct participants to auditorium

Registration: (Walk-in, and/or not yet paid)

Confirm participant on registration sheet and determine outstanding payment OR
In not pre-registered, have participant fill out reg form
Collect the payment (cash, check or credit card)
- Credit card: carefully write down name, address, type, expiration date and obtain the participant PHONE NUMBER
Provide correct number of packages and lanyards
Direct participants to auditorium

Other Positions

Floater Responsibilities

Responsible for managing volunteers to be able to run from spot to spot in order to provide any missing materials in any given location (i.e. classrooms, Jorgensen, the resource room).
This person is responsible for the general knowledge of the campus and conference layout and procedures.
Work directly with a large group of volunteers and needs to be able to delegate duties as needed in a timely fashion.
Responding to Building Managers requests for materials for presenters
Presenter concerns about rooms, errors, etc.
Coordinating Presenter transportation with the transportation manager

Transportation Liaison Responsibilities

Manage tight schedule of transportation pickup/deliveries of entertainers, presenters from/to hotels, venue, airport, and/or train station.
Disperse volunteer fleet staff at appropriate times.
Work specifically with a small group of volunteers (who are willing to volunteer their vehicles) to run errands as needed by the conference staff (i.e. grocery shopping, hotel pickups, entertainment pick ups, etc.).
Responsible for ensuring anything needed from outside UCONN will be handled by a volunteer in this group and brought to UCONN at the time it is needed. (This includes presenters and performers being brought to and from the conference from the hotel,
airport or other location.). Volunteers will be paid mileage for their efforts in this area.
Should be able to manage a driving fleet that will work with the TC staff to ensure that all people places and things are set for the conference to run effectively.

Transportation Support Staff (Drivers)

Be well versed/educated on routes and alternative roads from all possible pickup/delivery locations.
Responsible, careful driver.
Report back periodically to Liaison to ensure schedule is current and up to date.