[AVPPride] A coordinator's reflections

[Ariadne/PP]

I am sharing this post about the planning of Indiana PPD (which is an event
twice the size of ours, with some differences. But I think it is excellent.
Take a read.
Looking forward to seeing you folks at the volunteer meeting this coming Wed
at my place. I will have t-shirts available for you at that time if you have
pre-ordered; and if you want to buy them at the discount rate at that time,
you may.
Please RSVP so I know how much pizza to buy.
-- 
Lisa Morgenstern, AKA Ariadne Morningstar
President, First Pantheistic Center of the Antelope Valley
http://fpcav.org
Antelope Valley Pagan Pride Day Coordinator
paganpride at avpagans.org
http://paganpride.avpagans.org



Stephanie Braun
tigerlady6409 at yahoo.com

A Coordinator’s Reflections

I apologize for the rant but it is serving two
purposes.  The first is to help educate people who
have not organized events.  The second is more
personal but has to do with reminding myself not to be
hard on others when they’re coordinating events.

First: Education

I’ve been involved with helping to organize the
Indianapolis Pagan Pride Day event for 3 years.  Each
year I get more involved and more active as I gain
confidence in myself.

I got involved with Pagan Pride Day precisely because
its mission is to educate the public about Paganism.
I think it is equally important, however, to educate
the Pagan community on what it takes to put on an
event like this. Not only will it give them more
insight into what we do, but it also helps train the
next generation of Pagan activists.

Please keep in mind that these steps are only a
sampling of what all we do and are just an example of
one group’s way of organizing one Pagan Pride Day
event.  There are lots of different ways to organize
events.  I do not think there is any way possible to
put all contingencies in writing.  Plus, if someone
did, I don’t think anyone would be crazy enough to
organize anything ever again.

I’m throwing a bit of humor in to make it easier to
read but also because you have to keep your sense of
humor to remain somewhat sane while organizing events.

1.    First, it takes someone with a vision of what the
event can be deciding to seize the day and, at the
very least, help organize the event.  If the person
also wants to be at least partially in charge, beware
of three things: You either have to be at least
slightly crazy, have delusions of grandeur or be a
relatively sane person who just has no idea what
you’re about to embark upon to want to be an
organizer.  If you’re an event organizer, I’m sure you
originally fit into the third category. *wink*  If
you’ve organized more than one event, my excuse for
why is found later in this rant.

2.    You must find other individuals you fit into one of
the three categories above to help you organize the
event.  No matter how small or big you want it, you
will need help.  If nothing else, you need the
opinions of others while working on step 3.

3.    You’ll need a battle plan.  You can throw things
together as they come, but I can almost guarantee
you’ll wish you hadn’t skipped this step if you do.
It’s important to at least have an idea of how you
will handle some of the situations that come up.  Some
things you’ll need to look at are: budget, how many
volunteers you’ll need and what entertainment you’ll
have, meeting schedules and how to communicate with
other coordinators to list a few.  Needless to say,
this is only the chip of the iceberg and will vary per
event.  Do all you can to educate yourself on what all
will be needed.

4.    Upon coming up with a battle plan, the first duty
is to figure out fund-raising.  If you’re one of those
lucky people who are independently wealthy, please
contact me at tigerlady6409 at yahool.com.  *grin*  If
you’re not and can not afford to put the event on
yourself, then, once again, do all you can to educate
yourself.  Read books on how to form a non-profit
organization and ask other coordinators what they have
done.  If there are others in your area raising money
for Pagan events, be courteous and do not schedule an
event on the same day as theirs.  Remember, if the
goal is Pagan unity, then we must try to have our
actions reflect that in every way, shape, fashion and
form.

5.    In addition to step 4, you also must think about
the location of the event.  Keep things like how many
bathrooms are available, how much parking is
available, accessibility, size, ground rules, if
you’ll need event insurance and so on in mind.  You
often will not find the “perfect” location so
prioritize which factors are most important to you and
your fellow organizers.

6.    Once you have a location and a battle plan in
place, you must place your first call for volunteers.
You can advertise in the paper, on the internet and
e-mail bomb all your friends.  Be realistic about how
many volunteers you’ll need, though.

Let me give an example of how many volunteers it takes
for our Pagan Pride event.  We had 800 attendees last
year, 30 vendors and information booths, a children’s
area, a psychic’s area, workshops, drum circle and a
Bardic circle.

All examples below are for a 9 hour event. Example: If
we would like to have 3 security people on duty at all
times and ask that people make a 2 hour commitment to
it, we would need 15 security personnel for the day

Security-3 on duty per hour at 2 hour shifts = 15
people
Welcome table-2 people on duty per hour at 2 hour
shifts-10 people
Feast-5 people an hour (people grilling and making
sure supplies stay stocked) from 10:30a-1:30p (set up
and tear down) in 1 hour shifts=15 people
Greeters: 1 on duty per hour at 2 hour shifts= 5
people
Auction: 5 people to assist in from 9a-11a and at
least 2 additional people to help throughout the day.
7 people
Event set-up: 4 people
Event clean up: 7 people
Children’s area: 6 people per hour from 10a-3p at 2
hour shifts=18 people
Total:  81 people

Please keep in mind that this does not include the
coordinator of the various areas.  They are needed
throughout the day to help with any problems and may
have to fill in last minute for any volunteers who do
not show.

And, this is just a sampling.  There are other areas,
like grounds maintenance and psychic’s that may also
be needed throughout the day.  By the end of it all,
you are looking at close to 100 volunteers needed for
a one day event.

To put it into perspective, an event with 800
attendees needed over 10% of those attending to
volunteer to help the day run smoothly.

When to call for volunteers must also be taken into
account.  Several years ago, we tried to schedule
volunteers 5 months before the event.  We found that
if we call for volunteers too soon, many of the people
who confirmed do not show on the day of the event.  We
did reminder calls and e-mails, but, for whatever
reasons, people did not show.  I can not begin to tell
you the amount of scrambling that goes on at an event
when even 1 volunteer does not show up.

In our experience, asking for volunteers 2-3 months
before the event has worked best.  We have the highest
turn out rate and have been able to get the scheduling
done before the event, albeit with little time to
spare.

I’m sure this is different area by area, so don’t be
discouraged if your turn out rate for volunteers on
the day of the event is bad.  Simply try a different
time frame next year.

7.    Once a coordinator has done everything they can to
fill their needs in any given area, the rest of
scheduling is what I refer to as the juggling act.

If you are scheduling workshops and rituals, I would
highly recommend that you cover, as best you can, all
essential areas needing volunteers before working out
those schedules.  Place a priority on all areas.  For
instance, we must have people at the welcome table.
They are our first point of contact, can keep track of
how many people have entered the event and can pass
out the literature about the event.  Security is also
an essential area because if people do not feel safe,
they will not stay. Again, these are only examples but
I think you get the point.

The reason you should wait on scheduling workshops and
rituals is because you will often find that many of
your volunteers throughout the day are also your
ritual and workshop presenters.  Working around those
schedules is usually easier then trying to find a
replacement at the last minute.

Trying to make sure none of the volunteers are double
booked (if working in more than one area) and that all
shifts are covered to the best of your ability is an
incredible deed.  Most events I know of always need
more volunteers but must work with what they have.

For example, if we’re short 10 volunteers, then we
must decide to cancel any non-essential areas or ask
that the people already volunteering give up more of
their own time enjoying the event to help cover those
areas.  You have to prioritize each area as to their
importance and, if possible, look at ways to combine
tasks.  The amount of phone calls and e-mails this
takes is staggering.

Keep in mind that many of these incredible individuals
are also running booths of their own and/ or helping
with their group or organizations booth.

Now, throw in family emergencies, illness, work
schedule changes, money issues
etc for the organizers
and the 81 volunteers and what you get is an ever
evolving schedule. 

I’d also like to point out that you should decide how
to deal with last minute offers from people for
vending, workshops, rituals
etc.  We’ve had to ask
ourselves:  Would we prefer a schedule posted a month
before the event excluding any additional offers if it
requires a schedule change or would we prefer to post
the schedule a few days before the event allowing for
changes?  We decided we would prefer to include as
many people as possible and have a bigger, better
event.

8.    The day itself.  My first suggestion is to wear the
most comfortable shoes you own.  I know I walk more in
that one day than I probably do for any one week other
times.  The second suggestion is to work out how you
will communicate with your other coordinators before
the event.  We use walkie-talkies.

The most important thing I can tell you, though, is to
make sure you schedule time to actually enjoy the
event itself.  

Well, if you can imagine all this, then you have a
small idea of what coordinating an event is like.
Each event is different but, at times, even small
events are overwhelming.

I tell you, though.  If you have never gone through
the above, then you have never experienced the
euphoria when an event is over.  That feeling is worth
the sacrifices, complaints and problems because it is
something no one can ever take away from you.
Honestly, words can not describe it.  All I can say is
if you are ever inclined to help, do so.  You’ll
understand what I mean.

This leads into the second part.

After an event is over, the mind has an incredible way
of making it seem like it was not all that hard to
organize.  Even 2 weeks later, you look back and
think, “That wasn’t so bad.”

Now, you need to understand that this is a very
important step for organizers and volunteers alike to
take.  Without it, they probably wouldn’t be crazy
enough to volunteer again the next year.

However, you have to avoid one major pitfall
associated with this memory loss.  Too often I have
seen and, to my shame, participated in it.

It’s called the, “I could have done it better”
side-effect.  You see someone else organizing an event
while you’re in the “it wasn’t that hard” mind set and
you start telling yourself or, worse yet, others that
you could be doing it better.  You say stupid things
like, “Well, they just must be lazy because when we
did our event we
..”  It’s an ugly, vicious and
community damaging cycle.

I’d like to take a moment to apologize to the people I
have done this to in the past.  I was wrong for doing
so.  I offer up my most sincere apology and hope that
this e-mail and knowing I’ve experienced your
frustration will help you forgive me if you have not
already done so.  It is my hope to continue to live
and grow in this community and if it were not for the
many individuals like you, I would not have found this
community in the first place.  Although I do not
always agree with people or their methods, it’s more
important to do everything we can to build this
community up, not tear it down.

In conclusion, I’d like to offer up these suggestions
not only to myself but anyone who is frustrated or
feels a Pagan organization is not doing enough.
(1)    Ask.  It’s a simple way of finding out what’s
going on and what’s being done.  Most event organizers
I know love to hear that someone is interested in what
their doing enough to ask how they handle certain
situations.    
(2)    Volunteer.  If things are not going as smoothly as
you think they should, more than likely they are in
need of additional volunteers.  If you care about the
event, the right thing to do is to offer up some of
your time in support of the cause.  Being part of the
solution rather than part of the problem is *always*
the right thing to do.
(3)    DON’T ASSUME OR PASS JUDGMENT.   By doing either,
you are shedding negative energy and light in the very
community you are a member of.  You are not only
hurting them, but also yourself because you are a part
of that community.
And lastly:
(4)    Make suggestions.  If possible, let the organizers
know of a constructive criticism or suggestion.  When
you’re in the thick of organizing, you often cannot
see some things that may be blatantly obvious to an
outside observer.  (Can’t see the forest through the
trees
)  However, take the time to present your
criticism or suggestion in a way to help, not hurt,
the organizers.  Simply put, if you have time to say
negative things about an event or its organizers to
other people, you have time to offer up your criticism
to the event organizers.  Simply remember to treat
them with the same respect you yourself would like to
be afforded if/ when the tables are turned.

If you have done all of the above or, for whatever
reasons, are unable to do them but are still feeling
like people are not doing enough, then remember
compassion.  The organizers of most Pagan events are
not getting paid.  They are giving up their time with
friends and family and, more often then not, their own
personal resources to make the event possible.  Even
if they could handle a situation better, they will
learn from their mistakes or give up.  So long as the
community is not being severely damaged (i.e. laws are
being broken) by their actions, you should simply wish
them the best and move on.

So, there it is.  I ask two things for those of you
reading this.
(a)    Show me the top part of this e-mail when I say I’m
going to be a coordinator again next year. And
(b)    Show me the second part should I start running my
mouth when I should not.

Thank you for reading my mini-novel, and I hope you
enjoyed this coordinator’s reflections.

Stephanie Braun
tigerlady6409 at yahoo.com
www.indypaganpride.org