[AVPPride] A coordinator's reflections

[jesse erickson]

--- Ariadne/PP <paganpride at avpagans.org> wrote:

> 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.
> 
Ariadne,
 I,(Mabonis) wish to confirm the possibility, of my
facilitation of a work shop on the Pagan Path, with an
emphasis on the interplay between the expansion of
urban development and the effect it bears on the
global environment as well as racial and cultural
identities. Please let me know wether or not I wil be
able to proceed. 
 Blessed Be,
       Mabon de Talam   
=== message truncated ===



		
__________________________________ 
Yahoo! Mail - PC Magazine Editors' Choice 2005 
http://mail.yahoo.com