Calling All Volunteers!

By: Loni Cameron

Volunteer with Us!

It takes a lot of people to run the WCYR. Everyone from me, doing the relatively small job of blogging, to MJ Moores, our current Board Chair, who stays on top of everything. Along with the upcoming elections, there are a few volunteer positions the WCYR are hoping to fill.

Being a volunteer is a great way to help out an organization you believe in and to get to know its members/friends and encourage networking. It’s also a great addition to your writer’s CV or portfolio. Depending on your personal availability, talents, and interests – we have opportunities that vary from occasional to prolific. No matter what your part, the feeling of comradery and the joy of knowing you’ve been able to help – even just a little bit – makes it all worthwhile.

We hope you’ll consider the following vacant volunteer positions, which fall into two groups: Members at Large and General Helpers.

MEMBERS at LARGE

Note: As a “thank you” to the extensive time commitment of these positions, a volunteer will receive a free membership after 6 months of dedicated contribution.

 Program Coordinator’s Assistant

The Program Coordinator’s Assistant supports the Program Coordinator with finding and organizing the guest speakers at our monthly seminars, helping to run the member-led workshops, and organizing the Farmer’s Market Booths. The Program Coordinator’s Assistant attends as many Events, Meetings, and Workshops as possible, and aides the Program Coordinator as necessary.  For full details, please click here.

Library Liaison

It is the role of the Library Liaison to build relationships with the York Region (and surrounding) public libraries to ensure frequent dialogues with their coordinators. This role pursues bridging opportunities regarding upcoming events, workshops, seminars, etc. from us to them AND them to us. The Library Liaison connects interested librarians to the Assistant Seminar/Workshop Coordinator to arrange member-run seminars, lectures, and workshops in conjunction with the WCYR at various library locations.

Volunteer Coordinator

This position is open to any member of the WCYR. It is their job to maintain and build a list of current, past, and potential volunteers for the many wide and varied positions which require filling – both on a long-term and short-term basis. They act as a liaison between the Board and volunteers to ensure that no one is being taken for granted or taken advantage of during their tenure. The Volunteer Coordinator may develop initiatives to encourage new and continued volunteering and ensure that all volunteers are shown our appreciation for their dedication and help.

Contests/Grant Coordinator

The Contests/Grant Coordinator will administrate the WCYR grants and organize/curate contests that members enter. It will be the job of this coordinator to reach out to the membership and sisterships of the WCYR to find judges willing to help narrow down grant qualifiers, and to make sure that each participating judge receives a package of grant submissions to evaluate. Once the evaluations are complete, the Contest/Grant Coordinator will organize and reveal of the winners in conjunction with the Special Events Coordinators. As for the contests, this coordinator will work to honour existing contest partnerships, look for new partnership opportunities, and work towards developing WCYR-specific contests with the aid of the Special Events Coordinators.

GENERAL HELPERS

Note: As a “thank you” for consistent help in any one (or multiple) areas, a volunteer will occasionally receive a free meeting.

Raffle Organizer

This fun position is open to any member of the WCYR who enjoys shopping for and crafting simple prize packages for our seminars, workshops, and meetings. While this person is often also the team member who sells the raffle tickets, if there is a conflict of events and/or you are not anticipating staying for the entire event, then the Program Coordinator will assist in finding another team member to perform this aspect of the role.

High School Outreach

The High School Outreach position will reach out to Guidance Departments and Principals who may have students interested in volunteering to help fulfill their mandatory hours, and those interested in creative writing. This person will coordinate with the Youth Group Coordinator.

Elections Officer

The Elections Officer’s job will centre on helping organize the upcoming elections, in conjunction with the Secretary, this March. This is a one-election position with a minimal time commitment. Once the elections are over, the responsibilities of the Elections Officer will end. In 2020, with the next elections, the previous Elections Officer may be reached out to, but is under no obligation to be the Officer again.

Critique Group Coordinator

The Critique Group Coordinator will speak with and help with organizing members into one or more critique groups via the use of the forum for in-person or online meetings. If there are too many members interested in joining one critique group, the Coordinator may split it as necessary. The Critique Group Coordinator will keep a database of the Groups sponsored by the WCYR and their membership.

Farmer’s Market Representative

The Farmer’s Market Representative will coordinate with the Assistant Program Coordinator or the Program Coordinator. They will liaise with the Farmer’s Market organizers, help with the set up and tear down of the booth on market days, and ensure that an adequate number of WCYR members are able to run the booth each week.

Additional Seminar Helpers

Being a Seminar Helper is open to anyone. It is a growing position for as many members as want to volunteer. A Seminar Helper will aid with set-up and take-down on the day of a seminar, workshop, or social event. A Seminar Helper may be asked to greet arrivals at the door if we are short-staffed for the day. We understand that not all helpers will be able to attend every event, so we encourage you to let the Program Coordinator or Assistant Program Coordinator know if you are unable to attend.

Additional Open Mic Hosts

Usually on the third Saturday of each month, from 12:30pm to 2:30pm at Cardinal Press Espresso Bar (formerly Covernotes) in Newmarket, the WCYR holds “Open Mic Readings”. We require a variety of volunteers, who take turns hosting the event. Duties include tracking participating readers, drawing their names for the order of their readings, announcing and thanking the readers for joining us, scheduling a break mid-way, and thanking Cardinal Press Espresso Bar for hosting the event.

Descriptions are located under the about the wcyr tab on the website. If you have any questions about a position, please contact: MJ Moores via the contact tab under Board Chair.

Thank you for considering volunteering with us 😊