Brandy Jones
September 16, 2014
Assignment 3

Tech Has Talent Volunteers
Volunteers are critical to any event being planned. If you do not have volunteers, you do not have an event, unless you have the money to pay for every service you are offering. For the Tech Has Talent event, we expect to have over 500 attendees and we have 6 weeks to plan, recruit, train, execute, and appreciate our volunteers. At 6 weeks from the event, I have a Volunteer Coordinator/Supervisor on my committee, which is comprised of Greenville Tech students and staff. I expect my volunteer coordinator to be organized, have this event executed efficiently, make sure volunteers are recognized, and have problems dealt with swiftly, but delicately. The following is our volunteer plan closer to the event.

Since we are 6 weeks out, we have the GTC Computer Science department volunteering to take care of signs, graphics and logos. GTC’s Culinary Institute of the Carolinas is handling food and beverages the day of the event. The Automotive Technology department is supplying golf cart drivers to transport guests with disabilities to and from the parking area. Each department participating will have an event T-shirt with their respective departments acknowledged and students showcasing their talents have been reviewed and approved for their station.

We have established a sign-up area for students to volunteer in the library, student center, McAlister Square, computer labs across campus, department common areas, and a sign-up table in each department, once a week, for the next 5 weeks. I encouraged campus associations, such as Phi Theta Kappa and the Paralegal Association, to volunteer so that they may also represent their unique group during the function; the mentioned associations have volunteered to take care of customer service in the food area. Today, we generated a mass email to all students, teachers, and support staff, which invited them to be a part of this student-community event. This email detailed where people can sign-up for volunteering on the day of the event, and gave them the background of what the event is about. The email also gave them the date and time of the event so the Tech community can plan accordingly. All event day volunteers must be signed up by the week before the event is held so that we can have a training night and everyone knows their place and what is expected of them. Volunteers will also sign the volunteer waiver at training.

At volunteer training, all volunteers will learn the event mission and receive a “Chain-of Command” for reporting issues, needs, and/or wants. A view of event layout, which will break down stations, bathrooms, check-in, and parking, will be given in a PowerPoint presentation. Volunteers will also receive their ‘assignment” for the event so that there is no confusion on who is doing what. We want this to be as smooth as possible since people are donating their time and efforts for this great event. Volunteers will have reserved parking and this will be addressed at training as well. They also will be notified to arrive 15 minutes prior to their shift for check-in and placement.

Since I understand schedules and families, we are breaking the volunteers up into 3 hour segments. The first segment is from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. for set-up, the second is from 12 a.m. – 3 p.m. for the event kickoff, the third is from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. for the event wind-down, and the last is from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. for tear-down/clean-up.

My volunteer coordinator has an Excel spreadsheet of station needs and shift times. Once all volunteers are signed up, they will be assigned to a schedule and station for the day of the event.
The following are volunteer needs: 1. Volunteer matters: 4 people for volunteer check – in/out for each segment (16 total). a. Volunteer concessions/appreciation: 4 people at volunteer concessions behind the scenes each segment. We will provide lunch and dinner for volunteers, which are being funded and bought by one of our sponsors, Michelin. (16 total) 2. Set-up: 10 people 3. Parking: 10 people – 2nd & 3rd shifts (20 total) 4. Concessions: GTC’s culinary department - 8 volunteers total for entire event time 5. Servers: Paralegal Association and Phi Theta Kappa - 6 volunteers for each shift they choose (12 total) 6. Floating: 20 volunteers a. Greeters: 4 people for 2nd & 3rd shifts (8 total) b. “Ask me” people: 3 people for 2nd & 3rdshift (6 total) c. Miscellaneous: 3 people for 2nd and 3rd shifts (6 total) 7. Tear-down/Clean-Up: 10 people
Total: 112 volunteers

Each volunteer gets a t-shirt, meal, and the reward of serving their Tech community, initiating college pride. The associations and departments that volunteered get to display what they are working hard to achieve and will receive a department volunteer plaque to display in their respective buildings.