Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteerism

TRANSPORTATION

VENDORS

HOUSING

For forty years, the International Calligraphy Conference has relied heavily on the generous volunteerism of participants and non-participants alike. This essential volunteer workforce is perhaps the primary driver in keeping conference costs low. It also has an added benefit of bringing people together to work for a larger cause. It is both a reflection of, as well as a catalyst for, our strong sense of community. The directors and participants of Write on the Edge thank you for your contributions!

Volunteers are needed for literally every aspect of the conference, from early planning and communications, until the final “thank you” card is mailed, and everything in-between! We welcome early arrivals who are interested in helping with our final push before the conference begins.

Please consider these areas of focus, and let us know in what area(s) you would like to help.

ON-SITE:

  • Attend training on Saturday of conference
  • Take prepared handouts to classroom
  • Help teacher distribute handouts
  • Make any announcements needed
  • Assist teacher in communicating with office or campus personnel
  • Make copies for class on break time
  • Organize Show and Share schedule on last day of class
  • Oversee cleanup at end of class

PRE-CONFERENCE:

  • Provide visual and written content for Write on the Edge public relations and social media

ON-SITE:

  • Post notices for bulletin board
  • Post and distribute daily schedules and conference updates
  • Coordinate with live-streaming team on select events
  • Take photos and videos for social media

ON-SITE:

  • Unpack shipped artwork for faculty and student exhibits
  • Help set up Faculty exhibit
  • Help set up Young Calligraphers exhibit
  • Help prepare Participant exhibit
  • Help take down Faculty exhibit
  • Help take down Young Calligraphers exhibit
  • Help take down Participant exhibit
  • Help pack art and prepare for artist or buyer to pick up
  • Gallery sitters

Gallery sitters constitute a particularly large cohort of on-site volunteers.  Many sitters are needed to oversee the faculty exhibition when it is open, evenings and during the lunch break. Lunch sittings are scheduled so that one volunteer sits and then eats while the other eats and then sits, with each getting back to class on time. Gallery sitting provides an excellent on-site volunteer opportunity for those attending classes.

ON-SITE:

  • Hang classroom signs
  • Hang guild banners
  • Hang conference banners
  • Help position all campus directional signage
  • Help organize classroom equipment and supplies
  • Help set up classrooms (cover tables and floors, water buckets, distribute supplies, etc.)
  • Conduct A/V checks and classroom inspections with instructors
  • Help with final classroom inspection upon departure

ON-SITE:

  • Distribute Faculty Baskets to their dorm rooms
  • Join our Welcome Committee on arrival day
  • Help at evening socials (greeters, drink-ticket sales)
  • Help with excursion activities

PRE-CONFERENCE:

  • Stuff Check-in packets

ON-SITE:

  • Set out directional signs
  • Hang dorm room signage
  • Set up, supply, and inspect dorm rooms
  • Help with check-in and check-out
  • Luggage porters
  • Last-day dorm room inspection team

PRE-CONFERENCE

  • Assist in setting up office space

ON-SITE

  • Run errands as needed (shopping, etc.)
  • Help with after-hours check-ins on first day
  • Make copies
  • Help sell conference merchandise on breaks
  • Relieve office manager for half of meal breaks so she can eat

ON-SITE:

  • Serve as airport greeter at SFO and OAK airports, welcoming and directing arriving conference goers
  • Transfer shuttle greeter at Doubletree Inn on arrival day
  • Pick up faculty members at airport arriving off-hours
  • On-call drivers for local shuttling
  • Assist with loading shuttle buses back to airport

Restricted to guests who are not attending classes

Golf Cart drivers have played an integral role in conferences for many years. When 350 enthusiastic lettering artist occupy a college campus, we usually occupy the entire campus—and that can cover a lot of real estate.

Pre-conference, golf cart drivers help tremendously with the set-up of the conference as they shuttle people, materials and equipment wherever needed, quickly.

During the conference, golf cart drivers become the most popular celebrities on campus as they keep things moving through frequent shuttles to class, dining, residences, evening events, and more.  Become everyone’s best friend—become a golf cart driver!

PRE-CONFERENCE:

  • Prepare welcome signage for airport greeters
  • Create classroom signs
  • Create all campus exterior directional signage
  • Create vendor signs for two-day vendor show
  • Create interior directional signage for classrooms
  • Make directional signs for dorm area

ON-SITE:

  • Quickly make signs as needed for Conference Office

ON-SITE:

  • Assist with set-up of vendor show
  • Help vendors with mealtime breaks
  • Help set up Market Night
  • Help clean up at close of Market Night
  • Help clean up at close of vendor show
I want to volunteer!