2011 Surry Hills Festival
Saturday, 9 April, 9:30am - 6:00pm
A fundraiser for the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre
Volunteering? You'll love it!!!
A large part of the success of the annual Surry Hills Festival lies with the passionate enthusiastic volunteers who give so generously of their time in the six months leading up to the Festival and on Festival Day. Approximately 150 volunteers contribute their time, skills and expertise to the Festival each year.
Volunteers get to experience a great team spirit, and the reward of knowing that their investment has been part of raising awareness and financial support for the community service of the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre.
Previous Volunteers had the following to say about their highlights on Festival Day:
- "Great crew. Food and volunteer welfare system was excellent."
- "I really enjoyed the 'Gold Coin Donation team...'"
- "Congratulations on a very well coordinated event, including providing for breaks and meal vouchers for yummy food. Thank you for the opportunity to participate."
- "of all the events I have volunteered with, it seemed to be the most smoothly run."
What Volunteer Opportunities are available in 2011?
Please Note: Most volunteer vacancies have been filled. Only Gold Coin volunteer opportunities are still available.
Pre-Festival:
Volunteers are already working on the Surry Hills Festival, with more pre-festival volunteer roles becoming available in the last 4-6 weeks. These include:
Pre-Festival Administration: Assistant to Festival Director, Logistics, Band & Artists Liaison, Community liaison, Site area management, etc.
Status - Sorry, the Pre-Festival Administration volunteer spaces are all filled!
Pre-Festival Street Marketing & Promotion (March and April): Delivering posters & programmes to local businesses/cafes/universities.
Status - Sorry, the Pre-Festival Marketing and Promotion volunteer spaces are all filled!
Festival Day:
Bump In Team: 6:00am - 9:30am
Bump In Traffic Marshals assist the flow of traffic through the park during Bump In of stalls. They allow stallholders to enter the park during their allocated correct set up time, and direct them to their general stall area.
Bump In Stall Area Marshals assist stallholders to identify their specific stall area within a section of the park. They ensure that stallholders unload their vehicles and remove the vehicle from the park within the allocated time frame BEFORE setting up their stall.
Status - Sorry, the Bump In Team volunteer spaces are all filled!
Dog Show Assistants: 8:45am - 11.30am
The Dog Show Assistants support the MC for the Surry Hills Dog Show off, collecting Gold Coin registrations for Dogs entering the Show, and receiving Gold Coin donations from Dog Show spectators.
Status - Sorry, Dog Show volunteer spaces are all filled!
Gold Coin Team: Various times between 9.30am and 6.00pm
The Gold Coin Collection team is becoming one of the most popular volunteer opportunities at the Surry Hills Festival. These volunteers are the primary face of the Festival and have a highly rewarding role. They greet Festival goers at the entry to the festival parks and venues, provide general information to Festival goers, hand out Festival programmes and receive the Gold Coin entry donations which are a fund raiser for the community services of the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre. Gold Coin collectors will give each person a sticker to indicate that they have donated, so that individuals are only asked to donate once during the Festival.
Gold Coin Collectors work in teams of two people (minimum) and up to eight people - so it is an excellent opportunity to volunteer with a group of your friends, or to make new friends!! This year, we're aiming for a team of 80 Gold Coin collectors at the gates throughout the day, so why not organise a group of people and come and volunteer together.
If you have a great sense of humour, love being in the limelight, and you are happy to stand at the front of the festival crowds and promote the merits of giving generously to the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, then this role is perfect for you. The Gold Coin Spruikers will have the fun task of encouraging festival goers entering the festival precincts to give generously to the waiting Gold Coin team.
Status - Gold Coin volunteer opportunities still available.
Benefits of Volunteering at the Surry Hills Festival
- Flexibility: Volunteers will be asked when they are available on Festival Day, so that they can be rostered on for their convenience
- Breaks: Volunteers will be given appropriate breaks throughout their shift(s) and lunch breaks if they volunteer for more than one shift
- Training: Volunteers will receive training in their specific role, including safety training.
- Volunteer Thank you party: Volunteers will be invited to a thank you party to be held during the week after the Festival.
Obligations of Volunteers
- All volunteers are required to complete a formal application, and to sign on and off when they come on duty. This is to ensure they are covered by our insurance.
- Volunteer Training Session: Volunteers will be required to undergo training before Festival Day in their specific duties, and to ensure that they are familiar with the safety requirements of their tasks and the relevant parts of the Risk Management Plan
- The main responsibilities of a volunteer, apart from doing their assigned jobs, are to have fun and work safely.
How do I become a Volunteer?
The quickest and easiest way to volunteer is to fill out an online form. Complete the form and click on the Submit button, and that's all there is to it. Your application is received by the Festival immediately, and you will get an email to confirm your application.
Photographs by Mike Salon and William Newell