Author: Lydia

    Daniella Norwood is an experienced WordCamp RI organizer. This year she takes on the task of Volunteer Wrangler. She shares what volunteers get and give back when involved in WordCamp RI.

Q-
Daniella once again you’re on the organizing committee of WordCamp RI. Why did you gravitate toward working with the volunteers?
A-
I find working with volunteers exhilarating. These are people who either love WordPress or are just getting involved and want to learn more. I help organize those who volunteer for the two actual days of WordCamp RI. However, everyone is a volunteer. All of us on the organizing committee donate our time: at nights, on weekends and in between. In addition, the speakers at WordCamp RI do not get paid for their time. When you think about it, it’s inspiring that a community of people come together and put together a two-day learning conference every year.

Q-
What do you look for in a volunteer?
A-
An upbeat attitude and a willingness to help. Other than that, we match volunteers to their job preferences. There are some jobs that are stationary, for example sitting at the front desk and checking in attendees. There are some that are active, for example helping attendees find the classroom they want or directing them to the rest rooms.
Volunteers should have some flexibility. We work very hard to give everyone their first choice of jobs and shifts, but sometimes it’s not possible. Plus, volunteers should have a true commitment. When someone says they’ll work a specific shift we’re counting on them.

Q-
Will they be working the whole time?
A-
No, volunteers will have specific shifts and the rest of the time they can attend seminars, get help at the Happiness Bar (i.e. the Help Desk) and network with other attendees.

Q-
How many hours are involved?
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A shift is 5 hours.

Q-
Is there an orientation?
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There are two parts to orientation. There is the WordCamp RI conference orientation and the campus physical layout orientation.

Q-
What should a volunteer know ahead of time? What should they expect?
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A volunteer agrees to an orientation that reviews how WordCamp RI works as well as a walk-through orientation on the campus of New England Tech. We want to make sure that volunteers understand the campus layout completely, so they can efficiently get attendees to where they need to be. Volunteers choose which 5-hour shift they want to work and we do our best to accommodate those requests.
In return, a volunteer gets the opportunity to attend sessions (for free) when they are off-duty, a cool t-shirt that gives them bragging rights, lunch, and a great opportunity to network with companies and individuals who use WordPress.

Q-
What are some of the things volunteers do?
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Register last minute attendees, hand out t-shirts, give directions, provide assistance to speakers if there is a technical difficulty or the speaker needs a drink of water, and help pass out the lunches. In addition, all sorts of things crop up at an event like this and our volunteers jump in and do what’s needed.
Here’s a good place to see the list of all the volunteer opportunities. https://2017.rhodeisland.wordcamp.org/call-for-volunteers/

Q-
Is there any restriction who can volunteer?
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No! We’ll match volunteers with their abilities and preferences to the best of our ability.

Q-
How does WordCamp RI give value to the WordPress community?
A-
WordCamp RI is a great way for WordPress users to be exposed to the latest developments with WordPress and the internet in general. As we all know, the digital world is constantly changing at a fast pace. This once a year conference is a great way to get an overview of what is going on.
It also helps that the attendees are mostly from New England. Sometimes we like to bounce ideas off another WordPress user and network with someone who works in a field related to our own yet with the benefit of a different perspective.

Q-
What do you look forward to at WordCamp RI each year?
A-
The sessions and networking. I’ve made friends working with WordPress and although we keep in touch throughout the year, this is the one time we all know we’ll be in one place and can have a friendly catch-up session. We come from many different fields and yet work together well. There’s a satisfied sense of accomplishment at the end of each WordCamp RI.

Q-
What is your advice to attendees to get the most out of: The Happiness Bar/Help Desk? Sessions and Seminars?
A-
First, check out the final online schedule a few days before WordCamp RI. Decide what seminars you want to attend. Make a note of any sessions you’re unsure about and then on the days of WordCamp RI ask a volunteer or organizer to help you narrow down your choices.
Pace yourself. You know yourself best. Maybe you want to attend every session and maybe you would rather schedule some quiet time when you can take your laptop off to a corner and experiment with something you’ve just learned.
Do you have a question that you wish you could ask someone? Go to the Happiness Bar! You’ll get one-on-one help from a WordCamp RI volunteer. If your question has them stumped, they’ll help you seek out someone else who may have an answer. Sometimes a five-minute conversation at the Happiness Bar can ease hours of stress or aggravation.
Finally, network. Everyone at WordCamp RI has some connection to WordPress. You’ll bump into them in the seminars, see them at lunch, meet them at the reception, and chat with them in the vendor display area. A person you meet might have an answer to a question, a job lead for you, the ability to match a client with a developer, or provide a resource for any other aspect of our everyday lives. You never know who you are rubbing shoulders with until you stop and say “hi.”

Is volunteering for you this year?
Signup at https://2017.rhodeisland.wordcamp.org/call-for-volunteers/
Follow Daniella Norwood on Twitter @ellajdesigns