Jessica Roland, Head of Volunteers, has asked me to share an update on volunteering at Penguicon. If you have any questions, she can be reached at [email protected].
I am so very excited to be heading up Volunteering for Penguicon for 2016. I hope you will all be just as excited to have me!
For those that don’t know me, I’m Jessica Roland, and most recently I was known as the Internal Communications person for 2014/2015. I loved getting to know so many Penguicon members through that position, but am equally glad to hand the reins off to Meghan, who will continue to help the community grow.
What you might not know, unless you have spent any time talking to me, is that volunteering is a part of my DNA. (Seriously. I get twitchy if I can’t give back to causes I love.) As such, I tend to gush a bit and like to share that passion with anyone that is interested in listening. I want to use that passion to help grow the volunteer aspect of Penguicon.
Penguicon is a 100% volunteer-run organization. No one makes any money off of helping bring this amazing weekend-long event to you every year—not even our speakers or GoH speakers are paid for their time. That being said, I think there is still opportunity for growth in our organization to help cultivate the volunteer culture that is really at the heart of our community.
I want Penguicon to be known as the con that gives back—not only to ourselves, but to the communities that we live and work in as well as the charities that we support each year. I want everyone that is volunteering to be excited to be a part of a well-organized event where they feel appreciated, accepted, and knowledgeable. I also want them to be in positions that they are happy to be helping with that only ask them to step out of their comfort zone if they choose to do so.
There are so many opportunities within Penguicon where you can help. It doesn’t matter if you can only give one hour at the con or volunteer continuously throughout the year—we have a place for you. It will be my job to help you find the perfect fit for your time, talent, and interests.
If you love volunteering with Penguicon, I hope you will take a moment to let me know what you thought worked well and what you thought we could do better. Please email me any feedback on your experience volunteering at the con.
If you are ready to start your own volunteer experience, please take a moment to fill out the volunteer interest form so we can find the right opportunity for you. I look forward to working with all of you this year.