How to Coordinate Volunteers for Youth Theater
If your child is involved in youth theater, you may have noticed that the group is a non-profit. As a result, volunteers often manage many behind-the-scenes jobs. Here's how to wrangle your volunteers for a successful opening night.
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Instructions
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Identify the jobs. Most youth theater jobs require ushers, makeup, costume dressers, concession sales, snacks and clean up. Beyond that you might have folk who wrangle props or even sell tickets. Be clear about what the jobs are, when the parents need to help out (dress rehearsal or night of performance) and what is expected in terms of time commitment.
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Send out a call for assistance. Most volunteers want to see their children on stage, so work with the director to ensure that any job doesn't interfere with the performance. Since you've clearly identified the jobs, volunteers will respond reasonably quickly with their preferred job.
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Make sure to have the volunteers prioritize. If everyone wants to usher, you're just going to email again, so have the volunteers provide their first and second choice (or third if it's a big troupe with lots of jobs). This way, it's easier to give someone a job to which they are truly committed.
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Send out an updated list of volunteer jobs. Once you've heard from most folks, send out a list identifying what's taken. This will not only prod the slow pokes to sign up, it also provides a clear idea of what's left.
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Confirm with key individuals. Place a few phone calls a few days prior to dress rehearsal and the performance to ensure that each person knows when to arrive, what they're doing and when they're done. Answer any remaining questions and enjoy a successful show.
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