A volunteer committee of roughly 30 individuals works with Festival Managers and is committed to producing a welcoming event of traditional dance, music, instruction and entertainment for all ages.
The Flurry Festival has several Planning Committee positions currently open! These are volunteer positions on the committee which plans and produces the Flurry Festival.
Some positions involve organizing and supervising a volunteer crew before or during the festival, and others involve solo work to be completed before and/or during the festival weekend. The committee meets monthly from September to April (sometimes in person, sometimes on zoom, but always with a zoom-in option), and committee members work with the Administrative Manager on planning and executing their responsibilities. Planning Committee members receive free admission to the festival and lodging on site.
Joining our planning and operations committee is an opportunity to be a part of the passionate and hard working bunch who bring the Flurry Festival to life! If you love traditional dance and music, enjoy organizing, and want to be a part of creating inclusive spaces for people to come together in community, then you would be a great fit for our planning committee!
Please contact Administrative Manager Shira Love (slove@danceflurry.org) to learn more about these positions, and see if you might be a good fit for this year’s Flurry team!
Current Vacancies on the 2024 Flurry Festival Planning Committee:
Open Planning Committee Positions:
Vendors Coordinator
The Vendors Chair coordinates the businesses who will sell merchandise at the festival. Our attendees enjoy the opportunity to purchase merchandise related to dancing and to bring souvenirs home from local businesses and artisans. Our previous interim Vendors Chair is available to train you, and pass on email templates, vendor lists and contacts, and other relevant materials and processes. This work can be done remotely, but you must be available on site during the festival weekend to oversee vendor processes.
Vendors Chair duties include:
– Identifying and reaching out to appropriate vendors, including past favorites
– Help determine vendor placement and layout based on needs and available space
– Communicating logistics with the vendors and managing contracts
– Being present on site for the run of the festival (Friday evening, Saturday, and Sunday) to help with vendor set up and tear down, answering questions, and troubleshooting any issues.
Ads and Sponsorships Coordinator
The Ads and Sponsorships Coordinator solicits new and returning businesses for camera-ready ads for our program book or sheet, as well as businesses and corporations for festival sponsorships of varying levels. The coordinator will also work with the graphic designer on ad placement and layout, and with the Marketing Manager on promotional placement for our sponsors. Examples of sponsorship and ad levels (adjusted for 2023’s intended dual festival, and thus yet to be updated) can be found at https://www.flurryfestival.org/sponsors-advertising/. Being local to the Capital Region would be helpful for approaching local business, and having existing connections in the community is also a plus for sponsor outreach.
The number of businesses placing ads has declined in recent years, and so assertive outreach to the local community will be valued. Historically we have had a small pool of sponsors based on local connections, and are hoping to broaden that revenue source through investigating new sponsorship options. The previous Ads Coordinator will be available to train you and pass on solicitation materials and management tools, and you will work with the DFO Treasurer and bookkeeper on billing and tracking income for ads and sponsorships. All work on ads and sponsorships is completed before the festival, so you will have the weekend free to enjoy!
Street Teams Crew Chief
The Street Teams Crew Chief is responsible for finding and coordinating with members of the Flurry community in targeted locations both regionally and around the country for the placement of promotional materials at related local events. These may be dance organizers or other individuals who are in a position to promote Flurry and distribute materials in their local communities or at universities as fulfillment of their Flurry volunteer “hours.” We will have postcards, posters, and flyers which can be mailed by the DFO Administrator to Street Team volunteers to be placed at local dances; the crew chief will identify and communicate with these volunteers and coordinate mailings. They may also provide regular email updates to the Street Team volunteers on information and developments, with promotional materials that can be passed on to other organizers’ email lists and social media.
This is an outreach position, and the crew chief should be comfortable connecting with many communities and determining the best targets for Flurry outreach, and following up to ensure publicity efforts are being carried out. Contact information for previous years’ street team volunteers will be provided. The crew chief is also encouraged to develop a system for tracking effectiveness of local outreach, in order to fine tune the approach for future years. The crew chief will be responsible for making sure all Street Team volunteers are entered in the volunteer database, and for communicating to them any general information regarding festival volunteering.