Volunteer with Split This Rock

Thanks largely to the participation of so many of you, the first two Split This Rock Poetry Festivals have been tremendously successful. We continue to hear from participants about the incredible poetry they heard, the challenging and thought-provoking discussions and workshops they attended, and the powerful sense of community they felt. You — and many others — have asked us to build Split This Rock into a permanent home for progressive poets.

We can't do it without your help. We're in the final stretch for organizing the 2012 Split This Rock Festival and we need your help to make this work! Please consider volunteering during the Festival: March 22 to March 25.

Festival Volunteer Roles

Jaime Jarvis, volunteer since 2007, copyright Jill BrazelVENUE CZARINA: Set up rooms according to the needs of the session, including posting the correct sign for current session. Check that all attendees have valid festival passes. Answer questions and help guide participants to appropriate rooms. Assist the session coordinator as needed. Ensure that all rules of the venue are observed. A cell phone is required for this position.

REGISTER/CHECK IN: Responsible for cash handling/taking credit card info, checking student IDs, coordinating with organizers to hand over cash box when sales close. May help with signups for open mics.

INFO/PRESS/T-SHIRT SALES: Work alongside registration/check-in volunteers, to sell T-shirts and festival publications, hand out press packets/passes, and answer questions. Responsible for cash handling/taking credit card info, coordinating with organizers to hand over cash box when sales close.

We are hosting three brief, fun volunteer training sessions to prepare you for your shifts—a great chance to meet our team and fellow poets & organizers. We ask all volunteers to please attend one of the following sessions:

  • Thursday, March 8th from 6 - 7pm @ Split This Rock Office, 1112 16th Street, NW, Suite 600 - Washington, DC 20036
  • Saturday, March 17th from 10:30 - 11:30 am @ Split This Rock Office
  • Thursday, March 22nd from 9:30 - 10:30 am @ Thurgood Marshall Center, 1816 12th Street - Washington, DC 20009

Contact our volunteer coordinator, Kaitie O'Hare. We hope to see you soon. If you are coming from out of town and can't make one of these sessions, please let us know. We're happy to accommodate you.

Volunteering Has Benefits!

Volunteers who work two or more 2.5 hour shifts will receive a free pass to the festival and a free Split This Rock 2012 t-shirt. Plus you'll meet wonderful, fascinating people and be a part of a movement of poets working for a better world.

Year-Round Volunteering

Split This Rock volunteers help with publicity, outreach, programming, fundraising, accessibility planning, administration, graphic and web design, and so much more. Even if you don’t live in the D.C. area, there many ways to help out. You can also join Split This Rock on Facebook and network with others in your area.

To get involved, complete the Volunteer Form and send it to us, or send an email to info@splitthisrock.org.

Fundraising/Events: Help plan fundraising events in DC, New York, or other areas. Write appeal letters. Dream up creative fundraising events and projects. Help us write grant proposals.

Sponsorships: Solicit corporate (hotels, venues, transportation, restaurants) and organizational (poetry, religious, community, peace and justice organizations) sponsorships.

Publicity/Marketing and Graphic Design: Develop ads, brochures, registration materials, T-shirt designs. Work with web and blog editors. Solicit and maintain media sponsorships (City Paper, Pacifica Radio, etc.).

Outreach: Help us send notices to constituencies and develop creative ways to engage: literary arts/theatre organizations; activist/political/community/disability organizations; schools/youth organizations; colleges/universities; religious community.

Out-of-Town Organizing: Establish and maintain a network of coordinators in other cities, providing them with ideas for local recruitment and engagement activities.

Media Relations: Work with Split This Rock’s media team to identify and cultivate free media, write press releases, make phone calls, and stay in touch with contacts.

Accessibility Planning: Work with accessibility experts to ensure website and promotional materials are accessible. Plan festival accessibility.

Web: Work with web manager to add enhancements to the website. Requires web skills (HTML, CSS, web content management).

Archivist/Documentation: Anthology/CD/web streaming/documentary

Administrative/Clerical (recordkeeping, database, etc.): Data entry; thank you notes, premiums, recognition to donors, etc.

Festival Volunteers

  • Outreach: Work in your community to help us spread the word about the festivals. Distribute flyers/postcards/posters, organize readings/events, and more.
  • Volunteer coordination/organizing: Reach out to new/returning volunteers. Provide training and orientation, create schedules, and manage volunteers during the festival.
  • Hospitality: Plan and manage hospitality for featured poets during the festival. Provide transportation and other care and feeding to poets during the festival.
  • Registration materials: Plan and develop program books and other materials for the festival.
  • Accessibility planning: Large-print materials, access to venues, and more.
  • ASL interpretation
  • Event hosting/monitoring: Staff the check-in tables, work with venue personnel, post signs, sell T-shirts, etc.
  • Post-festival: Volunteers help us with a variety of tasks from archiving/documentation to administrative assistance.