Volunteer Application
Thank you for your interest in helping us run this amazing event. To run smoothly, we need many hands/paws/claws and just as many different skill sets. If possible, we would request your help for 18 hours at the convention. Our volunteers work hard and we want to show you our appreciation with some very special gifts, such as a staff shirt and staff badge alongside thank you meal just for staff,. There is also a volunteer hotel room block option available where four members of staff share a heavily discounted room. Once again, thank you so much for your interest, and we hope you will become part of our team!
2025 SCHEDULE
- October 4, 2024: Volunteer Application Opens
- October 18, 2024: 1st Volunteer Notifications Sent
- November 8, 2024: 2nd Volunteer Notifications Sent
- November 29, 2024: 3rd Volunteer Notifications Sent
- December 6, 2024: Volunteer Applications Close
STAFF PERKS
Volunteer responsibilities:
- Non-specialty positions need to complete a total of at con time of 18 hrs (specialty positions include Con Ops and Rovers, all AV/IT positions, Staff Artists/Den, Hospitality, and leadership positions, which can be more than 18 hrs and pre-con work )
- Must pay for your badge. (veteran staff and leadership are exempt*)
- Attend meetings which include department meetings and all-hands meetings both pre-con and at con.
- Attend any trainings within your department or for the con that are scheduled
- Follow the CoC of the con and CoC for Volunteers (both are found on the website)
Volunteers will receive:
- Free weekend (pre-registration) admission to the 2026 event – Must accumulate at least 18 hours of volunteering time (verified at con time), and you will get a free weekend badge to the next year’s event. Why next year? So if you do not want to volunteer the following year, you can enjoy your con without worrying about volunteering (veteran staff and leadership are exempt )
- Staff shirt
- Staff lanyard
- Staff exclusive badge
- Staff thank you meal
- Staff ribbon
- Letters of Volunteer hours for students or workers available – We will write letters of volunteer hours for student volunteers or anyone who requests them after the con hours have been verified
- Spots in staff rooms that sleep a total of 4 volunteers. These spots are limited and an option, not a requirement. More details will be in the PDFC con announcements.
What is a “veteran”? A veteran must meet these requirements (but not limited to)
- a previous volunteer that has work at least two year, met the minimum hours for each of the two years, is considered rehire able and is in good standing with the con (no outstanding moneys owed to the con)
*Veterans and leadership will receive a special code for the staff badge discounts.
DEPARTMENT DESCRIPTIONS
Operations
Ops is a large department that does a lot of its work at the convention. There are several sub-departments that fall under the Operations Umbrella.
Convention Operations (Con-Ops)
Con-Ops is a sub-department under the Operations Umbrella. Con-ops is responsible for the lost and found, team members, and help direct requests and incidents to other appropriate con departments and teams. Con-ops will disseminate information and help coordinate action with all team members on staff. Con-Ops members will also assist in Line control and badge checking in some situations.
Rover (CoC, ToS Enforcement)
Rover helps with a variety of different things at con. They check IDs for 18+/21+ areas, they badge check into convention spaces. Rover helps keep lines under control and helps move people from point A to point B. The Rover members will patrol con space to keep an eye on the convention for safety and CoC and ToS infractions and be the response team for emergencies. Problem-solving skills and the ability to keep a cool and level head in varying situations are huge benefits to this department.
Logistics
The Logistics team helps move equipment. They are the muscle movers of the con. Most of their work is done on Thursday and Sunday when we load and unload the trucks of equipment. Being able to lift heavy items, push/pull carts, and follow directions are all important qualities for this position.
Gophers (Go-for)
Gophers are runners for the convention. When a small item or information needs to be delivered to somebody, the Gophers will take care of it. Gophers rarely have a large assigned task but are given short-term quick tasks to take care of. It is important for the team members to be quick on their feet and able to change tasks rapidly.
Events
Program Team
The program team helps build and maintain the schedule of events before the convention. At the convention members of this team will aid event and panel hosts with ensuring their panels are set up and ready to go, and take an attendance count of each event. Also, part of this team’s duties are assisting with major events such as the Dance Comp and Fursuit Parade and helping keep the Fursuit Lounges operating.
Dance Comp
The Dance Competition is one of the biggest events at each convention and requires a dedicated team to help manage it. Pre-con Dance Comp team members will help manage dancers’ music (ensuring the music is at least rated PG, properly formatted, and loaded on the convention database). Pre-con Dance Comp team members also help arrange Dance Comp Judges for the event. During the convention and event, team members will check in with dancers, assist the Master of Ceremonies, help the dancers move through the competition process at the event, and be ready to assist in any possible emergencies at the competition.
Gaming
Many attendees enjoy the game room, both tabletop players and console gamers. Gaming team members help maintain the game room, keep it clean, and help keep a protective eye on all the equipment in the room. Gaming team members will also help run different tournaments, and swap games in and out when needed. Many Gaming staff members help find gaming consoles and games to borrow for the event.
Creativity
There are many different sub-departments under the creativity umbrella. Almost all of the sub-departments revolve around art in some form.
Art team
The art team creates all of the art assets that the convention uses each year. This includes posters, signs, art used in social media, art used in the con book. T-shirts, Pins, and much more. All of this work is done pre-con and sometimes months in advance. If you are interested in working with the art team, please reach out to [email protected] directly and express your interest.
Theme and Decorating
Theme and Decorating use a lot of the art assets that were created by the art team, and use their own ingenuity and help bring the con theme to life. Hosting treasure hunts and creating themed decorations to help the attendees enjoy the theme of the convention.
Dealers Den Staff
Dealer’s Den is the largest non-event attraction for most furry cons. This is where vendors sell their products. Art, pins, magnets, fursuits, and much much more are sold in the Dealer’s Den. This team is responsible for helping the vendors and attendees have an enjoyable experience in the Dealer’s Den. Helping keep people moving through the aisles, and also helping the vendors when necessary.
Artist Alley
Artist Alley has been described as a junior dealer’s Den. Artists buy tables by the day and sell wares throughout the day. At the end of the day, all items will need to be picked up by the artist or vendor. Volunteers for Artist Alley help get artists settled in and ensure that the rules of artist alley are being followed. The volunteers will need to be present to help artists and vendors as needed.
Convention Store (Con Store)
The Con Store is located inside the Dealer’s Den. It is a booth that sells merchandise related to the con (shirts, mugs, pins, etc.) and to the other AEIOU conventions. Con Store staff are responsible for keeping shelves stocked, and conducting sales transactions, using cash or credit cards. People skills are important for this team, as this is a staffed con-related spot, con store gets many questions and inquiries about the Dealer’s Den.
Art Show
The art show has many different names throughout the different cons. It is a silent auction that is run over the course of the convention. Art show staff will aid artists in the placement of their art pieces, check badges and IDs when needed, and do their best to ensure the area stays safe and secure. At the end of the art show, the team will be responsible for filling out sales forms and receipts and collecting money.
Photography
Photographers are important to many of the fursuiters. Photographers either have set hours at the photobooth, work special events, or wander the con space taking photos for the con. Photographers are responsible for editing their own photos and ensuring the proper quality of photos.
Social Media
This team handles Twitter and Telegram and other social media that might be added. The social media team will keep a finger on the pulse of the convention and oftentimes will know something is amiss before any of the con staff will. I.E. people grump on Twitter way before saying something to staff. This team helps promote and get con awareness to the public but is not responsible for conflict resolution on social media.
Con Book
The con book team builds the con book that will be present on the convention website as well as physical copies that will be passed out at the convention. The con book team will also be responsible for considering ad-swaps and communicating with potential buyers for said ad space. The Con book team also builds and prints the tri fold pocket guide for the convention.
AV
Audio-Visual (AV)
The Audio-Visual team (also sometimes referred to as AV/IT) assists with the setup, operation, and tear down of the more technical aspects of the convention. The AV team helps with setting up and running the audio, lighting, video, and networking systems for all various stages and panel rooms across the convention. This department is a more tech-heavy position and requires its team members to be comfortable with computer systems and electronics. Industry experience is always appreciated, but is not required (if you’re willing to learn new things of course!).
Dance/DJ team
The Dance/DJ Team works as a go-between for the DJs, the Events team, and the AV team. The evening dances are the lifeblood during the night of each convention and require a lot of effort across many departments. This team helps sort through DJ applications, arranges the dance/DJ schedule, and selects which DJs will be performing. This team helps make sure the DJ and AV team work smoothly together to ensure an amazing event. This team is very much for night owls and those that like to stay up late.
IT
IT is responsible for handling all technology to keep the convention running. IT works with alot of other departments and has a need to be on call when an issue arises.
Information Technology (IT)
The IT team helps with setting up and running the computers and electronic systems used by the convention. IT is also responsible for the convention’s setup of servers and databases. IT helps build behind the scene computer processes that are used throughout the convention and by AEIOU. The IT team members need to be proficient in working with networking and computers and must be up to date with the newest technology.
Website
The website team uses the latest web-building modules and art assets created by the art team to bring life to the convention webpage. The convention webpage is responsible for delivering information to the public and helping answer many questions that the public might have about the convention.
Enrichment/Outreach
This department helps bring the community and the convention together.
Charity
The Charity team works with the charity contact to help engage attendees, help generate donations for the Charity, and help raise awareness for the charity’s purpose. The charity contact person must usually stay at their table/booth/room, and cannot wander the convention space, this is where the Charity team members can help the charity be more present throughout the space.
Guest of Honor Liaison
This department is the liaison between the convention and the Guests of Honor for the convention. Made up of part personal assistant, part gopher, and part problem solver these team members make sure the Guests of Honor enjoy themselves and are able to meet their agreed commitments.
Outreach
Outreach team members help to bridge the gap between the furry community and the city/state communities by bringing community tables that are inclusive in resources, entertainment, and support well-being for our communities.
Hospitality
The Hospitality Team is tasked with overseeing facilities operations in the con spaces, helping with menus for the event, working directly with the hotel liaisons, helping maintain clean and safe con spaces, and assisting with the contractual needs with the hotel and the con.
Party Maven
The party maven helps with arranging parties on the party floor. The maven helps the party host understand the expectations required of them, and ensures the party hosts are adhering to rules and restrictions. Big item restrictions that are required of the host are enforcing age restrictions, managing noise levels on the party floor, and keeping parties to a level that respects the other guests of the hotel. In some cases, the maven will need to limit or even stop an ongoing party.
Finance
Registration (Reg)
Registration is the first real person that many of our attendees will meet and interact with. Registration will check attendees into the convention. The department is also responsible for taking money from registrants, and printing/handing out badges. Registration team members are the ones that get asked about our reg system the most. Good customer service skills and good computer skills are important here.
VOLUNTEERS TERMS OF SERVICE
- Scope
This agreement encompasses a voluntary association between the staff member and Anthropomorphic Events Incorporated Organization United (AEIOU), collectively referred to as “the Convention.” - Duration
This agreement shall remain in effect from the time the parties enter into the agreement through the conclusion of the Convention. Nothing in this Agreement shall constitute a continuing relationship between the parties after the termination of the agreement. Either party may voluntarily terminate this agreement at any time by providing written notice to the other party of its wish to terminate the agreement. - Code of Conduct
By agreeing to participate as a staff member at the Convention, I agree to abide by and act in accordance with the Code of Conduct as provided by the Convention. I agree that any violation of the Code of Conduct may result in disciplinary action against me, including but not limited to verbal and written warnings, suspension, or dismissal from my position as a staff member. I agree that any disciplinary action taken by the Convention shall be final. - Rights to Works Created
I agree that any work created by me while working as a staff member shall become the intellectual property of the Convention, subject to state and federal law concerning intellectual property. Such work may include but is not limited to promotional material created for the benefit of the Convention, video or audio recordings taken on behalf of the Convention, and other works made on behalf of or for the benefit of the Convention and any of its attendees or patrons. I further consent to appear in any photographic or video-graphic promotional materials in which I may appear. - “Hate Group” Membership
I affirm that I am not a member, officer, supporter, volunteer, or patron of any anti-government, anti-police, hate speech, white-supremacist/white nationalist, neo-Nazi, or other group espousing discriminatory beliefs or views against any race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or political ideology.
I agree that the Convention reserves the right to define what groups constitute hate groups and that such definitions may change without prior notice. The Convention initially defines the following groups as examples of "hate groups" it does not allow but reserves the right to amend this list at will: Furry Raiders, AltFurry, Ku Klux Klan, “Black Bloc” (group or tactic), and any group identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Department of Justice as a hate group. This also includes anyone who promotes violence within their political group, regardless of political affiliation. I agree that membership or support of a hate group constitutes a violation of the Code of Conduct, which may result in disciplinary action as outlined in paragraph II of this agreement. - Arbitration
The parties agree that any matters relating to volunteering at the Convention shall be resolved, in the event necessary, by binding arbitration and a mutually agreed-upon arbitrator. The parties hereby consent to binding arbitration as to any disputes within the scope of this agreement. - Affirmation
By signing this addendum, I agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement for the duration of the Convention, including the planning and execution of the event. - Confidential Information
By signing this, I agree that any data or information that is proprietary to AEIOU and not generally known to the public, whether in tangible or intangible form, in whatever medium provided, whether unmodified or modified by the Staff member, whenever and however disclosed, including and not limited to; (i) any marketing strategies, plans, financial information, projections, operations, sales estimates, business plans or future business activities of such party. (ii) plans for products or services, customer information, and contact list (iii) Any computer software, source code, flow charts, databases (iv) any other information that should be reasonably recognized as confidential information of AEIOU. In Short- Do not share anything related to the convention that is discussed on discord, telegram, or in person, unless it is on the website or on the convention's social media. - COVID-19 Policies
By agreeing to participate as a staff member at the Convention, I agree to abide by and act in accordance with the COVID-19 Restrictions and Operations as provided by the Convention. I agree that any violation of the COVID-19 Restrictions and Operations may result in disciplinary action against me including but not limited to verbal and/or written warnings, suspension, or dismissal from my position as a staff member. I agree that any disciplinary action taken by the Convention shall be final.