Northern Spark 2019 Festival Volunteer and Survey Coordinator

Northern Spark is a free, annual, late-night, multidisciplinary arts festival that takes place in June and draws tens of thousands of Minnesotans each year. In collaboration with arts organizations and community partners, we turn the city into a surprising arts experience.  Northern Spark is produced by Northern Lights.mn. For more information on our work, visit our website: http://northern.lights.mn/.

In 2019 Northern Spark takes place in three neighborhoods in Minneapolis and St. Paul: Downtown East in The Commons (Minneapolis), American Indian Cultural Corridor along Franklin Ave. (Minneapolis), and Rondo at Hallie Q. Brown Community Center (St. Paul). Festival dates are Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15 from 9 pm to 2 am each night. For general information about the festival, visit here. 

Job Description: Festival Volunteer and Survey Coordinator

This position is responsible for the recruitment, scheduling and training of approximately 150 festival volunteers and survey across three festival neighborhoods. This position also manages two paid Neighborhood Lead positions who assist with volunteer recruitment, scheduling and nights-of management.

Deadline to apply:

Send resume and cover letter to jobs@northern.lights.mn by Feb 1, 2019.

Stipend: $3,000
Estimated hours: 5­-20 hours a week, approx 150 hours total
Duration: Mid-February through June 30, 2019
Reports to: NS Co-Director

Tasks include:

Volunteer Strategy

• Review existing volunteer structure, scheduling and training materials, and nights-­of operational plan and adapt as necessary
• Create Volunteer sign up forms and schedule spreadsheet including pre-­festival and festival nights for all festival neighborhoods

 

Neighborhood Lead Management

• Onboard and manage Neighborhood Leads (2) in recruitment, scheduling and nights-of operations
• Work with Festival Producer and Neighborhood Leads to plan Volunteer Operations including Info Tent and Volunteer Lounge in each festival zone  
• With Neighborhood Leads, organize and present at three Volunteer Orientation sessions (one in each Festival neighborhood)

 

Volunteer Recruitment and Management

• Recruit and schedule volunteers to fill approx 60 shifts for night­s-of and pre-­festival events (~25 per night + reception volunteers) in The Commons
• Coordinate Volunteers for Americans for the Arts reception in The Commons on Friday, June 14 from 7-9 pm
• Conduct ongoing communications with all festival volunteers
• Attend pre-­festival outreach and recruitment events such as May Day Festival
• Oversee all Volunteer operations in The Commons on night-of festival including Info Tents and Volunteer Lounge (hospitality, signage, materials)
• Coordinating with production staff on the nights of festival

 

Survey Seekers

• Organize materials for Survey Takers and a system for collecting surveys during Festival
• Recruit and schedule survey seekers for The Commons
• Coordinate survey data entry after festival

 

Other duties

• Attendance at monthly, then weekly staff meetings in Minneapolis
• Create and coordinate a final list of all completed volunteer shifts and update festival records

 

Requirements:
Excellent written and verbal communications and public speaking skills; interest and enjoy working with people; ability to work independently and efficiently; keen ability to organize and track large amounts of data. Must have experience working with volunteers.  

Ideal candidate has a strong knowledge of diverse Twin Cities communities and a broad network from which to recruit volunteers.

Experience using Google docs is important, knowledge of Asana and CiviCRM preferred but not necessary if willing to learn these tools.

 

Necessary equipment:
Own computer and access to internet when not in the NL office. Smartphone w/ data plan necessary for festival nights-of communications.