Volunteer
Join the team!
The Peterborough Folk Festival is an entirely volunteer-run three-day folk festival in the heart of Peterborough, ON. We welcome interest in volunteer positions; please read the following and contact pffvolunteers@gmail.com
Experience is an asset, but really we’re looking for kind, dedicated, ethical and responsible people who want to make the festival as wonderful an event as possible. We’re happy to train or mentor new volunteers.
There are a million good reasons to be a volunteer, but we want you because you love the festival, you love this community, and you want to be instrumental in making it happen.
You must be at least 14 years old to volunteer for the PFF, and some positions require physical work or Smart Serve.
Benefits
Volunteers get a terrific t-shirt (limited edition, sweat-free, locally-printed, Toronto-made), delicious food in Hospitality, free or reduced admission to Peterborough Folk Festival events (including half-price admission to our Kickoff Party at Market Hall, Friday, August 23, 2013 and free admission to our after-party at the MoHo) and special events throughout the year.
You must volunteer a minimum of 4 hours to qualify for volunteer benefits.
Sign up to volunteer!
[contact-form 2 "Volunteer Form"]
Current Volunteer Needs:
Interested in joining us? We’re a fun, relaxed group who like festivals, not dramas. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator Elizabeth Thipphawong at pffvolunteers@gmail.com for more information.
August Volunteers
Poster Distribution
Program Distribution
Festival Weekend Volunteer
There are lots of ways you can help out at the festival, for people of all sorts of inclinations, abilities and ages. All we ask is for your cheerful willingness to do a little work to help make the festival a safe, pleasant and fun experience for everyone.
Friday August 23, 2013:
Site setup – 10am in Nicholls Oval, our Site Coordinator requires several strong, able people who can help set up scaffolding, fencing, and stages
Saturday August 24, 2013:
We have positions from 7am – midnight; generally shifts are 5 hours or less, so you still have lots of time to both help out and enjoy the festival!
Site Crew (set-up, tear-down – physical work)
General Site Help
Signage (set-up, tear down)
Hospitality (food prep)
Children’s Village
Artist/Volunteer Registration and Instrument Lock-up
Beer Ticket Sellers/Gate Minders (must have Smart Serve!)
Donation Coaxers (Button Brigade)
Dishwashers/Water Sellers (Green Team)
Emporium Staff
Backstage Security
Stage Managers
Sunday August 25:
Site Crew, Millennium Park: 10:am – 12:00noon, site setup; 5pm-7pm teardown
Children’s Area
Tear-down Crew, Nichols Oval – Help us clean up and tear down the site until it’s done. We’re going to ask some of the musicians to come on over and play to keep everything merry while we work, and many hands will make the work light!
Workshop Info Table (at Millennium Park)
Long-term Coordinator and Board Roles
A lot of people are afraid to take on larger festival roles, but I promise you that it’s a hugely rewarding way to spend your time. Interested in taking on a larger role in the festival? There’s lots of ways you can contribute to keeping this incredible festival alive. See below for openings, and share your strengths with us!
Festival Executive Director
The ED oversees the festival production, from grant-writing and insurance to liaising with Coordinators and attending Board meetings. Hugely challenging and correspondingly rewarding, this role is ideal for someone with vision and strong organizational abilities as well as a cool head and community-mind.There is a small honourarium associated with this position.
Current Executive Director: Karen Taylor (2012-2013)
Board Members
Interested in helping the festival grow long-term? Board members are elected (or appointed) to a two-year term, and are asked to attend monthly meetings. While it’s not a requirement of Board membership, most Board members also oversee an area of the festival. All of our Board members are wonderful, responsible people with a commitment to the arts and a love of the festival itself. They are what makes the festival go.
Treasurer
Maintains clear and accurate bookkeeping, updates, makes deposits, reports to Board of Directors at monthly meetings, works with Director to create budgets for grants, communicates with Director re: spending and any other financial issues. The PFF’s books are fairly straightforward. This is a year-round, Board position.
Current Treasurer: Samantha Shaw
Volunteer Coordinators:
Organizes and solicits volunteers, liaises with Coordinators regarding volunteer needs, maintains database and reports to Board. This position runs approximately May – September.
Current Volunteer Coordinator: Elizabeth Thipphawong!
Green Team Coordinator
Position currently open for 2013! Please contact ptbofolkfest@gmail.com to apply.
Leads in planning, preparation and implementation on the festival’s green initiatives; strategizes new ways to make the festival a low-environmental-impact event. Includes current programs of recycled glass bottles for water, reusable dish station, recycling, compost, and garbage. June – October.
Food Vendor Coordinator
Position currently open for 2013! Please contact ptbofolkfest@gmail.com to apply.
Coordinates the on-site food vendors for the Saturday festival, responsible for liaising with the City-County Health Unit to ensure safety, contracts and collection of fees, gathering info for program and website, site map for vendors,overseeing setup and ensuring vendors understand and follow festival rules. This position runs approximately May-October.
Publicity and Advertising Coordinator
In consultation with the Graphic Designer and Director, oversees poster and program production and distribution, negotiates paid and sponsored advertising, creates and distributes press releases and other written materials, arranges interviews/photo shoots and reminds the Director when she’s supposed to be at those. This is a year-round position, with heavier work July – August. Access to a car is an asset in this position.
Assistant Site Manager
In cooperation with the Site Manager and Director, assists in the planning, set up and tear down of the festival and assists in tracking PFF chattels. Access to a car or truck is an asset; this position runs July-August.
Assistant Site Manager: David Vasey
Performer Services
In cooperation with the Artistic Director, find accommodations for visiting performers, create and distribute welcome packages, collects and synthesizes performer contract riders and ensures dietary, religious or access needs are met, acts as performer liaison at festival. Access to a car is an asset; this position runs July-August.
Sponsorships and Donations
In cooperation with the Treasurer and the Director, create an annual campaign to solicit donations and sponsorships, strategize ways to recognize donors and sponsors, work with volunteers to ensure that all donations are recognized, and ensure that both are accuarately tracked and thanked. This position is year-round.
Site Signage Coordinator
Position currently open for 2013! Please contact ptbofolkfest@gmail.com to apply.
In cooperation with the Director and Site Manager, assess site signage needs and ensure 
appropriate signage is created or modified, track signage, set up and tear down on the weekend of the festival. This position runs March-August, access to a car is an asset, as are basic carpentry skills.
Beer Tent Manager
Position currently open for 2013! Please contact ptbofolkfest@gmail.com to apply.
In cooperation with the Director and Site Manager, ensure that appropriate and trained staff and security are on hand, be aware of insurance and liquor license requirements, order beer and arrange for pick-up, ensure an adequate supply of ice, cups, etc., supervise clean up, set up, and tear down. Access to a car is an asset, as is Smart Serve, and the position runs July-August.
Volunteer Benefits
All volunteers who work a minimum of 4 hours for the PFF are qualified to recieve these benefits:
- Access to famously delicious Hospitality food and peaceful, shady, lovely volunteer rest area throughout the Festival
- A PFF Volunteer T-Shirt
-The knowledge that you were instrumental in making the best community event of the year happen.
-The warm fuzzy feeling that comes from a day listening to terrific music, being around fabulous people, and eating wonderful food in the sunshine in the park
-Free or reduced-cost admission to PFF events.
Volunteer Responsibilities
Adhere to PFF Code of Ethics.
Be aware of time commitment & responsibilities of your task(s) prior to accepting, and honour that commitment.
Be on time for all meetings and activities associated with your task this will lighten the load for everyone.
Inform your Crew Chief as soon as possible if you are unable meet any of the responsibilities.
If you are volunteering during the Festival, wear your Volunteer T-Shirt while on shift. This identifies you as a volunteer to the audience. Remember you are a representative of the festival and should be helpful and courteous to festival attendees.
You are likely to be asked questions to which you may not have the answers. Please seek out the answers or direct the question to another volunteer or organizing committee member.
Before starting your volunteer task(s), be sure to check in at Volunteer check in table.
Volunteer Code of Ethics
Be a responsible and enthusiastic ambassador for the PFF.
Do not commit illegal, violent or unsafe acts.
Do not consume alcohol while on duty. If consuming alcohol while off duty, drink responsibly.
Volunteers who fail to adhere to the PFF Code of Ethics or fail to perform their assigned tasks are subject to discipline or dismissal.
Volunteer Rights
You have the right to be recognized as an PFF volunteer, to be appreciated for your contribution and be treated as an equal.
You have the right to be informed of the Festival policies & procedures, especially as they pertain to your volunteer task area.
You have the right to carry out your duties without fear of physical or verbal harassment and to be free of insult or innuendo.
Current Coordinators
Director - Karen Taylor
Site Coordinators – David Vasey, Michael Frederickson
Artisans’ Village Coordinator – Alana Farmer and Jeff Macklin
Volunteer Coordinator – Elizabeth Thipphawong
Children’s Village Coordinator- Tina Bromley
Hospitality Coordinator – Joanne Rowland
Emporium Coordinator – Ashley Martin
Graphic Design Overlord – Brendon Mroz
Current Board of Directors
Chair – Ashley Martin
Vice-Chair – Candace Shaw
Treasurer – Samantha Shaw
Secretary – Charlotte Smith
Member – Michael Fredrickson
Member – Brendan Mroz
Get Involved! Email pffvolunteers@gmail.co
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