What is the time commitment?

Each Volunteer will be required to work 2 volunteer shifts. Shifts are usually 4-8 hours long depening on your choice of volunteer option. We also request that you promote the festival by sharing information with your social networks and telling your friends about us.

 

Regular Work Exchange (“WE”) averages 2x 4-6 hour shifts during the festival, with possible shifts before and/or after the festival. For this service, you are given free festival entrance.Maha Seva is reserved for people with previous experience in most cases.

 

Maha Seva averages about 2x 8 hours shifts during the festival, with possible shifts before and/or after the festival. All Maha Sevites are given free festival entrance, free accommodation, and free breakfast on Saturday & Sunday morning.

 

Can I choose which shifts I work?

We’ll give you the opportunity to provide us with your preferences for shift work, but we can’t guarantee that you’ll get your first choice. We plan to have the shifts scheduled in advance so that you can make arrangements to be available.

 

When will I hear whether I've been accepted as a volunteer?

We will begin letting volunteers know that they've been selected mid June. You'll then receive your specific schedule of duties a few weeks before the festival. If you need to make travel arrangements sooner than that, please only tell us which shifts you are sure you will be able to work.

 

How are volunteers selected?

We select volunteers based on a number of criteria, including availability, skills, interest, enthusiasm, and experience. Please fill out the attached form as completely and concisely as possible so that we are able to assign you to the positions we feel you are best suited for. We may also have a quick phone conversation with you to determine the best fit.

 

Is there an age requirement?

Yes, you must be at least 18 years old to volunteer.

 

How many volunteer positions are there?

25-50 volunteers throughout the weekend of the festival. This is truly a volunteer-driven event.

 

What do I get for volunteering?

In addition to getting to see the workings of a premiere festival, each volunteer will receive entrance into all music events as well as a one-day ticket that will let you schedule your yoga classes like our paid attendees. You’ll have at least one day with no volunteer commitments so that you can take full advantage of this ticket. You’ll also get a t-shirt and maybe even some other great freebies provided by our sponsors!

 

Is there an application fee?

No, however we do require that you keep a credit card number on file with us until the completion of the festival. If you neglect to fulfill your scheduled volunteer duties, then your card will be charged $200, which is the approximate cost of the music and yoga tickets provided to you. We know that emergencies do arise and will do our best to work with you – just please be in touch with the volunteer coordinator so that we can make sure all our shifts are covered.

 

What are the volunteer roles?

Our volunteers fill a wide variety of roles. You may be assigned to the same team for all of your shifts, or you may find that each of your shifts has you working in a new role. Here is a sampling of what our volunteers do:

 

Yoga Rooms:  We have up to 8 yoga spaces, each hosting a new yoga session every couple of hours throughout the day. We need a host of volunteers to help check people in to the class, encourage students to leave their shoes and bags to the side, line up students so that we can get as many people in to the classes as possible, help hand out give aways from our sponsors, and otherwise make sure that things are in order. These shifts tend to be very busy during class transitions and then relatively quiet while the class is taking place.

 

Set Up/Tear Down: Volunteers on these teams will primarily do a lot of heavy lifting to put the yoga floors together before the festival and pull them apart afterward. These shifts may also include other activities such as putting up signs, setting up our production office, counting and stacking merchandise, and other stuff.

 

Water: We provides water dispensers in all yoga spaces as well as in other selected locations so that participants can refill their own water bottles rather than having to buy plastic bottles throughout the festival. A small team of elite volunteers is entrusted with the water cart and makes runs throughout the festival to pick up empty bottles from the dispensers, provide full bottles to the dispenser, and refill the empty ones that have been retrieved. We additionally staff volunteers to the water stations to encourage people to stay hydrated.

 

Greening: Greeners help keep the space clean and educate festival attendees about how what items are recyclable or compostable and what has to go into landfill.Information Booth: Our volunteers staff an Information Booth, answering questions for anyone who wanders by.

 

Volunteer Office: Several volunteers work with the volunteer coordination team to help check in volunteers, staff them out to the proper locations, and respond to requests from staff leads. A limited number of shifts are also available in advance of the festival, helping to make sure that all volunteers are registered for their yoga days and generally doing other administrative details.

 

Floaters: As a floater, you fill in wherever you are needed. It’s like the secret grab bag of shifts.

 

Artist Hospitality: Several volunteers will support our artist relations team with anything they need. This might mean checking in artists. This might mean organzing their set up on stage.

 

Yoga Production Office: Volunteers with a calm demeanor and great office skills may be assigned to support the Yoga Production Office and Yoga Teachers’ Lounge.

 

Production Office: This is the center of it all. You’ll do anything that needs to get done in this office—from taking out the trash to data entry and everything in between.

 

Merchandise Sales: You’ll staff the Grassroots Vendor Booth and help people get outfitted with great t-shirts or loaded up with CDs from our artists.

 

Special Event Staffing: Volunteers help maintain the line, check people in, and answer questions about the special events.

 

Vendor Relations: You’ll work to get all our vendors set up and pulled down, answering questions and giving directions.Box

 

Office/Scheduling Desk: You're the front line, trading vouchers for wristbands, and helping people get a hold of their schedule if they've forgotten which classes they've signed up for.

 

Other Stuff: The festival is constantly evolving, so we get plenty of requests as we get closer to the event. Volunteers may be called upon to help out with all sorts of things.