Membership & Volunteering
Foundation Membership
Becoming a member is an easy way to support the goals of the Foundation. Cost is $35 annually for primary member and $15 annually for a spouse/partner membership. Both members are voting members. Membership renewals will be yearly based on sign up date. Click here to access the on-line form. Payment can be made via paypal on-line or by check. Thank you for your interest in supporting the festival!
The Will McLean Foundation Runs on Volunteers
The annual festival, hosted by the foundation, has a multitude of volunteer opportunities. Below is a quick look at areas our volunteers cover during and just before the annual festival in March. If you’d like to contribute to this effort, please fill out our volunteer form and someone will contact you.
Volunteer Opportunities
Pre-Festival Promotion
Distribute physical posters locally and digital posters on various Facebook groups or other social media avenues. May schedule interviews for media with performers.
Set-Up Crew
Must be available early on the Thursday morning before festival starts. Assist with physical set-up of stages, canopies, chairs, banners etc. Bring work gloves.
Tear Down Crew
Must be available late Sunday afternoon. Take down canopies, fold chairs, take down banners, return items to on-site storage or staged for rental company pickup. Bring work gloves
Water & Back Stage Attendants
Place water coolers at each stage and ensure they have water throughout the festival. Set up coffee, snacks & water in the room behind the Magnolia Stage. Maintain cleanliness of this area. Shifts will be scheduled.
Foundation Booth
Set-up merchandise displays on Friday morning, assist with merchandise sales during Festival, repack and store remaining merchandise on Sunday afternoon. Sign up new foundation members during the festival and take membership renewals. Shifts will be scheduled.
Volunteer Breakfast
Assist in food preparing, serving & clean-up. Breakfast is held for our volunteers on Friday morning only. Must be available early Friday morning
Vendor Set-Up Assistant
Assists the vendor coordinator. Help vendors to find their assigned sites and resolve problems. Most vendors come in on Thursday so volunteers must be available on Thursday before the festival starts. Must be comfortable herding cats.
Campsite Set-Up Assistant
Assists in placing campers on appropriate campsites. Helps resolve site problems (electric, water etc.) by reporting issues to campground host. Monitors fullness of campground as folks fill in - stays in close contact with the gate as campground reaches full capacity.
General Grounds Assistant
Monitors roads to ensure they stay clear for emergency or service vehicles. Monitors campsites for known violations (fire issues, encroachment issues etc.). Keeps an eye on large trash cans throughout the festival grounds. Making sure they are emptied as needed - not overflowing and have proper liners in them.
Gate
Works with gate manager who arranges shifts starting on Wednesday. Assists with check-in of performers & campers, collects camping and festival fees, issues wrist bands, hands out programs etc. We need folks starting on Wed through Sunday early afternoon.
Stage Emcees
MC’s are typically assigned 2 hour shifts. Books are provided for each stage with a brief bio of each artist and that day’s schedule. Duties include introducing the artist, keeping the audience engaged while the artist sets up and helping to ensure the stage runs on time. Typically stage times are 30 minutes which includes set up. If an artist takes 10 minutes to set up, then that leaves them with 20 minutes of performance time. MC should stay very aware of the time and give the artist the heads up when they have 5 minutes left so they can wrap up their set.
Schedulers Assistant
Helps assemble MC books and verifies that MC books with the most recent schedule are in place at each stage each day. Verifies that any schedule changes get notated in the MC books and that the sound crew are made aware of schedule changes. Monitors sound bleed between stages and advises engineers so volumes can be adjusted. Assists in finding alternate performers or MC’s in the case of a cancellation or no show. Works directly with the festival scheduler who maintains a list of potential alternates for performers & MC’s with phone contact info.
Youth Program During Festival
Assists with coordination of young performer activities during the festival. This generally involves meet & greet activities, workshops, performances, open mics etc.
Photography & Video
Work with Foundation Publicity Chairperson to document different aspects of each year’s festival. May involve roaming or assignment to activities or specific stage & workshop areas. Must provide own equipment
Foundation Membership
If you don’t have time to volunteer in person during the festival, joining the Foundation is great way to support our various programs throughout the year. Thanks!