Each year, General Assembly is made possible by the contributions of hundreds of volunteers who do everything from editing videos for the on-demand library, to hanging banners in the convention center. GA Volunteers typically work 20 hours, including trainings. All will be expected to attend a workshop on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility (DEIBA) to be scheduled in May and June. Some (e.g., editors) will work before GA, most will work during GA. Volunteers are offered full-time registration for General Assembly: virtual registration for offsite volunteers and in-person registration for onsite volunteers.

Volunteers applicants are asked to provide a first, second, and third choice of assignment.

UPDATED 5/15/23: Volunteer teams are generally full and training is underway. You may still submit an application, but we will not be placing more volunteers unless team sizes need to increase or through volunteer cancellations.

General Assembly 2023 Volunteer Application

Volunteer Teams

Onsite & Offsite Teams

Accessibility & Inclusion / Accessibility Services

Onsite: Provide information and assistance to individuals with mobility difficulties and those who request other services. Experience with providing services to persons with disabilities is desirable.

Offsite: Help registrants encountering accessibility problems with the GA App or Delegate Platform and finding solutions to the problems. Volunteers will work closely with staff to fix issues that can be resolved. Must be comfortable talking on the phone.

Chaplain

GA Chaplains manage and coordinate care for registered attendees experiencing spiritual or physical crisis during GA. Chaplains must be in final fellowship with the UUA MFC and a member in good standing with the UUMA (retired ministers are also encouraged to apply). BIPOC Chaplains are especially sought.

Commission on Social Witness (CSW)

Onsite: Must be available Wednesday through Sunday to help staff the CSW booth in the exhibit hall. After an orientation, CSW Volunteers will be able to explain the Social Witness process for congregational study action issues (CSAIs) and Statements of Conscience. Volunteers will also take notes at Mini-Assemblies and solicit ideas on alternatives for social witnessing.

Offsite: CSW Volunteers will be able to explain the Social Witness process for congregational study action issues (CSAIs) and Statements of Conscience. Volunteers will also take notes at Mini-Assemblies and solicit ideas on alternatives for social witnessing.

Covenant

The Covenant Team assists registered attendees of virtual General Assembly who are in conflict and/or whose actions violate the GA covenant (Expectations of all General Assembly Attendees and Practices for Fostering Multicultural Dialogue and Community). Team members must have prior training and experience in conflict resolution.

Teller

Work during General Sessions controlling delegate queue; assist during mini-assemblies and voting sessions. Tellers may not be delegates.

Workshop Hosts via Chat and Zoom

• Onsite: Work with House Manager - Program Rooms in multiplatform rooms to connect online participants with in-person presenters and participants. Monitor event chat for questions or concerns.
• Offsite: Work with Workshop Host Coordinator
• Chat Hosts: monitor and participate in the chat rooms. Removing inappropriate content and users who are not following the community covenant. Chat hosts will have a direct line to the Tech Support and other support staff to provide feedback and be notified of issues.
• Zoom Hosts: help manage the webinars, by starting the event, displaying event title card, playing pre-roll, and starting any pre-recorded content. Post event, ensure recording is edited and ready for on-demand consumption.

Onsite Teams

App Support

Assist attendees access local wifi options and use the GA app (Whova) on their personal phones and devices.

Atmosphere / Ambiance

Locals Preferred: Decorate the spaces used by GA; hang Unitarian Universalist (UU) banners and other decorations. Volunteers must be available to work Wednesday to hang decorations and move “props” and again on Sunday for breakdown where needed. The Atmosphere team will coordinate setup of conversation spaces, labeling spaces by topic and time each day. The Atmosphere team will also accent lunch tables in the exhibit hall and assist the GACS Exhibit Hall manager with setup of the Cyber Café and/or common areas in the exhibit hall.

Exhibit Hall

Must be available early Tuesday and Wednesday prior to GA to help check-in exhibitors. Must be comfortable saying no and firmly holding to exhibit hall entrance policies during exhibitor move-in.

Greeters/Ask Me

Locals Preferred: Greet people arriving at the convention center; answer questions and give directions. Most volunteers are needed Tuesday through Friday. Locals strongly preferred.

Info Services/Concierge

Locals Preferred: Provide information about host city; maintain message boards. Volunteers needed to work with the convention center staff providing concierge service, restaurant information, etc. Volunteers should be outgoing and have some familiarity with the area. Locals strongly preferred.

Middle School Camp

Background Checks Required: Assist with our middle school camp (grades 5 - 8) during GA. The Day Camp will be headquartered at a hotel adjacent to the convention center, but excursions are being planned.

Registration

Work with UUA staff at registration check-in to welcome and badge arriving attendees and delegates. Most volunteers are needed Tuesday through Thursday and must be availabe to work on Wednesday. Should be friendly, detail-oriented persons.

Safety

The safety team will respond to and intervene in incidents of harm, attend to crises both medical and emotional and interact with outside agencies including the police towards the safety of convening participants.

Service Project

Staff booth in the exhibit hall to collect donations and promote a service project.

Stage Crew

Work with Stage Manager, who has responsibility for all stage changes (like moving chairs, moving the props, etc.)

Sustainability “Green Team”

Aid our attendees in putting waste in the appropriate streams for GA’s particular state and venue. Volunteers should be outgoing, passionate about environmental sustainability and able to work independently. Additional duties as assigned by the recycling volunteer coordinator.

Systemic Justice

The GA Systemic Justice Team assists registered attendees from currently and/or historically marginalized communities in creating structural change by providing access and advocacy to challenge and change oppressive structures and/or systems. Team members must have a thorough comprehension of the issues of oppression experienced by various individuals and groups in our event community.

Usher

Maintain order at large functions (worships, General Sessions, all-GA events); check name badges; distribute materials. Volunteers work daily Wednesday through Sunday, and should be friendly but firm. Ushers may not be delegates.

Volunteer Office

Handle volunteer check-in, run GA Lost & Found, manage wayfinding signage, and short term, last minute assignments during GA. Most volunteers are needed Tuesday through Saturday.

Offsite Teams

App Moderators

Welcome attendees to the spaces for networking and connection in the Whova Event App. Provide discussion prompts and assist attendees in interacting with one another as a function of community building. Remove inappropriate content and remove participants who do not honor the community agreement.

Delegate Chat Host

Monitor and participate in the delegate chat rooms. Work on the Delegate Participation Platform to monitor chat and answer questions. Should have knowledge of the governance process.

Post Production (Caption and Video Editing)

Review and cleans up the transcripts of recorded content used to generate caption files. Help clean up video submissions. Work includes trimming, stabilizing, adjusting audio levels and noise, and adding pre and post rolls. This team will work closely with the caption editors, tech hosts, and streaming team. Video editing experience is recommended, but not required.

Pre-Production

Help with building slide decks for General Sessions using provided templates, and also some pre-production captioning, video processing, and possible video editing.

Tech Support

Respond to support tickets from registrants requesting help or technical advice. In some cases volunteers may need to call the registrant. Knowledge of video conferencing, streaming, and general computer support required.