Empowering Youth

Volunteers and interns are the lifeblood of our organization.

Run By Volunteers

Volunteers and interns are the lifeblood of our organization.

Art from Ashes has always been almost entirely volunteer-run, and we could not have become successful without the hundreds of volunteers who have put in thousands of hours to support our work. Many volunteers, including youth from the workshops, have been with us for years and are now staff members, workshop facilitators, board members and guest artists. As the organization grows, so does our need for people in the community who care about youth and the arts. Art from Ashes has a six-hour/month minimum requirement, and all positions are matched to the skills and interests of our volunteers.

Our volunteers work in teams or committees that focus on addressing the various needs of the agency. After an orientation to learn more about our agency and our work with youth, each volunteer applicant starts as an ArtCurious and completes an “Adventure Tour” to ensure it’s a good fit for both the applicant and Art from Ashes.

When the tour is complete, a volunteer can join any one of the following teams:

Teams

Volunteer Coordination

The shared responsibilities of the members of the Communications Team are:

Media coordination: set up/write/send press releases
Provide information and interviews for written articles; schedule radio and TV interviews
Design event and promotional materials
Update agency website
Manage social media sites
Create quarterly online newsletter, The Ascent
Review all materials for accuracy and clarity before they are disseminated

Communications Team Roles

Media Coordinator
Editors
Writers
Graphic Designers
Web Developers

The shared responsibilities of the members of the Community Liaison Team are:

Seek community partners for Phoenix Rising and Apostrophe factor programs
Be initial point of contact with potential partner
Accompany Program Director/Manager to contract sales meetings with potential partner
Follow Contract Sales procedure (provided by the Director of Programs)

The shared responsibilities of the members of the Events Team are:

Attend monthly FunDevelopment Committee Meetings (only one member is asked to represent the team)
Brainstorm ideas for new events

Functions and Responsibilities:

Write event proposals, reports and acknowledgements on a timely basis
Research and identify potential corporate and private foundations for event sponsorships
Develop/maintain event and donor records
Manage event donor prospect identification, solicitation, and sponsorship activities in conjunction with the fundraising team
Act as liaison for external events benefiting AfA
Manage event budget
Provide regular event information to Marketing Team for Basecamp calendar and Facebook and website updates
Communicate with Volunteer Coordinator, if volunteers are needed for an event

Set up and clean up
Supervise volunteers at events

Sort and organize remaining event items and paperwork
Create report for FunDevelopment Committee
Administer post-event surveys to volunteers
Send thank you notes to donors

Write event proposals, reports and acknowledgements on a timely basis
Research and identify potential corporate and private foundations for event sponsorships
Develop/maintain event and donor records
Manage event donor prospect identification, solicitation, and sponsorship activities in conjunction with the fundraising team
Act as liaison for external events benefiting AfA
Manage event budget
Provide regular event information to Marketing Team for Basecamp calendar and Facebook and website updates
Communicate with Volunteer Coordinator, if volunteers are needed for an event

Set up and clean up
Supervise volunteers at events

Sort and organize remaining event items and paperwork
Create report for FunDevelopment Committee
Administer post-event surveys to volunteers
Send thank you notes to donors

The shared responsibilities of the members of the FunDevelopment Team are:

Media coordination: set up/write/send press releases; provide information and interviews for written articles; schedule radio and TV interviews
Design event and promotional materials
Update agency website
Manage social media sites
Create quarterly online newsletter, The Ascent
Review all materials for accuracy and clarity before they are disseminated

The shared responsibilities of the members of the Grant Writing Team are:

Research potential grant opportunities
Write/edit grant narratives
Obtain up-to-date documents for attachments
Follow Grant Writing Process (available from team leader)

Volunteer Coordination Team Position Objective:

To increase organizational function, infrastructure and support for staff and volunteer teams.

Functions and Responsibilities:

Recruit, screen, orient, and begin training of volunteers and interns.
Provide ongoing support and recognition of volunteers.
Set up and facilitate monthly volunteer meetings.
Act as liaison between staff and volunteers for delegation of tasks, duties, and responsibilities.
Supervise volunteers at events. Maintain records on all volunteers.

Plan and coordinate formal recognition of volunteers and interns
Organize and manage volunteer documentation and application
Assist staff in delegation of talks to volunteers
Recruit volunteers through online sites, in-person fairs, and internship programs
Schedule and facilitate monthly all-volunteer meetings and new volunteer orientations
Assist staff and committees with creation, development, and implementation of organizational infrastructure

Effective and compassionate communication with diverse populations
Excellent presentation and facilitation skills
The ability to prioritize projects in a dynamic environment
Maintain professional standard of performance, demeanor and appearance
Excellent ability to perform duties in a timely fashion in alignment with agency policy
Computer proficiency in Mac desired