I’ve written in the past about how to get choir members to volunteer for supporting roles.
But what I didn’t mention was what kind of roles they might fulfil. Here are some ideas.
As you probably know by now, I’m pretty much a one-man show.
I do all my own admin, don’t have any assistants and the choirs I set up myself never had committees.
That’s fine if you’re good at admin and have the time, and when your choir is quite small. But when you become a little more successful, the admin can become overwhelming and increasingly time-consuming.
Time to ask for help!
There will be plenty of different skills represented by your choir members, and plenty of individuals who will happily volunteer for help.The question is: what help do you need?
This really depends on your individual situation. Some choir leaders
- need people to unlock the rehearsal space and set out the chairs. Maybe even look after the kettles and dish out teas and coffees in the break.
- want help with collecting subs and keeping the register.
- can manage all the day-to-day business, but need help with concerts: box office, poster design, interval refreshments, advance ticket sales, etc.
- cope with all of this, but would love some help with the social side of things: the Christmas party, the coach trip, the away day, the monthly pizza bash.
Even if your choir has a formal constitution and a committee, many of these practical jobs still won’t be covered.
Ask for volunteers.
Make sure they’re up to the job (maybe have a trial period?).
Find ways of not letting people ‘take over’ or stay in a volunteer role forever.
Invent attractive job titles: Head of Catering (teas, coffees and biscuits); Seasonal Social Events Manager (Christmas party); Logistics Enabler (moving chairs); Financial Income Analyst (collector of subs); Comestibles Supervisor (interval drinks).
You get the idea. The more fine, light-hearted and informal the title, the more attractive the role!
Chris Rowbury
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