Volunteer Spotlight | Joshua Vasa, Operations and Production Manager, Sidewalk Film Festival, Birmingham, AL
The Alabama Moving Image Association is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging filmmaking in Alabama and building audiences for independent film. AMIA produces the nationally recognized Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, the SHOUT Gay and Lesbian Film Festival; hosts the Sidewrite Screenplay Writing Competition, and Teen Filmmaking Challenge; organizes quarterly filmmaking competitions and monthly events for filmmakers, and holds other events that create interest in and enthusiasm for independent film.
The 15th annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, a celebration of new independent cinema in downtown Birmingham, is set to take place August 23-25, 2013.
Today, our Volunteer Spotlight shines on Joshua Vasa, who uses VolunteerSpot's online signup sheets to organize the over 500 voluneters who help make the festival a sucess.
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Please tell us about your organization and your volunteer needs.
The 15th annual Sidewalk Film Festival, a celebration of new independent cinema in downtown Birmingham, is set to take place August 23-25, 2013. Since its debut in 1999, filmmakers from across the country and around the world have come to Birmingham to screen their work at Sidewalk and have been thrilled to discover fresh, enthusiastic crowds eager to devour new independent cinema.
With multiple venues located within Birmingham’s historic Theatre District (featuring the fully restored Alabama Theatre, (a 2,200 seat movie palace built by Paramount in 1927), spontaneity rules the schedule of Sidewalk attendees. Low-priced weekend passes provide easy access to Sidewalk venues, encouraging attendees to seek out new films and sample programming they may not otherwise see. The result is a crowd rich in diversity and united in a hunger for new film.
From the Filmmakers’ Reception and the Filmmakers’ Retreat to a myriad of breakfasts, field trips, parties, and galas, Sidewalk connects filmmakers. The atmosphere at Sidewalk is electric with creativity and collaboration as filmmakers and film-lovers mix and mingle between screenings and participate in panel discussions.
Volunteers participate in a wide-variety of activities, from Ticketing, Audio/Visual Support and Venue Logistics to VIP Managers, Filmmaker Hospitality, Festival Signage and so much more. Our Committee Heads love the ease of access in promoting volunteer sign ups and our volunteers enjoy the benefits of having all their volunteer task, descriptions, hours and contact information in one area. And as an added plus, VolunteerSpot automatically generates an email to volunteers prior to our event so we don't have to!
Explain how you use VolunteerSpot to coordinate these volunteers.
Sidewalk weekend is August 23 - 25, 2013. Sidewalk's Volunteer Coordinator, Mary Anne, and I typically meet 6 months out to determine the activities, tasks and hours required from each committee. We then setup our Committee Heads in VolunteerSpot and encourage them to share the link to their activity to as many people as possible. We have found the most success in encouraging each Committee Head to recruit volunteers for their respective shifts rather than a "blanket" approach to volunteer recruitment. With 28 main activities and 536 actual spots in VolunteerSpot, volunteer recruitment can be quite a cumbersome process but we always seem to fill our volunteer spots by Festival Weekend.
Why did you decide to use VolunteerSpot?
Prior to using VolunteerSpot, Sidewalk employed a much more complicated process involving separate spreadsheets for each committee head. We realized we ultimately needed a system that allowed us to promote all available shifts and descriptions, that allowed volunteers to sign up without conflicts and that allowed committee heads the ability to communicate and manager their volunteers as efficiently as possible.
VolunteerSpot seems to be the best method for our staff, committee heads and volunteers and their customer support is always highly responsive and courteous.
What’s one piece of advice you have for volunteers or their leaders out there?
Communication, communication, communication. Often the greatest challenge for making a volunteer feel happy and supported is proper communication: where to show up, how long is the shift, is there training, is food provided, what is the attire? VolunteerSpot is helpful for Sidewalk because we can fully manage all communication and planning (including emailing) directly from VolunteerSpot.
Anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Sidewalk Film Festival is August 23 - 25 weekend in Birmingham, AL. Tickets are on sale right now at www.sidewalkfest.com! Come see "ONE OF TEN GREAT PLACES FOR A FABULOUS FILM FESTIVAL" as according to USA Today!
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We salute Joshua and all the other festival orgnizers out there making a difference in our communities. If you're using VolunteerSpot, write and tell us about what you're doing and give us a chance to shine our Volunteer Spotlight on you!! Just email us at [email protected].
