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Volunteer Manual

Includes the quick version of the the mission statement, descriptions of the major departments of Con of the North, contact people, and suggestions to get you started volunteering!

Welcome to Con of the North!

You have this page on your browser because you expressed an interest in volunteering for our convention. Helping to make sure the convention happens year after year will give you a feeling of accomplishment and achievement. You will be part of the team that works together to put on the area's premiere gaming convention. Our volunteers gain valuable experience in management, people skills, organization, and creativity. Not only will your volunteering experience enrich your professional skills, you will also make new friends and have a lot of fun. Volunteering is also the best way for you to influence the way the convention is run. Volunteers make all the decisions at Con of the North.

Those of us already volunteering for Con of the North want to make it easy for you to fit in. We want you to use your unique talents and abilities to contribute in the areas that interest you as soon as possible. To help you along, this manual contains some basic information about how the convention operates and tries to answer commonly asked questions. The idea is that if you start off knowing the basics, you can make the most of the time you spend volunteering.

There will probably be some questions you have that this manual does not address. Feel free to attend any meeting, call any volunteer, or ask about the details of anything until you get the answers you are after. Each and every one of us at Con of the North wants you to enjoy volunteering, and we also want you to feel at home.

Con of the North is:

A non-profit, all volunteer convention by Gamers for Gamers.
Devoted to the greater gaming community committed to providing the best possible forum for Gamers to develop their community and network.
The sum total of all its volunteers - including you!

Also look at About Con of the North which gives more information about us.

OK, so now what?

Now that you know what Con of the North is and you know you are a part of it, you might wonder what to do next. Con of the North is a relatively large organization, and to a new volunteer like yourself it might seem difficult to find a spot to fit in. The following pages will give you the information you need to make decisions about what interests you. After you decide what you would like to do, you can use the hints and suggestions to get involved!

Basic strategies to get involved

Go to Meetings: The best way to get involved at Con of the North is to use the Timeline and the Hotline to find meetings which are about things you like and go to them. Once there, you'll be surprised how easy it is to start contributing.
Call Membership: The folks at Membership keep track of who needs what done where. They are also very good at talking to potential volunteers. Membership can help you decide what you'd like to do, tell you where it's being done, and make introductions to help you fit in easier. The head of Membership is happy to answer questions and field calls (and we'll put in contact info soon!).
Call Department Heads: If you feel like you want to work in a particular division of Con of the North, it's a good idea to call the Magnetron or department head who runs that division. They will be happy to tell you about upcoming projects and will give you ideas about where you can best contribute to the convention.
Go to Con of the North Parties: A fun way to meet people and connect with the convention is to attend one of the many Con of the North parties. Once there, you can talk to the people who run the convention in a casual setting. They'll help you get a better idea of how things work. You just might have some fun while yo see what Con of the North is all about.
Call the Hotline: The Con of the North Hotline at (651) 698-8565 has up to date information on what is currently going on at the convention. You can leave questions and comments as well. These will be routed to the responsible people, who will call you and try to address your concerns as quickly as possible.
Get on a Committee: Many volunteers have gotten involved at Con of the North by working on a committee to accomplish a specific goal. Committees are formed quickly, and disband once they accomplish their goal, so they are a good way to try many things.

Remember: Con of the North is a cooperative organization that relies on volunteer communication. If you never contact anyone it will be hard for them to help!

How the Convention operates

The Magnetron Council is a group of seven volunteers elected yearly to oversee the various departments of the convention. They act as a final authority on proposals whicheffect the whole convention. All proposals which go before the Council must be written and all decisions about those proposals are made by formal votes.

This does not mean that the Magnetron Council makes all the decisions or micromanages the work of every volunteer. The various departments have tremendous leeway in accomplishing their goals and completing their projects. The many departments of Con of the North are able to create projects and address problems in any way they see fit. The only time they need to involve the Council is when their project affects the whole convention in some way. Most decisions never go before the Council and are left up to the various departments of Con of the North.

This Volunteer Manual is a perfect example. The Membership department wanted to have a way to inform new volunteers about the basics of Con of the North so that they could fit in as quickly as possible. With no input from the Magnetron Council, we put together this manual based on what volunteers throughout the convention thought was important to include. Because this was a new project and would be the first thing many people would receive from Con of the North, we presented it to the Magnetron Council for final approval. If this manual had been only for volunteers within Membership, no Council approval would have been needed. Once it was approved, the volunteers in Membership and Publications produced it and began distributing in to the volunteers. Tah Dah! Con of the North at work!

How the Convention is structured

Compass: The Compass is the volunteer newsletter of Con of the North. Through it, the various departments are able to contact other volunteers to let them know what is going on and what needs doing. If you like gathering information, gabbing on the phone, or just plain socializing with people, this is the department for you.
Database: The Database keeps track of who is running what events when, who is registered for those events, who has paid, when those events are running, everyone's names and addresses... pretty much everything! They do all this on computers with relational databases. If you like computers, designing databases, and (fnord) secret control, Database might be a rewarding department for you.
Finance: Finance allocates and distributes monetary resources at Con of the North. Not only do they write the checks and keep track of where the money is going, but they are also responsible for relating requests for money to an actual budget. If you like to do math, say no, write checks, and fiduciary fun, Finance is for you.
Marketing: Marketing makes sure the world knows about Con of the North. Through posters, flyers, business cards and refrigerator magnets, Marketing keeps Con of the North in the minds of everyone and supplies them with all the information they need to register. If you like to come up with creative ways to get people excited about Con of the North, Marketing has something for you to do.
Membership: Membership's job is to make sure volunteers feel appreciated and communicate with each other as much as possible. To that end, they maintain the Hotline and are responsible for this volunteer manual. Membership also sponsors parties to promote social interaction and friendships. If you like to make people feel welcome, care that others are having fun, and are good at throwing parties, give Membership a call.
Operations: When you actually walk in the door of Con of the North, Operations will be in charge. They make sure the convention runs smoothly and well. Operations volunteers run registration, provide security, sell food, coordinate games, and generally keep the convention running like clockwork. If you are interested in onsite volunteering, Operations is the department that you want to talk to.
Programming: Programming is responsible for making sure Con of the North has the best variety of games and events possible. They also are responsible for inviting interesting Guests of Honor to our convention. They plan which event goes where and try to address the needs of some of our most important volunteers, the Game Masters. You can help Programming make the convention possible.
Publications: The people at Publications give form to the ideas of the other volunteers. From buttons to onsite books, Publications does it all. They make sure projects look good and accomplish what they are supposed to. Pretty much everything printed you see before or after Con of the North went through them. If you like to produce things, do desktop publishing on a computer, and get pride from a job well done, Publications is for you!

There are many other divisions and committees that make up Con of the North. For more information, talk to the Membership Magnetron.