The Word Awards Team Potential Volunteer Areas

 1) Volunteer Opportunities Throughout The Word Awards

• Overall - Provide input on the feedback we have received; review categories; provide ideas on how to improve the awards.
  
  
• General help - take on small tasks as they arise.
  
  
• Work with the administrator(s) to:
  • Determine what changes need to be made to thewordguild.com awards pages and draft the changes
    
    
• Work with the administrator(s) to:
  • Make changes to the website based on recommended changes.
  • Requires minimal Wordpress and formatting skills (or a willingness to learn)
    
    
• Awards Promotion
  • Determine ways to promote the awards and the winners.
  • Make recommendations on promotion activities.
  • Make recommendations on potential advertising
  • Work with Communications coordinator to send Constant Contact emails, etc.
    
    
• Communications Coordinator
  
  • Work with Awards Administrator(s) to:
    • Build a Communication plan
    • Draft messages for approval
    • Enter emails into Constant Contact
    • Post messages in Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

(2) Volunteer Opportunities Preparing for The Word Awards celebration (February to September)

• Sponsor Liason
  • Follow up with previous sponsors to confirm on-going support.
  • Follow up with members who responded that they may be willing to sponsor an award to determine their level of support.
  • Assign sponsors to categories.
  • Research possible new sponsors and reach out to them.
    
    
• Judge coordinator
  • Work with the administrator(s) to:
    • Assist in the recruitment of judges
    • Provide Judge training (recording available)
    • Answer judges’ questions
    • Assign judges to categories based on their interests
    • Send entries to judges
    • Help Judges with the judging forms as needed
    • (Note: people who are entering The Word Awards this cycle may not be the Judge Coordinator)
      
      
• Marks Coordinator
  • Work with the administrator(s) to:
    • Compile the marks from the judges (need spreadsheet skills)
    • Check marking entries for completeness (e.g. Comments included?)
    • Calculate recommendations for short list and work with Judges to select category winners.
    • (Note: people who are entering The Word Awards this cycle may not be the Marks Coordinator)
       
• On-line Book Interface
  • Convert entered books to ebook formats (using a tool called Calibre) and upload the formats to BookFunnel so judges can download them in their format of choice. Note: BookFunnel provides User Support for downloads
    
    
• Submissions coordinator
  • Become familiar with the Award categories and the submission forms in order to answer basic questions from writers
  • Pass on difficult questions to administrator(s)
    
    
• Awards Celebration Planning and Preparation
  • Work with Event Host(s) to prepare for the video
  • Prepare the Video presentation
    • Collect clips
    • Create the Powerpoint (or equivalent) presentation

(3) The Word Award Celebration (September)

• Event Hosts
• Social Media Engagement (during and post event)
• Tech Support for celebration

(4) Post Celebration (September to November)

• Sticker coordinator
• Respond to on-line orders for stickers.
• Mail stickers to writers as required.
• Monitor the inventory of stickers and recommend re-ordering when necessary.
  
  
• Winner Interview coordinator
  • Follow up with winners who respond to invitation to be interviewed (an online form that will ask them for Name, Bio, Category, Picture, and suggested interview questions.)
  • Schedule a Zoom call with winner and interviewer and prepare announcement to public (mailing list)
    
    
• Winner interviewer
  • Prepare for interviews reviewing the submitted questions and a recommended script of questions.
  • Do the interviews and record them.
  • Upload the interview recordings to The Word Guild Facebook page and to thewordguild.com site.
    
    
• Award Certificate Coordinator
  • Print the certificates from a spreadsheet of winners (likely using a mail merge application)
  • Mail certificates to winners
  • Order plaques for specific specialty awards (Leslie K Tarr, Best Book, etc.)