How to Volunteer for Burning Man

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:VolunteerBurningMan
Post By :
Anonymous
Rate:
Vote

How to Volunteer for Burning Man

Introduction

The Burning Man community embraces the idea that positive, transforming change, whether individually or in society, occurs only where there is personal participation. It takes about 2000 volunteers, giving anywhere from a few hours to a few months, to build, maintain and take down the city. Burning Man invites all its participants to volunteer to share the work required to make the festival happen each year.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Volunteer Where You Can Be Most Useful

Steps

1

Step One

Take stock of your skills and the list of volunteer groups on the Volunteer for Burning Man webpage to see how you might be most useful (see Resources below).
2

Step Two

Burning Man volunteer groups include art installations, media, greeting, building and taking down the city, recycling, public works, lamplighting, San Francisco office functions, technology and web team, legal team, airport, bus depot, center camp cafe, emergency services department, ice sales, exodus, cleanup, department of mutant vehicles and other tasks.
3

Step Three

Go to the Volunteer Participation Questionnaire webpage and fill out the questionnaire carefully and completely (see Resources below). This questionnaire is the first key to making the Burning Man volunteer program work, and your personal volunteer experience will depend greatly on the information you provide about your interests and talents, available time and skills.

Take Your Volunteer Commitments Seriously

Steps

1

Step One

Keep your time commitments and meet your deadlines for all volunteer appointments and tasks. Black Rock City can't run unless everyone pulls together and does his job, and the stakes are high when there are 35,000 people living for a week in a temporary community under extreme desert conditions.
2

Step Two

Keep Burning Man updated on any changes in the data that you record on your questionnaire, especially if it is something that may affect your performance or availability as a volunteer. You do not need to fill out a new questionnaire to provide such updates. Just email the updated information to volunteers@burningman.com.
3

Step Three

Take initiative if it occurs to you. Some of Burning Man's best volunteers have been people who stepped forward with a new idea or an offer to lead a new project.

Overall Tips & Warnings

  • When you volunteer, you transform yourself into an active part of the ongoing Burning Man community, and experience the social benefits that go along with that role.
  • All of the Burning Man volunteer groups do some of their work before the festival, and many of them meet in San Francisco before the event. But you do not need to live in the Bay Area to volunteer, as groups keep outlying volunteers connected through email.
Tools: |