Festival Planning Group

The WomynSpirit Festival is a non-profit event run entirely by a collective of friendly volunteers. Volunteers include both new and experienced women. ALL ARE WELCOME!

At the end of each Festival weekend, volunteers are asked to come forward to donate their time to help create the next year's festival. At that time we ask for volunteers to help do the following jobs.

Festival Coordinating

The Coordinating team oversees all aspects of the Festival.

The Coordinating team is responsible for organising the selection of a suitable site to accommodate approximately 60 women. Keep in mind that arrangements must be suitable for all ages, and fully accessible for persons with disabilities accessible if possible. There must also be suitable space available for the rituals and workshops. Ideally, the site should be booked 1 year in advance.
Two months prior to the Festival, they contact the site to confirm the booking.
Once registrations begin, they will receive any diet restrictions/allergies from the Registration Coordinating team. They contact the site with this information, deal with any concerns regarding the site and food, and discuss your findings with the balance Festival planning committee.
Arrange a planning meeting, contact all coordinators to open discussion on date, theme, fees.
Create and distribute a list of individuals on the planning committee and what jobs they are handling for the group.
They keep in touch with Ritual Leaders to ensure help is given when needed
They assist with Festival set-up and decisions on workshop locations, ritual spaces, etc.
Have a sign-up sheet available for those who wish to volunteer on the weekend of the Festival for such things as odd jobs, the carrying of food, and Sunday clean up.
Help prepare the Welcome, Announcements, introductions, Volunteers for following year, Thank kitchen staff, etc.
Help compile the year end Festival report. This will include Festival evaluations, workshop evaluations, etc.
Send a copy of the report to everyone on the planning committe.
Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Team.
Responsible for scheduling the first planning meeting - call past and new coordinators to attend.

Finance Coordinating Team

The Finance Team is responsible for maintenance and direction of the Festival and Collective funds.
Attend planning meeting and discuss ideas to promote the coming year.

Provide reimbursement checks to workshop facilitators and members of the planning committee as needed.
Retain all expense receipts that you have reimbursed.

Create a financial report at year end detailing income, expenses, and overall financial health of the Festival.

Publicity COORDINATING TEAM

The Publicity team is responsible for distributing information about the WomynSpirit Festival.

Attend planning meeting and discuss ideas to promote the coming year.
Make changes based on committee recommendations, send final version to the planning list.

Coordinate with the Website Coordinating team to provide publicity flyer and increase visibility via the internet.

Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinating team.

Registration COORDINATING TEAM
(Duties include subsidies and confirmations)

The Registration coordinating team receives all registration information, payments and subsidy requests. All information is recorded and forwarded to the appropriate coordinators and a confirmation email is sent to all registrants.

Receive all registration information, including fees, workshop proposals, ride and subsidy requests.
Be aware of all the cut-off dates for subsidies, early registration, childcare, workshops, etc.
Prepare a registration worksheet, either on a spreadsheet or manual and enter information as received. i.e. Name, address, phone, email, fees, subsidy requests, workshop proposals, special diets/needs.
Information received must be sent promptly to the planning committee

SUBSIDIES: are not available at this time due to COVID-19 hardship

BANKING: Cheques received are deposited into any TD Canada Trust bank. Copies of all deposit slips, with the women and fees itemised on it, are given to Finance Coordinating team.
CONFIRMATION: A confirmation email is sent to Festival registrants detailing the festival theme, directions to the location, things to bring, optional items, etc.

PARTICIPANT LIST: Once registration is at a close, a festival participant list, with names, phone and email, must be created. This list is sent to the planning committee for inclusion in the welcome package.

FESTIVAL SITE: Upon arrival at the site, women will check-in with the team for registration. Check off names and collect any monies owing. All monies owing are then turned over to the Finance Coordinating team. A list of the teams expenses and receipts are given to the Finance Coordinating team for compensation prior to Festival closing.

Vending & Marketplace COORDINATING TEAM

WomynSpirit Vending/Marketplace is the perfect forum for women to sell their artistic wares or offer divination services to Festival participants. Your cost is only 10% of your gross sales during the Festival. We also ask that you donate a product for the raffle, which will help rebuild our subsidy fund.

For more information please contact: womynspiritfestival@gmail.com

Workshops COORDINATING TEAM

The Workshop coordinating team is responsible for contacting facilitators, setting-up the schedule, creating a flyer describing each of the workshops and reporting the evaluations of workshops at the end of the Festival.

PROPOSALS: The Registration Coordinating team forwards any workshop proposals to the workshop team that were received with registration. They review each for appropriateness, material needs and the associated expenses. Generally we need 8 workshops, but can easily accommodate 12.

CONFIRMATIONS: They then contact the facilitator to confirm the workshop to gain details of the workshop, participant limits (if any), approximate cost of materials, workshop length (ideally 2 1/2 hours), preference to Saturday morning or afternoon, and a short bio of the facilitator (interests, training, etc.). Supply expenses should be less than $50, ideally less than $30. Receipts are required if the facilitator will be submitting expenses with compensation for the supplies and honorarium handled at the Festival conclusion by the Finance Coordinating team.

SCHEDULING: Based on the gathered information, they select workshops and place them on the schedule; either Saturday morning (9:30 - 12) or Saturday afternoon (2 - 4:30). Participant sign-up sheets are then created for each workshop, noting workshop name, time and number limits if any. These sign-up sheets will be brought to the Festival for set-up. (Usually taped to a table with pens for all women to sign).

WORKSHOP PROMO: The data of workshop descriptions and facilitator bios are then compiled. A workshop evaluation sheet is created for use at the Festival. These are given to the Workshop Facilitators to distribute at the end of their workshops.

SET-UP: At the Festival site, the team and the facilitators will determine the space allotments for each workshop. This is determined based on the needs of the facilitator, the proposed content of the workshop, privacy concerns, and the participant limits. A notice is then posted informing the women of the location and confirming the time.

EVALUATIONS: At the Festival conclusion, the workshop evaluations are collected. the team will process the information and a copy of the findings is sent to the planning committee.

Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinating team.

WORKSHOP SPACES

Dining Hall: Accomodates up to 60 people. Tables and chairs provided. Recommended for art, tarot, herb, runes etc., workshops and discussions. Can be shared with another workshop.

Creekside Room: Accomodates up to 20 people. Located inside the Dining Hall building. Quiet room with limited tables and chairs. Recommended for yoga or other quiet, contemplative workshops. Easy accessibility to outside thru sliding doors. Lovely setting.

Event Hall: Accomodates up to 60 people. Large carpeted room with no tables or chairs. Limited number of cushions available for sitting. Recommended for workshops needing one large open space; yoga, drumming, chanting, dancing.

Outdoors: There is an herb garden, a stone labyrinth, sweat lodges, firepit, trails, and a pond for outdoor workshops.

The KIVA ROOM is reserved for child care each year.

We welcome more workshops! Here are some suggestions:

Drumming Circle, indoors, outdoors, labyrinth, fireside
Chanting, with potential recording session
Wand Making
Runes
Numerology
Reflexology
Walk the Labyrinth; meditation, chanting, drumming
Craft type workshops

For more information please contact: womynspiritfestival@gmail.com

Rituals COORdinating team

Friday Night
Saturday Night
Sunday Morning
Children's

The Ritual Coordinating team will be responsible for organising the ritual leaders, giving guidance and direction.

Organise a meeting for the ritual leaders. ( Friday, Saturday, Sunday and children's)
Discuss weekend theme.
Two months prior to Festival, contact leaders for update.
Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinating team.

Ride Coordinating team

The Ride Coordinating team connects folx needing rides with women offering to drive.

The Registration Coordinating team will send you a list of ride requests and folx offering rides.
You will be responsible for connecting the folx and report arrangements to the planning committee.
Inform the folx requesting that they should share driving costs.
Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinating team.

Child Care Coordinator team

The Child Care coordinating team is responsible for creating programming and arranging childcare assistants.

Request number and ages of children attending the festival from the Registration Coordinating team.
Create programming and crafts.
Hire childcare assistants -- contact the planning committee re: wages
Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinating team

Welcome Pack Coordinating team

The Welcome Pack coordinating team puts together a package for each participant prior the Festival. They are responsible for requesting information from the appropriate teams once registration begins and continuing to update it.

Create or purchase name tags according to the number of participants.
Create a participant list from the information received from the Registration Coordinating team.
Create a weekend outline with details of meal times, rituals, workshops, free time, etc.
Create a workshop brief with the information received from the Workshop Coordinating team.
A list of volunteer positions can be obtained from the planning committee.
Provide to attendees via email prior to the festival, or in hard copy at the festival.
Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinating team.

Welcome package includes:

List of members of the planning committee for current year
Name Tag
List of Festival Participants
Outline of the weekends events
Workshop brief
list of volunteer positions available

Website Coordinating team

The Website coordinating team is responsible for maintaining and updating our website. Maintain all changes, corrections, and additions.

Attend planning meeting for information on upcoming Festival.
Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinator.

Information Contact

The planning committee is responsible for maintaining the Festival phone line as well as the Womyn Spirit Info email and receiving all queries from women regarding the Festival. Theyreceive requests to send hard copies of the registration form. Retain all expense receipts for reimbursement at the Festival from the Finance Coordinating team.