Want to get involved? Here are a few ways that you can help out. No one person has to take care of everything in a function, many hands make light work! And you don’t need special skills (ok other than accounting!), we’re happy to provide any necessary training and guidance along the way. It’s a great way to meet nice people too! To get involved contact our Volunteer Coordinator at yhqg.volunteer@gmail.com
Open Positions we Need Now!
- In-house webcam operator and assistant zoom support
Are you interested in helping out the guild and want a seat front and centre at the in-person meetings? Are you willing to be trained to run the camera for our Zoom attendees? Then we have a position for you! This is NOT a YHQG Executive position
We are looking for a tech understudy to help out at our in-person Zoom meetings. You’ll need to be able to bring your own laptop, but the rest of the equipment will be provided.
You’ll learn:
- How to operate the guild’s webcam, providing essential imaging for our Zoom attendees
- To keep in contact with our Zoom coordinator and keep an eye on the chat to ensure that our virtual attendees are able to enjoy the in-room content
- Be a back-up for setting up the in-room audio and visual components
- Cue our speakers to speak into the microphone if and when necessary
2. Workshops Co-ordinator
The Workshop Coordinator is an important and exciting YHQG Exec role that helps the guild provide interesting and engaging workshops for guild members by supporting sign-ups and ensuring the smooth running of workshops. The guild offers 4-8 workshops per year, mostly on Zoom. In this role you will work coordinate closely with other Exec members including Programming, Treasurer, Membership, as well as guild members/workshop participants. As a member of the Executive Board, you will attend monthly Exec meetings and keep the Exec informed about workshop developments. This role suits a team Co-Coordinator approach that an online-only Co-coordinator can easily fill. Ideally, one Co-coordinator should be located in the GTA to help manage any occasional in-person workshops. You can conduct all administrative tasks using guild accounts; we will provide training and support.
Volunteering at the Guild in General
- Program and Workshops We are always looking for ideas for speakers you may have seen online or in person and techniques or art forms you would like to learn more about in workshops. This team selects our speakers and coordinates all the arrangements. and hosts them at the meetings including a Q&A session. The Guild also plans additional programming for members that requires support from a wider base of volunteers and small committees to plan and oversee – currently this includes Virtual Tuesdays and International Quilting Day; in previous years the guild has also participated in sew alongs. Keen to expand our programming offerings? We are always open to new ideas from members who are energized to organize them.
- At our Membership table in the lobby, volunteers are available to answer questions and welcome new members and guests
- Our Library Chair needs people to help and display books, assist at Library check ins/outs, sales and depending on physical ability, help to transfer library items from drop off spots to the meeting venue. In addition assistance is required with logging in new books when purchased or donated. The Library Chair reviews items offered for donation and manages the inventory
- Show and Share As a “white glove” person, you unfold and hold up our beautiful quilts that members bring to Show and Share as they are displayed on stage. Smaller items are pinned to the wall so members can take a closer look at them before the meeting and during the break. The key members of this group organize digital photos that we can share online during the meeting and then on our website.
- Our Community Quilting needs people to man the tables for members to pick up quilt tops and “sandwiches” – batting and backing included – to take home, quilt and return. Volunteers also assist at Community Quilt fabric sales held occasionally at meetings. There’s also an opportunity to host zoom sew alongs or act as a backup when our regular hosts are away.
- Communications – we send out messages in many different formats – a monthly newsletter, weekly emails, workshop promotions and regular updates on social media. If you enjoy writing, we could use help crafting some of these messages. No technical expertise required.
- Tech support – Now that our in-person meetings are “broadcast” via zoom, volunteers may use their phone or iPad to share certain parts of the meetings with the Zoom audience as set out in the meeting agenda, or generally be available to assist with any logistics that will help the hybrid meeting run smoothly.
- Quilt Shows – every three years we present a large two-day quilt show and dozens of guild members help put it all together under the guidance of a quilt show chair. We do quilt intake, hanging, take down, returns, advertise the event, rent a venue, sell tickets in advance and at the door, manage vendor stalls, run our own member stall, run contests/raffles, and arrange for catering, the list goes on..
York Heritage Quilters Guild 
