General Information
RollerCon hires around 500 volunteers every year and most of them keep coming back! Here’s how it works:
- You must have a RollerCon pass to volunteer. You can earn hours towards a discount or free pass next year, but not the same year.
- Our Volunteer Dashboard (VORC) opens on June 1st.
- Sign up for your profile HERE.
- Update your profile with your name. We’ll always default to the nickname you enter, but we do need your (private) profile to include your entire first and last name. It’s one field, but we can’t approve one-word names, so please enter first and last.
- Add pronouns and check boxes to indicate which departments you would like to work in.
- Our admins will check your request to make sure you’re not a Russian bot and that your profile info is complete, then they will approve you for each department*
- please use an email you check; we will send all your volunteer info to that email address.
- *Some departments have a few more steps before your VORC profile can be approved in their department. Please scroll down to the bottom of this page for more info about Announcing, Medics, Coaches and Media.
- Department managers approve your position for each department (and you get a confirmation email)
- Once approved, you can log in with your email and the password you created and self-select shifts in that department.
- Each person can select up to 5 shifts total across departments per day, unless specific departments have other constrictions.
I don’t see any shifts?
You may not yet have been approved for a department. Our managers are also volunteers, so they check regularly but it’s not always immediate. Or maybe the shifts aren’t ready yet! Shifts go live in the summer when the schedule stabilizes, sometimes at different times in different departments. We typically put them in departmental batches and announce they’re up on our RC FB Volunteer Group. As soon as you see a shift you want, you can schedule yourself for it. We love when you choose a schedule in advance, but you can also sign up & choose shifts on site, as well.
At RollerCon: VCI
Volunteer Check In aka VCI:
- VCI is where you check in to get your volunteer shirt & check in for most shifts
- VCI can update, edit or input any forgotten or wrong hours
- VCI can provide job descriptions and duties for every job
- VCI is stocked up with snacks for volunteers! Stop by for a recharge.
- VCI loves drop in volunteers. Do you have a couple hours free? They’ll send you on a fun assignment of your choice – just stop by.
Bacon at VCI in 2017 photo by J. Possick
Please check in at VCI when you arrive at RollerCon, at least 30 minutes before your first shift. Helpful VCI staff will check you in and give you some presents, then they’ll show you how to check in for shifts and answer any questions you have. They will have job descriptions with contact info handy and can explain the duties of each shift, as well. Some departments may also give you access to additional stations where you can check in and out for specific shifts. They’ll let you know if that’s available.
General Shift Info:
- Please wear your volunteer shirt while on shift and take it off when your shift ends. If you’re working a lot of shifts, you may qualify for multiple shirts; ask VCI
- Please absolutely do not be on any controlled substances during your shift, including legal ones like alcohol.
- If you’re not sure about a procedure, please ask VCI or your direct report (which is on your job description, available at VCI). They’re happy to help and respond by text. Please don’t make up rules or wing it. Your job has been around for years; they can clear up anything you’re not sure about.
- If you need to communicate over noise, please use one of our fanny pack speakers. Please do not shout or raise your voice. Our goal is to have a welcoming and cool staff, and it often starts just as simply as not shouting. Plus the dry air will steal your voice if you abuse it!
- We don’t ever want you to be uncomfortable. If you need a chair or a cart or some other help to do your job without bumming out your body, please ask. Our knees hurt, too!
- Many, many of our jobs involve sitting around with other staff members bullshitting. That’s totally fine! You’re a volunteer, so if there’s work to be done, do it – if there’s not, relax – or get sent away and still get credit for working.
After RollerCon
Confirm your hours: August through September, we’ll email you with hours total for you to approve or edit. Please look for that email and reply to confirm.
Redeem your pass: In October – before passes go on sale – we’ll send you the info you need to redeem the discounted or free pass you earned.
Volunteer Compensation
All RollerCon volunteers get cool stuff at RollerCon, including a raffle ticket, limited-edition volunteer-only tee (while they last), and other schwag, snacks, goodwill and more every year, plus cool stuff from our sponsors. PLUS:
- 5-19 hours qualifies you for a discounted pass that can be redeemed at a lower price than we ever sell; steeply discounted prices will be available to you until May.
- Over 20 hours gets you a free pass plus all the other stuff above.
- We briefly considered less this year but we have so much setup to do that we cut the difference in half. Less hours required from last year; slightly more than we originally thought we could pull off.
- Volunteer discounts and freebies CANNOT BE REDEEMED after May 31st! Use it, don’t lose it!
Specific Department Info
All departments & volunteers track hours through our Volunteer dashboard called VORC, so please start there. A few departments request additional qualifications or have more scheduling procedures:
- Announcers sign up via the Announcers Sign In , then self-select most game positions, track hours and choose shifts in VORC. There are a handful of lead positions that are assigned by the Announcing Manager. Those shifts show a little different in VORC because they’re tied to games.
- Coaches & Seminar Leaders also sign up & track hours in VORC, but submit classes with schedule requests that we process: Coach info.
- Medics sign up & track hours in VORC after being certified by the dept manager, and are entitled to extra compensation: EMT info. You must submit your credentials at that link to get approved for that department and see / select shifts.
- Photographers and Media must apply for media credentials first, then they have a few options for shooting at RollerCon. Apply for credentials after reviewing our Media Policy.