Why Volunteer?
Volunteering is one of the best ways for you to get the most out of your BAIPA membership. It is a chance to shape the organization, get to know smart people, learn and have fun. We are an all-volunteer organization, from members to board members.
Volunteer Lee Foster, Program Committee, shares upcoming events schedule at BAIPA
Some volunteers help out at a single event. Others contribute several hours per month, like your entire BAIPA Board:
- Becky Parker Geist: President
- Ruth Schwartz: Vice President, Membership, Program Committee
- John Byrne Barry: Treasurer, Webmaster, Blog Manager, Peer-to-Peer Interviews, Five-Minute Feedback
- Kelley Way: Secretary
- Bob Heyman: Program Committee
- Pam Fenner: Program Committee
Where do you fit as a volunteer?
You must be a member to serve as a BAIPA volunteer. Check out the options below and click on the I’m Interested links to email the appropriate board member. Thank you in advance for thinking like a team player and for your active participation in BAIPA!
We are seeking volunteers for the following:
Writers, Editors for Website:
Not all BAIPA members are writers, but many of us are. And almost all of us are trying to promote ourselves or our work in one way or another. Meanwhile, our BAIPA website has untapped potential as a platform that can help all of us. You can help by using writing chops to raise the visibility of our organization, and yourself.
We welcome writers to share news about BAIPA members (readings, awards, book launches) and upcoming events, interview other authors, and write brief summaries of our workshops. I’M INTERESTED!
Note: We need someone who can help keep current the Books Published by BAIPA Members 2019 + 2020. (Our members keep publishing books – yay!) Contact [email protected].)
Programs Advisory Committee:
This important committee of 4-7 people (we have five right now!) sources potential speakers and vets them before recommending them to the board to put them on our schedule. There is a speaker manager for each event who makes sure our speakers have everything they need in order to deliver quality information to our members and guests. I’M INTERESTED!
Member Party Planning Team:
We’re planning a Member PARTY for 2023! But we need your help! I’M INTERESTED!
Time Keeper:
Keep the time during introductions and mute on Zoom the speaker who just finished. When in person meetings are held, this can also include tracking the time for the speaker and holding up signs to support the speaker in staying on track to complete on time. I’M INTERESTED!
Membership Committee:
The Membership Team is focused on the member experience. Work with a small committee to come up with a plan for improving utilization of membership benefits that supports members and encourages excellence in independent publishing as well as attracting new members. After an initial kickoff meeting, we estimate the time commitment will be no more than 2 hours a month, and the committee will determine what is needed in terms of meetings and work in between meetings. At least one member of the committee will report regularly to the board, and the committee will make recommendations to the board. If you have skills or are willing to experiment with online video meetings, this would be of great value to the team. I’M INTERESTED!
Events Poster:
Work with the approved speaker applications to pull together the marketing copy for BAIPA events each month. Generally, there is just one a month, although sometimes there may be more to do in a short timeframe. Our goal is to have an event be up on the website two months prior to the date that speaker will be presenting. Requires good marketing writing skills, including headlines, and some experience posting blog-type articles on a WordPress site, including inserting supplied graphics, and even finding some appropriate free graphics to include. See existing event posts for what we are going for. I’M INTERESTED
Interviews Coordinator and/or Team:
Take a leadership role or be part of a team that interviews other BAIPA members. This is a great way to build up your own visibility and discoverability while at the same time supporting your fellow BAIPA members. Interviews you write up get posted on the BAIPA website. I’M INTERESTED!
Video Content Coordinator:
If you are a video person and interested in finding effective ways to use video to expand the benefits of BAIPA membership, let’s talk. Lots of room for creativity as we move forward to better serve our members. I’M INTERESTED!
Outreach Ambassadors:
Help spread the word about BAIPA to other organizations so that those in our industry who are seeking the kind of help that BAIPA provides know we exist. Most folks have never heard of BAIPA. We want to change that. I’M INTERESTED!
Venue Liaison/Coordinator:
[NOT NEEDED AT THIS TIME] Maintain contact with Viki Card at the Key Center re venue needs, changes, etc. This may take about 1 hour/month or more for months when we may have a special event such as Writers’ World. Arrive by 8:15 am on meeting days to make sure the room is ready and tablecloths set up for the monthly meeting. Launder tablecloths on an as needed basis, and return the following meeting. Good communication skills required. Most of this is done by email so we can also have a written record of requests, etc. I’M INTERESTED!
Refreshments:
[NOT NEEDED AT THIS TIME] We’re seeking 1 more person as a back-up to occasionally do the shopping and deliver the refreshments for monthly member meetings and stay within the budget provided for refreshments. We are required to provide food that is NOT homemade since the venue has a commercial kitchen. Time commitment only about 1 hour per month or less. Would need to arrive by 8:40 to make sure snacks are prepped in time for the 9:00 meeting start. I’M INTERESTED!
Board of Directors Member:
We’re an all-volunteer organization and the board makes the decisions and does most of the work to keep the organization going. If you’re interested, please talk to a board member. And here’s an application for the board.
Board Application for BAIPA 2-28-22
Volunteering is a way to…
- make friends, build professional relationships, expand your network
- expand your knowledge
- increase your professional visibility
- learn and grow personally and professionally
- develop leadership skills
If any of this sparks your interest, please click on the I’M INTERESTED mail links or contact us at [email protected]
If you have a suggestion for something you don’t see, please contact the board with your ideas.