Every so often I get to make an exciting announcement. This one of those 'every-so-oftens'.
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to our brand new (and first ever) Volunteer Coordinator!
Penny Torres, an artist in her own right, will be leading the charge for our vibrant team of Bleeding Heart volunteers.
Penny comes to this job with passion and experience working with people. She is excited about meeting new creatives, and sharing the joys of community. She is a strong writer, as you may have discovered here on our blog just last week. Penny is a constant experimenter, and her curiosity for new creative expressions is contagious. In short, she’s a great addition to our merry band of Bleeding Hearts.
Here is why this position matters.
Management of volunteers has been, well, piecemeal up until now. I’ve done what I can to connect with many of you, but there have been more last-minute ‘bail-us-out’ emails than I’d like because I haven’t been able to focus on filling shifts as much as is needed. Every once and a while, I’ve dropped a ball. Or two. Forgot to fill shifts. Double filled shifts. You, our volunteers, have been resilient. Reliable. Remarkable. You deserve better.
There are many of you I haven’t even connected with yet–people who have signed up at our Space to volunteer but have yet to fill a shift. That’s a crying shame and I’m running low on tissues.
It’s time to take our volunteer efforts to the next level.
Here is what Penny is working on.
Penny is going to help us find weekly gallery hosts so that we can keep our space open more often. That’s the first and most immediate role she will fill. She’ll be in regular communication with our volunteers. She’ll be sure you have what you need when you work at the Space. But that’s just the beginning.
There are some other positions that Penny will help us fill, too. We’ll be sharing some volunteer 'job postings’ soon. Roles that require a bit more focus and attention. Roles that move beyond the 2-hour gallery shift. Tasks like facility maintenance and cleaning. Social media and marketing. Blog content submissions. Hospitality help. Snow shovelling. Postering. The list goes on, and we’ll fill it one task at a time.
Penny will also build community with our volunteers. You are such a great community already, but I look forward to organizing some meet-ups so we can get to know one another. When you get so many great people in one room, all bets are off.
Here is how you can reach Penny Torres.
VOLUNTEERS@BLEEDINGHEARTARTSPACE.COM
That’s our brand-spanking-new volunteer email address. If you want to join our motley band of dreamers as a volunteer, just fire an email in that direction. If you need to change or check up on a shift, same holds true.
Of course, Penny would love to hear from you for any reason at all–even just to say ‘hello!' Or 'welcome aboard!'
Thanks for being part of our team Penny.
All of those great things we’re about to do? We couldn’t do them without you.