Birmingham Footmad depends on volunteers to function. We have no paid regular staff. We do pay for the special talents needed to operate our dances such as bands, callers, and for sound engineers. Otherwise we operate with volunteers, from hosting dances (more on that below), helping clean up and put up chairs, equipment, etc at the end of the dance, serving on the board of directors, and serving on special committees such as the committee which organizes and runs our Mentone dance weekend. You can read more about our organization and board, including how we elect the board members, here. The board solicits volunteers for special committees such as the Mentone subcommittee.

 

Dance Hosting

Of all our volunteer jobs, hosting our regular dances and that of Treasurer are probably paramount, as they are the only volunteer positions that require attendance at a dance (and the Treasurer can get out of it by designating his job, or a portion of it to someone else!). On the other hand, dance hosts must arrive early for set up, manage the admissions desk, stay till the end, help with clean up, etc. We strive to assign hosts at least six months in advance, and we try not to burden dance hosts more than once or twice a year. Dance hosts don't have to pay for admission to the dance they host, and they usually have no problem finding people to fill in for them for a dance or two so that they have a chance to dance. Responsibilities for the second half of the dance decrease considerably, allowing hosts more opportunities to dance. It helps the individual workload considerably to have two people act as the hosts for a dance. We encourage volunteers to seek a partner when they host.

To find out when you can host, We list the hosts along with bands and callers in our dance calendar. We use TBD when we don't have an assigned host. Go to the calendar to find dates which need hosts (i.e. TBD), select a date, and send a note to [email protected] and we'll put you down! You can also inquire at a dance and we will help you pick a date and sign up. After you volunteer to host we will send you a link to instructions for hosting a dance. We really encourage you to host as the duties aren't onerous, and they get you involved with our wonderful dance community.

Prior to hosting a dance, familiarize yourself with the location of tables, bins, fans, chairs, etc. This knowledge will make your dance hosting experience much easier. Hint: learn by volunteering for end of dance clean-up a few times.