Volunteer Help Needed

The Billys need your participation!

In an effort to keep gathering fees as low as possible, the Billy Board of Directors has listened to the community and are now looking to fill the Billy Office Administrative position with volunteers.  Our part-time employed office position has been eliminated on a trial basis, and we are immediately in need of volunteers to do the work. The cost to hire someone to perform these tasks is a large part of our annual administrative costs which contribute to gathering costs per night. Each of these small tasks could save several dollars for each night of a gathering, thereby supporting greater financial accessibility and diversity in our community.

Participation also means living our mission and values though supporting ourselves and the community; personal development; shared experiences and exercising the Billy heart centered generosity to continue our organization into the future.

We have broken the administrative work into 7 or 8 smaller tasks that a Billy can do from home, and that plays an active role in supporting our community.  Many of these roles will take about as much time monthly, as doing one shift at a gathering. That is an hour or two per week, or less.  Not much!

We ask that volunteers commit to doing the task for as long as you can (1 year is preferred, but less is fine), and then pass the task on to the next volunteer.  Therefore everyone’s interest to help now, or to inquire about helping in the future is welcome!

If supporting our community in this way speaks to you, even if you are only curious, please use the contact information below.  You will receive additional information or the help you need to get started. Most tasks will be done online or by phone and on your schedule, depending on the requirements of the task.  Having more than one person expressing interest is welcome!  Ideally we would have a waiting list or back-up for each role.

Your help has a direct impact on our community.  Please participate!

Be a Billy Celebrity! – If one of these roles speaks to you contact us below!

Billy Reception/ist for Virtual Office –

     Respond to emails and/or phone messages left for the Billys, or direct it to the correct person. These need to be checked at least once per week, however more frequently would be better. Time requirement could be minimal to as much as 2 hours per week, near gatherings. 

      This is an important role because, even if there are few messages, it is the first contact many people will have with the Billys.  As with all these tasks, you can make it what works best for you.

Billy Social Media Maven –

      This is primarily to maintain Billy Facebook.  You would regularly update the Facebook page with information about all our events; campaigns; gatherings or other things that keeps our presence alive and coordinated with postings on our website.  Need familiarity with Facebook, and shouldn’t take more than an hour a week to do.

Billy Website Star – 

     Maintain the Billy Website online calendar with events; blog posts from Billy Bulletin; or generally updating the Billy Website with content as needed.  This shouldn’t take much more than an hour or two per week.  This task would require some familiarity with WordPress or willingness to learn.  It includes editorial privileges for the Billy Website, so care must be taken.

Billy Ambassador  (Outreach) – 

     Contact other Bay Area gay men’s services organizations to promote the Billys; share information about gatherings and events; or find out about their events that we may want to promote.  This is likely a task best done by a current Board Member, however assistance, shared participation or interest is welcome!  Especially if you are connected with a number of other organizations.

Billy Emailer – 

     Sending emails to our Billy email list.  This includes sending out the Call for gatherings and the Billy Bulletin.  As part of the shift to volunteers, we’ve decided that a monthly, instead of weekly, Billy Bulletin is better. The Billy Bulletin content will be provided by others.  This will require some training on the software service we use, Bloomerang.  Time commitment will vary depending on what is going on, but generally 1 to as much as 2 hours per week.

Billy Event / Volunteer Coordinator – 

     Oversee and coordinate all the channels of communication for events and gatherings, and set up Zoom meetings for virtual events.  You would work with the Volunteers for the website, FaceBook, mass emails, and gathering Co-cos to see that events or gatherings are included everywhere.

Gathering Registration Coordinator – 

     This would be a new Sub-Co position for each gathering.  While registration is open, they would respond to registration cancellation/change requests and help members without computer access to register, as well as confirming any requirements for registration such as COVID vaccination status, and updating the Google sheet with changes and directory photos.  This role requires learning to use the Billys registration software, and possibly helping train the next Gathering Registration Coordinator would be wonderful!  Time commitment would be several hours per week during the approximately 4 weeks that registration is open prior to a gathering.

YES! I want to volunteer!