Calgary Outdoor Club - New Coordinator Info

1. Before coordinating for us, we ask that you have attended at least five COCevents (outdoor, preferably including carpool) in the last six months, have zero "no-shows" on your account (see our Cancellation Policy for more info), and provide a referral from two or more people on our volunteer team (perhaps the coordinators of some events you've attended) who can vouch that they think you'll do a good job of coordinating.
2. For your first few events, the Volunteer Coordinator will assist you in setting up your event. Your "job" is to learn, do the event, and decide if you want to become more involved as a club volunteer.
3. Ready to get started? First, choose your event (note that it must be an outdoor event, as opposed to a social):
   • If you pick something that we've already got in our database you do not have to do the research involved to determine the event details - we can copy the existing event. Use our Event Suggestor to see what events we have in our database.
   • If you want to do something that isn't in our database, you will need to gather the following information to set your event up:
     - Carpool location (if applicable), and directions (if not a commonly-used COC carpool location)
     - Carpool meet time or event meet time (if you have a carpool, the meet time will be determined by the COC Volunteer Coordinator)
     - Location of the event and directions for how to get there and find the group.
     - Distance from Calgary to the event (round trip, kms)
     - What ages will you take on the event (all, 13+, 18+)
     - Do you want to allow dogs on the event? Note that if conditions or regulations do not allow dogs, the COC Volunteer Coordinator may override your choice.
     - What is the length of time to complete the event and/or the distance to complete the event?
     - Are there any fees that must be pre-paid for the event? If so, advise the COC Volunteer Coordinator, who will help determine the registration cut-off date, and advise on the process for these events.
     - What are attendees recommended to bring with them?
     - What are attendees required (ie. water, lunch, equipment) to bring with them?
     - Itinerary, description of event, links for more information.
   • Note: You should not be coordinating at the top of your ability. For example, you should attend 2-3 moderate scrambles before attempting to coordinate a moderate scramble. If you are unsure of your ability, ask a more experienced coordinator to co-coordinate the event with you.
4. Choose the date and time of your event.
5. Select the minimum and maximum number of participants. For safety reasons, the minimum for most events should be 4. Please review the Safety Policy for suitable minimum and maximum group sizes for different activities and difficulty ratings.
6. E-mail the Volunteer Coordinator with your event idea and volunteer references (you can just provide the names of your references and the Volunteer Coordinator will follow up on them). The Volunteer Coordinator will provide detailed information about what you need to do, before, during, and after your event, plus information on the whole "starring process" (ie. joining our volunteer team).
7. When you have upcoming events set up, you will gain access to our Coordinator Manual for more helpful information via a link at the top of your "Coordinate", "Upcoming Events" link. Once you have your star, you will have access to this manual at all times.
8. After you've done approximately three events, if you'd like to do more and the Volunteer Coordinator approves, we can add you as a Club Volunteer, at which point you will have access to post your own events, and will be expected to manage your own coordination activities.
9. The rewards for volunteering are many:
   • Give back to your community (and feel good about yourself)
   • Get to do the activity you want to do, when you want to do it
   • Guaranteed to get on the event
   • Gratitude from the other club members who got to do the activity too!
   • Looks good on your resume
   • Develop greater leadership skills