Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for Festival Volunteers.

The first quarter of every year is usually the time that festival organisers start their volunteer recruitment for the summer festival season. It is now common for workplaces to embrace DEI in all aspects of their talent management from recruitment to every day working practices. DEI policies should apply equally to festival volunteers as any full-time permanent staff. 

Festival volunteers have traditionally been recruited and trained in an ad-hoc way except for larger organisations who may take a more professional approach. Volunteers are sometimes thought of as disposable resources who can be unreliable and difficult to control or manage. Whilst this may be true for a small minority of volunteers most are hardworking and provide an essential asset to the event’s success. Treatment of volunteers is improving and implementation of DEI policies for volunteer recruitment and working conditions should now be part of the organisations approach to volunteers. 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Principles.
DEI aims to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to participate and contribute to the festival regardless of their background. This is not limited to the diversity of the volunteers recruited but follows through into working practices which need to be inclusive of everyone. All volunteers need to be involved and feel like they are contributing as much as everyone else.

Volunteer Recruitment. 
The language used in any recruitment material should be inclusive. It should be gender-neutral and inclusive to encourage people from different backgrounds to apply. Avoid using gendered language like "he" or "she" and instead use "they" or "them." Equally avoid using language that assumes a specific age, race, ethnicity, or religion for example. Where possible reach out to diverse communities and let them know about volunteer opportunities. This can help to reach a wider range of people and encourage them to participate. 

Working Practices and Training. 
All training should include understanding of 'bias' so that volunteers can recognise and overcome their own unconscious bias towards others whether they are colleagues or festival-goers. Most festival organisations produce a code of conduct for volunteers that outlines the expectations for volunteers regarding their behaviour and treatment of others. This helps to create a safe and inclusive environment for all volunteers. Organisers will usually have an accessibility policy for their event, and this should apply equally to volunteers with disabilities too. This may include initiatives like sign language interpreters and wheelchair accessibility for example. 

By incorporating DEI into festival volunteer recruitment, training and working practices festival organisers can create a more welcoming and diverse event that celebrates different cultures and perspectives. Part of the DEI process for festival volunteers should include a feedback loop to help determine the success of any DEI policies and help identify areas that need improvement. 

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics including a dedicated volunteer management module. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Matheus Bertelli via Pexels

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