Help Wanted
MAFA Wants YOU!
It all started in 1980 when two nearby guilds accidentally scheduled a major workshop on the same day, thereby endangering the viability of both workshops. This led to a summit meeting of the area guilds, and MAFA was founded to facilitate communication among the fiber-arts guilds of the Mid-Atlantic region. Since guilds working together can obtain more and better fiber opportunities than guilds working alone, MAFA also has been since its inception a means of organizing a regional conference.
Over the years, MAFA has contributed many things to the fiber-arts community--Conferences and Workshop Weekends; subsidized courses for beginning spinners and weavers; scholarships; newsletter; web-based information clearinghouse; seed money for guild-run retreats and other programs—and its geographic range has expanded from small adjoining areas of New Jersey and Pennsylvania to a great swathe extending from the Great Lakes to the Outer Banks. And everything MAFA has accomplished has been through the effort of volunteers.
Make yourself a more active part of MAFA! By working together, we can ensure that we can continue to benefit from MAFA as guilds and as individuals. Here are some current job openings:
Vice President
If you’ve ever had great ideas about what MAFA ought to be doing or could be doing better, but thought you didn’t have the clout to make your ideas heard…here’s a fantastic chance to be part of MAFA’s inner circle. And as if that weren’t opportunity enough, part of the Vice President’s job is to define and execute special projects to benefit MAFA and its members. The Vice-President’s formal duties also include some membership duties—sending a welcome packet to new members, checking in guilds at the Reps meetings, and working with the Membership Chair and Treasurer to make sure that membership records are up-to-date--and standing in as necessary for the President on a one-time or permanent basis.
Nominations Committee
The Nominations Committee consists of one or more people who prepare and present the slate of candidates running for election as MAFA officers. This involves talking to the candidates behind the scenes to make sure that they remain interested in the position, and also encouraging qualified individuals to run for open positions. In theory, the nominations committee also prevents frivolous or malicious candidates from wasting the organization’s time—but while this may arguably be a problem in national or local government, it has never been an issue for MAFA.
MAFA Representative (multiple openings)
You’re going to Maryland Sheep and Wool and Rhinebeck anyway, right? Make sure that your guild knows of the latest developments and has its rightful say in MAFA’s activities by volunteering as a MAFA Representative or Alternate. Reps meetings happen on Saturday evenings, so you won’t even miss out on shopping time.
Just because you don’t have the time to commit to a position doesn’t mean that you can’t help. There are many short-term, one-shot volunteer opportunities available. Even a single spare hour is all you need to make your mark on MAFA. Most of the following jobs can be done on either a one-time or ongoing basis, and can be spread among many people. Where do you fit in?
Airport Transporter (MAFA Workshop Weekend 2009)
Got a car and live in the vicinity of Scranton? Want some one-on-one talk time with a nationally known instructor? Drivers needed to transport instructors between the Scranton Airport and Marywood University on Thursday, July 30, 2009 (the day before the conference starts) and the afternoon/evening of Sunday, August 2 (after the conference ends). There may also be a need for airport transportation on Monday, August 3, 2009.
Article Writer
Read a good book lately? Tried a new piece of equipment? Checked out a local yarn shop—or found a nifty fiber place while travelling? Studied a new technique? Prepared a great handout for a program you created for your guild? Want to honor a mentor?
Write an article (or many) for MAFA website and share what you know!
Editor
Review submitted articles and work with contributors on any necessary modifications for grammar, style, and content. Prepare PDFs of finalized articles for inclusion on the MAFA Website.
Guild Webpage Coordinator
Obtain and assemble the information needed for your guild to have its own page on MAFA’s website.
Guild Webpage Updater
Make sure the information on your guild’s MAFA webpage is correct and current. Assemble and submit modifications up to once a month (but do try to make updates at least once every six months
Instructor Database Contributor
Add a new entry to MAFA’s instructor database using the form found here.
Website Quality Assurance Helper
Do you see a typo on the MAFA website? Is a link broken or dead? Send an email and let us know so we can fix it.
Interested?
If you're interested in any of these jobs, or would like to offer another way in which you can help out, please send us an email.
And an added incentive
MAFA is a tax-exempt not-for-profit (a 501(c)(3), in technical terms). Contact your tax professional to obtain clarification on how you can properly document and write off mileage and other expenses incurred while volunteering for MAFA.
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