MDD YAN

Conference Planning Manual

Several components of this manual are taken directly from the C*UUYAN

 Conference Planning Committee’s Con Planning Manual

Introduction

So, you want to organize a conference? Conference coordinating involves a diverse set of skills that can be drawn from and applied to a variety of community organizing experiences. You probably already have all the skills you need to successful plan this conference you just need to know how and when to apply them most effectively.

Missin Statement

 MDD YAN  seeks to be a vibrant, sustainable, and accountable young adult

(ages 18-35) and campus ministry movement. By striving to be radically inclusive, spiritually-alive, and justice centered, we further our mission to transform Unitarian Universalism and the world. We work to claim our history and identity, cultivate visionary leadership and eliminate oppression. Our community honors profound mystery and celebrates life with inspirational worship and revolutionary ministry.

Why a Conference?

• Create a community vision

• Build a collective identity

• Organize for institutional change

• Strategize for the future

• Create organizational policies

• Build a community

• Have fun

• Worship and be spiritual

• Do business

• Network

• Outreach

• Identify community needs

Where to start?

Core Leadership
Every conference leadership team has to start somewhere. The level of community
commitment to the conference will determine who is on the initial leadership team.
Choosing a core leadership team can be as simple as being asked to do it by a steering
committee to as democratic as being elected by the community. Regardless of how you
are charged with the responsibility of organizing the conference it is important that you
have consistent and open dialogue with the community you are organizing for.

When to start

It’s hard to know exactly when to start planning a conference. Starting too early can feel unnecessary and over-controlling and starting too late can feel exhausting and rushed. As you answer the following questions the planning timeline will become clearer.

Timeline Questions

• Who is organizing the conference? Have they already been chosen?

• Who is attending the conference? Are they already committed to attending or will outreach need to be done?

• How many people will be attending? 15 or 500?

• Where will the conference be held? Has a site been chosen yet? What type of facility will be needed?

• How is the conference going to be paid for? Are grants going to be applied for?

• When are the deadlines?

Accountability Tip

When you begin organizing an event with an adequate amount of time you are creating a non-anxious process that allows for productive and meaningful community input.

Creating a Budget

An initial budget should be used as a tool. It will guide you to answers about site

selection, registration fees, location, staff compensation, financial feasibility and the need for additional funding or grants. Be realistic about participant registration totals. Review the budgets of other community events and conferences to guide your assessment of how many paying registrants you may have and what they are willing to pay. Do not balance your budget by increasing the number of registrants; instead create two or three versions of the budget that, depending on registration numbers, differ slightly. By working from two or three different versions of the budget you can prioritize spending based on specific registration numbers.

Income Considerations

·        Registration fees

·        Grants

·        Annual organizational or program funding

Expense Considerations

·        Site

·        Food

·        Staff travel

·        Workshops and speakers

·        Transportation

·        Scholarships

·        Supplies

The type of site you have will determine your housing options. Make sure that no matter what kind of space you have you create space for single gender sleeping space, including a space for transgender participants.

Sleeping Facilities

·        Are there an adequate number of beds?

·        Is it relatively clean and comfortable?

·        What type of accommodation? Cabins, Bunks, Dorms?

·        Are the sleeping facilities accessible?

·        How far from the main lodge are the sleeping areas?

Possible housing configurations:

·        Female only

·        Male only

·        Transgender only

·        Trans-friendly.

·        All genders

·        Quiet

·        Noisy

·        Child-friendly

·        Accessible

Kitchen

If you are planning to cook for a large number of participants make sure that the kitchen facilities are properly equipped.

Accessibility

The type of site you have will determine how accessible your conference will be.

·        Is it possible for a wheelchair to maneuver around the camp?

·        Are there paved roads?

·        Are the public spaces accessible by wheelchair?

·        Are there stairs? Where?

·        Can the dining hall tables be moved?

·        Are the lodgings accessible?

·        Are the bathrooms and showers accessible?

·        How far away is lodging from central events?

·        Are there hills?

Positions

It may take some time to decide exactly which staff positions your conference will need. It is okay to start advertising and recruiting for staff before positions are officially decided.

Examples of Staff Positions

·        Dean or Chair

o       Focuses on big picture of conference planning

o       Supports and guides conference staff in planning

o       Role models positive leadership and develops leadership skills of staff

·        Small group/Touch group coordinator

o       Organizes curriculum for small groups

o       Supports and develops leadership skills of small group facilitators

·         Worship coordinator

o       Works with onsite volunteers and chaplain to coordinate daily worship services.

·        Workshop coordinator

o       Solicits and coordinates workshop presenters

o       Prepares for and supports workshop leaders onsite

·         Registrar

o       Tracks and organizes all participant information both before, during and after the conference

o       Collects registration fees and follows up with owed fees

·         Food Coordinator

o       Develops menu for conference

o       Coordinates all food buying, preparing and cooking

·         Transportation Coordinator

o       Coordinates all aspect of travel and transportation for volunteer staff, workshops leaders and participants

·        Chaplain

o       Provides a confidential “listening ear” for participants and/or staff members who need to confide in someone during the conference (or, sometimes, before the conference during the planning).

o       It is best if this person has some training or good experience in ministry or chaplaincy (although they do not necessarily need to be a minister).

Onsite volunteers

These positions can be solicited both before and during the conference. They are an excellent opportunity for participants to develop their leadership skills and are not compensated in any way.

·        Kitchen staff

o       Work with Food Coordinator to ensure smooth function of  kitchen and clean up

·        Transportation

o       Work with Transportation coordinator to ensure all participants are picked up and dropped off at appropriate locations

·        Small group leaders

o       Lead small groups/touch groups      

·        Worship

o       Work with Worship coordinator to organize daily worship services

·        Childcare volunteers

o       Work with parents and childcare providers to volunteer babysitting shifts

Job Descriptions

As a resource

A clear and well-organized job description is one of best tools you can give your

conference staff. Conflict often arises when volunteers misunderstand their

responsibilities, either doing too little, too much or someone else’s job. A job description will not eliminate misunderstandings but it will provide a permanent location to document volunteer job descriptions as they grow and change. Job descriptions are a good way to hold staff accountable to the work they committed to do. Before the position officially begins take some time with each volunteer to review the responsibilities outlined in the job description. Explain each task, ask for questions or clarifications and make suggestions about actions they need to take in order to succeed in their position. When a volunteer completes their volunteer commitment ask them to review the job description and make additions and edits to what the description outlined. The more volunteers that work in a position the more clear and comprehensive the job description will become.

Outreach

Staff and volunteer outreach is just as important as participant outreach and is an

important first step in creating the “buzz” about the upcoming event.

Where to outreach

• Community events

• Leadership development events

• Local and Regional leaders

• Previous volunteers

• Affiliated community groups

How to outreach

• Brochure or flyer

• Direct mailing

• Email

• Website

• Presentations

  Timelines and deadlines

  Make sure every staff member has access to a conference timeline. Create an initial timeline that includes specific dates that you know are definite (for example: the pre-site meeting and the conference starting and ending dates). Fill in the rest of the dates and deadlines with your staff when discussing the conference timeline. A conversation with your staff about when, for example, the workshop leaders need to be selected is useful for helping staff understand why deadlines are important and how missed deadlines affect everyone

  Accountability Tip

  Having a detailed and comprehensive timeline to share with your conference staff is a powerful tool for holding each other accountable and keeping the process of planning the conference transparent.