Volunteer
Get more out of your membership in the Northwest Editors Guild by getting involved! Active members enlarge their network of professional contacts, learn more about editing, and make new friends. If you're interested in any of these opportunities or have another idea for how you could help the Guild, please fill out the form below.
Red Pencil Volunteers
Helping plan and staff Red Pencil is a great way to meet other members, learn about the Guild, develop skills, and give back to the editing community. We have volunteering opportunities that fit every schedule and interest, so get in touch and get involved!
Volunteer Coffee & Happy Hour Coordinator
The Volunteer Happy Hour Coordinator is the go-to person for members who wish to start a happy hour/coffee hour/lunch hour/etc.
The Coordinator will assist members in starting their event by:
Checking the calendar for existing conflicts, and if there are none, scheduling the happy hour with the Guild administrator.
Giving the member information on how to run/host a happy hour (documents pending on this).
If necessary, finding members/board members to host the first new happy hour and then helping find another host for future ones.
Keeping watch over the Guild discussion list for interest in happy hour topics and supporting the membership by coordinating the creation of such a happy hour, locating a host, and supporting them through the steps outlined above.
Hosting a monthly happy hour with rotating topics to give members the opportunity to participate in a happy hour that they might have wanted but have not voiced to the Guild at large. Additionally, it can serve as a springboard for other potentially recurring happy hours to start from.
For example, the coordinator might host a happy hour on copyediting and then ask members who attended if there is a person who would like to become the host for a monthly copyediting happy hour.
The volunteer happy hour coordinator will fall under the supervision of the Outreach committee; expected time commitment is 20 hours/year.
Coffee / Happy Hour Hosts
The Guild encourages members to host coffee or happy hours whenever they’d like. These get-togethers are a great way to strengthen professional and personal connections between members, and they’re easier than ever to coordinate now that online meetings are so common! We recommend that potential hosts do the following:
Find a buddy: You’re welcome to host a coffee or happy hour on your own, but it’s much more fun (and, depending on your personality, less intimidating) to cohost with another member.
Pick a date, time, and theme: Take a look at our calendar to see what times and dates are usually open. Keep in mind that many of our meetings repeat monthly (for instance, don’t try to host something on the second Wednesday of the month in the late morning or early evening, because there are regular meetings scheduled on those days at 11:15 a.m. and 5 p.m.). For in-person events, you’ll also need to reserve a room—consider spaces like coffee shops and libraries, which often have free space available. Coming up with a theme or topic isn’t mandatory, but it can be helpful for you and for potential attendees. If you’re not sure about something, you can always email info@edsguild.org for assistance.
Email the Guild administrator: Use event submission form to share all the important details with the administrator and social media coordinator. They’ll confirm that the date and time you requested are free, and, if you’re using the Guild’s Zoom account, provide you with all the information you need to host a Zoom event with our account. You can even schedule a practice session before the event to get familiar with Zoom and its features. The administrator and social media coordinator will also notify all Guild members about the event via the discussion list, the website, Facebook and Twitter.
What then? Read through the Zoom information provided by the administrator, show up for your practice session with the Guild administrator if you schedule one, and send a reminder to the discussion list a few days before the event—this often yields more attendees and reminds those who registered early!
Show up and have fun! Online or in person, plan to log in or arrive at least five minutes before your event so you’ll have plenty of time to get settled (for online events don’t forget to activate Zoom’s waiting room feature), and take a breath before you start greeting attendees... then relax and smile. Guild members have been hosting coffee hours and happy hours since 2011. It’s a fun and easy way to get to know other members and to strengthen our community.
Mentors
The Guild encourages its members to learn from each other in a variety of ways. One way is through the peer mentoring program, available to any current Guild member at no additional charge. This is a great way to make connections, learn from colleagues, and contribute to the profession. Read more about the mentoring program here.
Event Support
Photographers: We’re always looking for a few members who’d enjoy taking photographs at our meetings and events for use on Facebook, Twitter, and our website.