Thank you for your interest in being a virtual conference volunteer for the IASD Annual Conference. Fill out this application form and select one or both of the TWO volunteer position choices below in the order of your preference:

1) Session Zoom Hosts

2) Help/Information Desk Volunteers

Please note your choice or rank your choices as 1st and 2nd priority (or the same if two or more are of equal priority). To be fair to others and yourself, please be fairly certain that you can attend and can meet the requirements before you apply for a virtual position, since the discounted volunteer fee is non-refundable once you confirm by registering and paying.

Basic Requirements for a Virtual Volunteer:

Each position requires slightly different skills (as described below) however the basic requirements for a virtual event volunteer is as follows.  

Technical: 

1. You should have a practical working familiarity with Zoom conferencing – as a presenter or managing a zoom meeting with multiple participants;
2. You should have a reliable computer with a new operating system that you are familiar with operating;
3. You will need a Zoom account (even the free one should work) and the Zoom Workplace launcher app downloaded on your PC;
4. You will need good reliable high speed internet access at your location – at a minimum 5 Mb/s upload, 2 MB/s download (check it at https://www.speedtest.net/),
5. In order to eliminate drop-out or screen freezes during the conference, you must be willing, during your shift, to turn off other devices at your location or apps on your computer that are heavy internet users (such as other computer users, streaming TV shows, Dropbox).

WhatsApp: You will need a mobile phone/device with WhatsApp loaded and active and be familiar with its use (calls and chat) since it will be used for communications between all volunteer staff and managers and possibly attendees.

Training: All volunteers will need to go through a mandatory online training - scheduled 1 to 2 months prior to the conference. It will be conducted by a combination of your Volunteer Manager, the Zoom Events Administrator and the Conference Director.  It will include a familiarization with the basics of setting up of a Zoom session including chat, screen setup and screen sharing functions. The training for each of the 2 volunteer types will also include step-by-step instructions (demonstrated live and written) for managing your function.  Training will also include your placement within a WhatsApp contact group  by volunteer type and testing/demonstrating with your group and individuals.

Scheduling:  You will be initially accepted into your respective roles (Help/Information Desk or Session Zoom Host) and then assigned into shifts based on a balance of conference needs and your preferences. To do this in March you will be sent the schedule to pick out the top 3 session you prefer to attend, either as a volunteer, an attendee, or must attend as a presenter.  We will then consider your preferences when we make up the assignment schedule and your “shifts”, which usually achieves everyone’s preferences but please realize it may not always be possible so please prepare to be flexible.

Shifts: you would be scheduled typically each day from 21 June to 25 June for the regular conference sessions plus a coordination Zoom Meeting with your Manager and the Zoom Events Administrator on 20 June. Shifts will be scheduled  between 7AM Pacific US time (10am Eastern) and end in the early evening around 5 PM Pacifc (8PM Eastern). You will be scheduled to work about 1/3 to 1/2 of each day, which for Help Desk volunteers may be a few hour shifts or for Session Zoom Hosts one to two sessions per day.

Fee Structure: When you apply for a position and are accepted you will be sent an approval letter. Once you receive that letter you are to confirm and register by a stated date and pay the $100 non-refundable application fee. This is the case whether you are only attending as a volunteer or are a presenter that is also volunteering.   

Instructions:  completing the following 4 steps is required to become a volunteer

Step #1 - Apply with this Form:  

1. At a minimum complete all boxes marked with an*;
2. Read each of the positions carefully, then in the drop-down box select the ones you wish to apply for and rank them as first or second priority (if you like some equally then give it the same ranking);
3. Complete the remaining information;
4. You will receive an automated email that we received your application, however this is not a confirmation of acceptance so don’t register and pay to be a volunteer yet until you get your formal Acceptance Letter.

Step #2 – Acceptance Letter Sent to You: Your application will be reviewed by the Pre-Conference Volunteer Manager and a notice of approval, wait list status, or “position filled” notice will be sent to you within about two weeks or less of receiving your online application. You will be asked to confirm your acceptance of the position and to register by a deadline specified in the letter. If you do not hear of your acceptance status within three weeks’ time, please notify us at volunteers@asdreams.org

Step #3 – Respond that You Accept the Assignment: When you get the Acceptance Letter, please send a confirming response within 7 days that lets us know you received it, agree with your assigned position and intend to register.

Step #4 - Register for the Conference:  After you receive your acceptance letter your status will remain as “pending” until you register for the conference and pay the application fee. You must register prior to the volunteer registration deadline in your Acceptance Letter in order to be “confirmed” as a volunteer.  Do not register as a volunteer until you receive your Acceptance Letter, but once you receive it go to the Conference Web Page and the Registration Link and register.  On the Registration form go to the Volunteer section and pay the non-refundable fee ($100).  Also pay for any other special fee-based events (if any) on the registration form of which you wish to take advantage. We will track your registration, and once you have registered, we will consider you confirmed.

Follow-up Notifications: If we do not see that you have registered by the requested deadline on your acceptance letter, we will send you a final notice to register within a few days’ time. If you have not registered by that deadline and/or no response is received, out of fairness to others and to finalize our scheduling, we will need to remove you from the list and give the position to someone on the waiting list.

#2 SESSION ZOOM HOST [about 6 POSITIONS]:

The virtual schedule is composed of 6 simultaneous session tracks all accessed by a single Zoom Events entry portal and virtual “lobby”. Each lead presenter/chair who submits a special event, workshop, panel or prepared symposia will act as their own Zoom Host and manage their own session as they would any Zoom meeting once they log into (click on) and open their session space. However, there are some symposia that will be made up by our Scheduling Manager from individual proposals for 20- and 30-minute talks. In those cases, we will assign a Session Zoom Host to manage the session.

Your activities would be:

1. Before the conference you should notify the presenters in your session that you are Host and confirm their times and talk sequence.
2. Just before the conference you will receive instructions on how to join the conference as well as an email which registers you as a Session Host and provides a link for you to join and connect to the shifts you are be assigned to.
3. From the calendar/session list you can open your session or do so directly from the email invitation to join. At this point all presenters in the session as well as attendees can join the waiting room. You would locate and admit only the presenters and align them at the top of the screen (using “follow host view”).
4. To start the session once ready, you would:
   1. Admit the attendees
   2. Click on record to the cloud
   3. Introduce the title and presenter names
   4. Spotlight the first presenter
   5. Watch their presentation time and provide a cue when near time to end
   6. Call for questions (raise hand function) till end of their talk time
   7. Move the spotlight to the next and repeat until the end.