We want you for the Gopher Army!
A vital yet overlooked component of many anime conventions,the Volunteers department manages, oversees, and
keeps track of convention volunteers. Also known as ‘gophers,” these people form a vital component of anime convention operations.
While many jobs and errands of these volunteers seem menial and monotonous, these brave volunteers take their time to help out the convention for others to enjoy, and they can explore the inner workings – the guts – of an anime convention. The Volunteers department also manages the “gopher armies” that may be called, where a call out for quick helpers are asked and tasks are “magically” done at a blink of an eye.
Often times, many of our staffers have started as the lowly “gopher,” and is often an opportunity to ease into staffing for the convention upon different departments.
Gopher Requirements
Age
A gopher must be at least (16) sixteen years of age to volunteer. If volunteers are for AMS (Attendee Management Services), they must be (18) eighteen years of age. Younger volunteers will be considered with written and signed permission from one’s parents.
Convention Registration / Pre-Registration
A gopher must be a registered Nekocon member in order to volunteer. Gophers may submit information for gopher pre-registration; however without a membership, one may not be added until registered.
Documentation
A gopher must have a gopher registration form on file in order to volunteer. This can be done before or during a convention. These forms must be completed before assigning a task to a gopher. These forms would have your name, address, phone number, e-mail, and other notes. All information will be kept confidential.
Responsibility
A gopher must accept responsibility over their own actions and accept that assigned staff members reserve the right to withdraw their privileges at any time. When a gopher signs out, any special privileges one has while volunteers are also withdrawn. A gopher agrees when they sign up for a shift to appear in a timely manner and does not leave their post until their shift is done. They must also agree to follow the rules of a gopher, the department they are stationed, and the convention rules as well.
Orientation
A gopher must attend a gopher orientation prior to serving as a gopher. This can either be done prior to serving as a gopher. This can either be done prior to the convention or at the convention itself. This is to inform a gopher of the rules, our expectations, any perks, as well as familiarize them with the staff and thank them for their participation. Orientation may be waived if the gopher
attended Orientation and no significant rule change
have taken place.
Volunteer Incentives
Although it can be said that volunteering for an anime
convention is its own reward—meeting people, making
friends, and find out the inner workings of a convention,
some people just got to have additional perks. The perks goes
as follows.
• At eight (8) hours of work, access and use of the gopher crash space is granted. Crash space is limited to a first come first serve basis
• At ten (10) hours of work, a volunteer’s T-Shirt is granted.
• At twenty (20) hours of work, a free membership to next years Nekocon is granted.
• Regardless of hours worked, gophering can be a stepping stone for becoming part of Nekocon Staff, if so desired.
• Gophers (to some extent) have “Backstage” and “backdoor” access to convention operations. Gophers must have a reason to be at a restricted area.