Job Description for the Door Committee

It’s called the Door, and it involves ticket and money taking, hand-stamping, and checking coats, and checking the list of people who have pre-paid online, all the while being completely welcoming in attitude even to people you aren’t sure really did pay. And other things, depending on what is thrown at you during the evening.

When a Door volunteer simply doesn’t show up, the coordinator will be doing the shift. If there aren’t enough volunteers, the coordinator keeps asking around during the evening, or does the rest of the shifts. It’s easiest for people who don’t play in public anyway.

 During the evening, the coordinator makes sure volunteers have actually turned up for their shifts, makes sure there are 2 volunteers working during periods when there are a lot of guests expected to arrive, (first two and a half hours typically) so that one can handle the coat-check. And of course the coordinator spends time with new workers starting out, informing them of how to approach the job and what the tasks are.  

The Door coordinator is also responsible for the money box during the event, keeping track of the money coming in, sometimes selling associateships or some small items, which are recorded separately, then accounting for all the money at the end of the night and turning the money box over to the executive director or person in charge of the event that night. There are often other core people bringing in their expense receipts to be paid out, and there’s the gratuity for the Event Centre bar staff, all of which is recorded too, so the money box balances at 1:00 AM.

The coordinator’s job starts weeks before every event, with issuing a request for Door volunteers at Tuesday nights and on FetLife. It helps to have a circle of personal friends who can be called on for a shift. New people are the best source of new Door volunteers, because they can see it’s a good way to fit in and meet people.