Volunteer Department Hours and Location 

The Volunteers Department will be located Maryland Hall Registration Desk B. 

• Friday 8:00am to 12:00am 
• Saturday 8:00am to 12:00am 

• Sunday 8:00am to 2:00pm 

Why Volunteer?  

1. Meet tons of people. Ask anyone who has volunteered: you’ll meet people, make friends, and be in prime locations for costume spotting (Okay maybe not so much that last one).  

2. Help the anime community. All the staff who work at Katsucon are volunteers; no one gets paid a cent. They do it because they love anime and the anime community. Without them, the convention would be nothing but pure, utter chaos.  

3. See if working at a Convention is right for you. Volunteering is a great way to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make Katsucon happen every year. Experience the organized chaos firsthand and see if becoming a staff member is right for you. 

4. Earn awesome prizes. We’ll have a variety of prizes available for volunteering with us for a certain number of hours. Keep an eye out for the full Prize Tier List!

Common Fallacies about Volunteering:  

• It’s too hard.
  • Stuff and nonsense! You will never be given a job that is too hard for you; anything requiring a skill you don’t already have will be taught to you.  

• I must be part of the “inner circle”. 
  • No way! Katsucon is always looking for new talent.  There is no ‘inner circle’; it’s all anime fandom.  

• I will be stuck with a job/task I hate or can’t handle.  
  • While there’s always a need for someone to fill the seemingly thankless and tiring jobs of badge checking and room guarding. We do our best to assign work to Volunteers that are able to do the task. Every little task is a really important foothold for the convention as a whole.  
  • We want your volunteer experience to be a positive one. We understand that everyone has different skills, interests, and comfort levels and do our best to match you with a role where you can feel comfortable and contribute to the convention.  
  • Katsucon will never force you to do something you absolutely don’t want to do. We are, however, not above begging.  

• I have no detectable molecule of skill or knowledge that could help anyone.  
  • If you are reading this, that is a useful skill! 
  • If you can walk and talk at the same time, Katsucon has a position for you.   
  • You’d be surprised at what you know.  

• I won’t meet anyone or see anything at the convention.  
  • Just because you volunteer doesn’t mean that you have to miss the convention. A few free hours between panels or photo ops are enough to make a difference! 
  • Volunteering can be a great way to make new friends and socialize all while helping us out during your downtime! 
  • You choose when you work! Your hours can be flexible. You just let us know when you are available, and we work around it!  

• You’re really not an anime fan or you are just starting out in the genre. 
  • Perfect! This is how you can find out from the inside where to start.   
  • Some of our previous volunteers have been parents, siblings, roommates, significant others, and even driving buddies of attendees.   
  • Being dragged along for the weekend? The staff can help you fill your time and even explain what the big deal is.  

• I will be treated rudely and ignored by the Katsucon staffers.  
  • Katsucon strives to make volunteers feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated no matter the amount of time dedicated; from the person donating their entire con to us or someone who can only do a few hours.    
  • If you feel you have been overlooked or spurned, speak up! Things can get hectic during the convention and sometimes we may not realize that someone needs help or has been waiting for an answer. Let us know! 
  • Every good-faith effort is appreciated here!

Volunteer Policies  

1. All volunteers must be registered attendees to the convention in good standing and will be held to the rules of the Katsucon Code of Conduct.  

2. All volunteers must provide their full legal name, as well as email address for contact purposes.  

3. Volunteers will be assigned a timecard and a volunteer badge, and the Volunteers Department will take temporary possession of their Attendee badge.    
   1. Once a given volunteer has completed their requested assignment, they are to return to the Volunteers Department, turn in their volunteer badge and timecard, and their Attendee badge will be returned.  

4. A volunteer will be assigned to a given department as needed.    
   1. While volunteering with that department, they will be required to have a representative from that department fill out their timecard, which should include their arrival time, departure time, and the initials of the person supervising their assignment.  

5. Volunteer assignments are based on current convention needs.    
   1. A volunteer may request a specific department, but the decision on department assignments rests with the Volunteers Department Head.    
   2. The final acceptance of a volunteer assignment rests with the volunteer, who always has the option to decline a particular assignment. 
   3. Volunteers under 18 will only be eligible to work during Volunteer Department operating hours. 
   4. Overnight assignments are limited based on Department needs. 
   5. They can return the following day, obtain their volunteer badge, and return to that department for continued work.   

6. If a volunteer wishes to take a break during Volunteering, they need to return to Volunteers Department and turn in their timecard, so that the staff can track how many volunteers are deployed at any given time. Restroom breaks are not included in this rule.   

7. Volunteers will receive rewards at the end of the convention based on their total hours worked.    
   1. Hours may be granted extra weight to help fill a need, at the discretion of the Chair Team.    
   2. Rewards may also be granted prior to the end of the convention, if sufficient hours are earned, at the discretion of the Department Head. 

Click here to apply!