On-Duty Volunteer

Asmbly's Volunteer program gives members a way to earn free membership through service at Asmbly, which in turn helps keep the space running at low cost. It's also a great way to have a direct impact on Asmbly and the decisions made for the organization.

12 hours of volunteering gets you 1 free month of membership. Hours expire after one calendar year, so it is OK if it takes you more than 1 month to work 12 hours. Maximum of 1 free month can be earned per calendar month - additional hours volunteered in a given month will not earn additional free months.

There are no minimum requirements for hours logged per month. You may choose to leave the program any time you wish without negative impact to your membership.

Requirements

• Maintain an active membership (at least in the months you choose to volunteer)
• Sign up and be approved using the form link
• Use Asmbly Slack as directed to communicate with others
• Wear provided T-shirt or apron with name tag for identification
• Track hours in Alta Open and enter work descriptions in Google Sheets
• Focus on volunteer tasks during booked time, no working on personal projects while on-duty

Volunteer Duties

Volunteers might not have troubleshooting experience with any particular machines or be subject matter experts in any domain, but they are friendly folks willing to help members navigate Asmbly physically or digitally to help find solutions.

Ways Anyone Can Volunteer

• Help members find answers to their questions
• Help students get to their classes
• Check supplies and communicate needs
• Move package deliveries to "pending pick up" zone in Textiles
• General cleaning - emptying trash, cleaning out scrap carts, etc.
• Quick tours for drop by prospective members
• Host Asmbly orientations
• Host the Community Social Hour
• Help update the Asmbly wiki
• Collaborate with staff to create educational and outreach opportunities

Tool Maintenance

While troubleshooting experience with machines is not strictly required, volunteers performing tool maintenance should have at least one machine at Asmbly they feel thoroughly comfortable or expert in. Additionally, they should have a strong desire to learn more about machine maintenance and a willingness to research and work alongside experts to learn.

• Check preventative maintenance logs
• Perform machine maintenance/repair
• Develop maintenance schedule(s)
• Identify machine issues and parts needed, then report accordingly
• Special projects that have been approved by leadership

Logging Time

1. "Badge In" and "Badge Out" using Open Alta. The buttons are located under the "Storage Lockers" tab.
2. Use your provided Google Sheet to track your time and provide work descriptions.
3. Contact the Volunteer Coordinator when you would like to redeem a free month of membership.

If you have a membership renewal coming up and know you have logged 12 hours, contact the Volunteer Coordinator via Slack or email membership@asmbly.org at least 48 hours before your membership renewal date to request an hours check.

Volunteer Benefits and Terms

1. Earned Free Months: Accumulating 12 hours of volunteering gets you 1 free month of membership.
2. Monthly Limit: A maximum of 1 free month can be earned per calendar month. Additional hours volunteered in a given month will not earn additional free months.
3. Expiration of Hours: You have one calendar year from the day you reach 12 hours to redeem your free month. For example, if you log 12 hours as of February 1st, 2024, and do not redeem them, they will be forfeited on February 1st, 2025.
4. Redemption: You can redeem your free months of membership at separate times. Free membership can only be redeemed in one-month units. For instance, if you've logged 24 hours of volunteer time, you could choose to redeem one free month in March and another in July.
5. Gifting Free Months: You can also gift your free months of membership. If you choose to do so, Asmbly will create a single-use gift certificate with the appropriate expiration date.
6. Flexible Participation: There are no minimum requirements for hours logged per month. You may choose to leave the program at any time without a negative impact on your membership.

Staying in the Program

1. Don't game the system. While you are on duty, you are doing volunteer work for Asmbly. Do not work on personal projects during this time.
2. Maintain good membership standing. Quickly resolve any payment lapses and do not get your membership suspended or terminated.