Volunteer!
Help make Something Else amazing!
Something Else is the party you bring. We have no paid staff. It's a labor of love for everyone who participates. The backbone of the event are our amazing volunteers.
These are all the ways you can make the event truly something else!
Some lead roles are unfilled, and we would love to support enthusiastic participants who want to take this on—as a fifth-year event, we can definitely help you hit the ground running as a lead! Most teams with leads also need volunteers to do their magic.
Volunteers earn discounts on their tickets, up to the full price of their ticket. Usually a shift is about 4 hours of your time and will earn 1/3 off the price of your ticket. See below for details.
Volunteers should still buy a ticket and we'll reimburse you after the event. If this is a hardship, please email us and we'll work something out.
Don't know what you want to do? Sign up anyway! We'll find something useful for you to do.
Questions? Email us!
Volunteer Tickets & Reimbursements
- How does this work?
Buy a ticket.
Earn credits for every shift you work.
Most shifts are around 4 hours and earn 1 credit. Some jobs are easier and earn less, some are harder and earn more.Accumulate 3 credits for a 100% reimbursement. Fewer credits gets you a proportional reimbursement (2 credits = 66%, etc). More credits gets you a gold star and our everlasting gratitude.
- FAQ
Where can I see a list of open volunteer shifts?
Right here!Why do I need to buy a ticket up front?
Because we're a small party and can't afford to front tickets to folks who may not show up for their shift.I can't afford to buy my ticket up front, can you help?
Yes! Email us and we'll work with you. someone@somethingelse.funHow do I know if my volunteer shifts will get me X credits?
Almost all shifts are 1 credit. If you really want to earn more with a hard job or less with an easy job, communicate with our awesome Volunteer Coordinator via the volunteer form or via email.Can I get a reimbursement for my car camping pass?
Sure, 1 credit for car pass, 1.5 for RV pass.When will I get my reimbursement?
Within 30 days post-event. Paypal or Venmo preferred. You'll get an email with details after the event.I love volunteering so much and want Something Else to have everlasting success. Can I forgo my reimbursement?
Absolutely! We're a scrappy organization that runs entirely on volunteer effort with a solid track record of losing money every year. We'd love to lose a little less. Thanks!
Volunteer Roles
Setup
Leads: Chuk & Gene• Setup Team
Setup volunteers commit to being onsite a day early (for 2022 this means Wednesday afternoon) to assist event and art teams in setting up their stuff. Familiarity with basic tools is a plus, as is having your own. Unload stuff from trucks, put them where leads determine. Set up before Gate opens: community outdoor kitchen, sound stages, teahouse/cozy/safe space, dome.
• Sign Boss
Events need signs! Can you make them? We can provide sign materials, some paint, and some markers. Signs need to be simple, legible, and quick turnaround.
Dome
Lead: Renee• Squish Commander
The Dome is a soft, fluffy quasi-indoor chill space with no set programming. We have an 18’ covered PVC dome and enough 2’ foam tiles to cover the floor. Dome lead coordinates squish/fluff temporary donations and makes sure everything gets back to their donor. Setup and Strike volunteers help with those aspects of the dome, but volunteers to contribute squishy stuff are always welcome.
Shuttle
Leads: Chuk & Gene• Shuttle Driver
The lake is ~15m walk up a hot, exposed hill. Getting a ride is nice! Shuttle drivers need to be sober enough to drive a pickup truck (we have a rented one, but you're welcome to add your own) and safely transport folks and equipment up and down the hill. If you're a responsible driver on a dirt road and you like making new friends, this is the job for you. The truck manager will show you how to drive the truck, put it in gear, how to put on the parking brake, and where the key will live.
Strike
Leads: Chuk & Gene• Strike Team
The strike team commits to being onsite until all campers and infrastructure are gone (this means staying until Monday afternoon or later, as you can). Familiarity with basic tools is a plus, as is having your own.
Raptors (ranger team)
Lead: John• Raptor
Who’s in charge here? A Raptor is the responsible one for a shift: sober, carrying a radio, floating around and making sure things are going ok for everyone. You’ll work with a lead to understand what’s worth your attention and how to help people deal with problems as they come up and when to radio for backup.
Gate
Lead: Manda• Gate Crew
Greet people when they arrive, process their paperwork (ticket? vaxx? waiver?), direct them to drop off their stuff and park!
Sound & Lighting
Lead: TruckstopWe will have two amplified sound stages this year at Something Else 2022 - One daytime stage at Mud Beach (Tar Pit Stage) and one night stage at Loggers (Petrified Forest). Check below for descriptions of specific roles with the Sound/Lighting Team!
• Setup
We’ll be setting up on the two stages on Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. Moving speakers & lights into place, plugging things in, and testing them. No technical knowledge needed.
• Stage Manager
Show up 30 minutes before the music begins at the stage for the day. You’ll start up the generator and add fuel if needed. The rest of your shift will be ensuring the stage is functional and calling for assistance on the provided stage radio if needed. No technical knowledge needed.
• Lighting Collector Angel
Sometime before noon, you’ll be collecting our battery powered lights between Great Oak and Loggers and bringing them to the Central Camp Kitchen and placing them in a case for charging. We’ll have a cart for making this task easier! Quick shift but super important…. You’ll thank yourself later at night when the lights are on!
• Lighting Deployer Angel
At sunset, you’ll put the fully charged lights at the Central Camp Kitchen into a cart and place them beneath trees between Great Oak and Loggers. Then you’ll return the cart to Central Camp Kitchen. Quick shift but super important!
• Strike
We’ll be breaking down both stages on Monday mid-day. It’s a nice easy breakdown with tasks such as unplugging things, wrapping cables, and putting speakers/stuff into a vehicle.
Kitchen
Lead: Monster ChefKitchen crews help us make meals! Something Else is a food party because dinos like to EAT; these dinos eat Brunch and Dinner.
• Meal Maker
Decide on a community meal you want to make (some budget provided), work with the Kitchen Lead to plan it and purchase ingredients, cook and serve.
• Cleanup Crew
Support meal makers by keeping the kitchen tidy. Make sure we clean up after brunch and after dinner, and not leave any food rotting in the sun. Healthy dinos are happy dinos.
• Snack Boss
Repackage meal leftovers, oversee cleanup crew, put out donated snacks.
• Community Camp Kitchen Manager
All-event, low-touch role. Support community camp kitchen to be regularly usable and un-fucked.
Bar
Lead: Dave LeB• Barkeep
Dave’s Bar is back! As Barkeep, you will help Dave with important Bar tasks, like slicing fruits, serving drinks, replenishing ice, and sorting bar waste (boxes, bottles, crushing cans, etc). Daylight or nighttime shifts; check in a couple times each shift.
Tea Lounge
Lead: Michael Whelpley & Rochelle• Tea Team
People really like tea and tea house vibes. Tea team will help set up infrastructure and refill kettles as necessary.
Leave No Trace
Lead: SophieSetup systems so people can reliably handle their trash, compost, recycling, etc. Move around some bags and sort some recycling as needed.
• Intermittent Trash Fairy
Sort daily recycling stream from the beach, un-fuck trash area, and sweep for central kitchen area moop: 1 hour Fri/Sat/Sun
• LNT Striker
Stays to Monday early evening with LNT Lead to make sure we truly leave no trace.
• Lost & Found Coordinator
The dinos need you! Make a Lost & Found area, tell people about it, make signs, take everything in it home at the end, take photos, share them, help people pick up their stuff. You should live in Oakland or San Francisco. People will thank you!
Volunteer Coordination
Lead: Will Ho & ReneeSomething Else runs on volunteers! The Volunteer coordination team helps identify what needs help and who is available to provide it.
• Pre-event Volunteer Coordinator
This is a high-touch pre-event role. People will say they’re interested in a team, then you work with the team lead to match them to a shift.
• During-event Volunteer Coordinator
Work with pre-event volunteer coordination team to clarify any role or team need ambiguities. Help confused volunteers find something to do. It happens.
Art Support
Leads: Gene & Renee• Placement
This is a high-touch pre-event role, handling all people who want to bring arts. Handles placement and resource allocation. Places camps. Helpful for someone who knows the property.
• Event Management
Point person(s) for anyone wanting to host an activity. Scheduling and logistics. Coordinating with Placement and Setup.
Photographer
Take a mix of close-up happy-people-Doing-A-Thing shots and farther-away look-at-all-this-joy scenic/crowd shots and anything relevant in between. Target: 50% images of identifiable people, 30% art, and 20% scene/landscape/crowd.
Our goals with these photos are:
A persistent visual history of the event over the years
Images that communicate the brand/experience to future attendees
Images that illustrate volunteer tasks, events, and amenities—so people know what they’re signing up for.
Images that make current attendees look (and feel) like rockstars—reinforcing their good feelings about the event and encouraging repeat attendance.
Communications
Lead: ReneeWrite emails and social posts, mostly.