All Alpha positions are unpaid volunteer positions, and are only open to people 25 and older.
There are three types of Alpha volunteers:
- Administrative Staff: These are long-term roles with a significant time commitment. They are available only as positions open up.
- Onsite Staff: The staff who teach at the workshop are selected on a year-to-year basis by the Alpha board of directors.
- Other Volunteers: Aside from our admin staff, we keep a list of part-time volunteers we can call on for specific tasks, like critiquing application stories.
Open Administrative Staff Positions
All Alpha positions are unpaid volunteer positions, and are only open to people 25 and older.
Publicity
We are looking for someone to work on publicity and outreach.
The overall goal of this position is to increase awareness of the workshop among potential applicants and potential author guests, particularly among diverse populations.
In practice, this might involve:
- Outreach to teachers, librarians, and community members to help to boost application numbers and increase applicant diversity
- Outreach to other workshops and related organizations to build community
- Building a network of authors, both as potential author guests and as potential advertisers for the workshop
- Researching and arranging advertising with publications and/or influencers to boost application numbers and increase applicant diversity
- Attending regular (online) admin staff meetings
Alumni and Volunteer Management
The overall goal of this position is to increase our volunteer base outside of our core administrative staff.
In practice, this might involve:
- Helping to maintain and strengthen the alumni community
- Creating and maintaining an alumni database
- Increasing alumni participation and managing alumni volunteers
- Outreach to other communities that might be interested in volunteering
- Building and managing alumni subcommittees
- Attending regular admin staff meetings
How to Apply to Volunteer
If you are interested in volunteering with us, please send an email to contact@alphawritersworkshop.org with the subject line “VOLUNTEER APPLICATION: [Name of Position].” Please include any relevant qualifications or experience — a short paragraph or two in the body of the email is fine, or you can attach a resume if you have a lot of experience in this area!
Onsite Staff
All Alpha positions are unpaid volunteer positions, and are only open to people 25 and older. Please note that onsite staffing is not a permanent position, and staffing one year does not guarantee you will be invited again in future years.
Onsite Staff lead the 10-day Alpha Workshop, either in person or on Zoom (when Alpha is virtual). Most onsite staff are authors, editors, and/or teachers with a strong interest in genre fiction. This is a full-time 10-day commitment, with additional meetings before the workshop begins for onboarding and planning. The role is a mix of writing instructor and camp counselor, and includes giving lectures, helping students develop their ideas, and critiquing short fiction, and when the workshop is in person, onsite staff stay in the dorms with the students.
All onsite staff volunteers will need to pass an FBI background check, as well as Pennsylvania’s child safety and criminal clearances.
If you would like to be considered for the onsite staff role in an upcoming year, please send an email to contact@alphawritersworkshop.org with the subject line “VOLUNTEER APPLICATION: [Name of Position].” Please include any relevant qualifications or experience — a short paragraph or two in the body of the email is fine, or you can attach a resume if you have a lot of experience in this area!
Other Volunteer Opportunities
Interested in volunteering with Alpha in a more informal capacity? 25 years old or older? Fill out the form below! If we need someone with your skills, we’ll get in touch!