A Few Tips on How to Manage Day-of-Event Volunteers

Create a Management Plan: All volunteers need to know their job description and purpose. Tell them who is in charge and exactly what (be specific) is expected of them.

Communicate: Emails are great, but in addition, create a shared online page (we love Google Docs) with information that volunteers can easily access.

Orientation is Key: Establish expectations and ground rules all the while making your volunteers feel like part of your team.

Make Sure Volunteers Know Who You Are: They need to know what your organization is about and how to talk about it with event guests.

Recognize and Thank Your Volunteers: That's right, thank them: in the event program, in a personal note, with a gift. No one ever complains about being thanked too much.

Design a Post-Event Survey: Get their honest feedback. What worked? What didn't? How could their experience have been improved? If you ask them, they will tell you and they will happily volunteer for next year's event as well. 
~ Rebecca

Client Testimonial

Excerpts from a recent client testimonial:  "...I don't really know where to begin.  The complexity of our event was quite high--a remote location, 200 guests, no cell service, friends doing a lot of the parts (a blessing and a curse). Rebecca and Carol jumped in immediately. But instead of taking over or becoming overbearing they were extremely easy to work with--they knew I still wanted a lot of control but they also instinctively knew where I was going to fall down and how to jump in proactively and make sure nothing fell through the cracks. They reviewed all my plans, made revisions, suggestions and more. They highlighted things I had never thought of and made improvements on the things I had already mapped out.

On the day(s) of the event they were amazing. They basically worked 24 hours straight.  From 10AM, hitting the ground running, throughout the day managing the kids entertainment, some parking issues, the table decorations, the flowers, the ceremony rehearsal (we were going for the very organic ceremony, but - wow - am I glad they were there to formalize things a bit), managing the caterers and the bar, cleaning up as we partied, and then up bright and early to make sure the caterers were up and making breakfast for out 150 guests that slept over!

I could go on and on about both of them. But perhaps the greatest testimony is that they exceeded all of my expectations and one of my favorite pictures from the whole weekend is of the three of us laughing late at night on Saturday night.

I am eternally grateful for their professionalism and competence in turning our loosely planned, organic affair into a flawlessly executed event that was carried off without a flaw and with wonderful grace. They are truly pros. I would hire them again in a second for even the smallest event I might have."

Harley Sitner

Event Consultations

Don't get me wrong, I would love for your company to hire Well Done Events to design and produce every aspect of your upcoming party/gala/fundraiser, but sometimes you don't really need us for all that. What you need is a two to three hour event planning consultation. Here's the skinny. We meet with you and give you ideas and information about how to design and produce your event. We tell you the names of vendors we know and trust. We help you develop a party theme. We give you the confidence to get going on your plan. And if you decide to hire us to help with some or all of the aspects of your event production, we can do that too. We're affordable; we're efficient; we love what we do. 
~ Rebecca

     

Let Us Find The Perfect Venue For Your Next Event

You're throwing a holiday party, looking for a new space to host a work conference, or just want a cool event space for your next gig. What to do? I'm going to make this really easy for you--call us. Venue Finder is a service WDE offers on its own or as part of a complete service contract. The right venue (and it's not always so easy to find) offers that feeling of being transported somewhere new and makes your event truly memorable. Carol and I scout new venues constantly. We know what's old, what's new, what's borrowed, what's blue. Let us find the perfect space for you and take this item off of your "to-do" list.  ~Rebecca

Helping the client with their "to-do" list.

Our motto: "At Well Done Events we start with a consultation so that we can hear, in your own words, what it is you need and expect. From there we can provide complete event planning or we can help with just a few items on your to-do list." It's true, we can do it all or we can do a little. The point is Carol and I listen to what our clients want and need for their event and then we make it happen.


In this case, our client wanted friends to create the floral arrangements for their renewal ceremony. So, we took them flower shopping (and of course passed-on the wholesale discount), helped direct the flower crew and  let them work their magic. The result: Beautiful, heart-felt arrangements; Happy friends working together; And an incredibly Well Done Event. ~Rebecca

Homemade Floral Arrangement

Our friend, and caterer extraordinaire, Teresa Howard created this floral arrangement using flowers and greens from her own yard. Well Done Centerpiece.
~ Rebecca

Make a Seating Plan and Make it Beautiful

Yes, you could print name tags on your computer or just tell your guests to,"sit over there". Or you could buy some lovely, thick, creamy paper write their names with your best handwriting, draw a personal icon, and create a seating chart. Much, Much better. 
~ Rebecca