Volunteer

SOAK is a 100% volunteer-run event.

SOAK couldn’t happen without you, that’s a fact. Virtually every team at SOAK is looking for volunteers, so there’s likely to be a role for you, whatever your interests. Volunteering gives you an opportunity to interact with your fellow participants and contribute towards making SOAK a fabulous and successful event.

Photo by White Gurley

Leadership Roles

Leads run the departments necessary for the SOAK to happen and manage the team of volunteers that show up to contribute their time and skills.

Directors help Leads be successful helping with staffing, budgeting and interdepartmental coordination. They have all the answers, and if they don’t they’re there to find them.

Producers oversee the entire event and are responsible for its success. In addition to budgeting, managing event operations and working with vendors, they also support all of the individual Department Leads and Directors.

The Departments

Ambassadors welcome participants to the event, staffs the Info Booth, and manages Lost + Found.

Art & Civic Grants houses TAG Peer Review and offers possible funding assistance for art installations, Theme Camp beautification, and civic projects at SOAK. TAG, aka Talented and Gifted, is a volunteer peer review team that reviews civic and art grant applications.

Box Office manages ticket processing & shipping, vehicle badges, canine attendee badges, and will-call.

Census conducts anonymous surveys of participants upon entry and analyzes the data post-event. Its goal is to better understand our participants and help make informed decisions on behalf of our community.

Department of Public Works (DPW) manages transportation, set-up and takedown of SOAK infrastructure (trash fence, civic signage, etc.), and event site improvement.

Fire Performance coordinates fire spinners and other fire performers, and assists with their ability to perform safely throughout the event and during major burns.

Fire Safety assists with perimeter protection at sanctioned burns, remediates unintentional fires and life safety emergencies, and inspects fire art.

Gate staffs the event entrance and perimeter, manages wristbands, performs vehicle searches, manages traffic in and out of event, and directs event exodus.

Volunteer Hospitality (VoHo) provides on-site support to SOAK departments with snacks, drinks, and a volunteer potluck.

Ice manages ice sales at the event.

Leave No Trace (LNT) performs post-event cleanup, restoring the event site to its original state (or better).

Major Burnable Sculpture (MBS) builds the main burnable sculpture for the event (which typically burns on Saturday) and performs burn site cleanup.

Media manages event PR, the newsletter, the SOAK website as well as all general communications with the community.

Parks & Wrecks handles parking lot management and controls traffic flow.

Pathlighters design, place and maintain consistent lighting along pathways and roadways for event goers to traverse the property safely.

Placement is responsible for theme camp liaising and coordination as well as event layout. Art encourages and registers art projects, promotes art at our events and, depending on Artist need, liaisons with SOAK departments and the art grant committee.

Power and Comms holds the keys to the internet and helps prevent volunteers from having to scream across the property.

Swag designs, prints and gets made many of the items that a part of your SOAK experience, from the Survival Guide to the wristbands and stickers. They also design the theme art.

Rangers handle community safety and burn perimeter patrol. Rangers have a willingness to help others, mediate, and educate.

Volunteer Coordination (VoCo) communicates with volunteers and helps them get connected to departments of interest.

New Departments This Year!

Radical Inclusion creating pathways through organization changes, outreach, and education to reach a broader audience.

SOAK Train is the event-wide public transportation system. It runs all weekend with stops all over the site.

Pyro works directly with MBS to ensure the safe ignition of the burnable structure.

Fire Perimeter volunteers help form the outer safety perimeter at all sanctioned burns at Soak

Guidelines for Earning Points

Pre-event work: 1 hour of work = 1 point or 0.5 points
Some departments offer pre-event work, which generally occurs in Portland in the weeks and months leading up to the event. An hour of pre-event work is equivalent to either 1 point or 0.5 points, depending on the department. Important: most pre-event hours count towards the following years SOAK, not the current upcoming event.

Event work: 1 hour of work = 1 point
Event work occurs at the site and includes setup, shifts during the event, onsite strike, Leave No Trace cleanup, and some post-event work.

High-demand event work: 1 hour of work = 1.5 points
Some high-demand shifts roles offer additional points. Inquire with individual Team Lead(s) for more information.

Further Information

  • Those who earn 16 points or more volunteering for SOAK will receive a Gift Ticket for the following year, including pre-event points.

  • Volunteers may accrue points with multiple departments; there is no requirement that all efforts be directed to a single team.

  • Failing to show up for a scheduled shift can result in a loss or deduction of points. Don’t sign up for shifts you can’t commit to.

  • If an individual with a Gift Ticket is unable to attend the event, they may request to defer their Gift Ticket to the following year. A Gift Ticket may be deferred only one time. A ticket is relinquished if it is not actively deferred on the year it’s awarded.

  • An individual may donate their Gift Ticket to another person at no cost, but it is not acceptable to sell a Gift Ticket.

  • No matter how many points are accrued, only one Gift Ticket will be awarded.

If you have questions, talk to your Department Lead.