VOLUNTEER with Charlotte Pride
Our volunteer teams are comprised of people from a variety of backgrounds, talents, and skillsets.
This can be your first volunteer experience ever or you can have worked with a variety of organizations for years.
We encourage applications from a diversity of community members, particularly encouraging women, people of color, and trans and gender-diverse people.
general expectations
- Meet monthly or twice monthly with staff to ensure projects are progressing on schedule
- Regularly communicate with staff, board, and other coordinators/volunteers through Charlotte Pride-provided email account
- Commit to work between three – five hours per week on assigned projects and activities
- Attend our Monthly Team Huddles (First Meeting – December 2024 – TBD)
- Be present from Friday morning through Sunday evening of the Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade Weekend, scheduled for August 17 – 18, 2024
- Attend and/or volunteer at five Charlotte Pride events throughout the year, not including the Festival and Parade weekend
* Members of the Reel Out Charlotte Team should expect to be present for the week of the film festival, May 15-19, 2024. May 14 – 18, 2025 (TBD)
How to Apply
- Read the general expectations and requirements above
- Peruse the listing of team descriptions and open positions below
- Click on the application button to apply
Application Timeline
- October — Applications open
- November — Applications closed
- November — Applicants notified
- December — Combined 2025 Festival & Parade and Programming Team Meeting / Welcome and Onboarding (Details TBD)
Application and Interview Process
This process helps Charlotte Pride identify new leaders, voices, and skills to help increase the impact that we can make on our community together. Before any community member takes on a leadership role, we want you to be aware of the amount of work and time you’ll be expected to commit. The descriptions of our team responsibilities, as well as this interview process, will help you make the best decision on where your time and talent can best be utilized.
All team lead applicants will be required to attend an interview with Charlotte Pride staff. Team member applicants may be asked to attend an interview if staff have questions or would like to get to know you better.
Please be sure you have completely reviewed the description and time commitment expectations of the role for which you are applying.
Have questions? Feel free to email us at staff@charlottepride.org.
Festival & Parade Teams
The Festival & Parade Planning Team is composed of our volunteers who oversee vital areas of the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade. The Charlotte Pride staff oversee and work closely with the committee. Each volunteer will attend a monthly Team Huddle when all team coordinators meet to discuss the planning and execution of events and activities for the festival and parade.
2024 Team Lead & Member Descriptions
Who are we looking for?
Our Festival Zone Coordinator is a logistical superstar with incredible attention to detail. They are comfortable with managing large databases and helping coordinate a variety of project components. In order to support the Team Coordinator, members should have significant amounts of freedom in scheduling to ensure participation in team meetings on a nearly weekly basis upon the onset of festival vendor application review.
What will they be doing?
Along with the Festival Zone Team Coordinator, this volunteer will help evaluate, organize, and select vendors for the Charlotte Pride festival. Serving as the primary points of contact for all vendor questions and concerns, the team will communicate regular updates with applicants and approved vendors. Additionally, Festival Zone Team volunteers will assist in the development of new and improved check-in/check-out processes for vendors and work with the Operations Team to develop the festival map.
This person will also assist with vendor load-in on Friday, August 16, and Saturday morning, August 17, as well as vendor load-out on Sunday, August 18. In addition, they will help ensure vendor satisfaction through friendly support and help in answering various vendors’ questions and helping to meet their needs.
Who are we looking for?
An individual passionate about the role of LGBTQ-inclusive and -affirming faith communities in the greater Charlotte community. This person values and respects the various faith traditions without prejudice and prioritizes the contributions of often underrepresented religious and ethnic communities. This team member will support the work of the Interfaith Team Coordinator and current team members.
What will they be doing?
The Interfaith Team is tasked with planning each year’s Charlotte Pride Interfaith Service, planned for August 11, 2024, including coordination on identifying a host congregation or venue, marketing needs, and programmatic development. This committee of volunteers should prioritize intentional outreach to underrepresented faith groups (e.g., Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist and others).
Who are we looking for?
This volunteer(s) will be incredibly logistics-minded, someone who is ready to dive into complex projects, and work to ensure thoughtful solutions that help streamline and support the entire festival and parade weekend. This role isn’t the most glamorous, but it is a perfect place for those who want to really play an essential role while staying a bit more behind-the-scenes.
Operations and Logistics Team Members will be logistics-minded and ready to turn on a dime to solve problems, run errands, set up signs, deliver or pick up items or people, help with event set-up, execution (such as ice delivery to vendors), and much more. This person will be able to lift 30 pounds and is equipped for physical work. They should be able to drive a golf cart, U-Haul, or even a forklift in special cases.
What will they be doing?
This team will work to help reserve, coordinate, and secure all necessary logistical components of the festival and parade weekend, from the entertainment stages down to rolls of tape. This person(s) will be vital in helping the event run smoothly and successfully by helping plan and support the weekend’s set-up, tear-down, run of shows, and detailed project overviews.
Who are we looking for?
An individual who is willing to go above and beyond in a volunteer role, with an attentive, professional work ethic, who enjoys rising to challenge, and finding solutions to complex and logistical obstacles. This person is excited about the opportunity to create something exciting, engaging, and sustainable for our community, while understanding and valuing the intensive time commitment that it will take to oversee the operational, logistical, and creative components of the Charlotte Pride Parade.
What will they be doing?
As a key volunteer position, this individual is expected to have a professional or educational background that is relevant to the coordination of large-scale event planning and management. This role supports the Parade Team Coordinator to oversee the parade line-up, parade staging, and outreach to parade participants, including best practices for parade check-in and staging and participant organization and line-up. This individual will work with the full committee of parade volunteers tasked with helping to plan and execute the parade, with a focus on parade staging, emcee guide, parade route crowd control, and management of the de-staging area.
This person will play a key role in executing the parade on Sunday, August 18th, 2024, from early morning through the afternoon.
Who are we looking for?
A person comfortable working with people from diverse and varying backgrounds and viewpoints. This person has a passion for intentional, people-focused work and is comfortable guiding and mentoring new and up-and-coming leaders. This person has the time and energy to commit to a long-term volunteer role.
What will they be doing?
The Volunteer Team works to develop active, thoughtful community outreach to further expand the volunteer network of Charlotte Pride with a focus on weekend-of staffing. This coordinator and their team will complete outreach to possible partners, develop volunteer events and socials, and ensure proper orientation and follow-up with new volunteers. Volunteer Experience Team members are expected to attend meetings, be present for the entire festival and parade weekend, and to help identify volunteers for the Festival and Parade and connect interested individuals to appropriate volunteer opportunities which match their interests and skills.
Who are we looking for?
Under the leadership of our Youth and Family Zone Coordinator and existing team members, this volunteer should be comfortable working with individuals of a broad spectrum of identities, ages, and cultures. Our Youth & Family Zone Team will work to review previous years’ Family & Youth Zone activations to create new, refreshed festival activities dedicated to creating space for those under 18.
What will they be doing?
The team will work to create inventive, fun, intentional activities at the Charlotte Pride Festival that develop opportunities to allow families with young ones and young LGBTQ people to feel safe, supported, and engaged. This coordinator will work closely with longstanding partners and organizations to update and program this zone throughout the Saturday and Sunday of the weekend.
PROGRAMS TEAMS
The Charlotte Pride Program Teams are comprised of volunteers who share a particular passion for our Latinx, Trans, or Women’s communities, or LGBTQ cinema. These volunteers will work closely with staff to execute and develop existing and new programming to uplift the Charlotte community.
2024 Programming Team Descriptions
Who are we looking for?
Individuals who are passionate about intersectional, intentional community outreach. The ideal volunteers will represent the various communities of the Charlotte Pride programs and help facilitate renewed growth and expansion of our program offerings and outreach.
What will they be doing?
These volunteers will be working to create unique events, activities, and programs that specifically uplift and highlight the unique lives of people from different communities. Activities may span from small support spaces to large scale events to festival and parade special activations. The only limit of these roles is your imagination!
Who are we looking for?
This person is dedicated to creating safe, inclusive spaces of self-expression and fun! Our Nightlife Coordinator will work to develop fundraiser events that offer unique nightlife experiences and parties for various members of our community. This person should have some experience in planning events, parties, or gatherings.
What will they be doing?
This Coordinator will work to identify unique opportunities to bring together our full community or particular groups within our community (e.g. queer women, bears, trans folks, POC, etc.) to have fun, lighthearted events that can help fundraise for year-round social and support programs.
Who are we looking for?
Individuals passionate about LGBTQ Cinema and bringing together communities with the goal of storytelling. Our Reel Out Charlotte Team will help oversee short and feature-length film selections, programming, and staffing the event itself.
What will they be doing?
These individuals will work to handle outreach to filmmakers, distributors, and community organizations to ensure all LGBTQ community members feel seen and represented during the film festival week, including additional programming. A large portion of this role is watching films and helping make informed decisions about the best picks for the festival. If you enjoy movies, this is the role for you.
