During Your Event

During Your Healing Field Event

At Your Booth

Your volunteer chair person should have already arranged for volunteers to man your information and flag sales booth.

·  At the booth, provide a “Volunteer Information and Instruction Book” at all times. Keep special instructions, forms, fact sheets, copy of programs, phone lists, and other important information in this book.

·  Provide each of your booth volunteers with a copy of the booth schedule and a list of all the other volunteers’ names and phone numbers.

·  Laminate and tape a booth schedule to the table top in case a volunteer needs to reach someone else in the group.

·  Your committee main chair person should distribute his/her phone number and be available during the entire time of your event.

·  Post a booth schedule for the public to see when the booth will be manned.

·  Post your event schedule for the public. (field set up, program schedule, days the field will be on display, and date and time of take down)

·  Do not hesitate to display the prices of your flags and other items in your booth along with the names of the benefiting charity.

·  In case of rain or bad weather you may want to have an alternative plan for your booth volunteers. They should post a sign at the booth explaining that it will not be manned during bad weather if this is your committee decision.

·  Place a donation box in your booth. This is an amazing source of additional fundraising as visitors will drop money in your donation box even if they aren’t buying a flag. (You can purchase a donation box with a header card through the Healing Field Foundation.)

·  Credit card sales during your event should be done electronically to avoid rejected credit cards and errors. Healing Field has a program for on site credit card sales through your web page. Call your Healing Field Foundation representative for more information.

During the Set-up Event

·  Your Volunteer Chair person should have no other job than to organize the other coordinators and the many volunteers that will show up from the community. The Chair should be able to roam around and give directions and answer questions, and not be attached or assigned to a booth or single location. A megaphone is a very valuable tool here.

·  Set-up a volunteer check-in center separate from your flag sales and information booth and label this with a banner or sign. (May be ordered through Healing Field Foundation.)

·  You will want to have your committee members and previously selected coordinators stationed around the field to assist with orderly assembly and posting of your Healing Field Flags. These coordinators should be easy to pick out in a crowd and should have no other duty during the set-up event.

·  When the public arrives, they will need a place to check in and some direction from your coordinators.

·  Without this coordination and pre-planning you will find that volunteers will try to help in their own way and all will become frustrated that the set-up and program are not going as planned.

·  After you have marked the grid on your field and you are ready to start driving the rebar and posting the flags, you will want to arrange to have one rebar dropped on each dot on the field. A golf cart or ATV is handy for this as they can haul several pieces of rebar and drive the rows while a passenger drops the rebar out.

·  Have your rebar installers start driving the rebar, but don’t let them get more than 3 or 4 rows ahead of your flag posting. The installation of the rebar goes much faster than you would think and exposed rebar is very dangerous.

Press and Media

Your Public Relations (PR) chair person should be available to greet the media as they show up and hand them the fact sheet. Make sure all media has the cell phone number of your PR chair and keep this phone on at all times.

·  The PR chair should also have a contact list of all major media in the area. A reminder call immediately prior to any of your media worthy program times is a good idea.

·  Have a relationship established with as many media representatives as you can arrange ahead of time and only call them when it is REALLY media worthy. They will be more likely to respond if they know you are selective about your calls.

·  The media will need close access to their vehicles for live feeds and equipment. Provide some close in parking for the media during any of your program times.

·  Provide a fact sheet to each member of the media. (see your program guide book) A well-informed media will feature your event more readily and accurately.

·  Have several copies of the fact sheet in a book at your booth to be handed out to other interested visitors upon request.

·  Provide the media a copy of your printed program that shows your event schedule from set-up to take down and when volunteers will be needed.

·  The fact sheet will also help your volunteers answer questions correctly.

·  Your PR chair should be able to provide interviews on the spot or have a previously-arranged spokesperson available to do so.

During Your Program or Ceremony

Your program chair person will be in charge of this portion of your event.

·  Your dedication program may include celebrities, public officials, and other dignitaries. You should assign a volunteer to each VIP to be sure their needs are met and that they are well informed and prepared.

·  Your Master of Ceremonies will need the most attention, as this person will need to be kept informed of changes (and there will be changes during your program, be flexible and patient).

·  You may want a sound system specialist to provide the best electronics for your program. There are companies that will be willing to do this as an in-kind donation, especially if you have VIPs and celebrities in your program.

·  Check your program guide book for sample programs and schedules.

·  Start your program on time and end on time.

·  Remember it is about the Healing Field and not political or campaigning. Keep your program fairly short and open the field to the public.

·  Several Host Healing Field Committees have elected to have several short or small programs or entertainment each day during the event.

Take Down and Flag Pick-up

See instruction video.

Removing your rebar

A simple solution is two 9/16 box end wrenches. Grip and pull straight up. The rebar comes out in most climates fairly easily.

Roll extra flags on their pole and slip a rubber band over it for storage.

Arrange for a truck or trailer to carry your flags to second site or storage if necessary

For flag pick-up on final day at your booth mark your booth with signs indicating the lines visitors can get in depending on their form of purchase

Credit Cards

Check or Cash

Pre-purchase A-Z Last Name

Storage and Uses of Remaining Flags

Ideally, all of your flags would be sold from your field event. However, some storage considerations may be necessary to accommodate remaining flags. Rolling the flags and securing with a rubber band makes them easier to manage. Securing a storage area for your flags that is accessible throughout the year makes it a perfect opportunity to provide flags for other community events. Some areas have rented them out for patriotic days in the cities, police and fire departments, posting them for military farewells and home comings, or school functions and patriotic programs. Be creative and spread the word that they are available.

Revised 1/24/2011

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