Tampere Region Festivals has published a guide on coordinating volunteer activities aimed at organizers of cultural events and festivals as part of the Capable and Inclusive Event project. The guide was presented at the project’s closing event held at Culture House Laikku on March 24, and it is now available for download in both Finnish and English:
- PDF in English: Who’s in Charge of the Volunteers? A Guide to Volunteer Work for Festival and Cultural Event Organizers
- PDF in Finnish: Kuka vastaa vapaaehtoisista? Vapaaehtoistoiminnan opas kulttuuritapahtumien ja festivaalien järjestäjille
The goal of the guide is to make planning and implementing volunteer activities easier, while offering support for both new and experienced event organizers. It brings together best practices for recruiting, onboarding, and engaging volunteers, as well as for evaluating and developing volunteer activities. In line with the project’s objectives, accessibility in volunteer participation runs as a central theme throughout the guide.
– Well-organized volunteer coordination is essential for the overall success and continuity of an event. With this guide, we want to share proven practices from various events and offer ideas for developing volunteer activities, says Susanna Koskimaa, Acting Executive Director of Tampere Region Festivals.
The guide and other materials from the Capable and Inclusive Event project are available on the project page of our website.
The guide draws on training materials from project events, guidelines issued by various authorities, and previously published resources on volunteer activities. It was edited by the project team, Susanna Koskimaa and Sampsa Suokas, with layout design by graphic designer Iris Bernoulli and English translation by Liina Härkönen.
Capable and Inclusive Event Project
The Capable and Inclusive Event project by Tampere Region Festivals was carried out between 2024 and 2026 to develop volunteer activities in cultural events and festivals in the Tampere region. A key objective of the project was to remove barriers to participation in volunteer activities and to strengthen the professional skills of event organizers, particularly in areas such as volunteer recruitment and management.
The project was funded by the Council of Tampere Region through the AKKE funding instrument for sustainable growth and vitality.
Article photo: Karoliina Virtanen (Music x Media) and Erkki Hyöki (Aitoon kirkastusjuhlat) speaking at the closing event of the project. Photographer: Érica Dahlström-Dezonne.
