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Festival Programs Coordinator

The Festival Programs Coordinator assists in all duties related to the scheduling, coordination and production of performances and other community cultural presentations at the annual Northwest Folklife Festival, held for four days (Friday through Monday) every Memorial Day weekend at the Seattle Center. In cooperation with other programming department staff, the coordinator will work closely with representatives from various communities to organize music and dance performances, panel discussions and workshops. The coordinator will work with the production staff to accommodate performers technical and sound needs as well as help select appropriate MCs. With other programming staff, the coordinator will schedule festival performances and will write program notes and copy for the Festival website. In addition, the coordinator will work with other staff to support year-round programs.

The Festival Programs Coordinator reports to the Assistant Director of Programs. This position is seasonal full-time, starting at the end of December 2008 and continuing to the end of June 2009. Depending on performance, applicant may be asked back the next year and consecutive years. This is a salaried position with compensation DOE. Northwest Folklife is an equal-opportunity employer and encourages people of color to apply for this position.

To apply for this position, please send a letter of interest, your resume and a writing sample to jobs@nwfolklife.org, with "Festival Programs Coordinator" in the subject line, by November 17, 2008.

Desired qualifications:
1. Practical experience in the fields of anthropology, ethnomusicology or folklore.
2. Experience, interest and training in a wide variety of cultural performance traditions, such as music, dance, foodways, storytelling, etc.
3. Experience with festival programming and/or concert production
4. Good communication and public relations skills
5. Excellent writing skills (please provide a writing sample with resume)
6. Excellent attention to detail coupled with sensitivity to timelines and deadlines
7. Excellent office skills
8. Experience with Microsoft Office
9. Sensitivity to working with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds
10. Graphic design and Adobe Design Software experience is a plus for applicants
11. Experience with audio recording technology and podcasting also a plus
12. Ability to maintain good humor under stress is necessary

The Internship Program

Interning at Northwest Folklife could be the experience you need to gain a career in event planning, the music industry, nonprofit management, fundraising, marketing, PR and a whole host of other fields. As an intern, you will take on a significant role in planning and executing the largest free community arts festival in the nation. Oh yeah, and we’re a pretty fun bunch of people too.

Before you apply:

• Start and end dates, hours per week and days of the week are all negotiable based on the availability of the intern
• All applicants must be able to commit to working Memorial Day weekend (May 22-25, 2009)
• As a small nonprofit, our resources are limited - none of the interns at Northwest Folklife are paid
• Similarly, we prefer that applicants who have personal laptops bring them to work on; however not having a laptop will not preclude you from interning with us
• Staff and interns are expected to help with moving our office during Festival time; for this reason, we require all interns be able to lift 50 lbs

Still Interested? Great! Read on...

Internship Title: General Programming Intern
Supervisor: Director of Public Programs
Start Date: December 1st (Negotiable)
End Date: July 1st (Negotiable)
Hours Per Week: 20-30

Who Should Apply?
Anyone with a love of music and an interest in gaining the insider perspective into festival and event production should look into this internship. An intern leaving Folklife after a successful Festival will have a valuable insider’s perspective on how to put on a large community arts festival.

Duties:

• Process and evaluate applications from potential Folklife Festival performers
• Assist in scheduling Festival performers
• Work with community liaisons to program special showcases during the Festival
• Maintain Northwest Folklife’s social networking websites (MySpace, Facebook, Flickr, etc.)
• Communicate directly with performers through bulk mailings, phone calls and email conversations
• Aid in the compilation of a commercially released CD of former Festival performances
• Write copy for the program guide and for general publicity
• Assist the programming department as needed during the Festival

Qualifications:

• Strong written and oral communications skills
• Ability to tactfully interact with a variety of people from different cultural backgrounds
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel and Outlook
• Familiarity with social networking websites
• A love of music of any kind will serve you well!

Internship Title: Cultural Focus Programming Intern
Supervisor: Director of Public Programs
Start Date: November 3, 2008 (Negotiable)
End Date: July 1, 2009 (Negotiable)
Hours Per Week: 15-20

Who Should Apply?
            Anyone looking to enter the fields of folklore or anthropology should look very closely at this internship opportunity. Similarly, anyone with an interest in event planning will make important connections and gain relevant experience.

Duties:

• Work with Director of Public Programs to contact participants for the 2009 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific cultural focus
• Help to schedule performances, arrange travel and lodging and assist with any special requirements necessary for Festival participants
• May lend a hand with researching and writing for the souvenir Festival guide depending on experience
• Assist with clerical duties such as filing and filling out expenditure requests as needed

Qualifications:

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Time management skills
• Proficiency in computer database programs such as Excel and Access a plus
• Healthy sense of humor required!

Internship Title: Accounting Intern
Supervisor: Accounting Coordinator
Start Date: March 1, 2009
End Date: July 31, 2009
Hours Per Week: 10-15

Who Should Apply?
            Anyone interested in nonprofit accounting should look very closely at this internship.

Duties:

• Enter basic accounting information into MIP database
• Inventory supplies for the Northwest Folklife Festival
• Assist in the set up and take down of the accounting room at the Festival
• Organize storage and archives with the assistance of other Folklife departments

Qualifications:

• Basic knowledge of debits and credits
• Comfort in learning new computer programs
• Strong organizational skills
• Understanding of basic office machinery

Internship Title: Development Intern
Supervisor: Director of Development
Start Date: September 8, 2008
End Date: June 12, 2009
Hours Per Week: 20

Who Should Apply?
            Anyone interested in a career in nonprofit fundraising, event planning or marketing/PR will gain valuable experience in this internship.

Duties:

• Assist with donor cultivation and management of donor database
• Work with development team to plan and execute fundraising events before and as a part of the Northwest Folklife Festival
• Take part in the creation of marketing and public relations messaging for Northwest Folklife programs, including the Festival

Qualifications:

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Basic computer skills including database maintenance and familiarity with Adobe Photoshop
• Relevant coursework in fundraising, marketing or PR a plus
• Creative thinkers encouraged to apply!

Internship Title: Sponsorship Intern
Supervisor: Sponsorship Coordinator
Start Date: September 8, 2008
End Date: June 12, 2009
Hours Per Week: 20-30

Who Should Apply?
            Those who are interested in pursuing a career in the field of communication will gain important skills and have access to a wide network of communication professionals during this internship opportunity.

Duties:

• Communicate with current and potential sponsors and negotiate contracts
• Assist Sponsorship Coordinator and development team in the determination of sponsor benefits
• Work with the production department on activation of sponsor contracts including booth layout, signage and other details
• Position could include using Adobe PageMaker or Illustrator to create advertisements for sponsors in the souvenir Festival guide

Qualifications:

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Experience with Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel and Outlook and Adobe programs like PageMaker and Illustrator
• Sales experience helpful, but not necessary

Internship Title: Merchant Intern
Supervisor: Merchant Coordinator
Start Date: March 16, 2009
End Date: June 12, 2009
Hours Per Week: 20

Who Should Apply?
            If you are interested in a career in event planning, this internship is for you!

Duties:

• Communicate with the hundreds of food and craft vendors that set up shop at the Northwest Folklife Festival
• Organize the applications of these vendors and enter their information into a large database
• Interface with vendors during the Festival and assist Merchant Coordinator as needed

Qualifications:

• Strong interpersonal and organizational skills
• Experience and comfort working with people from various ethnic and cultural backgrounds
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel and Outlook

Internship Title: Executive Administration Intern
Supervisor: Executive Director
Start Date: September 8, 2008
End Date: December 19, 2008 (However, can extend to June 12, 2009 based on intern’s availability)
Hours Per Week: 15-20

Who Should Apply?
            If you are thinking about a career in management (specifically nonprofit) or public policy, read on!

Duties:

• Answer and direct phone calls and emails sent to the general inbox
• Schedule meetings and interact with all departments within the organization
• Manage organizational calendar using Microsoft Outlook
• Position may include some writing depending on intern’s level of experience
• Perform other duties as assigned by Executive Director

Qualifications:

• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Excel and Outlook
• Experience in customer service a plus

To Apply:
Please send an email to Volunteer Coordinator, Molly Haas at mollyh@nwfolklife.org with the internship you are applying for in the subject line. Attach your résumé to the e-mail. Although we prefer e-mail, you can also mail your résumé to us at:

Northwest Folklife
Attn: *Internship you’re applying for*
305 Harrison Street
Seattle, WA 98109

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