LET'S CELEBRATE!

Wednesday, July 6^th – Annual Picnic for SI Volunteers and Staff  as part of the Folklife Festival

53 lunch tickets have been ordered for all the Associates Volunteers that RSVPed by mid May. Check  in EVANS to confirm if you are among that group. If you find you can't come, please let me know so I can reallocate your lunch ticket for another volunteer.

We will meet in the comfort of the air conditioned Ripley Center Lecture Hall at 10:30 am. (The picnic is from 11 am to 2 pm, near the NMAI building, as it was last year.)

Here’s why you should come into Ripley and join us at 10:30 on July 6^th

1. We will, of course, pass out the lunch tickets!
2. Bring your name tag and a pin for your years of service if you have one. We will show you a new way you may display the pin right on your name tag. This is something many volunteers have inquired about. :-)
3. There will be a short, but BIG announcement you will want to hear here first!
4. We will take a group photo of everybody, possibly the largest group photo we’ve had in decades if not longer!
5. Pick up your own hard copy of the revised 2016 Event Rep Handbook (if you haven't already), and a set of instructions for the new EVANS features that allow you to see your requests and make them in a calendar view format.

So don’t miss it! See you there!

 

Saturday October 22^nd – Annual Volunteer Appreciation Brunch
10 am to 1 pm, Discovery Theater

Before your calendar gets crowded, pen in our appreciation party for badged Associates Volunteers, on Saturday, October 22^nd. We will celebrate another year of accomplishments with a brunch from 10 am to 1 pm. Along with the presentation of pins for years of service, we will honor specific volunteers with Certificates of Excellence in Service. You may RSVP by requesting this event in EVANS. It will be held in the Discovery Theater, and we look forward to this social occasion, a once-a-year opportunity to see so many friends all together at one time and place!

 

Smithsonian Associates Sleepovers:
A Night at the Museums!
by Kiren Jahangeer, Guest Blogger (also a Special Events and an Ambassador Volunteer with us)
Ever wonder what a Smithsonian museum is like after visiting hours? Looking for a way to volunteer on Friday or Saturday nights? Do you like engaging kids in fun learning activities like games or crafts? Well, you can have a “Night at the Museum” by helping us host our incredible Sleepovers for kids ages 8 – 12 and their chaperoning adults! And not to worry – no need to bring your air mattress, because you get to go home at 11 pm and sleep in the comfort of your own bed, AND wake up late the next morning if you want to!

Join in the high energy fun at either the Natural History Museum, the American History Museum, and new this year – the National Air & Space Museum (Udvar-Hazy).  A crowd of roughly 150 kids and adults descend upon the museums for an evening of treasure hunting, exploring and merriment. Parents/chaperones participate in the activities too!  In the spirit of the Night at the Museum movies, the boundless enthusiasm of the kids is truly infectious, and volunteers assist with the activities from 6 pm to 11 pm at each Sleepover.

American History features a Carmen San Diego-style search. At Natural History, kids play "Indiana Jones." In Air and Space, the mission is to earn a pilot’s license. With activities ranging from learning about how mammals stay warm under water (blubber!) to designing an Egyptian amulet for protection from evil spirits, kids are embarking on an unforgettable adventure in the halls of NMNH, and then get to sleep under Phoenix the right whale. Next door at NMAH, participants build miniature racecars and create prototypes for inventions while also learning about presidential campaigns and the military. At Udvar-Hazy, participants learn about space flight, satellites, and constellations, while surrounded by such iconic artifacts as the SR-71 (Blackbird), Enola Gay, and Space Shuttle Discovery.

Here is a flyer that gives all the dates and venues of our summer season of these sleepovers. Take a look and see what fits your availability. It’s a great way boost your hours because you amass 5 hours all in one volunteer shift. Send the flyer to a friend who might like to come volunteer with you – we love getting volunteer referrals from volunteers themselves!

Hope to see you this summer at some Nights at the Museum, a la Smithsonian Sleepover style! To sign up, contact Jenna Jones at jonesjel@si.edu or call her at 202-633-8596.

 

Event and Art Reps:
When Selling Tickets at the Door,
Confirm Membership Status

Please refresh your knowledge about the difference in membership cards for our Associates Program Members vs. National Associates Members vs. Friends of the Smithsonian. For our participants to get the member rate for their tickets, they should  have this type of card, with the turquoise banner across the top. (The gray membership card with the Castle on it is for National Members, and doesn't get them our discounts. Friends Members no longer get our membership discount unless they have a current (annually renewable) membership with us, which includes the turquoise banner membership card pictured here.)

It is ok and within your volunteer duties to politely ask ticket buyers to show their member card, and if they don't have it, encourage them to stick it in their wallet. Alternatively, you can find out if their membership is current by simply, innocently asking, "Did you get this program guide in the mail this month?" (Sneaky, huh? But efffective!)

If a patron balks at paying the general admission rate, but can't produce a membership card, the correct procedure is

1. Politely apologize for the inconvenience, offer to get them into the program tonight by quickly completing the ticket discrepancy form (they are in the front pocket of your program packet)
2. Collect the Non-Member Rate payment (credit card, check or cash) for the program.  
3. Kindly explain that customer service will NOT double charge them and that they will research the status of their membership and apply a credit to their account if their membership is current. 
4. Make sure they sign the ticket discrepancy form AND provide an email address AND a daytime phone number. This is all on the form  itself, but double check that they fill it out.
5. Their payment, the completed discrepancy form and  the door ticket sales form all go in the money bag. 

Thank you for ensuring that we charge the correct amount for our program and class tickets. It's been too easy for the general public to get into our programs paying the member rate. We need your help to step up our efforts - gently and politely - to collect the correct cost of their tickets. 

Also, this permits an opportunity for people who mistakenly think they are members, or whose memberships have lapsed, to become bonefide Associates Members! Did you know that the Associates receives no federal funding or Smithsonian funding? And that ticket sales only cover a portion of our operating budget?  Our wonderful ladies in Customer Service will handle all the processing; we need YOU to use those discrepancy forms when appropriate.

If you have any questions on these procedures, give Jenna a call at 202-633-8596 and she'll be glad to go over it with you. Thanks!