Call for Volunteers: DjangoCon US 2025

A great way to give back to the Django community is to help organize the next one. Perhaps you want to see something at DjangoCon US 2025. If that's you, we'd love to support your efforts in making that a reality. Or maybe you'd like to make sure the next people have the same wonderful experience you had this year. Regardless of your reason, we would love to have more volunteers for DjangoCon US 2025.

We have some documentation about the various roles, but here's a quick overview of the teams at DjangoCon US.

The DEFNA board will not leave you stranded; we have a lot of documentation to help you on your way, including rough checklists of tasks needed for each team.

Ideally, all committees will have a chair and co-chair to allow for one or the other to take vacations, handle day job duties, and so forth. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it should hopefully give you an idea of what each committee is responsible for.

Conference Leadership

The conference chair and co-chair lead the conference, including coordinating between teams and making executive decisions (including approaching the DEFNA board when applicable). Expect to be in meetings with the venue and online conference provider, weekly organizer check-ins, monthly reports to the DEFNA board, and lots of questions on Slack. You'll also lead the volunteer kickoff meetings in early 2025 (ideally mid-to-late January) and recruit organizers as you see fit. You'll need to recommend an online conference provider to the DEFNA board (might be part of a sponsorship deal). This year we used Venueless, though that's not a requirement.

At the conference, you'll be making speeches at the start of each day and the end-of-conference wrap-up in addition to coordinating setup, teardown, and everything in between.

These two roles have the highest time commitment and the most visibility. If you want to help people get things done and get up on stage, these are the roles for you.

Program Committee

Size: 2-4

The program committee is responsible for making sure that the schedule of tutorials and talks is the best it can be. There is both a high degree of influence over the tutorials and talks and a high time commitment when you're a chair of the program committee.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Start the call for proposals process (ideally opening in February 2025)
• Coordinate with the Opportunity Grants team to schedule the opening and closing of the CFP
• Publish blog posts announcing the CFP, speaker mentors, and speaker resources
• Recruit keynote speakers (the DEFNA board will offer suggestions, but if you have a message you'd like the keynotes to send, you have lots of latitude here, but keep in mind conference diversity goals)
• Recruit speaker mentors (start with the 2022-24 reviewers and bring in more as you like)
• Review proposals as they come in for anonymization (ideally, recruit one member of the program committee who will not be reviewing talks to do the anonymization before opening talks for review)
• Recruit talk reviewers (the DEFNA board will send you the 2024 reviewers, but more reviewers are encouraged, especially from diverse backgrounds). There will likely be over 150 submissions, so having more reviewers lessens the load for individual talks
• Decide on any tweaks to the format (Spanish-language talks? Keep the Deep Dive Day? This is your chance to put your mark on the program)
• Review talks
• Once reviews are completed, de-anonymize talks and filter for duplicate speakers, multiple speakers from the same organization, diversity goals, overlapping topics, and more
• Select the best talks (where "best" is extremely subjective; we have documentation on things we look for in good proposals); you're not strictly bound to pick the highest scoring talks, so you have some leeway
• Coordinate with the Opportunity Grants team to send them a list of accepted speakers so they can prioritize them for awards
• Coordinate with the OG team to notify speakers in waves (ideally completed by July 1)
• Build a schedule (ideally by July 15)
• Publish blog posts announcing speakers and keynotes (ideally by August 15)
• Update schedules based on speakers' needs
• Coordinate with DEFNA board to approve reimbursement requests
• Generate cue sheets for session chairs and speaker mentors
• Review online talks for Code of Conduct compliance
• Recruit backup speakers in case of speakers having to back out (visa issues, illness, etc.)
• Work with social events team to arrange speaker appreciation dinner
• Generate spreadsheets in multiple formats to make other teams' lives easier

At-conference responsibilities

• Work with registration desk to make sure that all speakers show up
• Work with session managers (other organizers) to ensure distribution of cue sheets and speaker gifts
• Check with tutorial speakers to make sure they have everything they need

Opportunity Grants Committee

Size: 2 (plus reviewers)

The OG committee is responsible for obtaining grants from the DSF and PSF and awarding grants to people who will best use them, prioritizing speakers, first time attendees, and people from underrepresented and/or historically disadvantaged groups.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Start call for grants process (concurrent with CFP)
• Publish blog posts announcing grants process
• Request grants from Django Software Foundation and Python Software Foundation (the DEFNA board will help you fill out the forms)
• Recruit grant reviewers (other organizers and DEFNA members are happy to help)
• Review submissions
• Coordinate with program team about grants to speakers
• Notify grant recipients in waves (concurrent with program notifications)
• Communicate with recipients on how to get reimbursed (we'll have templates)
• Give DEFNA a lit of recipients and amounts
• Approve reimbursements as requests come in
• Coordinate with visa (community) team as needed to approve invitation letter requests
• Write transparency report giving a high-level overview of how the grants were awarded

At-conference responsibilities

• Answer questions from grant recipients and the DEFNA board

Community Team

Size: 2-4

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Schedule orientation
• Arrange childcare and lactation room
• Coordinate visa applications
• Improve accessibility of the venue and conference as a whole

At-conference responsibilities

• Post sign-ups for lactation room and distribute keys as needed
• Collect receipts for childcare reimbursement

Sponsorship Committee

Size: 2-4

The sponsorship committee recruits sponsors which help offset the cost of running DCUS.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Create and announce sponsorship prospectus (we have templates, and DEFNA will help with specifics)
• Recruit sponsors
• Coordinate contract signing with DEFNA
• Consider awarding community sponsorships (non-financial) to other non-profit Python conferences and related communities (local Python meetups near the conference will love the exposure)
• Coordinate shipping of sponsor swag for the swag bag
• Lay out sponsor tables (on a venue map)
• Work with sponsor chair/co-chair to handle sponsor shout-outs if needed
• Order banners to go behind the speakers on stage

At-conference responsibilities

• Direct sponsors to their booths/tables and swag
• Ensure that booths are reserved for sponsors who have reserved a booth, and are not open for others
• Field complaints/questions from sponsors

Code of Conduct Committee

Size: 4-6

The CoC committee suggests improvements to the CoC and investigates reports. This is the heart of the conference because without the CoC, we wouldn't have the welcoming environment that we have at DCUS.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Suggest modifications/improvements to the CoC
• Assist program committee with pre-conference review of recorded online talks

At-conference responsibilities

• Field reports and investigate them, including recommending actions to the DEFNA board
• Follow-up on reports, including conversations with both reporters and those who have been reported, and facilitate the appropriate response
• Write a CoC transparency report to recap reports (heavily anonymized) and actions taken

Social Events Committee

Size: 2-3

The social events committee is responsible for scheduling the "after hours" events at DCUS to give people chances to socialize and unwind after a long day of talks.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Find a venue for the speaker appreciation dinner and coordinate contract signing with DEFNA
• Plan opening reception (if sponsored, this will become a bigger event compared to previous years)
• Plan any other fun events like board game night

At-conferece responsibilities

• Work with venue on any work needed for social events

Venue Committee

Size: 1-2

The venue committee is responsible for coordinating plans between the other organizing teams and the venue(s).

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Work with event venue to select and lay out talk, tutorial, and sprint rooms
• Lay out the extra rooms needed for the conference (lactation room, quiet room, organizers room, speaker green room, lunch/break areas)
• Work with event venue and DEFNA to select catering menus (and providers if we're not contractually obligated to use one)
• Work with hotel to coordinate room blocks
• Work with venue to plan logistics (sponsor gear shipping, signage, etc.)
• Allocate rooms for keynotes and AV personnel in coordination with DEFNA board
• Communicate needs, deadlines and policies to other teams
• Order supplies for restroom stocking

At-conference responsibilities

• Handle closeout of the room block with hotel and DEFNA board
• Handle any last-minute requests from vendors/sponsors/organizers/etc.
• Coordinate with venue staff about issues or needs (bathroom cleanliness, meals to accommodate special diets, etc.)

Audio/Video (A/V) Committee

Size: 2-3

The A/V committee is responsible for making everything look good. They handle coordination between the on-site crew, the online streaming platform, and the post-conference processing teams and upload the results to YouTube after the conference.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Select on-site video production crew
• Select post-conference processing crew
• Coordinate both of the above teams with the online platform
• Work with the venue team to ensure high-speed wired internet access to the on-site video crew
• Transfer pre-recorded talks to the post-conference processing crew and then the online conference provider
• Procure a wide variety of dongles for presenters to hook their laptops up to the projectors
• Procure projectors and screens if the venue doesn't already have them, including one for the green room so speakers can test their setup

At-conference responsibilities

• Help on-site crew set up equipment and ensure streaming works
• Get dongles to the right rooms as needed
• Help keynote speakers get presentation mode working if needed
• Answer lots and lots of questions

Online Team

Size: 2-4

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Select an online conference provider (work with the DEFNA board to do this)
• Determine what activities or new approaches will be taken (maybe a Spanish or French watch-party, writing group, meet-and-greets, etc)
• Prep the platform with content (schedule, speakers, FAQ, and other pages)
• Make sure there's a plan or process (automated or manual) to get day of ticket purchases into the platform
• Recruit online moderators/volunteers
• Prepare/update the online volunteer handbook
• Coordinate with AV chair to test the platform

At-conference responsibilities

• Coordinate with online moderators
• Engage with audience as able to
• Help facilitate any other online activities

Swag Committee

Size: 1-2

The swag committee is responsible for everything speakers and attendees take home from the conference (aside from knowledge!).

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Design and order attendee t-shirt (with sponsor logos)
• Design and order swag bags (with sponsor logos)
• Design and order speaker gifts
• Design and order DCUS-branded swag (stickers/magnets/etc.)
• Order masks and COVID tests (if needed)
• Order lanyards, badges, and badge flags

At-conference responsibilities

• Recruit volunteers to stuff swag bags on Sunday afternoon
• Get T-shirts and swag bags to registration desk
• Get speaker gifts to the program team for distribution

Volunteer Committee

Size: 2

The volunteer committee is responsible for cultivating new volunteers, which can become organizers in future years.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Determine what roles need on-site volunteer support (session chairs, session managers, registration desk, etc.)
• Set up sign-up for on-site volunteers and online volunteers (moderators/cheerleaders)
• Draft announcements for calls for volunteers
• Communicate and coordinate with volunteers

At-conference responsibilities

• Lead volunteer orientation on the first morning of the conference
• Create and provide volunteer instructions for each applicable area
• Tell volunteers where to go

Communications Committee

Size: 2-4

The communications committee is responsible for getting the word out about DCUS.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Publish announcements and reminders on social media, the conference blog, and more (Django News, Python Community News, etc.)
• Send copy to the Django Software Foundation to get major news events on the Django blog
• Review, edit, and suggest copy for the other teams' announcements
• Tweet and toot. Lots of tweeting and tooting.
• Select an "official emoji" for the conference (typically suggested by the design package for the year's website)
• Boost and retweet speakers and organizers talking about the conference
• Schedule tweets and toots announcing talks and events

At-conference responsibilities

• Pay attention to the #DjangoCon and #DjangoConUS topics on social media and mentions to @djangocon on Twitter
• Boost speakers and organizers
• Answer questions as they come up
• Run the #help-desk channel on the conference attendee slack

Website Committee

Size: 2-3

The website committee is responsible for updating the website as the conference transitions through phases (CFP coming soon, CFP open, CFP closed, schedule released, hotel block closed, conference over, etc.), reviewing pull requests, and adding content (e.g. new sponsors). This requires the most coding of any team aside from maybe the program team.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Update static pages for CFP status
• Update static pages for venue information
• Review pull requests from other teams
• Add sponsors as directed by sponsorship team

Automation Team

This team is more free-flowing and writes scripts to make teams' lives easier. Responsibilities vary based on the year, an if you have ideas for special projects for the future, have at it!

Sprints Team

Size: 2-4

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Write blog posts announcing sprints
• Invite people to launch special sessions (e.g. Carlton's "Getting Started Contributing to Django")
• Ensure we have signage and power equipment

At-conference responsibilities

• Coordinate help desk
• Direct people to lunches and breaks

Health & Safety Team

Size: 1-2

The health and safety committee enacts the health and safety policy each year. The policy itself is decided by DEFNA and is not part of this committee's responsibilities.

Pre-conference responsibilities

• Order COVID tests and masks (if needed per policy)
• Ensure that the health & safety check-in has volunteers
• Coordinate the health and safety blog posts with the Comms team

At-conference responsibilities

• Spend some volunteer time at the health & safety check-in (if it is part of the policy that year)
• Answer health & safety questions as needed

Wrap-up

To sign up for any of the teams (or just say "put me to work"), email hello@djangocon.us, and we'll put you on the list for the 2025 kickoff meeting. We would love to have you! You do not have to have previous organizing experience (although we might prefer it for some leadership roles).