*sigh* The cheapo community is everywhere. Everyone everywhere wants free shit. (Congrats btw on getting everything together for your conference!)

Well said, Francine. The high unemployment rate in Arizona has led to many job seekers being advised that they should volunteer their services in order to have current experience in their portfolio and make contacts. If they have never volunteered before, and don't get the concept, they approach organizations for selfish personal gain. Many organizations in the Valley are now having to tighten up their screening requirements for their volunteers and are turning away people whose motivations are inappropriate and could potentially harm the organizations, especially low budget nonprofits that are also struggling in this economy.

Earlier this year I was at a conference volunteering my services in exchange for attendance. Several people walked in and said they were unemployed and wanted to be able to walk the trade show floor and try to make contacts. The people at the registration table were kind people and let them do this.They didn't realize they were being rude and disrespectful to the large number of volunteers who were there working for two days or more, and donating their services, and therefore not able to walk the trade show floor like those who swept in off the street and didn't give anything at all to the organization. So, this is a plea for you to also be sure the kind folks volunteering their time for registration don't allow walk-in cheeseballs and dirtbags to come in.

As a conference volunteer, a member of the board of the non-profit who benefits from this effort and a friend of Francine, I say that I appreciate their interest, even at this late date. We're flattered to get the recognition, which speaks of their perspective that this event is important enough and worth their time.

The months of work and hours of effort however could be made lighter on the core team if just a few more people offered earlier on to lend a hand. To make a request now is like the story of the grasshopper and the ant - let others do the heavy lifting and come in after the onset of winter, expect a kind response to an unsolicited request.

Johnny-come-lately's who make cracker promises (easily made and easily broken) are welcome to pitch-in for next years conference, but in the four years of effort in helping stage this conference, none have held their hand up AFTER the event to help on next years event.

So even as this years event is getting underway, who's up to help plan and make next years event even bigger and better?

Francine- so you're saying that interest, although misguided, is wrong? Shouldn't the entire group be proud of the fact that they've garnered such support?

While I understand the frustration at PR people trying to get their clients in to speak, not everyone is at the forefront of the events happening here in the Valley. Why not just put them on the list for next year?

It’s great that the AZEC09 is getting attention and that people want to come just as Tyler said. AZEC09 is a great opportunity to connect, engage and be inspired. And yes, as Pat shared, there are those volunteers who pitch in, add value, and truly contribute, just as there is always a last minute surge of people who are basically just looking for a free ticket. The trick is to find the balance between showing appreciation to well meaning potential volunteers and weeding out those people with self serving agendas. (And yes they are out there in every market not just Phoenix.)

I am a big proponent of volunteerism and truly believe that volunteers need to be appreciated in a way that shows that you value their contributions. Conversely, volunteers need to understand what creates value.

Here are some tips for volunteers AND for volunteer organizations that might help:

For Volunteers:
• Do your homework – know who and why you are offering to help and be able to explain what you have to offer.
• Timing is important. Waiting until the last minute sends up a red flag that you may have your own agenda.
• Always ask – ‘How can I help’ – not “What can I get”. When you give value – smart organizations give value in return.
• Be reliable – when you accept a task – deliver on your promise. ‘I’m just a volunteer’ is not an excuse to not deliver.

For Volunteer Organizations
• Know what you need and post it on your website so people know what you are looking for and can envision how they can help.
• If you don’t need it now – you may need it later. Keeping a list of offers and contacts can come in handy in the future.
• Break jobs down into small manageable tasks. You won’t burn people out that way.
• Give clear and specific direction of what is needed and when
• Show appreciation in a tangible way. You can never say thank you too many times.

And along those lines, to all of the volunteers, sponsors, and community partners who ARE contributing in a BIG way to help AZEC09 be the best Arizona Entrepreneurship ever – THANK YOU!!!!!