Thank You, Volunteers!
Twenty-five years ago, a small group of freelance editors gathered in a Seattle living room hoping to build a network of colleagues and community for editors in the Pacific Northwest. They—and hundreds of other editors over the years—gave their time and energy to support this group and build it into what we now know as the Northwest Editors Guild. To this day, the Guild relies on volunteers for most of its operations, and you can be a part of that tradition.
April is National Volunteer Month, and we give huge thanks to Guild volunteers past and present who donated a little or a lot of their time, expertise, and effort. The Guild literally would not exist without you!
How can you give back to the Guild and the greater editing community while also building your own skills and professional network? Volunteer for any of our recurring or specialty volunteer opportunities—it’s easy. Think you don’t have the time? Some opportunities, such as hosting a virtual coffee or happy hour discussion, take as little as one hour. Worry you might not be qualified? Some opportunities benefit from different kinds of experience, while others allow you to learn something new while helping.
Current volunteer opportunities include:
Notetaker/Summary Writer for May Member Meeting: If you plan to attend the May 9 member meeting, could you volunteer to write a summary of the topic and takeaways? We’re not recording the meeting for reasons explained on the event page, but we still want to share the useful ideas with Guild members who can’t attend. If you’re interested in this volunteer opportunity, contact kris@belvedereedit.com.
Meeting Video Editor: Help us edit and process the videos from our (virtual, for now) member meetings to share on the Guild’s YouTube channel. Posting these videos allows editors all over the world to access them, as well as providing an archive available to Guild members.
Coffee and Happy Hour Hosts: Guild members can host meetups on Zoom to discuss specific types of editing, networking, or other editing-related topics. You can use the Guild’s Zoom account, and we’ll handle the publicity for you. We look forward to the eventual return of in-person get-togethers as well.
Board of Directors: The Guild is run by an all-volunteer board of directors who serve two-year terms. Keep an eye out for board recruitment events later this summer and fall.
Red Pencil Conference: The Guild’s (previously biennial) editing conference has been postponed due to the pandemic but is set to return in spring 2023. There are dozens of opportunities available with differing time commitments, ranging from big-picture conference planning to day-of-event support.
Mentoring Program: The Guild offers a free mentoring program for members and is always in need of volunteer mentors. Even if you don’t have decades of editorial experience, you can still provide valuable guidance and advice to newer editors.
You can always find our current volunteer opportunities and sign up to help on the Guild website, or email info@edsguild.org for more details.
Volunteering for the Guild is a way to not only give back to the editing community but also enhance your editing career—and build lasting friendships. You can be a part of the long history of volunteers who keep the Guild moving forward.
