Volunteer at WERU? What, me? Absolutely!

It’s a truly great way to support WERU, which enjoys the contributions of over 100 on-air volunteers, and there are other great options too for those who aren’t that excited about being in the studio pushing all those buttons and being heard by thousands of people over the airwaves.

Over 100 volunteers serve as music programmers and public affairs hosts and producers, which is the reason for our signature diverse sound. There are also dedicated volunteers doing behind-the-scenes work like taking donation calls during our membership drive fundraisers, staffing our outreach tables at community events and concerts, serving on various committees, helping plan and run events, and helping out around the station in a variety of ways.

New volunteers attend a training session (at the station or online) called New Volunteer Orientation that provides an overview of our station culture and operations. Training continues in the area of interest of the new volunteer, such as music programming, public affairs, membership drive phones, office help, etc.

Process for Becoming an On-air Volunteer:

1. New Volunteer Orientation
2. Train with a member of the staff, either for music or public affairs/spoken-word
3. Practice in the Production Studio (off-air)
4. Shadow an experienced staff member or volunteer programmer while they do their show
5. Submit a written show proposal and record a demo
6. Sign the Volunteer Programmer Agreement
7. Host a new program or sub on another current program (as many people do when they first become volunteers)

Behind the Scenes, Off-air Volunteer Opportunities:

1. Committees (Programming, Development, Finance, and Digital Media)
2. Music Library (processing newly arrived music, organizing the music library)
3. Outreach Tabling at community events and station concerts
4. Events (working with staff to plan and run WERU’s own events)
5. Grounds keeping and maintenance
6. Office help
7. What skills and interests do you bring to the station?

Learn more and get started with volunteering by emailing info@weru.org with “I want to be a radio star” in the subject line. Or maybe just “I want to volunteer at WERU.” Or call 207-469-6600. Either will work. Come join a great group of people on all ages and backgrounds! And thank you to all of our volunteers – past, present, and future!