Oxfam Festival Stewarding 2016 Steward guide Festival volunteers wanted.
Unforgettable experience provided.
Stewarding with Oxfam What’s the deal? Stewarding with Oxfam means you get priority access to two 2016 festivals: Glastonbury and one other festival (from a choice of Boomtown Reading or Leeds). Sign up to Plymouth RAG’s summer of festivals deal by pledging to fundraise a total of £200 for your stewarding places, and get exclusive access to priority RAG applications. You must be available to steward two festivals in 2016 to take part. Why steward? Stewarding with Oxfam is a great way to experience a festival! You will get to see the other side of festivals in a supported environment. The perks: separate staff camping, a free meal ticket for each shift worked, access to hot showers and unlimited cups of tea! Oh and a free festival. Oxfam stewarding is great experience to add to your CV. Stewarding is good for Oxfam. Each year Oxfam raises around 1million pounds through stewarding to help people living in poverty. What is stewarding? Being a steward means you could be asked to take on a variety of roles, from checking tickets, to monitoring crowds at stages, to staffing a festival gate. Every Oxfam steward is required to complete three shifts (8:15hrs each) over the duration of the festival, but in between and at the end of every shift they are free to enjoy the festival. Shifts must be completed in order to get deposits back after the festival. Exact stewarding requirements may vary slightly for some of the smaller festivals – please check the specific requirements on our website at time of registering. For more information on stewarding visit www.oxfam.org.uk/stewarding
Summer of festivals Glastonbury is not only one of the biggest festivals in the world, it is the most popular with stewards and Oxfam places fill within minutes of applications opening. To make sure you get a look in, we’ve put together a fantastic RAG deal: RAG students commit to stewarding at Boomtown or Reading/Leeds and Oxfam will add a Glastonbury place for you too. Now you can enjoy two amazing festivals while raising loads for Oxfam and boosting your RAG total. • Fundraise to qualify for your stewarding places • Register for your RAG priority stewarding application • Get you and your mates to Glasto!
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If you are unable to make it to Boomtown, reading or Leeds please get in touch for more festival options.
SO, How does it work?
1. Sign up If you have this booklet, you have a unique chance to apply to become an Oxfam RAG Festival Steward. 2. Start fundraising Now you’re part of your RAG stewarding team, you need to get together to fundraise. Fundraising should be in by the 12th May, so get your thinking hats on. 3. Confirm your details and sign up online Just before online registration for stewarding places open (15th March 2016), we will ask your RAG for a list of participating students, your choice of festival and confirmation that you’ve agreed to the terms of our deposit system. Once this has been received you will be instructed to register for your SECOND festival choice online (not Glastonbury) using our standard application system. On receipt of your application Oxfam will register you for Glastonbury too. 4. Applications open When instructed by your RAG you can go online: www.oxfam.org.uk/stewarding and register for your second festival choice. You will need to pay the required deposit that all Oxfam stewards pay - you get this back if you turn up to training, to the festivals, and to every shift you have been assigned. You will need to complete your Glastonbury form, then Oxfam will then register you for Glastonbury .
5. Attend Training Every steward will need to attend training. We host training sessions across the UK and there is a list of training options on the website 7. The Festivals! Time for the main event! We know you will have an unforgettable experience. 8. Returning deposits After your festivals, assuming you have met the standard stewarding requirements and attended all your shifts, you will get your deposit back from Oxfam - just in time to start thinking about which festivals you want to sign up to next year! (If you decide you would like to add more festivals this year, which you can, you will be refunded after your final festival of the season. )
The serious bits Priority RAG places When your RAG signs up to steward at a festival, we agree to reserve a set number of stewarding places. This means that you can apply for these sought after stewarding places, and avoid the risk of not getting a place. Priority RAG places, however, do not mean guaranteed places if registration deadlines are not met. Each individual must complete the same application as other festival stewards. And places are non transferable if you choose to drop out. Fundraising We know you’re experienced fundraisers, so won’t sweat over your pledge! Work as a team with other stewards and get bugging friends and family for sponsorship, selling cakes in lectures or busking on campus; you will quickly exceed the target. Alternatively you could even organise a bespoke event. Struggling? Get in touch with Oxfam’s South West Regional Fundraising Manager Chris Babb and he can help you out with ideas and resources.
Key Dates: . FeB – mArch
Mid March
1st APRIL 12th MAy
21st -27th June
30th June 10th - 15th August 14th July 24th -29th August
Register your full details, second festival choice and confirm that you agree to RAG deposit conditions with your RAG. Start fundraising! Online applications will open for all Oxfam festivals in mid- March; your RAG will confirm as soon as you can go online and register with your second festival choice. Oxfam will then automatically register you for Glastonbury but it will not show on your online log in. You have until 1st April to register online and pay your deposit (including top-up). It is essential that you complete your full application on time.
Deadline for sending your fundraising to Oxfam and final cancellation deadline for Glastonbury. If you have not completed your fundraising and paid your full deposit you will lose your place. Glastonbury onsite dates
Boomtown cancellation deadline Boomtown onsite dates Reading/Leeds cancellation deadline Reading/Leeds onsite dates
Checklist: I have signed a form agreeing to the terms & conditions I have filled in my application form for Glastonbury I have signed up to Boomtown or Reading/Leeds Festival I have booked a training session (before 21 June)
I have paid my deposit* by April 1st
* See T&Cs
I have fundraised £200 for Oxfam and paid in before 12th May I have been to my stewarding training session I have attended both festivals and completed all my shifts Donating your deposit There is an option to donate your deposit to Oxfam at the end of the festival season. We do not require you to do this for your RAG steward place The money you fundraise is to be donated to Oxfam through a different process.
Contact Details
RAG Contact
Stewarding Team Monday- Friday 9am – 5pm Regional Fundraising Manager Monday- Friday 9am – 5pm
For changes to details, cancelling festivals , deposits and any nonfundraising questions.
Telephone: 0300 200 1266 Email: stewards@oxfa m.org.uk
For fundraising queries and support and for more information about Oxfam’s work
Chris Babb 07795343605 cbabb@oxfam.org.uk
Need More Information? Check out www.oxfam.org.uk/stewarding
Cancellations FAQs What is the cancellation deadline? This is the last date you can tell us you need to cancel your place without losing your full deposit. This year it is set to 6 weeks before the festival. You can see a list of our festivals and their cancellation dates here. If you make a late application to steward at a festival after the cancellation deadline our cancellation policy still applies.
Will I get my full deposit back if I cancel? From the date you pay your deposit, a "cooling off" period of seven days applies during which you may cancel the festivals you have booked without charges After this period, you will be charged an admin fee, whatever the reason for your cancellation. The total amount of admin fee deducted from your deposit will depend on how many festivals you cancel and the dates you cancel them - see below for more details. An admin fee will still be charged if you cancel because of illness, as your cancellation still affects our planning and we are still committed to providing a replacement team member. If you cancel before the cancellation date: •If you cancel one festival before the cancellation date, a £20 admin fee will be deducted from your deposit, along with any donation you have made. •If you cancel two or more festivals on the same occasion before the cancellation date, you will be charged a £40 admin fee. •If you cancel on separate occasions before the cancellation date, you'll be charged £20 or £40 (depending on how many festivals you are cancelling) each time you cancel, up to your full deposit. Once the admin fee, plus any donation you have made, has been deducted the rest of your deposit will be returned within three weeks of your cancellation, or within 4-6 weeks of your final festival with us if you are attending, or have attended, other festivals.
Why do I lose my deposit if I cancel after a certain date ? In the event of cancellation after the cancellation date, we incur extra administrative costs to find a replacement at short notice. This could involve re-opening applications and advertising the cancelled place, or even sub-contracting the place to an outside agency who charge us standard industry hourly rates. If we are unable to provide the festival with enough stewards to fulfil the roles we have agreed, our income from the festival is reduced and our reputation as a provider of a professional volunteer steward service to festivals is damaged. The cancellation policy operates to cover these eventualities, to enable us to work professionally with festival partners and avoid putting our funds at risk. If extenuating circumstances make cancellation unavoidable, we will consider these on a case by case basis, but otherwise the cancellation policy will apply.
How do I cancel my stewarding place ? The easiest way is to email us at stewards@oxfam.org.uk with CANCEL + the festival name in the subject line, and you will get a reply email within 3 working days confirming that your cancellation has been processed. If you do not receive this confirmation, you should phone us on 0300 200 1266 (in business hours) to check your cancellation has been noted. If you want to cancel more than one festival, please do not send a separate email for each one, but send an email with CANCEL FESTIVALS in the subject line. If you have to cancel multiple festivals at the same time, you will only pay one admin fee of ÂŁ40. If it is a few days before the stewarding onsite dates please note we will have left the office and are at the festival, please call the ONSITE MOBILE (DO NOT TEXT) - you will find the onsite mobile number in your pre festival information.
Why is the admin fee ÂŁ20 ? We have calculated how much it costs Oxfam every time someone cancels, in terms of administrating their application, arranging an early refund, and the staff hours and communications involved. This fee covers these costs.
If I have to cancel can I get one of my friends to take my place ? We are not able to transfer deposits from one steward to another. Therefore, if you are cancelling and your friend wants to steward they will need to apply independently. If there are no places currently available then they will need to add their name to the stewarding waiting list - they cannot take your place.
What happens if I cannot attend a festival because I am sick ? If you can't make it to a festival at the last minute because of illness, or some other unavoidable complication, you MUST call us to let us know. If you cannot get through to us on the onsite mobile number, which will be on your pre-festival information, then call the Oxfam Stewarding Office on 0300 200 1266. If you do not let us know that you are ill, (or have another valid reason), you will not get any of your deposit back. PLEASE DO NOT TEXT the onsite mobile. If you get a message to us, you will be charged an admin fee for late cancellation, but will keep your place at any future festivals you have already successfully applied for this year only if you provide a valid doctor's note or other documentary evidence - If we do not hear from you - you will lose your deposit and if you have any future festivals you may be dropped out of them and may also earn a denied status. The quickest and most reliable way to get any evidence to us is to scan the document/s and email it to stewards@oxfam.org.uk. You can also post them to the Oxfam Stewarding office, Brunswick Court, Brunswick Square, Bristol BS3 1AX, however we would advise you to send photocopied documents and keep the originals.
Deposits FAQs Why do I have to pay a deposit? The deposit secures your stewarding place at a festival. We realise that in some cases this is a large sum of money, but we do need to take a deposit as a bond for someone's place to ensure that the stewards who apply for each festival turn up and complete their shifts. Otherwise we incur the additional cost of finding a replacement steward, putting the amount of funding we raise at risk. Your place is therefore not secure until you have paid the full deposit for the festivals you have selected at the end of the application process.
Do I have to pay a deposit for every festival I want to work at? There is no one fixed deposit price for all festivals and the amount you pay will depend on which festivals you apply for. Each festival has its own associated deposit amount which is matched to the price of the ticket at that festival. The amounts for each festival will be displayed on our website. Therefore, the maximum amount you will pay in one stewarding season is that of the most expensive festival you have applied to steward at that season. Please note the total deposit paid will be held until your last festival of the season and cannot be refunded in partial amounts. Can I reserve my place and pay my deposit at a later date? I'm afraid there is not a facility for us to accept applications without a deposit. Your deposit is essential to secure your place at your chosen festival. For information about why we require your deposit, please see the question above 'Why do I have to pay a deposit?' Can I pay for my friends ? Yes, you can pay for your friends. Each application must have a separate deposit of the full amount linked with it. Please be aware that you are liable for any deposits you pay for your friend so if they cancel their stewarding place after the cancellation date, or do not show for their shifts onsite, you will not be refunded their deposit and so will need to secure the money from them. Please note; fraud prevention systems mean you may not be able to pay two application deposits on the same card in close proximity. We recommend you wait for a short time between payments - if you do not the payment may fail and you will have to try again later on. I need to get a friend or family member to pay for my deposit, how can I do this ? You can pay your deposit with another person's card but you must get permission from the cardholder.
My deposit payment was not authorised, how do I return to the payment page? In most instances, you should be able to attempt to pay your deposit again if it failed, by clicking 'pay deposit'. If you are still having problems after this, and have checked you have the correct funds and have entered all the details correctly, please call 0300 200 1266. If the festival/s that you wanted to apply to are full, then I'm afraid there is nothing we can do, we suggest that you add yourself to the waiting list. Can I donate my deposit to Oxfam? You can select to donate some or all of your deposit. The amount you select will be deducted before your deposit is returned to you after your final festival of the season. If any deductions are taken from your deposit, such as administration fees or purchase of stewarding merchandise, your donation amount may need to be reduced if there are not sufficient deposit funds remaining. Can I increase a donation from deposit? Yes, you can increase your donation before it is refunded, by contacting us atstewards@oxfam.org.uk or 0300 200 1266.
Refunds FAQs
Will I definitely get my deposit back ? If you satisfactorily complete all of your shifts at all of the festivals that you sign up for, you will get your full deposit back. This includes being on time for every shift and returning your tabard when you have finished your shifts. If you do not complete your shifts without a valid reason, or if you do not adhere to our volunteer policy (which you will read as part of the application process) you will not be refunded. For more details about the cancellation fee's please see the question Will I get my full deposit back if I cancel? in the cancellation section of our FAQs. When will my deposit be refunded ? Your deposit will be refunded directly back to the card you used to pay your deposit. We will aim to process all refunds within four weeks of the last festival at which you volunteer. Please note it may up to six weeks for refunds where your last Festival is Glastonbury or Bestival due to the sheer number of stewards we have onsite. It can then take up to ten days for the money to credit your account. If for any reason the payment is rejected by your account, there will inevitably be a delay while we investigate and we appreciate your cooperation and patience in these rare occurrences What do I do if the card I paid my deposit on has been replaced ? Please tell us as soon as possible by calling us on on 0300 200 1266, so that we can sort out an alternative way to refund you. Please do not send us new details by e-mail. If you have already been refunded you will need to contact your bank, but get in touch with us first, so we can help you through the process. I need to get a refund but my friend or family member paid my deposit ? Your refund will always go back to the card it was paid on at the point of Festival Applications - for security reasons we can't change these details unless the card payer contacts us directly. I cancelled my festivals where is my deposit ? This depends on the date you cancelled your festival - If it's after the deadline then you may have lost your deposit unless you provided a good reason, it may be the team are at that festival and won't be able to process it until they get back. Please check your bank card and make sure it hasn't expired or someone else paid your deposit. If you are having problems then please call us on 0300 200 1266. It has been over 4 weeks, where is my deposit ? Please check your bank card and make sure it hasn't expired or did someone else pay your deposit? We refund back to the card you used when applying , unless you have advised us separately, so please check the credits in your relevant bank account - the reference is not always Oxfam. Perhaps the amount is less than you thought as you made a donation or bought some festival merchandise and you didn't notice as you were expecting a different amount? It may also be that you didn't work all your shifts or you forgot to sign in or out. In addition, make sure you haven't applied to steward any future festivals as we only refund once all your festivals have been completed. If you worked Glastonbury or Bestival then please note the wait can be up to 6 weeks due to the scale of these festivals. If you are having problems then please call us on 0300 200 1266. What happens to my deposit if I cancel after the deadline ? Please read our cancellation FAQs.