Thank you for your interest in volunteering at the 2024 AAA annual meeting! Any members of the AAA who are interested in volunteering at the annual meeting can apply. There is an option for volunteering that will be rewarded with a full or partial reimbursement of your registration fees, which has limited space. Graduate students will be prioritized for the reimbursement volunteer option. There is also an option for AAA members who are interested in volunteering their time at the meeting without registration reimbursement. You will have a chance to indicate in the form which type of volunteering you are interested in, and which dates and hours you are available.

Click on the links below to read more about each type of volunteer role at the 2024 AAA Annual Meeting. The descriptions below are not exhaustive, so, you may be assigned additional tasks based on the needs of your station.

Volunteer Roles

This role will welcome and register meeting attendees and distribute meeting collateral, including the At-a-Glance, buttons and ribbons, to attendees who pick up their badges and register on site. Volunteers will act as runners as necessary to post information, pass messages or gather necessary materials for the smooth operation of the Check-in and Registration desk. 

This role will serve a customer service role in different spaces across the meeting to assist meeting attendees. Volunteers will roam the entry of the convention center to give directions and answer questions, as well as provide schedule and program information.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

This role will assist AAA Membership Team Staff with various activities throughout the meeting, including but not limited to: assisting with running games or events for both students specifically and all members generally, and monitoring the Membership area of the Association Booth.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday

This role will Assist the Meetings Team staff in collecting the number of attendees present in each session, at the beginning of each session timeslot for scholarly sessions.

This role will be stationed on the exhibit hall show floor to assist Career Expo Organizer with checking in individuals and directing them to the appropriate table top booth. NAPA/AAA Career Expo is NOT an interview session; please inform any attendees who may ask that Career Expo is primarily an informational session on the available positions in the practicing and applied fields of anthropology.

This role will provide assistance to disabled Annual Meeting attendees and attendees with various access needs. It is supplemental to any of the above roles.All volunteers will have the opportunity to double as Accessibility Guides, or Access Guides for short, and may be requested to support attendees at Poster Sessions and also guide attendees through the meeting from various locations for brief periods of time.Volunteers with different primary roles will have different expectations based on their primary role’s station.

Possible Access Barriers

* May require heavy lifting/pushing.

† May require standing.

May require frequent walking or walking long distances.

§ May require a high amount of socialization with meeting attendees, similar to a customer service role.

Questions?

Please feel welcome to share your questions about volunteering for the Annual Meeting with Amaris Morningstar, Education and Meetings Coordinator, through our Contact Form!

Volunteer Expectations

Volunteers are expected to be punctual, respectful, and helpful during shifts.

It is beneficial to become knowledgeable on various aspects of the conference such as event locations, layout of the convention center, general conference information, and program details.

Volunteers must join the volunteer training webinar prior to arriving to the meeting. More details about the time and date will be provided upon acceptance as a volunteer.

Accessibility

Everyone is welcome and encouraged to apply to be a volunteer for the Annual Meeting. When applying, please be sure to indicate all access needs and/or accommodations that will need to be considered to support a successful volunteer opportunity. Your access needs will be incorporated
where possible when reviewing selected and assigned volunteer roles.

If you would like to discuss your access needs and/or accommodations prior to applying to volunteer, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Reimbursement Agreement

All volunteers must first become a member of the AAA, register for the 2024 Annual Meeting, and pay the applicable registration fees before applying.

If you are selected for the reimbursement program, you are required to volunteer for at least 8 hours over the course of the meeting to receive 100% registration reimbursement. To receive 50% registration reimbursement, volunteers are required to work at least 4 hours.

If you are not selected for the reimbursement program, you will be given the option to volunteer without reimbursement if you would like to. If you decide you want to volunteer without reimbursement, then you will be assigned one 4 hour shift unless you indicate you want to work more time than that. If you are not selected for the reimbursement program and agree to volunteer without reimbursement, you will not be eligible for any refunds for any part of your registration fees, regardless of how much time you volunteer at the annual meeting.

Reimbursements are made 4–6 weeks after the conclusion of the Annual Meeting.