Our Volunteer
Invest Your Time and Passion in Dane County’s Cultural Future
Why Volunteer
Experience the Direct Impact of Your Dedication
Volunteering with Friends of Dane Arts offers a deeply rewarding opportunity to move beyond passive appreciation and become an active, essential participant in shaping the cultural life of Dane County. When you lend your time and expertise, you are directly contributing to the sustainability of local theaters, galleries, educational programs, and individual artists, making a tangible difference that resonates throughout our neighborhoods. Our volunteers report gaining a profound sense of purpose, connecting with a passionate network of fellow art enthusiasts, and acquiring valuable experience in non-profit management, event planning, and arts advocacy that can enhance their professional skills. More importantly, you get a unique, behind-the-scenes view of the vibrant creative process, seeing firsthand how a community’s soul is expressed and supported, and sharing in the joy of bringing powerful, transformative cultural experiences to thousands of residents who might otherwise lack access. Your time is an invaluable gift, multiplying the reach and impact of every dollar we raise.
Ways to Help
Matching Your Skills to Our Needs
We offer a wide range of volunteer opportunities designed to fit various schedules, skill sets, and levels of commitment, ensuring that everyone who wishes to contribute can find a meaningful role within our organization. We need dedicated individuals to assist with our annual grant review process, providing analytical and administrative support to our funding committees, ensuring a fair and efficient process. We also heavily rely on volunteers for our numerous public events, including staffing information tables, assisting with setup and breakdown, and acting as enthusiastic ambassadors for local arts at festivals and community gatherings throughout the year. For those with specialized skills, we welcome assistance with marketing and communications, including social media management, drafting press releases, or helping with database organization and professional skills like bookkeeping, allowing us to leverage professional expertise while minimizing operational expenses.
Impact of Volunteering
Your Time is the Engine of Our Cultural Mission
The hours you dedicate as a volunteer are the crucial engine that allows Friends of Dane Arts to maintain a lean administrative structure, ensuring that the maximum percentage of donated funds goes directly to artists and cultural programming across Dane County. By handling essential administrative tasks, managing event logistics, and assisting with public outreach, volunteers free up our professional staff to focus on high-level strategic planning, major fundraising initiatives, and core advocacy work that secures the long-term future of the arts in our region. Without your commitment, our capacity to review grants, execute our major annual festival, and connect with diverse community groups would be severely limited, meaning your effort translates directly into a broader, more equitable distribution of cultural resources. Your dedication is not just helpful; it is fundamentally necessary for the sustained health and vibrancy of Dane County’s entire creative ecosystem, making you an indispensable partner in every success we achieve.
