One Role That Can Save Your Fair (and Your Sanity)
“Volunteers make the fair happen. The Volunteer Coordinator makes sure it keeps happening.”
The Chaos Before the Coordinator
It’s 8:30 AM on fair day.
The director in charge of gates is juggling scanners, cash boxes, radios, and a line of people that’s growing faster than a 4-H calf at feeding time.
The livestock ring’s short two volunteers. The announcer’s waiting on a schedule. The beer garden still smells like last night’s country concert, and the conveners are shouting across walkie-talkies trying to find “anyone with a pulse.”
You can feel the tension. The same five directors are running on caffeine, guilt, and muscle memory, trying to hold the whole fair together with zip ties and goodwill.
And in the middle of it all?
No one actually knows who’s supposed to be where.
Why the System (and the Role) Matter
The truth is, most fairs don’t have a volunteer problem.
They have a system problem.
When there’s no central point of contact, no one holding the map of who’s where, when, and why, everything becomes reactive. Directors are too busy running their own areas to play traffic controllers for volunteers, and conveners end up short-staffed because no one followed up after sign-up day.
That’s where a Volunteer Coordinator changes the game.
Their job isn’t just to “find people.”
It’s to smooth the chaos.
They keep schedules filled, track check-ins and check-outs, and shuffle help where it’s needed most, all while freeing directors to focus on the fair itself.
It’s not more red tape. It’s the release valve your team didn’t know it needed.
The Bigger Picture
Because when your fair runs with a real volunteer system, it’s not just about efficiency.
It’s about protecting your people.
Burnout doesn’t just happen because of workload; it happens because of disorganization.
When people feel like they’re set up to fail, they don’t come back.
When they feel seen, supported, and scheduled with purpose, they do.
A Volunteer Coordinator doesn’t just fill shifts.
They protect your legacy by keeping your best people coming back year after year.
From Chaos to Calm
Now imagine this:
The gates open right on time.
The show ring’s buzzing.
The beer garden’s spotless, and every volunteer knows exactly where they belong.
Directors aren’t scrambling, they’re smiling.
Because the system finally works.
Next time your board sits down to plan the fair, ask yourselves one simple question:
“Do we have a Volunteer Coordinator, or are we still crossing our fingers?”
If your fair’s running on hope instead of a system, it’s time for a Fair Systems Audit.
Let’s make this the year you protect your people and your sanity.
👉 Book your Fair Audit conversation and let’s build systems that work, chaos not included.
Let's Get to Work
Kryssie ❦
3 Ways to Work with Fair Systems That Work ↓
👉 Fair Audits
It’s not just about your board. Audits look at your whole fair, from directors to conveners, volunteers to systems. You’ll get a clear snapshot of what’s working, what’s not, and where the biggest gaps are, so you know exactly what needs to change.
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👉 Fair Audit Survival Guide - Free eBook
Inside the Fair Audit Survival Guide, you’ll find the Audit Worksheet, your step-by-step tool to see what’s working and what’s fragile.
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👉 Legacy Survey
Your voice matters.
No two fairs are the same, and that’s the point. By sharing your wins and struggles, you’re helping build resources that support every fair across the country. Let’s shape the future together.
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