FloraFest Volunteers

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FloraFest is the primary fundraiser for the maintenance and operations of the Chihuahuan Desert Gardens. This is the largest native plant sale in the region, often drawing more than 1000 visitors. We could not have FloraFest without the help of our volunteers!

General volunteer information

We always need lots of help from volunteers to make our plant sales successful!

Discount on plants

Volunteers receive a 10% discount on plants. We strongly encourage volunteers to come to our pre-sale on Friday before the sale from 3:00-5:00 pm.

Training

There will be a training session that will last about one hour. This is particularly important for new volunteers who are working the sale. Returning volunteers and those helping with setup prior to the Saturday do not need to attend. It is scheduled for the Tuesday prior to the sale at 6 pm at the Centennial Museum.

Parking

Parking passes for the Sunbowl Garage will be sent to volunteers. This is for those helping during the week leading up to the sale and on the Saturday of the sale itself.

While volunteering

For volunteers helping with setup prior to the sale, please meet at the UGLC plaza. For volunteers helping the day of the sale, please go to the lobby of the Centennial Museum to check in. Please arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your shift to sign in, receive your name tag and vest, and find your way to the UGLC plaza.

We will provide snacks and water both at the plant holding area and in the museum. Volunteers are welcome to use our refrigerator and microwave. If volunteering for both the morning and afternoon shifts, you will have time for a lunch break. Please let one of the museum staff members in the sales area know before you take your break.

After the shift is over, please return to the museum lobby to sign out and return the vest and name tag.

Volunteer roles

There are several roles that volunteers serve, both in the days prior to the sale and during the sale itself.

Set up before the sale:

We receive plants from wholesale growers, usually from New Mexico and Arizona. We also grow some plants using seeds and cuttings from the Gardens. Volunteers help with the plant deliveries, unloading the plants and moving them into the correct locations at the UGLC plaza. Volunteers also help with placing the plant information signs, putting price tags on the pots, and watering the plants.

The shifts are in the morning for plant delivery, usually starting at 6:30 or 7 and lasting until around 11. There are also shifts on Friday afternoon to help finalize everything and assist during the volunteer-only presale.

During the sale:

The morning shift is 8 am - noon for volunteer check-in and cashiers, and 8:30 am - 12:30 pm for the other duties. The afternoon shift is 11:30 am - 3:30 pm for volunteer check-in and cashiers, and noon - 3:30 pm for the other duties. Please note that we need more volunteers for the morning rush, and that we have caps for the number of volunteers required for the different roles.

Plant sales.

Volunteers assist customers with plant selection and show them where to find particular plants.
You do not need to be a plant expert to help with sales, but you should have some knowledge about plants and gardening. There are plant pros to help, and we have a binder with plant care sheets available.
Remind people to plant soon and to keep the plants appropriately watered as the plant establishes. Even the most drought-tolerant plants will need some extra water as they transition from the cushy life in a pot to thriving in the ground. Of course, overwatering can also kill plants, so customers need to think about how quickly their soil drains and what the specific requirements of the plants are. The plant care sheets are available on our website, and we recommend that people reach out to the Master Gardeners for advice. The Master Gardeners are at https://txmg.org/elpaso/ask-us/
You are expected to review the plant availability list prior to arriving, and to walk through the UGLC plaza to familiarize yourself with the layout. Plants are generally grouped together, so most cacti are together, native shrubs together, and so on.
Visitors can go into the Gardens to see what the plants for sale look like when closer to mature size. You can go with them if you know of a good plant to show.
Be friendly and helpful. It is the knowledge and helpfulness of the sellers and plant pros that helps to make visitors repeat customers!

Plant pros.

Plant pros are required to have some experience growing native and adapted plants. They are our experts who can answer the tough questions!
There is a table for the plant pros at the center of the sales area. This is a home base, and plant pros can wander the sales area as needed to help customers.

Plant holding.

Plant holding is primarily for customers to leave plants while continuing to shop. It can also hold plants that people have purchased but need to leave for a while prior to loading them up.
Plant holding volunteers help to tag the plants with the customer's name and phone number.
There are two colors of tags. Red tags are for plants that have not been paid for yet, and green tags are for those that have been paid for.
Plants that have not been paid for will be held for an hour. If not picked up, a volunteer will call the customer to see if they are still planning on buying the plants. If the plants are no longer wanted, or the customer can't be reached, the plants are returned to the sales floor.
Multiple plants are grouped and then taped together.
As more plants are sold, customers will often want to see if the plants in plant holding are for sale. Stay strong and protect the plants for their original buyer!

Line monitors.

The line to check out can often get pretty long.
Line monitors help to direct traffic where the lines for checkout and plant holding tend to intersect.
They check the number of plants customers have and direct those with five or less to the express registers.
They also check that the pots have labels while the customers are waiting in line. If a label is missing, the line monitor can work with a plant seller or other volunteer to find the plant name before they get to the register.

Cashiers.

We work with several UTEP student organizations to find volunteer cashiers. This role is not open to the general public.
There are two types of cashiers: sales ticket writers and payment processors. The sales ticket writers will record the number of plants at each price point and give that slip to the customer while still in line. Once the customer reaches the payment tables, the payment processors will calculate the total, including the sales tax, and process the sale with the customer's credit or debit card.
There are five registers, two express for customers with five plants or less, and three for regular purchases.
There is a cashier supervisor who stays in the area to help put new paper into the printer and credit card terminals, answer questions, and find substitutes when cashiers need a break.

Entrance and exit support.

Volunteers at the entrance use a counter to track the number of visitors, answer general questions, and makes sure that people don't leave without first paying for their plants.
Volunteers at the exit serve several roles. They help customers unload their plants into the loading zone, wait with the plants, and helps load plants into vehicles. They work together to load the larger plants.
Volunteers at the exit also return empty wagons back to the sales area or entrance.
Customers are not allowed to take UTEP wagons to their vehicles. If they only have a few plants and are parked nearby, volunteers can go with them to their vehicle and return with the wagon. But for most customers we want them to leave their plants in the loading zone and return with their vehicle.

Volunteer check-in.

Volunteers helping with check-in are required to arrive 30 minutes before the other shifts begin. This is 8 am for the morning shift and 11:30 am for the afternoon shift.
These volunteers help incoming volunteers sign in, find their name tag, and give them the correctly sized vest. They also direct the volunteers to the sales area.
As volunteers finish their shifts, they will need to sign out and return their name tag and vest. The vests are put in a separate pile to be washed before the next FloraFest.

Ready to sign up?

Volunteer signup is now open for Fall 2024! If you have volunteered with us in the past couple of years, you should receive an email with the information about how to sign up. If you haven't volunteered before, please complete the following form https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094BA4A62BA4F4C25-50737511-florafest. Please email us at centennialmuseum@utep.edu with any questions or ask to be notified once the sign up process begins for future sales.