Volunteering In the Oriental Rug Room In Ephrata
How do Volunteers Support the Mission of the Oriental Rug Program at Ten Thousand Villages?
Volunteers are vital members of our Oriental Rug Program Team as they not only help us sell rugs but also help to keep overhead costs low so that we can pay a fair, living wage to the artisans while remaining competitive in the North American retail market. Volunteers learn that paying artisans fairly and treating them with respect insures creative designs and high quality rugs. As volunteers learn how the rugs are made and the value of village based rug knotting, they spread this knowledge to others and so become advocates for the Pakistani rug artisans.
How will I learn to be an Oriental Rug Program volunteer?
Our staff will do volunteering training "on the job" on an ongoing basis and will always be supportive of volunteers while working with customers. A volunteer who wishes to learn from the website will be directed to our online training modules.
What roles do Volunteers take in the Oriental Rug Room?
- Volunteering on a Friday Night or Saturday: Most often a volunteer working on a Friday night or Sasturday will fulfill the role of a Flipper working with another staff or volunteer who is a Talker. While the Talker leads the discussion of the rugs with the customer, the Flipper helps the Talker to flip the rugs and to handle the rugs throughout the customer's shopping experience. Many times as a Flipper's interest in the story of the rugs and how to talk about them grows, he/she gradually is comfortable becoming a Talker. As a volunteer, you may have some downtime as we can only try to predict how customer flow will be at any given time. There may be some projects that may help fill this time such as straightening rug piles, hanging rugs on walls or assembling brochures. Depending on the time of day, a volunteer is provided lunch or dinner from our Café.
- Volunteering During a Special Sale: In addition to the basic roles of Flipper and Talker vitally needed during Special Sale days, a volunteer could serve as a Greeter. A Greeter welcomes customers as they come into the rug room, offers them a cup of Pakistani green tea and may lead them to the Oriental Rug DVD where their shopping experience may begin. A Greeter may also educate customers about the tools used in making an Oriental rug.
- Volunteering for Special Projects includes the following:
Processing a shipment of rugs involves tagging rugs and putting them unto the piles
Picking up a shipment involves driving or riding to load rugs which come into JFK Airport, bringing them back to the rug room and unloading them unto the sales floor.
Loading and unloading vans involves rolling rugs and loading them into vans for rug events or shipment to Canadian stores or unloaading vans returning from US Rug Events and placing the rugs on the piles.
Road Trips involve driving a van and trailier of rugs to a certain destinationl
Special Events include assisting at customer seminars or other celebrations in the Rug Room.
Community Rug Liaison: Sometimes a seasoned volunteer develops an interest in representing the Oriental Rug Program within the community by speaking to school, church or civic groups.
Volunteers in the rug room are affectionately dubbed rug rats. New volunteers are heartily welcomed into this fun filled and rug zippy group of staff and volunteers who work together to support the rug artisans of Pakistan and their families. You will be a member of a team that helps promote justice and fairness on an international level.
We welcome you to become a volunteer in the Oriental Rug Program!
Fill out a Volunteer Application
Get to know some of our volunteers and why they have become part of the Oriental Rug Program. Read their stories.
Please contact Heike Martin at 717-721-8409 or heike.martin@rugs.tenthousandvillages.com