Volunteer Information

Volunteer activities will take place at these locations:

• Upstate Native Nursery (UNN): at 180 Lakewood Dr., Mauldin, SC 29667
• SCNPS storage unit: Midgard Self Storage, 935 Butler Rd, Greenville, SC, 29607
• Stadium at Conestee Park: 840 Mauldin Road, Greenville (the baseball stadium; a 3-minute drive south of I-85 exit to Mauldin Rd)

CRITICALLY NEEDED VOLUNTEERS:

Site Manager: Friday – Saturday, May 10-11
Primary responsibility is to ensure that the sale site (Stadium at Conestee Park in Greenville, SC) is completely set up the Friday before the sale on Saturday.The site map has evolved over the years to its present efficient and effective design. The layout of the site needs to be marked out using a tape measure and the site map. This task must be done first thing because plants will begin arriving at the site shortly after 9am and the locations of each species must be marked with placards designed for this purpose.

The site manager oversees the placement of all hardware (barricades, canopies, tables, chairs, outside vendor areas, hoses to keep the plants watered, etc.) One of the teams that reports to the site manager is the traffic control team and they are responsible for vehicle/pedestrian safety. The location of all fencing and barricades will need to be provided to Greenville Parks and Rec so they know how many barricades to bring (they deliver). They will have a record of what we used in 2023 as their guide for what/how many to bring.

The site manager will also direct the equipment transport team who will report on where all the equipment brought from the storage unit on Friday morning is to be placed. This will also be happening as the plants start arriving. Placement of the plants is under the supervision of the Plant Sale Coordinator and is not the responsibility of the site manager.

After the sale is over, everything that happened at the beginning of the sale happens again but in reverse. Any leftover plants must be returned to the Upstate Native Nursery (UNN). All hardware must be disassembled and organized for transport back to the storage unit. Hoses must be rewound and returned to the volunteer who brought them. The tables and chairs must be returned to the rental company. Assistance must be provided to Greenville Parks and Rec to return the barricades and any fencing they provided. The site must be left as it was found.

This is a job that requires a take-charge individual who enjoys working with people and who can direct the activities of several groups while standing on their head and juggling.

Safety Lead: Friday – Saturday, May 10-11
Meet with the Plant Sale Coordinator and other team leads in advance of the sale. Visit the nursery site and sale site looking for potential hazards and ways to minimize risk to our volunteers and patrons.

Lead Cashier: Saturday, May 11
Responsible for overseeing the smooth operation of checkout hardware and ensuring reliable Wi-Fi and hardware connections. This role involves managing and supporting the Cashier Team to ensure efficient and accurate checkout processes.

Front Entrance Team: Saturday, May 11
Work at Entrance Table and Line Management. Greet customers at entry, hand out plant lists and membership forms. Use a clicker to count customers entering the gate. Manage customer lines during sale and direct customers to holding, checkout, and exits. Answer questions and explain the holding and checkout process. Direct customers to plant experts and guest vendors. Training will be provided.

Load and Transport: Friday, May 10 and/or Saturday, May 11
Load and unload plants and equipment in and out of trucks from the UNN Greenhouse and Storage Unit to Conestee Park on Friday and on Saturday the reverse going from Conestee Park back to the UNN Greenhouse and Storage Unit. Need “strong” backs. Bring your truck, trailer, or SUV if you can.

Pre-Sale Volunteers:

Pre-Sale Inventory:
Friday, April 19, 10am-1pm
Friday, April 26, 10am-1pm
Saturday, May 4, 10am-1pm
Take plant inventory at UNN.

Prep for General Sale: Thursday, May 9
Label and prepare plants at UNN.

Load and Transport: Friday, May 10
Load and unload plants and equipment in and out of trucks from the UNN Greenhouse and Storage Unit to Conestee Park. Need “strong” backs. Bring your truck, trailer, or SUV if you can.

Set-Up Volunteers:

Day Prior Setup: Friday, May 10
Help with plant sale site layout at Conestee Park. Help unload and arrange plants. Water Plants. Check for price tags. Set up checkout and holding area, and place traffic barriers.

Day Of Setup: Saturday, May 11
Set up tents, tables, and chairs, and put out signs.

Sale Volunteers: Saturday, May 11

Vehicle Traffic Directors: Stationed in the upper parking lot to make sure cars don’t get in the way of customers lining up to enter the sale and that customers line up safely. Also stationed at the lower parking lot to make sure cars drive through in the right direction.

Front Entrance Team: Work at Entrance Table and Line Management. Greet customers at entry, hand out plant lists and membership forms. Use a clicker to count customers entering the gate. Manage customer lines during sale and direct customers to holding, checkout, and exits. Answer questions and explain the holding and checkout process. Direct customers to plant experts and guest vendors. Training will be provided.

Sales Team: The “orange vest” team provides education and advocacy to customers (and other volunteers) and helps customers locate and select plants.

Holding / Loading Area Team: Place plants in numbered spaces and give customer matching token. Help pull price stakes in preparation for checkout. Load plants into customer vehicles. Some heavy lifting and lots of walking are involved.

Invoicing Team: Work at Checkout table as an invoicer: Pull, sort, and count price stakes; fill out invoices; calculate subtotals. **Must be familiar with calculators, and comfortable with numbers and invoicing. Training provided.

Cashier Team: Work at Checkout table as a cashier: Add subtotals for a grand total on customer tickets.  Receive payment from customers (cash, check, credit/debit cards). **Must be comfortable with calculators and using card readers and making change — retail experience helpful. Training will be provided.

Hospitality Team/Volunteer Welcome Tables: Provide information and refreshments for volunteers. Set up water cooler for everyone and keep table neat and stocked.

Snack Maker: Provide cookies and snacks for volunteers.

Information and Book Table: Talk to customers. Provide information on SCNPS, as well as Upstate Chapter and Membership. Sell books and provide handouts. Get customers to sign up for future plant sale emails.

Post-Sale Volunteers: Saturday, May 11

Clean-Up Team: Help take post-sale inventory. Help break down the sale and reload remaining plants and equipment for unloading at the Greenhouse and storage unit. Take down barriers and clean up the area.

To dive right in and tell us how you can help, click HERE.

To get more general information about the sale, click HERE.

All volunteers must sign a Release and Waiver of Liability form prior to their shift(s).