Ambassador Questions: What to do when the weather is only good for ducks

      You’ve set a date to volunteer. You’ve arranged your day, you have the booth materials. You have your partner’s phone number and you have confirmed the details with staff. Hey ho off you go!

      You get to your outdoor event and other booths are saying it’s supposed to rain. You think oh well, you never know. You set up, smile, and do great work for the Conservancy…for 25 minutes. Then, it rains. It RAINS.

      Hey, sometimes this happens.

      It is all part of the fun. But, we know the big question for Ambassadors is, "when do I know if I should go home?"

      And the answer is simple, go with your gut.

      There are only a few guidelines we can give you because we will not be there on the day. But we do ask that you go home in the case of:

      • Lightning and Thunder
      • Torrential Rain (if this is the forecast for the majority of the event) 
      • If heat is extreme, or you run out of water
      • Intense/ Unsafe Wind 
      • If there is an emergency and you need to leave

      So, what are the steps to take if you have to make the ‘not-so-fun’ call to go home? 

      1. Call the volunteers on next shift and let them know the decision has been made to head home. If you are on the ‘last shift’ of the day you can skip step 1.
      2. Call or text the staff member who has organized the event to let them know (we will provide our phone numbers in the reminder email before the event)
      3. Pack up the booth as best you can. Begin with literature and paper items to try and save them if it is a rain date. 
      4. Return the booth materials to the office as arranged

      We want you to go out, we want you to represent us. We want you to share your passion for the environment with the larger community. But, we do not want you to get hurt, burned, frozen or zapped with lightning. We’re thoughtful like that. 

      We hope this little guide is helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions or if we can improve this guide by calling 705-326-1620 or emailing Samantha at engage@couchconservancy.ca