Committee Volunteer Positions, 2025 – 2026
Without your help, there is no Grad Night! I can’t say it better than this video. We need teams to plan the party and pay for the party (fundraising), open positions are in blue below. Almost all of our leads from last year area available to mentor and answer questions. Volunteer and ask questions here or email us at hmbhsgradnight@gmail.com.
Our fall meeting is 7PM Wednesday, September 24 on Zoom, link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84027339505
General
President – Dawn Novarina
Tracks schedule and deadlines; leads monthly meetings; coordinates between teams, manages senior gift.
Treasurer – Sarah Simnett
Tracks and manages GN funds, pays bills, works with accountant to file annual reports.
Secretary/Correspondence – Tim Riley
Thank you letters to donors from fundraising letter, Auction & CoastsideGives donations.
Marketing & Publicity – Open
Increase our visibility, support ticket sales, fundraising and volunteer recruiting.
Social Media Helpers – we have some, we need more
Share, repost, like as requested by GN marketing team on Facebook, Instagram, etc.
Web, Database, Files, Permits & Transition – Dawn Novarina
Oversees website, file management, digital notes and archives; help in transition to new committee chairs and members; backup for co-presidents if needed.
Pay for the Party team
Pumpkin Festival Poster Hanging – Dawn Novarina + HMBHS students
Manage students who blanket the Coastside with promotional posters and brochures for the Pumpkin Festival from Labor Day to mid-October. Grad Night earns a donation of $2500 for this task.
Fall Fundraising letter – open
Fall donation letter goes to coastside merchants, foundations and past donors; target is $7500. Students can earn community service hours helping to get this out.
Coastside Gives – Kristina Lugo
Coordinate with Coastside Gives for Giving Day on May 5th. Review possible bonuses, coordinate with social media helpers to earn possible bonuses and increase donations.
Silent Auction
The Auction is our key fundraising event and provides more than 50% of our fundraising, so there’s need for multiple folks to split the work.
Silent Auction & Raffle Coordinator – one open
Overall auction experience, venue & date already set, choose a theme (or use last year’s), coordinate emcee, music, manage food, drink, dessert donations.
Silent Auction & Raffle Donations Leads – one open
Primary donations outreach along with auction donation letter.
Silent Auction & Raffle Attendance – one open
Build attendance through ticket sales using social media, our email list, other channels; send out complimentary tickets to donor, HS teachers, school and district admin.
Silent Auction & Raffle Received Donation Management – one open
Confirms receipt of donations (digital & other), updates spreadsheet/database with details, manages/adds to 32auctions, writes and edits promotional copy, prints display flyers & certificates as needed for auction items.
Silent Auction & Raffle Check-in & Check-out Lead – open
Manages onsite tracking of bidders, bid sheet, item match and checkout at auction close.
Silent Auction Helpers – a few more needed
Donation followup & pickup, write auction item descriptions, update donor names and websites.
Plan the Party team
Registration Coordinator – open
Manage registrations & sales of Grad Night tickets, coordinate school, leadership, student communications re: ticket sales.
Event registration & Check-in – Stephanie Sardella
Order registration supplies (May), creates badges, in charge of check-in on the night of the event (9-10:30).
Decorations team – open
Develop party theme, plan & organize decorations. Theme is selected in the fall, planning begins in January, and execution February-May.
Food team – team lead open, Melinda MacNaughton
Purchase, request donations and coordinate food needs for the party. Oversees food, setup, donations pickup and the volunteer schedule for the day and night of the event.
Prizes team – Jenn Veilleux
Purchases prizes and brings them to the event when we set up. Shopping sales online and in-person as needed. Sets up the prize room display on the day of the event.
Entertainment team – Mindy Sammons
Coordinates the party entertainment using existing vendors or new vendors as appropriate. Finds talent and party fun and oversees vendors and contracts. Coordinate with decorations committee.
Volunteer recruiter open– This team recruits volunteers for committee positions and for the event itself, using email, social media, Nextdoor, business and school groups, GN volunteer alumni and GN alumni of >3 years.
Memory Lane – open
Manages the Memory Lane display with collages that families put together of their Senior’s school life. Notifies parents, collects collages from UPS Store, organizes display of collages.
Mail boxes – one open
Manages collection of notes & letters to each senior from family members, creates a generic congratulations letter for all attendees, picks up letters from HS and distributes to GN mailboxes.
Take Down/Clean Up lead + team – five needed
Very Important! This team comes in starting at 5AM and takes over from the volunteers who have been at the event overnight. The Take Down Chair coordinates the AM volunteers who complete the remaining packing and cleaning up started by the night shift. Oversees return of boxes and equipment to the shed.