Iowa European Cultural Connection (IECC) invites you to be a part of something great: Christkindlmarket Des Moines. Volunteers are integral to a successful community event. We need your help, and we have several opportunities to choose from whether you’re looking for just yourself or a group team building experience. Be sure to include family members, friends and others who could join you to make it more fun!

NEW THIS YEAR: Refer 5 volunteers and get a drink or brat/hot dog ticket that you can pick up when you check in at the Volunteer Tent for YOUR shift. AND The individual whose referral efforts lead to the most hours volunteered will win a $100 Visa gift card.

NON-PROFITS: If your non-profit signs up to fill a shift (volunteers need not be directly associated with your non-profit) to serve Glühwein, beer or brats/hot dogs, you may put out your own “tip” jar for cash donations during that shift. Please email [email protected] with proof of tax-exempt status and the location/date/time of your shift.

After your shift, turn in your credential at the Volunteer Tent for: a ticket worth 5% off your purchase in “An der Weihnachtsecke”, a ticket for one free brat/hot dog or one free drink ticket. Christkindlmarket Des Moines Tear Down volunteers will enjoy pizza on Sunday night. At the end of the weekend, all volunteers will be entered in a drawing. One lucky winner will get to choose either a piece of IECC merchandise or imported food.

All volunteers must be at least 16 years old when they report for their volunteer shift. Those working with alcohol must be at least 18 years old when they report for their volunteer shift.

PROMOTING A SAFE AND HEALTHY EVENT: Rest assured that CDM prioritizes the safety and health of our volunteers. We will take guidance provided by local and state health authorities under advisement and make event modifications to ensure a safe experience for all. Based on this guidance, we will provide updated COVID-19 mitigation strategies and requirements as the event approaches.

Sign Up Here!

Beer Pourers: **Great for groups/team building** Work with the Iowa Beer Bus team to serve beer to attendees.

Bratwurst Imbiss am Markt (Food preparation): **Great for groups/team building** From a canopy tent adjacent to the festival venue, grill and package brats and hot dogs to be sold at a wooden vendor hut on the venue.

Bratwurst Imbiss am Markt (Sales): **Great for groups/team building** From a wooden vendor hut, sell prepared brats and hot dogs to market patrons.

Christkindlmarket Des Moines PR: From the festival entrance, welcome patrons and hand out sitemaps.

Christkindlmarket Des Moines Setup: **Great for groups/team building** Do you have an eye for detail? Work with a team to set up Christmas trees, assemble signage, hang stringed lights and decorate wooden vendor stalls.

Christkindlmarket Des Moines Tear Down: **Great for groups/team building** Remove Christmas trees, disassemble signage, remove stringed lights, remove decorations from wooden vendor stalls.

Glühwein & Kinderpunsch Sales: **Great for groups/team building** Serve warm, mulled wine and mulled cider from a tent or in Yuletide Hall to eager attendees.

Information Tent: From a 3-sided tent, answer patron’s questions, provide festival maps, share European tourism information and provide information about Iowa European Cultural Connection.

Non-Profit Tree Setup: Place live, 6-foot fir trees in tree stands and positioning them in outdoor tent.

Non-Profit Tree Tear Down: Remove ornaments and lights from non-profit trees and help silent auction winners transport these items and possibly the tree to their vehicles.

Parking Attendant: Manage free parking lot for vendors, volunteers, performers and Principal Park employees

Sales Associate – Merchandising: For our store, help ensure that product is displayed properly and answer customer questions.

Sales Associate – Online Order Pickup: From our store, hand out orders customers have placed online when they arrive to pick them up.

Sales Associate – Point of Sale: For our store, operate a point-of-sale system on an iPad, take cash, and interact with customers.

Vendor Stall Setup: **Great for groups/team building** Construct prefabricated wooden vendor stalls. **Heavy lifting definitely required**

Vendor Stall Tear Down: **Great for groups/team building** Tear down prefabricated wooden vendor stalls. **Heavy lifting definitely required**

Volunteer Relations: Greet and check-in volunteers, direct volunteers to assigned areas, and keep Volunteer Headquarters organized.

Yuletide Hall (heated entertainment tent): Assist the Yuletide Hall site leaders to ensure that performers have arrived, are prepared to take the stage, have what they need to perform while maintaining a neat and tidy venue.

Yuletide Hall Setup: **Great for groups/team building** Work inside a tent, outside of the elements, as you set up and decorate an artificial, pre-lit tree, set up tables and chairs and install lights and garland.

Yuletide Hall Tear Down: **Great for groups/team building** Work inside a tent, outside of the elements, as you disassemble an artificial, pre-lit tree, tear down and stack tables and chairs and remove lights and garland.

Sign Up Here!

Christkindlmarket Des Moines

CDM Curbside presented by Christkindlmarket Des Moines

November 29th – December 6th, 2020
Principal Park

Des Moines European Heritage Association (DMEHA) invites you to be a part of something great: CDM Curbside presented by Christkindlmarket Des Moines. Volunteers are integral to a successful community event. We need your help and we have several volunteer opportunities to choose from whether you are looking for just yourself or a group, indoors or outdoors. Be sure to include family members, friends and others who could join you to make it more fun!

Click here to sign up!

For 2020, DMEHA has announced that it will change its annual in-person holiday experience to “CDM Curbside”. CDM Curbside will feature an online marketplace open Nov. 9 to 22, hosting several vendor online stores featuring unique holiday wares and edibles. After purchasing, customers can choose various drive-thru pickup times at Principal Park’s Main Lot from Dec. 3 to 6.

CDM Curbside will allow customers to pick up their purchases from multiple vendors at one place and time from the comfort and safety of their vehicles. Prior to pick up, vendors will deliver the customers’ orders to one location allowing volunteers to then group the orders together by customer. Vendors will not be on site for curbside pickup.

Shop the Virtual Marketplace: Nov 9, 12:01am – Nov 22, 11:59pm

CDM Curbside pickup day and time:
Thursday, December 3: 5pm – 8pm
Friday, December 4: 11am – 8pm
Saturday, December 5: 9am – 6pm
Sunday, December 6: 12pm – 5pm

Volunteer no-shows can cause great difficulties for the planning and production of CDM Curbside. We ask that you report on time and remain on task for the duration of your shift(s). All volunteers must be at least 16 years old when they report for their volunteer shift.

YOUR SAFETY COMES FIRST: We will be following the CDC’s latest COVID-19 guidance. Face coverings are required, social distancing is encouraged as much as possible and volunteer managers will wipe down high-touch areas between shifts. Should you forget your face covering, a limited number will be available.

Click here to sign up!

Redeem your volunteer points for a small token of our appreciation (1 Shift volunteered per day = 1 Point):

Order Fulfillment – Sorter – Indoors: Vendors will ship or deliver customer orders to Principal Park’s Cub Club. Sorters will unpack the customer orders and place them on individual vendor tables alphabetically by last name. Each volunteer will be assigned to one vendor table to allow for social distancing.

Order Fulfillment – Picker – Indoors: Attention to detail is a must! Pickers will be provided a customer order pick sheet and assemble the customer orders from various vendors. The customer orders will be organized by customer last name on individual vendor tables.

Order Fulfillment – Checker – Indoors: Attention to detail is a must! The Checker works with the Bagger to confirm the customer orders picked by the Picker. The Checker writes the customer name on each bag and adds a few stickers. The Checker also identifies orders that are incomplete and escalates any issues to a Manager.

Order Fulfillment – Bagger – Indoors: The Bagger works with the Checker to confirm the customer orders picked by the Picker. The Bagger adds printed materials and ribbon to the bag and transports the orders to a holding area adjacent to the fulfillment area while organizing the orders alphabetically by last name by pickup day.

Transporter – Indoors/Outside: Transports fulfilled customer orders from Principal Park’s Cub Club Suites to Principal Park’s Main Lot using a hand cart and Caryall Utility Cart while keeping the orders organized alphabetically.

Production Set Up – Outside: Do you have an eye for detail? Work with a team to set up Christmas trees, assemble signage, hang stringed lights, decorate wooden vendor stalls, etc. **Some heavy lifting required**

Curbside Pickup – Traffic Controller – Outside: Stationed at the entrance to Principal Park’s Main Lot, the Traffic Controller will make sure people pulling into the Main Lot are CDM Curbside customers. If not, send them off with a friendly smile and a flyer for Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2021.

Curbside Pickup – Greeter – Outside: Checks in customers driving through the Principal Park Main Lot to pick up their online orders. Customers will be instructed to write their name and where they want their order placed (back seat or trunk) on a piece of paper in their windshield for contactless delivery. The Greeter will direct the customer to the shortest pickup lane and call ahead via walkie talkie to a Manager with the customer name and pickup lane.

Curbside Pickup – Stager – Outside: Collates customer orders and delivers to assigned pickup lane.

Curbside Pickup – Checker – Outside: This volunteer role needs to complete online I-PACT (Iowa – Program for Alcohol Compliance) Training. Attention to detail is a must! Once the customer’s vehicle pulls up to the loading area, the Checker will confirm the customer’s identity and tell the Runner which name to grab. If the customer ordered alcohol, the Checker will need to check an ID. The Checker will verify the order one final time and mark it as “Delivered”.

Curbside Pickup – Runner – Outside: The Runner brings the customer order from the staging area (adjacent hut) to the Checker for final verification and then places the order in the vehicle’s back seat or trunk.

Production Tear Down – Outside: Remove Christmas trees, disassemble signage, remove stringed lights, remove decorations from wooden vendor stalls. **Some heavy lifting required**