Get Involved

MAFA Needs You!

Become more active in MAFA! Meet some like-minded folk and learn something new…By working together, we ensure that MAFA becomes more useful to our guilds and our fiber communities. And besides, it’s fun too!

Here’s where we need help:

MAFA Representative or Alternate
Every guild needs a representative to keep the lines of communication open between MAFA and your guild. Reps pass on MAFA news to the guilds and provide suggestions to the MAFA board about how MAFA can help the guilds. Reps meet either at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival or on Zoom in May, and on Zoom in September or October, and have a breakfast meeting at the conference. Reps are expected to attend the conference, to actively volunteer, and to build networks across guilds to facilitate inter-guild communications.  Find details on the Role of the Rep here.

If your guild already has a rep, maybe you could be an Alternate. He or she can also receive emails and news from MAFA and can back up the representative when he or she can’t attend a meeting. Check with your guild president, then contact the MAFA Membership Chair.

Conference Committee

The MAFA Conference is an all-volunteer effort, with many opportunities to get involved both before and at the conference. Volunteers start working soon after each conference ends and in the two years leading up to each MAFA Conference. Our heartfelt thanks go to the MAFA Conference Committee – a group of volunteers spread throughout the Mid-Atlantic region who give their time and energy to make our Conferences a success. For more information about what’s involved, or to discuss ways to help the Conference Committee plan the next conference, please email conference@mafafiber.org.

Communications
Join the MAFA Communications team! MAFA has a presence on Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, and Ravelry, and can always use another savvy online community leader to help us build useful online networks and to help share conference news and/or other MAFA-related events. Have experience with WordPress websites? We can use your help with the MAFA website and our hosted guild sites. Contact MAFA’s Communications Chair, for more information.

Guild Website Coordinator
MAFA can host a website for your guild – and help you build it, if you wish. You will still need to plan how you want to organize it and create the content. Contact MAFA’s webmaster for more information.

Grants Committee Member
Do you have some experience with proposals? Or an interest to see how other guilds and individuals do outreach? This committee’s primary work takes place in January – February every year as guild grant proposals are evaluated, and then in April- May of the conference year as Fellowship proposals are analyzed. Contact the MAFA Grants Chair.

Website Content Provider
Take a look at the Resources portion of our website. We need your input! Share your favorite resources by submitting them via the form you’ll find on those pages.

Sample Exchange Digitization Project Manager and Helpers
One area here we would like to explore is digitizing the sample books from previous conferences. We need someone to head up this effort – and someone to photograph the samples and someone to prepare the data for uploading into tables that will be created by our Webmaster. Let Karen Miller, MAFA Samples Coordinator, know if you are interested.

Testers
This job is not a regular one – but we are always in need of testers for something – a feedback form, a survey, new website design or content, conference registration, etc. If you’d like to be on call to help, contact MAFA’s Webmaster.

Board members
All of our Board members serve for two-year terms. We prefer that no one serve more than two terms in any one office. Our elections are held in June or July of odd years.  Check out MAFA’s Board Position Duties page, and Operating Manual for job descriptions. If you would like to volunteer, or like to suggest someone who you think would be an asset, please contact MAFA’s Nominating Committee.

Basic requirements for board members are computer literacy; willingness to answer emails within a day or so, to learn and use project management software, and to ask for and offer assistance; focus on teamwork and be a team player; be fairly well organized; and serve as a previous guild officer and/or MAFA rep — and of course, love some aspect of fiber!

Nominating Committee
Do you know a lot of people? Have you served on boards so you know what it takes to be a good board member? Are you comfortable cold calling someone to request help? Volunteer for our Nominating Committee. Contact the MAFA President.

Other Ideas?
Do you have other ideas for activities MAFA should be pursuing? Let us know! Contact the MAFA President.