Volunteer FAQ’s
Q: What time do participating volunteers arrive at Hundred Acres Manor?
A: We set our arrival time for participating actors at 5:30 p.m. the night/nights your group has reserved. Gates open at dusk (7:30 p.m. in September – 7:00 p.m. in October)
Q: Why is your arrival time two hours prior to gates opening?
A: We must set arrival time two hours before opening in order to sign-in all participants, give them an actor orientation, assign the actor a costume and a place to work in the house, and also place the actor and educate them on their surroundings (i.e. fire exits, possible hazards, etc.)
Q: What if it is raining?
A: We are open RAIN OR SHINE.
Q: What is the time of departure for participants?
A: Scheduled time of line closing (time which we close the queue line, not the gate) is as follows: Weeknights (Wednesday Thursday, and Sunday as well as the one Monday and Tuesday we are open) line close at 10 p.m. On weekends (Friday and Saturday) line close at 11:30 p.m. We continue to sell tickets until the remaining line has diminished. This means that volunteers should be out of costume and ready to leave by 30 minutes after closing, approximately 10:30 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on Friday and Saturdays. Time varies on what part of the house the participant is in.
Q: What if one of my actors must leave early?
A: If an actor must leave early, they must inform Hundred Acres Manor management BEFORE they are assigned an acting spot for the evening. If management is not informed prior to assignment the actor must stay for the remainder of the evening (Due to insurance reasons, no exceptions). If an actor chooses to leave early, they will not be counted in your group head count, but will be placed on your roster and labeled early departure.
Q: What is your policy on cell phone usage?
A: We do not permit the usage of cell phones, pagers, and other mobile communication devices inside the haunted house. All cell phones etc. must be turned off (Not on vibrate or silent mode). If there is an issue that a cell phone must remain on during participation please notify management previous to participation.
Q: How old must participants be to act?
A: All participants must be age 14 or older to participate due to insurance reasons. No exceptions.
Q: What if a participant is under 18 and cannot drive past 11 o’clock?
A: A Cinderella license form will be given to any participant who asks for one at the end of the evening. This allows the volunteer to drive directly home from the haunted house. In the event of getting a police citation, the form would be recognized as an extension on their Cinderella license. If the participant does not seek a form and is cited, Hundred Acres Manor (Funds for Charities LLC) accepts no responsibility.
Q: What should participants wear?
A: A participant should wear all black or dark colors and dress to the season. Much of our haunt is not indoors, and the indoor parts of the haunt are not heated. WEAR LAYERS!! If you get hot you can always take a layer off, but if you get cold, you will be cold all night. No volunteer should be wearing any costume or make-up of any kind, all is provided for the in order to fit with the scenes of our house. All females who wear make-up for cosmetic reasons should minimize make-up usage the night of participation and avoid open toed or high heel shoes.
Q: Do volunteers have to wear masks or make-up?
A: Yes, a costume is always necessary if you are to be seen by the public. If you are allergic to latex or cannot wear a mask, we will provide you with a water based make up solution.
Q: Can you choose your costume and mask?
A: All volunteers are selected for positions based on their build and what their physical limitations are, please tell participants that all costumes and masks are pre-selected to fit with a scene and the costumes will be distributed in that fashion. If the volunteer is unable to wear certain types of materials, we will select another position that will best fit their abilities.
Q: Can a participant select the spot that they are in?
A: Unfortunately, we operate under tight deadlines which do not allow us to let volunteers pick their acting spots for the evening. Please, no requests! We cannot give a choice to one while telling the others that they must wait to be assigned. Please do not ask to be in the opening rooms or chainsaw pit, due to timing and insurance reasons we must restrict these areas to staff only!
Q: Can a participant request to be placed with a friend?
A: Most rooms are designed for one actor. We do not take requests. Please let all participants know that working with a friend is not possible due to the design of our haunted house.
Q: What issues should volunteers be aware of?
A: We do use disorienting lights (strobes, etc.), which could induce a seizure. We also use fog, which could induce an asthma attack, and have confined spaced which could cause a claustrophobic episode. Lastly, we do use latex masks, which could cause an allergic reaction. Please make your volunteers aware of these issues.
Q: What happens if a participant disobeys one of the house rules?
A: Any infraction of the rules will cause immediate disqualification of the participant from your total head count. Disciplinary action will be taken on any volunteer who does not obey our set rules, which are set in place for the safety of our volunteers and our patrons. In most cases, the volunteer will be taken to the actor’s room for the remainder of the night. The participant will not be permitted to leave the premises until the gates are closed for the evening (For safety and insurance reasons, no exceptions) unless a parent or legal guardian is present.
Q: How do participants receive their community service form?
A: Upon completion of service, the volunteers must see the volunteer coordinator. They will be given a personalized form, which will be recognized as community service verification. If the participant doe not seek a form on the evening of completion, their service will be null and void and a certificate will not be issued.
Q: How do I register my group?
A: You can register your group by calling 412-401-4334, and speaking with Mr. Ethan Turon, Hundred Acres Manor Operations Manager/Volunteer Coordinator. Please have the dates on which you would like to volunteer pre-selected. All dates are reserved on a first come first serve basis and the sooner you register, the more likely you are to get the date/dates of your choice. If you do not have date/dates in mind, we will place your group on a date which has not currently been over-booked.
Q: When must your group be scheduled by?
A: Although we accept reservations thought out the running of the house (September 17, 2010- October 31, 2010), all groups are strongly encouraged to reserve a date by September 14, 2009 to be sure that you get the date/dates of your choice.
Q: How many dates can a group sign up for?
A: There is no limit to the amount of days your group would like to volunteer. We reserve the right to restrict nights on a first come first serve basis.
Q: What if we register one date, participate, and then decide to reserve more?
A: We do accept reservations after the reservation period (August 28, 2010 – September 26, 2010) has ended, however, your choice on which dates are available may be limited due to other group bookings placed during the reservation period. We will do our best to accommodate your group.
Q: What if the number of volunteers promised increases or decreases previous to arrival?
A: If the number of volunteers exceeds 10 more volunteers than promised or drops below the number promised by 5 participants you must contact Hundred Acres Manor management one week prior to the date scheduled. We do realize that it is not always possible to get an accurate head count, please try your best, a good estimate is better than a stab in the dark. It is essential for us to have a good estimate of the number of volunteers your group will be bringing; our house takes 50+ actors to properly staff. We schedule groups accordingly.
Q: What if a participant is hesitant to sign up?
A: Please make sure all who sign up for your dates can participate. Although this is volunteer work, we are running a business and must fill all of our acting spots to run the house (Approximately 50 acting spot minimum). Please encourage each participant to be absolutely sure they can participate before signing up.
Q: Will my group be the only participants on the night we reserved?
A: Depending on the number of volunteers which your group schedules for, we may or may not double book a night. We do not turn away anyone who comes to volunteer his or her time with us. This is a fun opportunity to meet and work with new people!
Q: What if my group does not sign up and shows up to volunteer?
A: We will be able to accommodate your volunteers, but unfortunately, we will not be able to sign them in as your group, therefore we will have no record of your group’s participation. No payout will be issued for nights that were unscheduled.
Q: What if we reserve a date then cancel?
A: If a date is reserved and the group cancels (to cancel a date you must notify Hundred Acres Manor Management one week prior to scheduled date) we will attempt to reschedule you. If your group is a no-show, all future dates with your group will be canceled. We do take this very seriously because we depend on you, the volunteers, to staff our event; we depend on your commitment to volunteer for a great cause while having fun.
Q: What if a participant is injured?
A: Upon injury, an incident report is taken, the parents or legal guardian of the person injured will be notified, the group leader will be notified, and in serious situations the ambulance service will be notified. Each situation varies depending on nature of injury. Medical Personal and Police Officers staff our event.
Q: What is provided during the evening for the actors?
A: All actors will receive a drink and candy through out the night in order to keep them hydrated. If a participant is diabetic, please let the volunteer coordinator know so that they can be accommodated.
Q: What if my group arrives late?
A: All volunteers who have signed in before 6:00 p.m. will receive credit for participating. Any late arrivals (past 5:30 p.m.) will receive community service verification forms, but will not be counted towards the group’s total head count. They will however be listed on your season roster as a late arrival (We must be strict on arrival time due to the time constraints for the scheduled time of volunteer arrival and gate opening).
Q: How does my group collect their payment after our nights of participation are complete?
A: At the end of the season, all nights are reviewed and a packet pertaining to each group that participated is put together. The envelope will include a check made payable to your group, your season roster, and any incident reports taken during participation. Checks are to be issued by January 1, 2011.
Q: What is a season roster?
A: At the end of our operating season, all season rosters will be sent to the chairperson of the group that participated in our event. The season roster packet will include the dates on which your group had participated, the number of participants your group had, late arrivals, early departures, any incident reports taken for your group, and a check made payable to your groups chair person.
