Volunteer with Crown

Thank You for Your Interest in Volunteering!

WELCOME to the CrownVOLUNTEERS information site! The Carolina Crown organization, with a variety of programs and events, offers performance opportunities for young people throughout the year. Our main performing group, Carolina Crown Corps, with over 225 members and staff, tours around the United States competing and performing at numerous events. During the course of this season, we host many functions and need a tremendous amount of support from various sources. As a volunteer, there are endless possibilities.

 
admin volunteer at camp checkin, wearing a purple Crown sweatshirt and smiling at the camera
 

We welcome volunteers from all walks of life! We have positions within our volunteer teams that range from being a bus driver, to showing off your cooking skills, helping to fit and maintain uniforms, helping with public relations matters, and many more. As a volunteer for the Carolina Crown organization, there are opportunities to travel with the group, or you can sign on as a day volunteer if you live in an area near one of our large events. If you need more details please feel free to send us a message by clicking the text bubble icon in the bottom left corner of this screen.

2024 CrownTOUR Teams

  • 6/16-6/24 - "Kickoff Team"

    Depart for Fort Mill from Gardner-Webb on Sunday 6/16. Likely to stay in the Fort Mill Area with one stop in Ohio on our way to Muncie, IN by 6/24.

  • 6/24-6/30 - "Team Music For All”

    Begins Monday 6/24 in Muncie, IN where we stay at Ball State University until 6/28 for clinics and our first competition. We then head to Lilse, IL on 6/30 for another show.

  • 6/30-7/7 - "Team CrownBEAT”
    Begins Sunday 6/30 in Lisle, IL; ends Sunday 7/7 in Lexington, SC for our first home show CrownBEAT.

  • 7/7-7/14 - "Team WCU”
    Begins Sunday 7/7 in Lexington, SC; ends Sunday 7/14 in Little Rock, AR.

  • 7/14-7/21 - "Team Texas”
    Begins on Sunday 7/14 in Little Rock, AR; ends Sunday 7/21 in San Antonio, TX with a free day after a regional performance

  • 7/21-7/28 - Team NightBEAT”
    Begins on Sunday 7/21 in San Antonio, TX; ends Sunday 7/28 in Winston-Salem, NC with our home show NightBEAT

  • 7/28-8/4 - "TeamEAST"
    Begins on Sunday 7/28 at NightBEAT in Winston-Salem, NC; ends Sunday 8/4 in Reading, PA

  • 8/4-8/10 - "Team Champions”
    Begins 8/4 in Reading, PA; ends on Saturday 8/11 after DCI World Championships, Indianapolis, IN (limited space available for return to Fort Mill on Sunday 8/11)

Please keep in mind, these teams are recommended times on tour that you can join and depart from the drum corps. Do not feel limited to when and where you can volunteer based on these teams, if a different time-frame works best for you, we can discuss different options. This list also did not include Spring Training, if you would like to assist at Spring Training, please let Ryan know.

 

Tour Signup

Contact Ryan for information on any dates you're interested in. Teams are only suggested timeframes.

For years now you have heard our cry, "Calling All Volunteers"! It's once again time to ask for the assistance of all of our supporters in getting the corps down the road. Support staff are needed to do everything from cook and serve food four times a day, prepare over 12,500 gallons of drink mix, mend a torn uniform in a rush before a big show, or "just be there" to answer a question, lend a helping hand and be a nightly cheering section. All of this helps us to provide a tremendous experience for our members! And we promise... it will be an experience you will never forget!

If you are interested in helping our members have a great summer and have questions about volunteering, please click the text bubble icon in the corner of the screen or email support@carolinacrown.org. The best way to learn what being a member of the corps' support staff on the road is to come out to our winter camps or spring training. Check out our camp dates in the membership information of our website if you're interested in volunteering during the winter.

Sign-up TODAY to become part of TeamCROWN and tour with Carolina Crown this summer! You must be at least 21 yrs old if not accompanied by a parent/guardian. As we get closer to the summer, you will be able to view our corps calendar to see our show schedule and locations. As they are confirmed, housing sites will be added to the calendar in late Spring. Please sign-up for one (or more) teams before they fill up, or any dates that are convenient for you! A portion of a team segment is also very helpful if you can’t do it all!

There are many projects that we need help with during Spring Training which will be held at Gardner Webb University from May 18th-June 16th. We need help feeding the members from the food truck on the weekends, and there's lots of uniform organization, labeling, sorting and sewing to do. If you are available to help during Spring Training please let Ryan know.

After completing the form, we will reach out to you and confirm areas you can help, your availability, and travel plans. Travel plans should be discussed with Ryan at ryan@carolinacrown.org prior to being made so that efficient transportation pick-ups/drop-offs can be made by the corps, and to confirm the corps location.

 
 

Requirements

You may be as young as 12 years of age to participate in the CrownVOLUNTEER program, except for touring personnel who must be at least 21 years old unless accompanied by a parent/guardian. All participants 12-17 years of age MUST be accompanied by an adult to the event. Participants 18 years of age or older will not need an adult. 

  • Conscientious

  • Energetic

  • Flexible

  • Courteous and polite

  • Detail Oriented

  • Must be able to stand for a large amount of time

  • Must be able to withstand outdoor conditions

  • Must fill out an application

Volunteer Positions

Thanks again to our volunteers for helping to make Carolina Crown produce a top-notch, quality event and experience for the participants. Please scroll down to read more about volunteer opportunities for our events and programs.

 

Crown Drum Corps Camps/Spring Training

    • Registration (Camps and Spring Training Move-Ins): for Crown camps and spring training, we are in need of volunteers to help register members. The duties involved with registration include checking in members from a list provided and collecting required money/paperwork. Registration volunteers are needed one Friday evening a month between November - April (5PM-8PM) and on the 3rd Saturday in May (10AM-1PM).

    • Food Service (Camps & Spring Training): the duties of a food service volunteer include preparing food, cooking, serving, and set-up/clean-up for 1-4 meals per day. Food Service volunteers needs are different in our off-season compared to our summer season. During our off-season assistance is needed one weekend per month for camps from November - April. Additionally during Spring Training food service volunteers are also needed for all weekends mid May - June. Food truck volunteers are vital to the success of our drum corps, your support is greatly appreciated.

    • Airport Shuttle Driver (Camps & Spring Training): the duties of an airport shuttle driver include pick-up/drop-off at local airport/train/bus station in 15 passenger van provided. Shuttle driver volunteers are needed one weekend per month for camps from November - April and every weekend mid May - June.

    • Uniform Maintenance (Camps & Spring Training): the duties of a Uniform Maintenance volunteer include measure, pin, sew, rip seams, wash, press, repair uniforms/flags/accessories. Sewing skills are needed. These volunteers will be needed one weekend per month for camps from November - April and can be utilized through all of Spring Training, Mid May to Mid June.

    • CDL Truck Driver (Camps): the duties of a CDL Truck Driver include pick-up/drop-off tractor and move 2-53' trailers from storage in Pineville NC to Fort Mill area camp venue. The service of these volunteers will be needed one Friday evening and/or Sunday afternoon per month from November - April. This service could also include a volunteer who has access or ability to borrow a tractor to move the equipment.

    • Handyman/Mechanic (Camps & Spring Training): the duties of this position include doing miscellaneous repairs/maintenance to equipment/vehicles as needed. Volunteers for this position are needed one weekend per month from November - April and every weekend mid May - June. The time could also be at the discretion of the volunteer if maintenance can be performed at the storage facility or available repair facility.

 

Crown Drum Corps Tour

You are cordially invited to hit the road with us as a volunteer! Our tour season continues for 8 weeks out of the summer and you may volunteer as much or as little as you would like. Some positions for our touring volunteer team include:

    • Food Service (CrownTOUR): the duties of a touring food service volunteer include preparing food, cooking, serving, and set-up/clean-up for 1-4 meals per day. Food Service volunteers are needed for the full length of our tour from June to mid August. Volunteers who want to tour with us are divided into 1-10 "teams", and will travel for 5-14 days for their shift. Food truck volunteers are vital to the success of our drum corps, your support is greatly appreciated in this area. Additionally Food service volunteers on tour may be asked to help with uniform laundering when deemed necessary.

    • Uniform Maintenance (CrownTOUR): the duties of a Uniform Maintenance volunteer include measure, pin, sew, rip seams, wash press, repair uniforms/flags/accessories. Sewing skills are needed. Uniform Maintenance volunteers are needed for the full length of our tour from June to mid August. Volunteers who want to tour are divided into 1-10 "teams" and will travel for 5-14 days for their shift. Uniform maintenance volunteers on tour are asked to assist on the food truck when deemed necessary.

    • CDL Truck Driver (CrownTOUR): the duties of a touring CDL Truck Driver include driving a 53' tractor trailer in convoy between tour stops 4-5 nights a week. Volunteers for this position are needed on tour for a 8 week period from mid June through mid August. Volunteers who want to tour with us are divided into 1-10 "teams" and will travel for 5-14 days for their shift. Volunteers must have a valid CDL and medical card and available for drug testing for this position. It is preferred that these volunteer drivers commit to longer periods of time to ensure stability and understanding of the routine procedures.

    • CDL Bus Driver (CrownTOUR): the duties of a touring CDL Bus Driver include driving a late model fully equipped 56 passenger bus in convoy between tour stops 4-5 nights/week doing an average of 400 miles per trip. Volunteers for this position are needed on tour for a 8 week period from mid June through mid August. Volunteers who want to tour are divided into 1-10 "teams" and will travel for 5-14 days for their shift. Volunteers must have a valid CDL and medical card and be available for company orientation training and drug testing for this position. It is preferred that these volunteer drivers commit to longer periods of time to insure stability and understanding of the routine procedures.

    • Van Driver (CrownTOUR): the duties of a tour van driver include driving 15 passenger van with utility trailer in convoy between tour stops 4-5 nights/week doing an average of 400 miles per trip. Volunteers for this position are needed on tour for a 8 week period from mid June through mid August.

    • Handyman/Mechanic (CrownTOUR): the duties of this position include doing miscellaneous repairs/maintenance to equipment/vehicles as needed. We are always looking for individuals that meet this wide skillset. Skills in carpentry, welding, diesel/auto mechanics, power tools, or simply people who don't mind getting their hands dirty are vital to ensuring we get our drum corps and all our moving parts on and off the field and down the road safely. Volunteers for this position are needed on tour for a 8 week period from mid June through mid August. The ideal candidate for this position is someone who can commit to around 14 days with the corps.

    • Shuttle Driver (CrownTOUR): the duties of the tour volunteer shuttle driver include driving a 15-passenger van with volunteers and supplies from our Fort Mill office to a designated tour stop, and then return to Fort Mill. Volunteers for this position are needed 5-7 times from mid June through mid August.

 
 

Office/General

Not big on traveling? Do you still want to volunteer for Carolina Crown? We have many positions available for volunteers who cannot commit to traveling, or who have circumstances which do not allow them to travel with the corps.

    • Website Content Writer: Website content writers are needed to draft website articles based on input from various sources. Some knowledge of Squarespace or something similar is preferred but not necessary. This is a flexible position and is needed sporadically throughout the year as events come up for the organization.

    • Website Maintenance: Duties of the website maintenance volunteer include update/maintain the Carolina Crown website based on direction from the office. A good knowledge of the Squarespace content management system is preferred or something similar in design. This is a flexible position and is needed sporadically throughout the year.

    • Office IT Support: Duties of the IT support volunteer include providing "help desk" type support for software/hardware issues encountered. This is a flexible position an is needed sporadically throughout the year on an as need basis.

    • General Office Work: Duties of an office work volunteer include data entry, copying, filing, order fulfillment, telephone coverage/order taking, etc. This position is needed on most weekdays and is flexible based on availability.

    • PR / Publicity: The job of a public relations volunteer includes drafting and implementing publicity and press releases based on input from Marketing/Event Chairs. This is a flexible position and is needed sporadically throughout the year as events and situations occur for the organization.

    • Sponsorship: A sponsorship volunteer is in charge of soliciting and nurturing potential sponsors as part of a committee and on their own. This is a flexible position, but will require some scheduled meetings with committees and organization management.

 

Events

Throughout the year, Carolina Crown holds a number of large scale events from a Golf Tournament to Drum Corps shows, to a high end marching band competition; there is always something in the works at Carolina Crown. We would love to have you as a volunteer for our events. Large groups of volunteers are more than welcome! Bring your church group, school clubs, office, ...etc. For event volunteer interest please contact us by clicking the text bubble icon in the corner of this screen or emailing support@carolinacrown.org

    • Event Committee Management Trainee: This position includes performing committee oversight under mentor-ship of existing chairperson for each event. This position is flexible with some scheduled meetings. Volunteers for this position are needed 4-6 months prior to the scheduled event.

    • Event Committee Member: Event Committee members perform duties related to volunteer coordinator, marketing, facilities/ops, concessions, program ads, ...etc. This position is flexible with some scheduled meetings. Volunteers for this position are needed 4-6 months prior to the scheduled event.

    • Event "Day of" Support: Our Organization has numerous fundraising events throughout the year. They consist of Drum Corps shows (CrownBEAT & NightBEAT), Band competitions (BandBEAT), and our annual Golf Tournament. These events require many volunteers to run smoothly, accurately and offer participants and fans a quality experience. For our events, we need volunteers for:

      • Ticket Sales

      • Ushering

      • Parking Attendant

      • Concession Sales

      • Program Sales

      • Operations of the Event

    All event volunteers are needed on the day of the event plus in a meeting 1-2 days prior to the event. Volunteers should plan to work at the event for 4-8 hours. Groups are also welcome to volunteer. If you are a sponsor/advisor of a community group, we at Carolina Crown welcome you to bring your group members for a great volunteer experience!

 
Two Crown admin in a golf cart, smiling at the camera. One of them is wearing a tank top that reads "no bad vibes".
Food truck volunteer handing food to a marching member, with the purple Crown Drum Corps food truck in the background

Volunteer Tips 

What a Volunteers Needs

All volunteers should be prepared for a fast paced, fun-filled day with Carolina Crown.

As an event volunteer, you will need:

  • Comfortable Shoes

  • Rain Gear

  • Sunblock

  • Insect Repellent

  • Hats

  • Sunglasses

  • A SMILE

For tour volunteers, you will need:

  • Comfortable Shoes

  • Rain Gear

  • Sunblock / Sunscreen Lotion

  • Insect Repellent

  • Extra Clothing (Warm & Cool Weather)

  • Jackets

  • Sleeping Bag

  • Pillow

  • Toiletries

  • Great PERSONALITY

Volunteer Responsibilities

As a well-rounded organization, Carolina Crown strives for excellence within our members, staff and volunteers. As a volunteer, there are certain responsibilities that we expect you to observe.

  • Be on time for shift check-in and work assignments. Plan enough time for transportation to and from the event.

  • Make sure to check-in at the volunteer check-in station upon arrival.

  • Please work your entire shift unless otherwise noted by the volunteer manager.

  • Notify the volunteer manager immediately if there are any changes in your availability to work your assigned shift once the event or tour begins.

  • Make sure you are aware of and understand all of your job descriptions and duties before you begin work.

  • Be sure to attend the volunteer meetings before the event you have signed up to work.

  • Please wear appropriate attire for working conditions. Please dress in a respectable, clean fashion. We want to represent Carolina Crown in a positive manner.

  • Please make arrangements for child care if necessary.

  • Please be sure to recycle and dispose of all trash. Encourage guests to do the same.

  • Concession volunteers must wear a hat, hair net, or hair restraint if handling food.  No tank tops or sleeveless shirts allowed.  No sandals or open-toe shoes.

Crown volunteers by the food truck, wearing their matching, custom made tie-dye T-shirts

Volunteer Benefits

  • All volunteers who work for an event are welcome to watch and participate in the event before and after their shift if time is available.

  • Volunteers will receive a complimentary gift of some sort (i.e. T-shirt, keychain, mug, decal, etc.)

  • Complimentary snacks and drinks will be available to volunteers at the volunteer hospitality area while they are on duty.  Breaks will be scheduled into long shifts to allow for this.

  • As a tour volunteer, workers get the full tour experience of being on the road and seeing many high level drum corps performances along with the knowledge that, without your support, the performers could not have the experience of a lifetime.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Volunteers sleep in one of our entertainer coach buses equipped with bunk beds, or on an air mattress in a designated “volunteer room” within the facility that the corps is housed.

  • Please feel free to contact Ryan Brannan (Ryan@Carolinacrown.Org) to answer any of your tour-related volunteer questions.

  • We welcome your spouse to sign up with you for one of our tour teams, however, due to space limitations we require anyone coming on tour to “pull their weight” as a working volunteer. Due to liability reasons, only children between the ages of 16-18 years of age may be signed up with you for one of our tour teams, space available. Again, the child will need to “pull their weight” as a working volunteer.

  • Emergencies do happen and Carolina Crown will make every effort to get you to a nearby transportation center, however, you will be responsible for all costs associated with your return travel.

  • Other than “spending money” you will not normally incur any costs while on tour. You will eat almost all your meals from our mobile kitchen, be provided with sleeping accommodations, and receive a “volunteer pass” for entry into the corps’ performances (space-available seating as designated by the show promoter).

  • We do our best to ensure our volunteers balance work and rest. There should always be small blocks of time during the day when you will have time to read a book, catch a nap, or do anything you need to make sure you are taken care of. However, it is important that our volunteers are “on duty” when they are scheduled to be.

  • If you are interested in volunteering for a CrownEVENT please email Cody Crawford at Cody@Carolinacrown.Org

  • Each CrownEVENT takes a large number of volunteers to make that event successful. See the Positions Available section under CrownVOLUNTEERS on our website for examples of the typical positions needed.

  • Carolina Crown understands that emergencies do occur but since the success of our events depend on our volunteers we ask that you notify us ASAP and at least 72 hours prior to the event if you need to cancel, or find a replacement to cover your position.

  • Many of our events have “shifts” for volunteers whereby your time commitment may be as little as a few hours. Of course, we encourage you to sign up to work the entire event or as many “shifts” as possible.

  • Depending on the volunteer position you sign up for the amount of physical activity can vary tremendously. For our touring volunteers as well as some other more active positions, we recommend that you be able to be on your feet 5-7 hours/day, lift 20+lbs, be exposed to high temperatures and other outside environmental settings, and not have any medical conditions that may hinder full participation in some work duties.