Volunteer – RVA Rope

We are always looking for good help!

If you are interested in volunteering to help us in some way, please complete the form linked above.

Further details and qualifications are listed further down the page.

We typically need volunteers in the following areas:

Set-Up / Clean-Up
Community Outreach
Official Greeters
Safety Monitors (DMs)
Service Tops
Guest Presenter
Teaching Assistants
Rope Study Instructors
Board Members

Details & Qualifications

Set-Up / Clean-Up

If you’d like to help out with general set-up / clean-up needs, feel free to ask around about what can be done when you arrive or before you leave.

(Please note: the only thing we do not allow volunteers to do is hang anchor points, as the owner of the venue has requested that only board members do this to avoid any damage to the many wires and lights in the ceiling.)

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant: any participant with no known consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) in the last 6 months.

Primary Criteria for Consideration: All help is welcome!

Community Outreach

Of course, everyone can relate their experiences with us to others, but if you’d like to help us with community outreach in an official capacity, either in person or online, we are always looking for more people able to represent our group to others, answer their questions, and help them feel welcomed.

Obviously, we want to make sure that any official outreach volunteers accurately represent RVA Rope, so we do ask that anyone volunteering for this role meet the requirements and complete the tasks below:

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Active participant in the community in good standing for a minimum of 6 months with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) during that time.
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.
Complete training for greeters (online or in person) to the satisfaction of the trainer (a board member or designee).

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Personable, friendly, and able to manage a range of different people and personalities.
Able to clearly explain the basic history, offerings, and general philosophy of RVA Rope.
Able to communicate well, either verbally or in writing, and comfortable with online tools (Fetlife, email, Google Drive & Docs), depending on role.

Secondary Criteria for Consideration: We seek to have representatives who reflect the variety in our community. In particular, this includes: role in rope, type of rope, gender, age, race, sexual orientation, and body type. Therefore, all things being equal, our preference will be for the candidate that best positions our representation to improve or maintain that variety.

Official Greeters for Rope Bite or Special Events

If you’d like to be an “official greeter,” either for our regular meetings or for our special events, we are always looking for more people able to greet new members, answer their questions, and help them feel welcomed.

Obviously, we want to make sure that our greeters accurately represent RVA Rope, so we do ask that anyone volunteering for this role meet the requirements and complete the tasks below:

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Active participant in the community in good standing for a minimum of 6 months with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) during that time.
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.
Complete training for greeters (online or in person) to the satisfaction of the trainer (a board member or designee).

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Personable, friendly, and able to manage a range of different people and personalities.
Able to clearly explain procedures for the evening.
Able to clearly explain the basic history, offerings, and general philosophy of RVA Rope.

Official Safety Monitors (DMs) for Rope Bite or Special Events

We are always in need of people willing to help with monitoring our open rope events to ensure the safety of all of our participants. We greatly appreciate anyone willing to offer their services in this way and take on this responsibility.

As this role requires a verified level of skill, we ask that all volunteers for this position meet the requirements and complete the tasks below:

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Active participant in the community in good standing for a minimum of 6 months with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) in the last year.
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.
Complete training (online or in person) for DMs to the satisfaction of the trainer (a board member or designee).

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Personable, friendly, and able to manage a range of different people and personalities.
Able to clearly explain procedures for the evening.
Able to clearly explain the basic history, offerings, and general philosophy of RVA Rope.
Understanding and knowledge of RVA Rope suspension guidelines.
Demonstrated appropriate knowledge of the type of rope responsible for monitoring (floor work, partial/full suspension, self-tying, etc.).
Able to show good judgment in deciding which interactions require closer monitoring, when to intervene, and how to do so appropriately and with the least disruption possible.

Service Tops for Special Events

We hold a few events throughout the year that involve providing “rope topping services” to attendees of these events. It’s important to note that many attendees will not be members of the local rope community and may have no knowledge of or experience with rope. Due to this variety, it is important that our service tops are able to show good judgment in determining the type of rope interaction that will be appropriate by accurately assessing previous knowledge and experience, clearly explaining relevant risks, effectively leading negotiation appropriate to the interaction, and practicing careful adherence to our consent policies.

The difficulty and associated risk of this task varies depending on the type of service topping expected. For example: service topping for simple decorative or light bondage ties is less involved and carries less risk than servicing for pain or varying levels of suspension.

Due to the variety of these demands, we ask that all volunteers for this position meet the requirements and complete the tasks below, though the type of service topping desired will change the depth or degree of some of these requirements:

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Active participant in the community in good standing for a minimum of 6 months with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) in the last year.
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.
Complete training (online or in person) for DMs to the satisfaction of the trainer (a board member or designee).

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Personable, friendly, and able to manage a range of different people and personalities.
Able to clearly explain procedures for the evening.
Able to clearly explain the basic history, offerings, and general philosophy of RVA Rope. In particular, able to explain our approach to responsible progression and risk-informed rope.
Understanding and knowledge of RVA Rope suspension guidelines.
Demonstrated appropriate knowledge of the type of rope responsible for service topping (floor work, partial/full suspension, self-tying, etc.).
Demonstrated ability to show good judgment in determining the type of rope interaction that will be appropriate by accurately assessing previous knowledge and experience.
Strong negotiation skills (including ability to explain relevant risks) and careful adherence to consent policies.

Guest Presenters for Rope Bite or Special Events

We are always looking for others to help with leading exploration of a variety of topics at our events. (Please note: we do not typically host performances or demonstrations; our focus is on skillshare, education, and community development.)

All experience levels are welcome in our general skillshare events (such as open practice). In addition, you do not necessarily need to be very experienced in rope in order to present on a topic at Rope Bite. For example, you may have a lot of experience with yoga and flexibility training, but little rope experience. However, you could still lead a topic on gaining flexibility for rope. As another example, you may enjoy decorative ties but have little experience with other types of rope. However, you could still lead a topic on learning a decorative tie that you’re familiar with. There are many other possible examples.

What we focus on in selecting a guest presenter is primarily that they have some experience with the topic they are presenting (the more involved or complex the topic, the more experience and depth of knowledge we would expect) and that there are no clear violations of our Core Values or policies of which we are aware.

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Priority is given to active participants in the community in good standing for a minimum of 6 months with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) in the last year.
We are also open to guest presenters from outside of the local community, provided they are also in good standing in their local community and/or have had no known accusations of consent violations or bans within the past year to the best of our knowledge.
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Demonstrated experience and skill in the area(s) they will be presenting.
Demonstrated ability to teach effectively in small-group (5-15) and/or large group (15+) settings.
Match between needs of the local community and offerings of the potential presenter.

TAs for Rope Bite, Special Events, or Rope Study

We occasionally need teaching assistants (TAs) for Rope Bite, but more often, this role is required for Rope Study courses and workshops. While all participants are welcomed and encourage to help each other out in their learning, we are speaking here of official, designated TAs.

We expect TAs to be very familiar with the material they will be assisting. We may also ask TAs to meet with the primary instructor(s) beforehand to review important details. (In addition, TAs are expected to follow and assist the instructor, not teach their own topics, diverge from or undermine the instructor, or otherwise abuse their position.)

TAs are selected based on the following criteria:

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Active participant in the community in good standing for a minimum of 6 months with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) in the last year.
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Demonstrated experience, knowledge, and/or skill in the area(s) they will be assisting.
Demonstrated ability to teach effectively in small-group (5-15) and/or large group (15+) settings.
Availability and commitment to attend events (for some courses, this may be a dedication of many hours over the course of weeks or months)

Teachers for Rope Study Courses and/or Workshops

In order to take a position as a lead instructor for Rope Study, we must find evidence of a high level of agreement with the overall vision and philosophy of Rope Study, a firm commitment to and embodiment of our Core Values and policies, and highly effective teaching skills. This requires a fairly high and long-standing commitment to Rope Study and a thorough understanding of the foundational curriculum and principles.

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Active participant in the community in good standing for a minimum of 1 year with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) during that time.
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.
Previous experience serving as a TA for Rope Study courses and/or workshops.

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Demonstrated experience, knowledge, and/or skill in the area(s) they will be teaching.
Demonstrated ability of strong and effective teaching skills in small-group (5-20) settings.
Demonstrated depth of knowledge and experience beyond the level of what will be taught.
Demonstrated ability to develop effective curriculum for the topics being taught.
Ability to lead discussions relevant to the topics being taught.
Ability to explain reasons behind choices being made or taught.
Ability to offer alternatives and modifications to choices being made or taught.
Ability to model good negotiation and consent practice with co-teachers, teaching assistants, and participants.
Embodiment of Core Values: the more consistently the candidate embodies these values, the more likely the candidate will be considered for the position.

Board Members

Service to the RVA Rope community by being a member of the board is a commitment that requires a good deal of time, energy, and responsibility. We are deeply grateful to anyone willing to make those sacrifices on behalf of the local community.

The RVA Rope Board attempts to maintain a board that consists of between 5 and 7 members (with a minimum of 3 members and a maximum of 10 members). New board members are added by majority vote of existing board members based on the criteria below.

Common activities and needs of the RVA Rope Board include (but are not limited to):

Coordinating with venues and other groups
Planning, organizing, and running events (from regular Rope Bite meetings to special events to workshops and intensives)
Coordinating with and scheduling guest presenters
Community outreach and coordinating volunteers
Addressing community concerns and consent incidents, both online, through messages, and in person
Developing new policies and deliberating on the best ways to enact existing policies

Please note that your skill or lack thereof in rope (top, bottom, switch, self-tying, or other) is not a defining qualification. We look mainly for your passion for rope and the rope community and your adherence to our Core Values.

Click to View Qualifications

Qualified Applicant:

Active participant in the kink community in good standing for a minimum of 1 year, active participation in the RVA Rope community for a minimum of 9 months, with no consent incidents that resulted in action from the board (warning, probation, temporary ban, permanent ban) in the last year. (Preference is given to members with longer periods of active participation in the community.)
Embody and reflect the principles of our Core Values to the best of our knowledge.

Primary Criteria for Consideration:

Background, skills, knowledge, interest, and experience that matches current need(s) of the board: the more aligned the match, the more likely the candidate will be considered for the position.
Demonstrated efforts to serve the community (rope or otherwise): the more evidence of various types of service to one or more aspects of the community, the more likely the candidate will be considered for the position.
Availability and commitment: working on the board requires a high level of responsiveness to community members, board communications, and online communications. This requires a certain level of time management, organizational skills, and dedication to service. We need people who are able to respond quickly to requests and who have the time to dedicate to board-related matters (can range from a few hours per month to multiple hours per week depending on issues and/or events).
Strong people skills: ability to relate well with a variety of people and personalities.
Evidence of exhibiting good judgment: the board typically has to deal with difficult and complex issues. We need people able to think carefully about such situations, deliberate on the best course of action, and help with final decision-making.
Ability to assist with monitoring and responding to community needs to help achieve the goals and uphold the values and policies of RVA Rope.
Ability to communicate well–verbally and in writing–and comfortable with online tools (Fetlife, email, Google Drive & Docs, Trello, and secure instant messaging).
Embodiment of Core Values: the more consistently the candidate embodies these values, the more likely the candidate will be considered for the position.

Roles and related criteria are subject to change without notice as needs evolve.