To: Cookie Managers and Troop Leaders
Subject: [GS] COOKIE DROP VOLUNTEER ALERT

COOKIE DROP VOLUNTEER ALERT

This long message is meant to help those kind folks who volunteered to
help with the cookie drop. They are helping to split cases, thereby
allowing fractional ordering. If you are a volunteer, read the rest of
this message and confirm with me by next weekend (Feb 5) that you
WILL BE ABLE to fill the Feb 28th 4-9PM activity (extended from your
original understanding). This is a hard deadline, as we need to change
our QuickBase numbers if we can't do partial cases.

THE PROBLEM

Based on my calculations we're going to have to have volunteers arrive
at 4PM and work until 9PM. Some of the 12 volunteers cannot be there
for the full 4-9PM stretch, and with the current list of 12 we're not
staffed well enough to support shifts. With 12 we have only 2 spares,
and I figure having 2 extra is a minimum workable setup so people can
take a break or address a sudden overload. We'd have 2 people on thin
mints, 2 on caramel delights, 1 each on the rest, and 2 spares.

SOLUTION

I'm prevailing on each volunteer to help out by finding additional
volunteers to split their 4-9PM stretch into shifts of their own
design, if they can't make the full period. This way, each volunteer
keeps their "slot" staffed, by splitting it up as needed with
additional people. I'd expect each volunteer might need up to 2 other
people, or none if they're free from 4-9PM.

I'm distributing this to the whole list, we should be able to locate
the people we need when we reach out to ask other parents in your
troops. People who haven't been called on to help with the cookie
activity to this point. People I cannot contact directly. Try not
toload down the Troop Leaders or Cookie Managers any further, as
they've already been very busy. Of course they're welcome to volunteer
if they have the time.

THE "OTHER" SOLUTION

If by Feb 5 it looks like we can't staff up sufficiently (12
volunteers slots fully covered from 4-9PM) I'll decide that we can't
divide the cases up and all troops will be asked to round to full
cases, and the pickup won't require more than a few volunteers. The
people we have, running in shifts, will be fine. This is a pretty
clean solution, if we can't work things out.

THE SWING-SHIFT VOLUNTEER JOB DESCRIPTION

Arrive at your scheduled time, come into the fray, and locate your
shift predicessor who will show you a live training session how things
go. You'll have a time sheet that shows each time slot, what troop is
coming for that slot, and how many of your cookie type to setup (cases
and boxes). You simply pull these materials from the huge stack and
pile them at the end of the row and place the troop's number on top
when it is ready. We plan to have 4 prep squares for each cookie type
so you can work ahead, prevent a jams, and have moments to rest.

As the troop completes taking its pile, sign their checkout sheet
indicating their order is complete for that cookie type. I'll be
checking out troops at the door looking for 8 verifications.

They will get an opportunity to load their own vans between 4 and
4:30, followed by a short training session.  I'm planning for half the
volunteers loading at 4:00 with half in training, and they switch
places at 4:15. By 4:30, everyone is loaded and trained and ready for
the onslaught.

OPERATIONAL DETAILS

Lori will direct the boxing area, and I'll handle check in, check out,
and handtruck rotation.

The troops start arriving at 4:30, every 5 minutes. I've interspersed
large troops with small troops to even out the load. With the current
schedule, we'll finish at 8:30, but any kind of a hitch could push us
out to 9PM.

On the "main stage" we'll have 8 huge rows of cookie types, and
volunteers prestaging the expected next troop's cases and boxes at the
front end of the row. The troops will be handtrucking a one way loop
filling them with their orders as efficiently as possible.  I'll have
tape markings on the floor to designate path ways and prep zones.

====================================
Ralph L. Vinciguerra
Cookie Chair, Reading Service Unit
ralph@vinci.org