A Very Different Organization 1. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is driven by volunteers. Members of the Society are all active volunteers who have demonstrated their involvement in and commitment to the Festival. Board members, elected from the membership, therefore, have in-depth knowledge of Festival operations and strong commitment to ensuring its success. The Board has a number of working committees that involve Society members year-round to develop and deliver a variety of plans to improve the Festival.
Volunteers also drive delivery of the Festival.
1800 volunteers on 35 crews work with great autonomy to deliver the majority of services provided to patrons of the Festival. Many crew coordinators and volunteers have returned each year for over 10 years and are, therefore, very proficient at what they do. Most Festival functions are executed by volunteers with little or no staff supervision or guidance. Volunteers have the authority and responsibility to make decisions about how best to deliver their mandate. They are also greatly valued and treated well.