Volunteer Spotlight: Outstanding Volunteer

Name: Heidi Berthiaume
Age: 30-something
Occupation: Senior Information Architect, writer

How long have you been a Browncoat?
7 years
What is your favorite show on television right now?
Leverage / Burn Notice / Human Target / Stargate Universe
How long have you volunteered with Austin Browncoats?
Not sure, 5 years?
How long have you lived in Austin?
I don't.
What drew you to the Austin Browncoats?
Shared Browncoat love, Beth Nelson
Why did you decide to start volunteering?
I liked the people and the causes and prefer to attend conventions from the dealer's side of the table.
What events or programs do you most often volunteer at?
Kind of random, whatever I make time for or can travel to.
What are some of your hobbies/interests?
Reading, writing, hiking, anime, crafts, creating fan music videos.
What is your favorite Austin Browncoat memory?
Serenitea juggling Feldman twins at Creation LA convention.
What motivates you the most about our organization? What keeps you so generous with your time and resources?
Their integrity and diligence in raising funds for charity. They are in it for the long haul and everyone who works with them is impressive in their own way. A very cool group of people to hang out with.
What is the easiest thing about volunteering, and what is the hardest?
Easiest - selling the stuff because the money goes to good causes. Hardest - packing up at the end of the day. A few people know how to do it, but often they are busy with other stuff, so clear instructions aren't available, and somethings you just get told you did it wrong after the fact - or what you did is corrected, but you're not told it was wrong, so you'd likely do it wrong again the next time.
Any tips or tricks of the trade you want to share with potential volunteers?
  • Wear comfortable shoes.
  • $1 buttons are an easy upsell (if someone's total is $8 and they are holding a $10 bill in their hand, say they can get two $1 buttons for a total of $10 - 90% of the time they will do it).
  • Always mention the proceeds go to charity
  • Compliment or ask something about them - their cosplay, jewelry, hair, buttons - be honest but as cool as the people are that buy from the ABC, it's easy to find something to compliment and start a conversation. Even if you don't sell anything, they will have had a pleasant experience and that's worth a lot.
  • Always thank them for stopping by with a smile, whether or not they buy anything.
What do you get out of an experience such as BCB, CSTS?
I've only been to CSTS, and Serenity on the big screen is a huge draw, as well as seeing friends I usually don't see during the year, and that whole raise money for charity thing again.
Favorite food?
Raspberries
Why would you encourage other volunteers to support Austin Browncoats?
They raise money for multiple charities. They have booths at awesome conventions. They are the real deal, and I know the money goes where they say it goes. Beth is cool.

For previous outstanding volunteers, view our Volunteer Spotlight Archive.