Welcome

Hello and thank you for volunteering.

We would like to thank all of you for coming out to volunteer, because without you there would be no Canadian Tulip Festival.

Every year people flock to the city of Ottawa to be able to behold the gorgeous sight of hundreds of thousands of tulips in bloom, and this year, with your help, we hope to enhance their park experience.

Expectations

By volunteering, you are making yourself a representative of with the Canadian Tulip Festival. As such it is important to remember the following items in dealing with the public.

1. Be polite
2. Be helpful
3. Be clean and scent-free
4. If you can not help someone, try to find someone on walkie talkie who can
5. Be respectful to visitors and other volunteers - everyone should be able to enjoy their time with us
6. Don’t sit - if you are selling items and physically able we request you stand. This will make you more approachable by our visitors.
7. Don’t use your phone - if you are selling items, customers won’t feel you are there to help if you are looking at your phone.
8. SMILE when dealing with people or being approached by people

Arriving for your shift

Please plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of your shift. When you arrive please visit the Dow’s Lake Pavilion to check-in and receive your location details for your shift.

Dress code

As a member of the Canadian Tulip Festival, we expect you to present a clean and professional appearance when you represent us.

You will be provided with a Green Team Volunteer T-shirt, please ensure it is visible for guests to identify you. Generally, clean, neat clothing is acceptable. Be sure to be ready for all weather conditions. Temperatures can fluctuate throughout the festival so be sure to bring a sweater. Wear comfortable closed-toed walking shoes.

Please be mindful of all those you interact with by keeping minimal to neutral body odours, such as refraining from using strong perfumes and colognes.

Stations - Where will you be working?

Green Team members will be stationed in 1 of 5 zones. When you check in at the volunteer desk at Dow’s Lake Pavilion, your location for your shift will be confirmed.

1. Tulip Boutique
2. Mobil Carts

Sales Checklist

1. Greet with a smile “Hello, is there anything I can help you with?
2. Ask “Would you like to make a $2 or $5 donation to the Canadian Tulip Festival Today?”
3. Ask “Would you like to purchase raffle tickets today? $5 for 1 or $10 for 3.”
4. Enter all items including donation and raffle tickets into the system. Present to the customer for payment.
5. Bag items and hand customer any raffle tickets they bought.
6. Thank customer for purchase from Canadian Tulip Festival.

Issue Refunds on Square

1. From the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen, tap Transactions.
2. Select the payment you’d like to refund.
3. You can search by card number, phone, customer name, receipt, notes or item.
4. You can also tap the customer’s payment card directly on Square hardware to filter card transactions paid to your business.
5. Once you’ve located the transaction, tap Issue Refund.
6. Tap Select All Items to refund the entire sale, select the specific items you’d like to refund or tap AMOUNT to refund a specific dollar amount.
7. Tap Next.
8. Choose to refund to the original payment card or via electronic or physical Gift Card.
Choose a reason for the refund. Tap Refund.

Connect Square reader

1. Go to your device settings and make sure Bluetooth is turned on.
2. Open the Square app and tap More from the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen.
3. Tap Settings > Hardware > Card Readers > ‘Connect a Reader’.
4. Put your reader into pairing mode by pressing the reader’s button for 3–10 seconds.
5. Remove your finger as soon as you see orange flashing lights. If you see red flashing lights, you’ve held the button too long and you’ll need to try again.

Handling Cash Transactions

1. Leave currency on the cash register ledge or other secure area visible to the customer until the transaction is completed.
2. Check for large-denomination counterfeit bills.
3. Look and feel bills for any obvious issues. I.e. photocopies, weird materials
4. Count change back to the customer.
5. Make sure the currency, coin, or check from a transaction is placed in the cash drawer before handling the next transaction.
6. Payments made in non-Canadian currency cannot be accepted.

Raffle Tickets

We have two raffles in the park this year. One with KLM and one with Just Vertical. In case a guest has questions - below we have general information on both:

1. KLM raffle tickets can be purchased online or in-person at the Tulip Boutique.
2. Guests can purchase 1 raffle ticket for $5 or 3 raffle tickets for $10.
3. The raffle winner will be drawn and announced online after the completion of the Festival.
4. The winner will receive 2 Economy Tickets to Amsterdam, departing from anywhere in Canada that KLM flies.

Walkie-talkies

• Ensure no one else is currently talking
• To speak, hold down the talk button on the side of the walkie-talkie and wait 2 seconds. Then convey your message
• To listen, remove finger from any buttons

What to Say

• Say “Call for NAME from YOUR NAME” 
  • i.e. “Call for Volunteer Manager from John”
  • They should respond “Go for Volunteer Manager”

• Say “Go for YOUR NAME”

• Turn on your walkie talkie. Depress button and “Say Walkie  Check”
• Remove finger from button
• Someone will reply with “Good Check”

Request persons location

• “What’s your 20?”

Copy 

• “I heard and understood the message”

Go Again

•  “I did not understand the message, please repeat”.  

On the day

1. Arrive 15 minutes early for the shift
2. Volunteer Meeting Point - Dows Lake Pavilion
3. Always wear your CTF T-shirt
4. Do not leave booths unattended
5. Before leaving for the day, please ensure that next shift volunteers are available
6. Feel free to reach out to CTF Staff with feedback, concerns or questions, either in person or via email
7. Enjoy your experience

Contact Information

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a global call to action to address today’s most pressing social, economic and environmental challenges. The Government of Canada is helping to advance the SDGs through dialogue, participation and collaboration.

The Canadian Tulip Legacy has identified 9 SDGs where we are able to have an active impact:

1. Healthy Canadians |The Canadian Tulip Festival is in a unique position to support the SDG of Healthy Canadians. We offer an accessible, outdoor experience that promotes walking and movement while enjoying the proven benefits of nature and gardens.
2. Quality Education |The Canadian tulip Festival has been growing our Liberation Education Kit since 2019. This 6 Chapter Education Kit is the foundation for passing on information from generation to generation about the importance of freedom and international friendships. Our goal is to continue to expand on this program, offering multimedia support materials to keep learners engaged in the process.
3. Affordable,Clean Energy | We have made great strides in reducing single use plastics, providing eco-packaging for Tulip Bulbs, and implementing solar power wherever possible. It is our hope that over the next 5 years, we will be in a position to fully implement the use of green generators to manage the Festival’s various energy needs. 

4. Reduced Inequalities | The Canadian Tulip Festival is an equal opportunity organization, and works with hundreds of volunteers annually. We provide a training ground and valuable experience for New Canadians. Our team is LGBTQIA2S friendly, and welcomes BIPOC and disabled members to join our team.

5. Sustainable Cities & Communities | We provide our information and services in both official languages, English and French, thereby fostering a sense of inclusion among the Francophone Community. We also promote the use of Public Transit, as well as Cycling and Walking to the Festival Site, reducing air pollution.

Please provide your name and email address so we can confirm that you have completed your training