About us
The National Folk Festival is a FREE, three-day outdoor event celebrating the roots, richness, and variety of American culture, honoring the artistic traditions of all Americans. It features over 350 of the nation’s finest traditional musicians, dancers, and craftspeople in performances, workshops, children’s activities, and more. Jackson was selected through a national competitive process, beating out 42 other cities, to be the 2025-2027 National Folk Festival Host City.
The Jackson Redevelopment Authority (JRA) is a quasi-governmental entity dedicated to promoting economic development, revitalizing communities, and supporting strategic redevelopment initiatives throughout the City of Jackson. JRA partners with public and private stakeholders to create vibrant, sustainable growth opportunities across the city.
About the role
The National Folk Festival seeks to fill TWO (2) contract positions for the festival’s Volunteer Coordinator for the 83rd National Folk Festival in Jackson, MS. This position runs from June 2026 through late November 2026. The time commitment ranges from a few hours a week during the planning phase to a continual onsite presence during the festival itself (November 13-15). This position is offered as a 1099 contract through the Jackson Redevelopment Authority, the festival’s fiscal agent.
Requirements
The Volunteer Coordinator(s) will organize the 800+ volunteers needed to support the National Folk Festival effort. The successful candidate will be well-organized, creative, personable, gracious under pressure, and experienced in managing large groups. They will possess a keen attention to detail in a fast-paced environment, excellent communication, computer, and motivational skills, and the ability to make volunteers feel valued and appreciated.
The right candidate will also have a passion for community volunteerism and arts events and familiarity with the Jackson community. Experience conducting community outreach, using social media for organizing and recruitment, and familiarity with Google Workspace, Zoom, and online project management systems are preferred.
Responsibilities include:
Developing and implementing a volunteer recruitment plan
Conducting outreach within Jackson and the surrounding communities
Recruiting and managing volunteer team leads
Coordinating training meetings and materials for team leads and volunteers serving in a variety of positions
Managing the assignment and scheduling of volunteers through an online volunteer database
Full-time on-site management of the volunteer team during the National Folk Festival, November 13-15
TWO volunteer co-coordinators will be hired to co-lead this program.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume, and references to Thabi Moyo at tmoyo@nationalfolkfestival.com and Sandra Funk at sandra@ncta-usa.org, by May 15.