What's involved
Group Organiser Calender
We'd be lying if we said that being a Group Organiser was easy, but we're extremely grateful for their year-round efforts and do everything we can to support them in the task.
Sometimes it can seem a bit non-stop. No sooner has one event ended before you're back at church, encouraging people to book for the next year, then filling out the forms, collecting the money, arranging transport and many other tasks.
September - AN Other name change
If you still haven't confirmed
names for everyone in your Group, ensure you do so by 30 September
otherwise you'll incur a charge of £10 per set of changes. Up until
30th September, name changes on your booking a free.
To make name changes or any other amendments, phone the Resort of your booking:
- Minehead: 0845 070 4764
- Skegness: 0845 0704753
31 December - Discount application deadline
Certain benefit recipients can obtain a discount off the brochure price. If you think anyone in your group may be entitled to a discount, you can get discount application forms from springharvest.org/downloads.
Funds are limited and allocated on a first come, first served basis, so make sure we receive any applications as early as possible and in any case before the closing date of 31/12/10.
» See springharvest.org/discounts for more details
January/February - money time
For some Group Organisers this is the most difficult part as nobody likes asking people for money. The balance of monies for the whole Group will need to be paid 56 days before you arrive at Spring Harvest and needs to be paid in a single transaction - so you need to have everyone's money before this deadline.
Final payment due dates:
- Minehead & Skegness Week 1: by Friday 11 February 2011
- Minehead & Skegness Week 2: by Wednesday 16 February 2011
- Minehead Week 3: by Monday 21 February 2011
March/April
Now you can sit back and relax - well, probably not, unless you stay at home while they're gone (oh, and switch your phone off!).
You're still likely to be the person your group come to with questions and many Group Organisers still take a leading role while they're at the event, doing things like getting everyone together for a meal or making sure everyone gets the most out of the programme.
Hopefully, you'll have a great time while you're away and you'll be blessed by seeing God working in the lives of your group.
You'll also have the chance to come together with other Group Organisers at the Group Organisers' reception. You can share stories and experiences, ask questions of the Spring Harvest team and hear all about plans for the next Spring Harvest.
April/May - get people interested for the following year!
The work starts as soon as the last Spring Harvest has finished! You might want to do a presentation in your morning service or arrange a meeting after church. Use the resources available here or, why not get them to talk about their experiences? Personal testimony is a powerful motivator.
June - book your places
Booking lines open in June (9 June 2010 for Minehead and 16 June 2010 for Skegness) and you'll need to have a firm commitment from people before you make the booking.
Some accommodation options sell out very quickly, so Groups should choose units marked as 'bulk' under 'available stock' within the accommodation choice grids on the website and in the brochure. This will mean you are more likely to get your first choice of accommodation.
Booking lines tend to be very busy so patience may be needed! Once you get through you may find that some weeks or types of accommodation have already been booked up, so have an alternative choice ready.
» Find booking line phone numbers and dates on our Booking & Info page
July/August - book your place
Just check out the availability page for accomodation that's available,
call the Group Organiser Helpline on 01825 769115 to request a booking
form (one form needed for each accomodation unit) and then call Butlins
to secure your booking. Easy as that.
» Visit springharvest.org/availability for more info on accommodation spaces
All year round
All enquiries relating to your booking need to be made to Butlins through the Group Organiser - you! For enquiries which relate to other aspects of the event you can contact us through the Group Organiser's helpline on 01825 769116.
Monthly updates
» Sign up to receive Spring Harvest news by email and keep your Group informed
You'll need to find your own way of ensuring these don't take up too much of your time. Perhaps you could give people a deadline or let your group know when you're going to be in touch with Butlins
so they have an opportunity to give you all their questions in advance
Keeping people expectant - It's a long time between making your booking and going to Spring Harvest and enthusiasm might start to fade during the interim months.
If a large group is going from your church you could have a regular 'Spring Harvest' slot in your notice time on a Sunday or in your newsletter. You might want to consider getting everyone together for a meal shortly before you leave for Spring Harvest. Many people come to Spring Harvest with great expectations or with situations that they know they might have to face while they're away. The meal is a good opportunity for people to chat about what they want to get out of the event and can encourage fellowship while you're away.
Registered Group Organisers receive Spring-e/Groups by email News 3-4 times a year. This email newsletter is exclusive to Group Organisers and gives you up-to-date information on everything Spring Harvest is up to. In addition, each Guest will also be sent a copy of Newsline - our pre-event publication - around six weeks before they arrive and this will be sent to the address stated on their booking form.
» Sign up to receive Spring-e/Groups emails and get tip offs first!
And that's it! Group Organiser's who have done this for years say that although hard work, it's a fantastically rewarding role!
