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Departments Don’t Exist

A Nate and Bunny Production

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Intro

WE ARE AWESOME AND SO ARE YOU

Nate Bunny

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Issues, Improvements, & Ideas

At Super:

Staff management / reporting
How to get help from other depts

Between Supers:

Budget strategies and challenges
Long-term planning strategies
Adding big new features

Wildest Dreams:

Dividing a dept / merging 2 depts
Creating an inter-dept project

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No idea is too big

Precedent exists to start a new project or make a new department:

WHO
WHERE
HOW MUCH $

MAGFest encourages innovation, and volunteers across the org bring cool stuff to life every year.

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Resources & How to Find them

Resources that already exist:

Handbooks, SOPs, timelines, checklists, layouts
How to source items (paint, controllers, cables)

Notion, Slack, GDrive

DHs: PLEASE put your leadership contact info in your dept’s slack channel description
If you don’t know where to start, ask all of us!

#super-department-heads

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What is stopping you?

Overstepping your dept bounds - don’t stop, talk!
Collaborating across depts and divisions
“What if attendees don’t like my idea?”
“What if other staff/depts don’t like my idea”

The power of MAGFest is in its volunteers! Our decentralized structure means that no one will assign you your next project - having the idea is all the permission you need to get started!

Just because a dept is different from you (gaming vs music) doesn’t mean they don’t face similar challenges

If you’re worried about overlapping with someone else’s domain, that means you should talk to them, not that you shouldn’t pursue your idea

If you have a great idea but don’t think others will like it or attendees will like it - try talking to other departments and see if they have tried it before or if they have similar ideas

“I’m afraid of scary strangers in other departments”

Your div head and your fellow DHs are resources! Use them!
The office are literally professionals who exist to support you (in pursuit of the core values). They’re not your boss or your dad (even though they are in charge of things like reporting structure, budgets, etc).

If youre communicating clearly about your plans, don’t wait for approval, not hearing “no” is the “yes”.

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What is stopping you?

Me, frequently

Faith

Deb

If I work on this new idea and overstep, I’ll get in trouble!

The MAGFest Core Values literally encourage you to do it! Failure is a necessary step in growth and development. Don’t be afraid to try to create new things. Mistakes made while acting in good faith should not be punished.

… with who?

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Let’s Get Started!

Bring us cat pictures (or donuts (or both))
You are empowered to talk to dept heads, div heads, or office folks, we’re all just people!
Follow up, ask twice.
Come to the DH Retreat in Baltimore 3 7:30-9PM

Have an awesome idea? Here’s how you can get started in making it a reality!

Bring cat pictures (or donuts, preferably both)
Just reach out, no really, we have some of the nicest staffers on the planet
Remember that ALL of us are looking for new awesome ideas to make fest better, more fun, and more approachable, so everyone’s ideas are welcome
Remember that levels don’t matter. You can talk to dept heads or office folks, they are normal humans just like you!
If you feel uncomfortable approaching another dept the div heads, office, and even board members (who want to hear from you) are MORE THAN HAPPY to help
Also remember that some people have demanding day jobs and may have issues getting back to you. That is not a reflection on you or your idea, that’s just the reality of living in a capitalist hellscape - follow up, ask twice