Volunteer
Two hours is genuinely useful
Sanhoti has no paid staff. Every puja, concert and charity drive is put together by people who took an afternoon off. You do not need to be Bengali, a member, or to know anyone already.
Roles
What actually needs doing
Pick whatever suits you. Most people end up doing a bit of several.
Kitchen and food service
Chopping, cooking, plating and serving. The kitchen team starts before dawn on a puja day and is the reason several hundred people get fed. No cooking experience needed — most of the job is willing hands and following instruction from whoever is running the pot.
Setup and teardown
Chairs, tables, staging, decorations, signage. Setup happens the evening before or early morning; teardown is the last hour of the last night and is always the shift we are shortest on.
Registration and welcome desk
Checking people in, handing out meal tokens, answering "where do I go?" — and being the person who spots someone standing awkwardly at the door on their first visit and goes over to them.
Sound, lighting and stage
Running the desk, managing microphones and cues for the cultural programme. Real experience genuinely helps here, but we will train someone willing to learn.
Photography and video
Our galleries and social channels run entirely on volunteer photographs. If you shoot as a hobby, this is the easiest way to contribute something we cannot easily buy.
Children’s activities
Art tables, games and the exhibition. Supervising and encouraging rather than teaching — patience matters more than qualifications.
Coming up
Where help is needed next
These are the events currently being planned. Setup and teardown shifts are always the hardest to fill.
Questions
Before you sign up
- Do I need to be a member to volunteer?
- No. Anyone can volunteer at a Sanhoti event, member or not, Bengali or not. Turning up to help is one of the easiest ways into the community.
- How much time do I have to commit?
- A single two-hour shift is genuinely useful and completely normal. Nobody is expected to give a whole weekend, and there is no ongoing obligation.
- Can teenagers volunteer?
- Yes, and many do — it is a good source of community service hours for school. Under-16s should be volunteering alongside a parent or with their permission, and we will pair them with an adult on the shift.
- What do I do if I have never been to a Sanhoti event?
- Volunteering is arguably the best way to attend your first one. You get a job to do, a team to do it with, and an instant reason to talk to people. Say it is your first time when you sign up and we will pair you with someone experienced.