Service Opportunities

The Ohio State Beekeepers association cannot run with just its officers. It relies on its members and volunteers to stay strong and vibrant.   Below are a number of volunteer opportunities.  If you are interested in any of them please submit the form at the end of the page and your information will be forwarded to the chairperson of the areas you select.

Ohio State Fair – The state fair committee is always in need of members to expand support to the OSBA beekeeping pavilion at the Ohio State Fair, a major attraction for more than 8,000 fair visitors annually. Volunteers who enjoy talking about honey bees to the non-beekeeping public are always welcome. Informational, crowd-pleasing displays and demonstrations are especially needed. The time commitment is very minimal during the year with most committee activity leading up to, and during fair week (late July-early August) The beekeeping pavilion is OSBA’s largest outreach program and to be successful requires the support of a somewhat large committee and more than 70 volunteers.

Fall Conference – We are always looking for volunteers to fill these slots and many others:  Speaker Support, Raffle Table, OSBA Table, Room Monitors, Friday Set-up, and Saturday Tear-down.  Many of you have attended the Fall Conference in the past and you have volunteered at many levels.  I’m sure we can fill the above spaces and if you can think of others that will make the conference run smoother, please don’t hesitate to suggest your idea.  I’m looking forward to working with as many of you as possible.

Outreach Events – Looking for volunteers to staff the OSBA table at events like Lithopolis HoneyFest, Farm Science Review, and Pollinator Week. This is a great opportunity to serve if you like to talk to people about beekeeping and OSBA.  Each event will need a minimum of 2-3 volunteers to speak on OSBA programs and outreach opportunities.

Nominating Committee – The Nominating Committee seeks out OSBA members who are interested in serving as part of the OSBA governing board. The board of Regional Directors, Regional Representatives and the Officers help direct OSBA into the future. The Board and Nominating Committee network at club meetings and bee events throughout the year to find members from around Ohio who are interested in helping continue OSBA’s work of serving beekeepers. New officers and Regional Directors are elected at the Fall Conference. Representatives are volunteers who are then approved by the Board.

OSBA Newsletter Colony – Various tasks and positions needed include:

  • Soliciting advertisers to help support publication costs
  • Writing articles for the OSBA Newsletter
  • Soliciting Writers for the newsletter.
  • Soliciting the OSBA Executive Board for reports
  • Soliciting the OSBA Board for reports on local associations
  • Proofreading

OSBA Newsletter Editor  – Responsible for the formatting and timely publishing of the OSBA Quarterly Newsletter.

Delegates to other Beekeeping Associations – These are annually renewed positions by OSBA.   Representatives/Delegates are to learn from their role in the position and to share their educational experience with the OSBA Board, and Ohio beekeepers.  Duties and responsibilities vary by the organization: