Be an Organizer!

We are currently seeking folks to organize Chunky Dunks in their own cities, states and countries!

It is our hope to begin offering seed money for first-time organizers with the ultimate goal being to help each Dunk become a self-sustaining event. The seed money will not be a gift but a short-term loan which, when repaid, will then be turned around and offered to the next first-time organizer.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order to become an official Chunky Dunk event organizer there are a few guidelines you must agree to and a short reference verification process. We do this for a few reasons: First — We’re handing out seed money which we’ll be collecting from sponsors throughout the year. We need to be sure we’re choosing folks who will use that responsibly and who will return it to us so we can continue to seed new events in the future.  Second — We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what the Chunky Dunk is and should be, its mission and its politics, and we want to make sure that folks who use the same name have the same vision and commitment.  Third — it’s just more fun that way!

So - Using the Chunky Dunk name without going through this process is not OK with us. We can’t stop you, of course. But you’ve nothing to gain by not joining up with us. Teams are better! :)

Once you are approved as an organizer, we will help you find a pool in your area if you need, add your event to our Where page, your bio to the Who page and add your events to our mailing list, calendar and facebook feed to help you promote your event!

Guidelines

The Chunky Dunk is dedicated to being a safer space. We function under a harm reduction philosophy — realizing that there is no true way to guarantee the emotional or physical safety of everyone in attendance — but that by providing a focused, intentional space where the natural diversity of human bodies is respected and revered, we can create a safer and more joyful space than most. In order to do this, our events require:

1) An accessible venue. Where possible, we ask that you book a pool with an accessibility lift. If this is not possible, we ask that you choose a pool with a sloping entrance or a wide stairway. No pools whose only entrance are ladders will be accepted as an official Chunky Dunk event.

2) An informed staff. We ask that each organizer consult with the pool staff in advance of the event to inform them of the nature and intention of the event and to ask that their on-duty staff be mindful and respectful of those in attendance.

3) An all-inclusive event. Chunky Dunk events are all-inclusive of gender, race, age (children must be supervised by parents or guardians at all times), sexuality, size, ability and class.

4) No one turned away for lack of funds. Chunky Dunk encourages (but does not require) sliding scale events. If you choose to have a non-sliding-scale event, we do ask that you not turn away folks from the door if they are under-funded. This needn’t be advertised, but must be offered in practice.

5) Positive language in promotion. Recognizing that each city is different and different language will be more appealing to different folks, we do not have a standardized event description. We do ask, however, that your announcements not use negative or exclusionary language (e.g. “no skinny bitches” would be a good example of what not to say.)

6) No Press at the actual event Your local media may be very interested in what you’re doing. Fat and body-positive events are not yet commonplace, so they might deem you newsworthy. This is great before the event, but to protect the privacy and safety of your attendees, inviting press to the actual event itself is a definite no. No filming or photography is allowed at the ChunkyDunks unless it is done by the organizer and only then with the permission of each person that is being filmed or photographed.

Organizer Reference Verification Process

Before we add you as an official organizer, we need to get to know you a little. We take what we do pretty seriously and we want to make sure our organizers do, too. This is a fun event for everyone, but it can also be a fragile space for attendees who may be putting on a swimsuit for the first time in years and feeling a little over-exposed. We want to treat that gift of trust respectfully, so we ask that you go through a little verification process to help us make sure we’re a good fit.

Please contact us with the following:

• 1) Your full name
• 2) Phone number
• 3) Mailing address
• 4) A bio — tell us about yourself, especially any previous activist or event organizing experience.
• 5) Why do you want to be a Chunky Dunk organizer?
• 6) Please send us the names, phone numbers and email addresses of 2 folks who can act as a reference for you. Especially good if they’re folks you’ve worked with, organized events with, or who have known you longer than 3 years. (please no girlfriends or mothers.) ;)

Made it through all that and still interested? Drop us a line!