After putting in a day’s work as a nurse, Liz Finch heads to Wells Fargo Arena some nights after work to serve nachos and other food to hungry hockey fans and concert-goers. She does this second job without pay, to raise money to pay for her daughter’s dance team.

Finch’s group from the Paula Brekke School of Dance in Des Moines was one of the first to volunteer to work at the concession stands at the Iowa Events Center as a fund-raising technique. The arena complex is using groups of volunteers from Central Iowa non-profit organizations to solve a worker shortage and to put money back into the community in the process, according to John McClain, the retail food manager for Ovations Food Services at the Events Center.

“Finding an hourly staff of 300 is nearly impossible,” McClain said. “I have a good hourly staff, but not nearly 300 people. With non-profit groups, it’s a way for them to not only raise money for their organizations, but for us to also put money back into the community.”

McClain suggested staffing the Events Center’s concessions stands with volunteer groups after success with a similar program at an amphitheater in Albuquerque, where he previously worked. “I figured if this will work in Albuquerque, it will work anywhere,” he said.

When non-profit groups partner with the Events Center, they sign on to work a minimum of 10 home hockey games, each time providing a group of between eight and 13 people, age 18 or older, to operate a concession stand for approximately six hours. So far, about 20 groups from Central Iowa have signed up to work at the concession stands, but McClain would like to see that number doubled.

“It’s a lot of work, and this obviously takes people within those groups who are high-energy people,” McClain said.

After training a few leaders from each group on how to operate a cash register and serve alcohol, the groups get hands-on experience with setup, food preparation, serving and cleanup. A stand manager from Ovations works with them the first few times to help them learn the ropes.

The concessions groups earn a commission rate of either 9.5 percent or 10 percent for their organization based on total sales receipts during their shift. Groups that carry their own general liability insurance receive the higher rate.

Eileen Gross, a volunteer with the Hoover High School Athletic Boosters, has worked at several events on behalf of her children’s school, and said earnings can vary significantly from one event to another.

“I think we made about $700 during the Bon Jovi concert, which was great, but a hockey game the other day only made $100-something,” Gross said. “But a hockey game right before that made $400. It’s really hard to say if you’re going to make much money while you’re there or not.”

Gross tries to make up for events with lower sales by also signing Hoover up to work big concerts and sold-out shows, where she sees the potential to make the most amount of money.

“I’m a little picky about the events I sign up for because I don’t want to burn people out,” she said. “These parents are also working concession stands for athletic events and involved with supporting the booster club in other ways.”

In addition to athletic boosters, several other groups from Hoover have gotten involved with the fund raising, including band, drama and the post-prom committee. The band is earning money toward a trip to San Antonio, and the athletic boosters are trying to build their group’s treasury for big purchases such as a sound system.

Gross said working with the Events Center has been a major time commitment, but also has its fun moments.

“(Ovations) let us go and watch part of Paul McCartney and Bon Jovi, which was very generous of them,” she said. “It’s good publicity for the school, and a lot of Hoover grads come up and talk to us and sometimes give us tips.”

Another benefit of working at the concession stands as a fundraiser, Gross said, is that it means spending less time in the community soliciting donations or trying to sell products out of a catalog.

“I guess I don’t like going out in the community and soliciting for donations,” she said.

McClain said he would like to sign up enough groups to work concessions so that every stand at every show is staffed by non-profits. Currently, he has to hire people from temporary employment agencies when not enough groups sign up.

As a parent and former treasurer of a booster club, McClain has firsthand experience with the fund-raising pressures these organizations face.

“I was on the other side, and you end up spending your own money out of your pocket when you don’t come up with the right amount of money from fund raising,” McClain said. “As a parent, you’re willing to volunteer your time if it means you’re earning money to help your kids.”

Because parents understand that the money they earn goes toward their children’s activities, it makes them dependable workers, McClain said.

“I know with my non-profit groups that they’re going to be there,” McClain said. “These people are committed to their organizations and their kids’ activities.

“It’s a lot of work on their end and our end as well, but that’s not the point. They’re coming in and earning their percentage of profits to earn money for their kids.”