Introduction
Statistics tell us that we have an ageing population that is generally healthy for longer, has more leisure time and has a huge amount of experience. As individuals find competing in some sports more difficult due to age-related issues, people often begin to want to ‘give something back’ in other ways – this gives us an opportunity to increase our volunteer workforce by targeting older people.
These Top Tips take 50-plus as a market for identifying the older volunteer. There are benefits for both the person and the club in recruiting older volunteers. These are summarised below:
| Benefits for the Club: | Benefits for the Older Person: |
| An increase in volunteers for your sports club. | A great social environment, especially for those living on their own |
| Life experience. | An opportunity to share previous experiences with younger people |
| May have different skills and attributes to younger volunteers. | A healthy opportunity for keeping active. |
| More availability and flexibility. | An opportunity to learn new skills. |
| Loyalty to the club – more likely to be settled geographically and mentally. | A place where they still feel useful and valuable. |
| They are often more focused on achieving outcomes. | An opportunity to remain in sport after a competitive career. |
| Older people often bring a sense of the wider community to a club. | A therapeutic opportunity; an opportunity to regain self - confidence and physical health after a serious life event. |
| They will often be less selective about the type of job they will undertake. | A place to work with people of varying ages. |
See runningsports Top Tips “Finding New Volunteers – Recruitment” for general advice on recruiting volunteers. In addition, here are some other things you could think about:
Reflect on the different motivations that older people will have for volunteering.
- Ensure that you deal with potential recruits in a professional manner. Many people have spent years in management/supervisory roles in their working lives by the time they are seen as older volunteers; they will not want to join a club, which appears disorganised and incompetent.
- If possible, include older people in designing your recruitment campaign.
- Promote the benefits of volunteering for your club to them, as shown in the chart above.
- Involve other local groups/organisations who work with older people.
- Use older people visually on any publicity material you produce.
- Ensure that campaigns concentrate on ‘taking action to deliver results’.
- Ensure that you have clear roles for people to fill.
- Approach the parents and grandparents of younger club members.
- Where possible, work with employers who are encouraging community volunteering, both generally and as part of supporting employees working towards retirement.
- Identify groups in your community who have an older membership. Presentations to Lions, Rotary and Round Table groups, local business networks and similar organisations can be useful.
Barriers and Myths
There are a number of barriers and myths about working with older volunteers. Check out some of the solutions offered below:
| Barriers/Myths: | Solution: |
| Older volunteers can only carry out undemanding tasks (like making the tea). | Many older people are very fit and active. Ensure others in your club are more aware of older people who play active roles (e.g. most of the best coaches in the country are over 50) |
| Older volunteers can or want to only want to work with older people. | Older people enjoy working with a variety of age groups and often have a great affinity with young people. |
| Older people are too frail and ill to volunteer. | Each person is an individual. Assess a person by what they are able to do against the activity. |
| Older volunteers dominate opportunities and put off younger volunteers. | Ensure that your club policies are such that no-one dominates positions. Introduce succession plans, trainee volunteer posts etc. |
| Older people are very inflexible in their approach. | Club policies should not allow anyone to have so much control that new ideas can’t be considered. |
| There are potential difficulties for older volunteers, with insurance upper age limits. | Age should not be an excuse for exclusion. Where an insurance policy has an upper age limit (typically 70 yrs) discuss this with the company to alter it, reassuring them that all volunteers are risk-assessed, or change insurers! |
| Older people can’t afford to volunteer if they are living on a pension. | Make sure you are clear regarding what out of pocket expenses are paid, regardless of the age of your volunteers. |
| Older people lose confidence in their abilities and skills after they retire. | Working with employers before people retire could ensure a transition which helps reduce this loss of confidence. Make it clear that a wide range of skills are welcome and that you support all volunteers once they are in your club. |
Further Information
This website has other useful resources the Quick Guide: “Volunteers”, along with other downloadable resources - Top Tips, Role Outlines and information on training including workshops and workbooks.
Other Organisations Worth Checking Out
These Top Tips are intended as a general guide, based on legislation at the time of publication. Neither runningsports, its staff, the authors nor reviewers can accept any liability for any loss arising as a result of reliance upon the information contained herein. Readers are strongly advised to obtain professional advice on an individual basis.
Follow us