Top Tips offer quick and easy to access information on specific topics to save you time and effort and to help you to get the most from your club’s resources.
The tips are compiled by the runningsports team, drawing on the experiences gained from countless sports volunteers. Whether you read them online or download them for reviewing later on, you’ll find a wealth of information here that is quick to read, useful, and immediately available.
| Governance & Administration |
> Promoting and Marketing Your Club
An overview of how to raise a club's profile
> Risk Assessment
Advice on making sure any volunteering environment is safe
> Data Protection Guidance for Sports Providers
Find out about your legal obligations in the collection and use of personal data of people taking part in activities.
> Succession Planning
Advice on finding or developing successors for key positions in the club.
> Club Structures
Find out the different ways in which clubs are set up and the impact that this may have on the financial and legal position of your club.
> Funding for Your Club
Find out different ways to raise money for your sports club and the organisations that can help with funding.
> How to Generate Income
Learn how to find independent sources of income and take a more commercial approach to the management of your organisation thereby reducing dependency on outside support.
| Volunteers & Volunteer Management |
> Volunteers - General
Provides some general advice about volunteers as well as an overview of the Top Tips available on this subject.
> Events – Information for Event Organisers Working with Volunteers Tips for those supporting volunteers
> Events – Information for Event Volunteers
What potential volunteers should expect when they help out at an event
> Finding New Volunteers – Recruitment
The essentials of recruiting volunteers for volunteer coordinators and club managers
> Health and Safety for Volunteers
Information on the legal responsibilities of clubs regarding their volunteers
> Recognising and Rewarding Volunteers
Tips for recognising the contribution of volunteers and thanking them for it
> Retaining Volunteers
How club managers and volunteer coordinators can make sure that volunteers are motivated and want to stay with the club
> Involving Disabled People as Sports Volunteers
The benefits of, and strategies for, recruiting disabled volunteers for your clubs
> Screening Volunteers
An outline of clubs' responsibility to check the background of their volunteers, and procedures for doing this
> Recruiting Committee Members
Committee members help structure and set the strategy for your organisation. Learn how you can find, recruit, induct and keep your committee members.
> Young People as Volunteers
Strategies for recruiting younger volunteers, and the benefits they bring to your clubs
> Involving Older People as Volunteers
The benefits of, and strategies for, recruiting older volunteers for your clubs
> Volunteer Support for Disabled People Participating in Sport
Provides volunteers with basic information, which will empower them in supporting disabled people to participate in sport and physical activity.
We have provided the following links to factsheets produced by other organisations that we believe may be useful and relevant to your sports club or team. (The factsheets will open in new window as either PDF or Word documents.)
Disability Sport
(from the English Federation of Disability Sport)
> Disability Language & Etiquette
A guide to appropriate and inappropriate language.
> Discovering Sports Factsheet
Produced by the RNIB, this factsheet provides information on leisure and sports activities for blind and partially sighted people.
> Volunteering for Everyone
Produced by Mencap/Volunteering England, this is a guide for organisations who want to include and recruit volunteers who have a learning disability.
> Can Do Volunteering Guide
A guide to involving young disabled people as volunteers.
...more factsheets are available from the EFDS website.
Women in Sport
(from Women's Sport and Fitness Foundation)
> Barriers to sports participation for women and girls
This factsheet explores the range of practical, personal, social and cultural barriers that prevent women and girls becoming involved in sport and exercise.
> Equal Opportunities Monitoring
This factsheet explains the why, what and how when it comes to equal opportunities monitoring.
> Funding
How and where to apply for that all important funding for your project or organisation.
> How and why sports should gender impact assess their strategies
Determine whether your policies and practices will affect men and women differently and the changes that you might need to make to make sure that any discriminatory effects are eliminated.
> How can sports clubs attract/retain women
Find out the key elements which the WSFF believe should be effectively implemented by most clubs.
> How should NGBs work with women and girls
This factsheet describes the core elements which the WSFF believe should be suitable for most, if not all, NGBs.
...more factsheets are available from the WSFF website.
Safeguarding Children in Sport
(from Child Protection in Sport Unit)
> High quality community sport for young people
Operational standards and guidance for organisations who do not have a recognised club accreditation standard.
> Standards for safeguarding and protecting children in sport
Ten standards developed by Sport England Governing Body Services and the Sports Task Force on Policy and Standards.
...more factsheets are available from the CPSU website.
Equality Act
> Equality Act Summary Guide
Guide for voluntary and community sector service providers.
Using Social Networking for Fundraising
> JustGiving's guide to social media fundraising
Find out how to take advantage of social media to further your fundraising efforts
> The 10 best ways to use Facebook to fundraise
JustGiving provides some top tips on how to best use Facebook to boost your fundraising
Employment Law
> Employment Law Briefing - Advice For Clubs
The RFU has produced this document to help sports clubs understand the rules and regulations regarding legislation for employees
| Share your experience!
You are part of a staggering six million sports volunteers in England. For every issue that concerns sports volunteers, there’s a volunteer who’s been there, done that, and come out smiling. Perhaps that’s you. If you have tips you would like to share, we’d love to hear from you – please contact us and let us have your Top Tips. |
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