Introduction
Volunteers are the lifeblood of every sports club. They dedicate hours of time and energy, working in a variety of ways. Without them, most sports clubs and associations would cease to exist.
Throughout the text of the runningsports volunteer resources, reference is made to sports “clubs”. This term is used to include all sports organisations, such as leagues, county and area associations, and other community groups that provide sporting opportunities, whether in an organised setting, or a more formal environment.
There are a number of Top Tip sheets available for this subject matter which you can access from the left-hand menu. These include:
- Young People as Volunteers
- Event Organisers Working with Volunteers
- Finding New Volunteers – Recruitment
- Event Volunteers
- Screening Volunteers
- Volunteer Support for Disabled People in Sport
- Retaining Volunteers
- Disabled People as Volunteers
- Recognising and Rewarding Volunteers
- Older People as Volunteers
- Health and Safety of Volunteers
In addition, runningsports provide Role Outlines for numerous, specific volunteer positions, such as Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer and many others. Specifically, check out the Role Outlines for Volunteer Coordinator, Health & Safety Officer and Welfare Officer. The runningsports Quick Guide “Volunteers” contains information to help you produce a Volunteer Action Plan, and there are Workbooks “The Role of the Volunteer Coordinator” and “Valuing your Sports Volunteers” and Workshops “The Role of the Volunteer Coordinator” and “Making the Most of Your People” that you will also find useful.
Our Top Tips are
- Appoint a Volunteer Coordinator to oversee this very important area.
- Find out why people volunteer, what training and resources are available, and which organisations have information that will be useful to you.
- Produce a Volunteer Action Plan that will cover:
- What you need volunteers to do
- Role Outlines for each volunteer position
- How/where you are going to recruit your volunteers
- Methods of retaining existing volunteers
- How you will recognise and reward volunteers
- Build in a review period for all your volunteer work, including the Volunteer Action Plan.
Further Information
This website has other useful resources including those mentioned above, along with other free downloadable Top Tips, Role Outlines and information on available training including workshops and workbooks. Just register as a Network Member to access these and many more benefits. It’s free – so what are you waiting for?
Other organisations worth checking out
General:
For Older Volunteers:
For Young Volunteers:
** Bodies marked thus have activities, resources and/or national award programmes available for young people.
