Planning for volunteers
Planning for volunteers
Planning for volunteer management is crucial to ensuring that your Club follows a systematic approach to addressing the key functions of volunteer management within your Club. Findings from the Volunteers in Rugby research project suggested that:
“Clubs reporting more extensive use of volunteer management practices were less likely to experience volunteer retention problems”.
When planning for volunteer management, your Club should consider the following:
Appoint a Volunteer Manager/Coordinatoror allocate the volunteers portfolio to a committee member
Allocate time to planning for the future needs of your volunteers
Develop a yearly volunteer management action plan that clearly set outs the Club plans in addressing the seven functions of volunteer management (including what it will do, how it will do it and by who, and the regular assessment of the progress of your action plan)
Allocate a budget to delivering all aspects of your volunteer management plan (e.g. reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses, recognition program costs, etc)
Review all volunteer positions and skills required to fulfill these positions
Develop or adapt position descriptions for each of these roles
Identify skills already in the Club and match these skills to positions
Identify recruitment strategies to fill the gaps
Establish policy and procedures for screening of volunteers where required
Develop orientation process for new volunteers
Outline and communicate roles and responsibilities of volunteers and the Club
Keep an up-to-date database of your volunteers
Put in place ongoing recognition strategies
The Volunteer Manager/Coordinator
The management of volunteers is critical and the appointment of a dedicated Volunteer Manager/Coordinator (or allocating the volunteers portfolio to a committee member) will assist in nurturing the Club's most valuable asset - your volunteers! The appointment of a Volunteer Manager/Coordinator is recognition of the importance of volunteers to the effective operation of a Club.
Volunteering does not simply happen. Volunteers who are unsupported, uncoordinated and not well managed are unlikely to feel positive about their volunteer experience. The work of volunteers needs to be coordinated if Clubs are to be effective in achieving their goals and volunteers are to be satisfied that their time and effort has made a difference.
The Volunteer Manager/Coordinator will not be responsible for recruiting volunteers rather ensure people in positions have in place the appropriate resources and support for executing tasks well and in accordance with the Club’s volunteer management action plan.
Click here for a position description for volunteer coordinator.
Acknowledgement
Reproduced with permission from the Australian Sports Commission and the Department of Sport and Recreation Western Australia.
