|
The modern day volunteer is expected to be a skilled volunteer. It is more than just giving time. Volunteers are also expected (and expect themselves) to be competent and confident in their roles. This requires club investment in their development and the creation of a learning environment that meets their educational, social and health needs. This requires a transformation at club level involving the implementation of professional-style processes designed to retain the skilled volunteer workforce. Clubs need to remember that volunteers are participants in the sporting experience who must also be served by the organization.
It is important that there is a two-way dialogue process going on all the time between the club and the volunteer. This dialogue should seek to gain a continuous understanding of where the volunteer is in terms of their current motivations, attitudes towards the volunteering experience and development needs. The club should use the feedback from this process constructively and be receptive to the suggestions and issues volunteers may have for bringing about improvements. Support is fundamental to retaining your club’s volunteers and ensuring that they remain interested and motivated. There are many simple ways for a club to support its volunteers:
- Be approachable, open and honest
- Have a named person available who the volunteer knows they can go to with any problems or queries
- Find out what the volunteer wants from the club
- Ensure good communications
- Recruit many volunteers to spread the workload
- Provide opportunities for fun and socializing
- Provide feedback and review training and support needs
- Recognize other commitments, families, jobs etc
- Make all volunteers feel part of the team
- Recognize concerns and discuss ways to get around problem areas.
|