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A key part of the recruitment process involves the selection and screening of potential volunteers. This serves a number of purposes. First it will help you to match the needs of your club to the needs and skills of the volunteer. Here as everywhere what you want are square pegs in square holes!!
Where it is difficult to match the volunteer with the particular roles available, you may be able to refer them to some of the volunteer support organizations mentioned elsewhere in this document. Screening is important also from the point of view of your ‘duty of care’ to the sports participants and others in your club. Some general points to consider when screening and selecting volunteers include:
- See potential volunteers for an informal chat / interview
- Ask members to complete a volunteering profile form to help you gather information about the time they might be able to give, any particular skills they can offer the club and previous volunteering experience. Maintain and use this database to match potential volunteers to role descriptors. Adapt your membership application form to gather this information as people join. The fact that you are asking for this information might just prompt somebody to offer his / her help.
- Find out what time people have to give. Just imagine what 20 people, who can only give one or two hours a month, could do
- Request two references prior to starting. These should be from work and / or previous volunteering if possible.
- Undertake Garda vetting if it is available to the sport and appropriate for the role. Notify all potential volunteers that you will be doing this beforehand.
- Place the right volunteer in the right job. What role are they interested in? Are their skills and abilities suited to a particular role? Does the time commitment involved match up with their availability?
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