Understanding your volunteers

Imagine your sport without; referees, coaches, organised draws, or anyone to run the bar after the game.

Quite simply it is unimaginable. It is the undertaking of these tasks and many others that make the thousands of volunteers involved in sport in our region, and throughout New Zealand, the unsung heroes of sport. No matter what the sport, amateur or professional there are volunteers involved who make sport happen, such as the near 30 helpers who helped run the successful 2010 Go Active Kids TRYathlon in early March.

To guarantee the continued delivery of high quality sporting experiences in our region, clubs and other sports organisations need to ensure they are implementing strategies to retain this precious resource. Understanding the motivations and expectations of volunteers is the key to achieving this.

According to the 2007/2008 Active NZ survey conducted by SPARC, over 19% of all adults in the Manawatu region volunteer in the sport and recreation industry. Although slightly lower than the New Zealand average of 25.3 % it is still a significant proportion of our community who volunteered as coaches, officials, administrators or committee members.

Reasons for volunteering are varied and often relate to the individuals stage of life. Many people start volunteering because of a family member’s involvement. For example a parent will take on a coach or managers role because their child started to play a particular sport. Others take on volunteer roles to give back to the sport or club. This is typical of people who have had long term relationship with the organisation or code. Commonly people become volunteers because they are the only ones to put their hands up.

As organisers, competitors and spectators we have high expectations of volunteers. Justified or not we expect volunteers to referee without making mistakes or to wash the team uniforms correctly. We expect they will provide first aid and water when needed and they will accurately record club accounts and prepare monthly financial records. Likewise volunteers should have equally high expectations of the clubs and events organisers who have requested their assistance. Similar to an employee-employer relationship, volunteers should expect that they have clean working conditions, the necessary equipment and resources to carry out the role and clear expectations of what their role is. Balancing the needs of both parties will increase the success of the volunteers in their role and the overall event.

There are numerous strategies that can be implemented which take into account the motivations and expectations of volunteers but ensure the club or organiser is also getting what they require. These include:

• Managing workloads or job sharing.
• Providing a welcoming environment where volunteers feel valued alongside paid staff.
• Providing clear and specific written job descriptions.
• Utilising the skills of the volunteer.
• Supplying the necessary resources to implement the role.
• Making volunteering a social activity.
• Rewarding volunteers in meaningful ways.
• Recognising volunteers after the event, during the season and at the end of the season.

Volunteers are the heart of sport and without them sport as we know it wouldn’t exist. Understanding the motivations and expectations of volunteers is crucial to this. For more information on how to manage your volunteers or how you could become a volunteer visit: www.sportmanwatu.org.nz.