Building a volunteer-friendly club

Keys to Fostering Engagement

While volunteers may seek to make a difference in their sport, build skills or enhance professional opportunities, at heart the reason why people volunteer is because they want to. Your job is to create a volunteer-friendly club that people want to support so you can harness that goodwill. Remember, every volunteer brings value to your club. 

Theory

There’s a lot of theory behind persuasion and influence. You don’t need to know it all. What it really comes down to is being nice, helpful, starting small and valuing your volunteers. For example, Dr. Robert B. Cialdini’s book, ‘Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion’ lists six principles of influence, with the four most relevant to attracting and retaining volunteers being:

• Liking: People are more likely to say ‘yes’ to people they like, which underscores the importance of being a friendly, approachable and trustworthy representative of your club.
• Reciprocity: Helping others increases the likelihood of them volunteering in return.
• Commitment and consistency: If you can get people involved in small ways, they are more likely to commit to larger roles later.
• Social proof: People are influenced by what others do, so showcase your current volunteers and their successes.

Strategies 

Here are some simple steps to creating an environment where people feel valued and interested in volunteering.

• Management committee members are ambassadors for their club.

This means getting out and meeting people, resulting in more willing people keen to help their friends and their club. Don’t be afraid to simply ask for help, but…

• Be clear on what you are asking for.

Be honest about what is involved and how long it will take, including any events or meetings they would be expected to attend.

• Highlight positive impact.

Emphasise the positive impact of the role and its value to the community.

• Share your volunteer’s success.

Positive stories and outcomes will inspire potential volunteers.

• Value your volunteers.

Give personal thanks and recognition, provide training and give recommendations on their social media profiles. At the same time, seek out and act on volunteer feedback and ideas.

Did you know? Volunteer recruitment events are also an opportunity to celebrate and recognise current volunteers.

• Create a welcoming and inclusive environment. 

Your club should be a place where volunteers feel valued and supported. 

• Training.

Providing ongoing training not only leads to improved performance, it also helps build your club’s capacity to grow and thrive.

The aim is for your club to have a pool of supporters who help as needed and to place real value on their contributions. It’s always far easier to keep a volunteer than to find a new one!

Providing rewards for service

Incentives such as rewards (or at least compensation for costs such as meals or travel vouchers) can be effective, but they can only support, not supplant, a person’s intrinsic motivation to contribute. After all, if a person is looking for reward they are not really volunteering.

If you do want to explore some sort of incentive system

• Tailor incentives to individuals – one size doesn’t fit all
• Incentives don’t have to be gifts – consider experiences, recognition or training opportunities
• Give incentives promptly, close to the act being rewarded
• Incentives never replace genuine personal appreciation 
• Check-in with volunteers to gauge how incentives are received. They may not be wanted or used.

Be flexible

Volunteers should be able to contribute in a way that best suits them and meets the club’s needs. 

• Can volunteers assist from a distance, such as by managing your online presence or planning virtual events?
• Can you break down roles into smaller tasks that allow for those with limited time?
• Are you tapping into the specific skills of your members, such as graphic design or grant writing?
• What about rotating tasks to diversify input, share experiences and build capacity?
• Can you create family-friendly volunteering opportunities?
• Are you making the most of volunteers who might only be able to assist during big events or tournaments?

Attracting volunteers is about building relationships, understanding motivations and creating an environment where people want to get involved. 

By focusing on these principles, you can attract and retain a dedicated team of volunteers who are passionate about your club and your sport.