Volunteer Planning
- Club Assistance
- Coach Development
- BayTrust CoachForce
- Volunteering in the Bay
- Women and Girls
- Good Sports
- Spaces and Places Strategy
- Disability Sport
- Forsyth Barr BOP Sports Awards
Volunteer Planning
Attract, manage and retain volunteers
Having a volunteer plan in place is an important step to helping you attract, manage and retain volunteers. A plan also helps ensure any volunteering done for your club or organisation will contribute to positive outcomes for everyone.
Is your organisation ready for volunteers? Do you understand where volunteers could have the most impact, what motivates your current volunteers and how you will manage any risks?
Questions to ask yourself
What motivates your current volunteers?
Understanding what keeps your current volunteers coming back can highlight their motivations and values to attract new volunteers or retain the volunteers you already have.
Do you know what tasks and roles exist?
Knowing your club or organisation’s needs is crucial to understanding where volunteers can have the most impact. As you think of where volunteers are most needed, be sure to include short and long-term opportunities so volunteers have a choice regarding their commitment.
Who in your club or organisation will be responsible for volunteers and able to answer queries about volunteering?
It’s not a great start if someone shows interest in volunteering for your club or organisation but no one is available to answer their questions. Consider appointing a volunteer manager or, at the very least, someone who can be a point of contact. Do your volunteers know who to contact if they have a concern or query?
How will you manage risks?
How will you train your volunteers or ensure they go through an appropriate vetting process, particularly if they’re working around children? Having a volunteer manager or co-ordinator can help your club or organisation to support its volunteers, keep them engaged and meet regulatory requirements.
What kind of volunteering experience are you offering?
Looking after your volunteers and recognising their contribution helps to ensure they feel valued and want to continue to be involved.
Resources:
Below is a list of downloadable templates and resources that can help with planning for volunteers.