Clubs

Volunteers

Volunteers are the backbone of all community sport. Our clubs would not exist without them and they should be an important consideration when making decisions.

It’s essential that our volunteers are looked after. We want everyone to reap the value and benefits of our sport, including our volunteers. So  how can you find and hold on to these amazing people who help your club to thrive?

Creating a Positive Club Culture and Environment

Research suggests that if you truly want to make a lasting difference to volunteerism within your club, you need to focus on creating a volunteer friendly culture and environment. This should also create a pleasant, social and welcoming environment which will benefit everyone. This may be a longer-term plan and might not solve your immediate needs, but without making some serious changes, it’s likely that finding and keeping volunteers will be a continuous struggle.

The culture of your club is reflected in the values, beliefs, behaviours and expectation that members share. A strong and positive culture helps ensure people have an enjoyable and pleasant experience.

Most clubs have written codes of conduct and policies which set stands of acceptable behaviour. Your committee will be accountable for ensuring that the code of conduct is adhered to, but ultimately it is everyone’s responsibility to uphold the values of your club. However, it is the everyday words and actions that shape a club’s culture. What we say and how we act can influence attitudes, behaviours and continued involvement in your club. Language carries enormous weight and can impact on people for a long time. Make it part of your club’s culture to thank and show appreciation to volunteers. Not at the end of the year, not at the end of the season, but regularly. Anytime a volunteer does something you appreciate, just say thank you.

Be welcoming and positive about every volunteer and their contribution. Attitudes like the following should be discouraged:

• Someone hasn’t participated in athletics so they can’t volunteer in it
• Long term volunteers insinuating that they know better, that others are unable to do the role or even obstructing others from helping

An idea for clubs is to try to find one or two positive, enthusiastic champions of the idea of creating the ideal club culture, and word together to begin introducing small changes in the mindset of the wider membership. It might not happen overnight, but perseverance will show great results.

Supporting Volunteers

Over the years, volunteers have highlighted various issues that cause them frustration, leading to a negative and enjoyable experience. Many of these could be avoided if pro-active thought is given to simple processes within your club. Some common issues with volunteers are:

• “No comprehensive instructions”.  Clubs should have clear, written guidelines, processes and procedures in place, or try a mentor/buddy system for new volunteers.
• “A lack of written guidelines on the job”. We recommend clubs have clear but simple role descriptions for all of the roles.
• “No clear communication”. It is important for club leaders to provide regular, clear and transparent communications to your volunteers and members. The committee should be open, approachable and supportive. Why not put names, roles, contact details and photos of committee members on your notice board? Don’t assume everyone knows who your committee are.

What else can make the life of a volunteer easier and more enjoyable?

• Spread the workload – More than one person can carry out a role, either shared equally or using a mentoring/successor structure.
• Create micro-volunteering opportunities – Break down roles as much as possible into manageable, bit size chunks.
• Personal development and training opportunities can be a huge retainer for your people.
• Make it as social as possible – Many volunteers report that social links they have made through volunteering has added richness to their lives. Use this! Make volunteering fun.

Carry out activities in teams rather than individual where possible. Consider whether a task can be completed through an organized working bee.

Help your Volunteers Become a part of the Team:

SEEK FEEDBACK

Actively connecting with your volunteers to get feedback is great for helping everyone feel part of the team, and it shows you value their thoughts and ideas as a team member. It can also help your volunteers feel appreciated.

ENCOURAGE SUGGESTIONS

Creating a club environment where you actively encourage all members to share their ideas and suggestions also creates a great sense of team. Giving the team ways to share ideas and suggestions easily shows you value their thoughts and ideas as a team member.

Showing Appreciation and Recognising Volunteers

Why volunteer appreciation is important:

• Acknowledges Accomplishments – Showing your volunteers appreciation, especially after a specific accomplishment (eg. Organizing a successful event), reinforces their efforts. This is important as it shows that you and the club value their contribution.
• Increase Self-Esteem and Confidence – Feeling appreciated is one of the most important needs that people have. Genuine appreciation helps build self-esteem and confidence in those that receive it.
• Re-enthuses and Inspire – Appreciating your volunteers may re-enthuse their commitment to your club and in turn, inspire others to do the same. As mentioned, appreciating volunteers shows you value them and their contribution. This will encourage them to continue to support your club.

Here are some ideas to show your appreciation to the volunteers at your club:

1. Words of appreciation – call, text or email your volunteers, letting you them know you appreciate their contribution and acknowledging something specific they have done recently.
2. Share some nourishment – take your volunteers out for morning tea, host a pot-luck dinner, prepare some homemade baking or provide refreshments at your next committee meeting. The effort will speak volumes and sharing food is a great way to bring people together.
3. Shout it out – do you have an e-newsletter or Facebook page? Use it to spotlight your volunteers, highlighting what they have been up to and how they have contributed to your club. Include photos of them behind the scenes, doing the work that members might not typically see. Also, create a video montage of your athletes thanking the club volunteers and post it on your social media or website.
4. Reward and recognize – Try introducing a Volunteer of the Month or Character Awards, highlighting characteristics like kindness, commitment, determination or excellence, and award them to those who demonstrate the essence of each characteristic.
5. Recognise volunteers as part of the team – Provide volunteers with a club branded t-shirt or hat to wear at events, or branded lanyards to carry their keys.
6. Let others say thanks – create an appreciation/compliment poster on your club’s noticeboard or share a post on the club’s Facebook page, and encourage your members to note down what they appreciate most about the club’s volunteers.
7. Involve them – provide regular in-house training and development opportunities, pay for volunteers to attend training courses and workshops and make a point of listening to your volunteers’ ideas and acting on them wherever possible. Volunteers should be treated as part of the team and their ideas and on-the-ground knowledge should be valued.
8. Clever and cost-effective thank you gifts for example: Give a coffee-card voucher, or i you have a big volunteer effort during the winter, give out gloves or beanies. For summer volunteers, give out water bottles, sunscreen, or hats.

Achievement Programmes

Archery NZ suggests introducing your new members (and even your existing members) to an achievement or advancement programme. World Archery has a full beginner programme which helps new archers achieve milestones in score, skills and archery knowledge. There are badges which can be purchased through World Archery’s online shop and awarded to your members.

If you wish to adopt the World Archery achievement programme directly (without modification), visit their Badge Awards page, scroll down to the Beginner Badges area and download the manual and programme guide.

You may like to download their programme guide and adapt it to your club’s needs and requirements, or use it as a template to create your own!

We recommend scheduling in a day and time at least once a month, dedicated to a programme, for your archers to shoot and progress in their archery journey. Please click on the Management Tab and view the Shooting Calendar option.

Archery NZ also offers an achievement system based on scores with their Merit Pin System. The awards may be claimed by any age division or bow type. The rounds shot do not need to be at a registered tournament, but the scores do need to be verified by another club member. The programme starts with a green level and progresses to gold, before moving onto the Elite Merit system. There are multiple rounds used for this programme, including the Burton (used for the Royle Hutton tournament) and the Canadian 900 (used for the Archery NZ Interclub League).