THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS - RECRUITING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEERS

For as long as social sport has been around, having a sufficient number of volunteers, and a proper structure around how they work has always been the main issue within these clubs.

It’s one thing to have the right people in the right positions, but without the correct guidance and everybody working together, your club won’t head in the direction it so wishes to, in both the short and long terms.

If you are on your club's committee, the first place to start is by hand-picking people around the place, whether it be within your club or just people in the local community, with the brain smarts and personal skills that can play a big role on your committee. Work on them and sell your club to them, make them want to be a part of the club, and help out wherever necessary.

The more people you can achieve this with, then the more people you will have on your committee, and many hands make light work.

Another way to recruit volunteers from within your club is to hold an event and get somebody such as the president to speak and highlight the importance of helping your club out. This sort of event would be best being held before the season begins, preferably even before the AGM so people can notify the club of their interest, and it can all be planned out as early as possible.

The hardest part in any sporting club is finding people who want to help behind the scenes. It is often the same people doing the same jobs year after year, and when they get sick and tired of it, there is never anyone interested in replacing them, so you have these same people lacking the motivation to keep putting in the hard yards, and it creates a domino effect within the club and things come crashing down very quickly.

Change in committees over time is vital, every few years the roles should be switched around and fresh blood should be introduced into these roles, as new voices and opinions are always important.

If you are part of a social club, I strongly urge you to jump on your committee, help make a difference, and sustain your club's future for years to come!