REWARD

Thank You

The simple 2 words – thank you – could make the difference between a volunteer feeling appreciated and valued by a club and keen to carry on, and feeling used and unimportant and on the verge of leaving a club. A few things to bear in mind and to use are:

• learn volunteers’ names;
• remember to thank volunteers and be specific about why you are thanking them;
• go that extra mile by emailing, writing to or phoning a volunteer to say thank you;
• if you think a volunteer is doing something particularly well, tell him/her! 

Award

Why not present awards to your club volunteers to publicly thank them for all their help and support?  This may only be a very simple gesture but would mean a great deal to a volunteer.  An example of a Volunteer Certificate that you can tailor to suit your club is available here.  

Another option is to reward them with something that is appropriate for them e.g. a book token for an avid reader.  This demonstrates that you appreciate them and have gone that extra mile.

Value

Make your volunteers feel valued by the club.  Try to involve them in other aspects of the club e.g. get their views and thoughts at meetings. 

These are all important areas to consider in order to attract more volunteers into your sport and retain them within your club. 

Keep the 3Rs at the forefront of your mind and you should have a healthy stock of valued volunteers to help safeguard the future of your club!

A really helpful booklet (General Information regarding volunterer isues) from the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) that provides a whole range of suggestions, ideas and case studies on how to recruit, support and value your volunteers.

Insurance

Another section that was addressed within the first part of this website is insurance. 

Insurance is an essential responsibility for every club.  It’s vital to ensure that you have adequate cover to protect the activities that your club delivers.  If you have any concerns or queries, you should approach your National Governing Body, a Sports Development Officer employed by your Local Authority or your insurance company. Click for more information on this link to website.

Make volunteers aware of the type of insurance the club has in place and what this covers, including any restrictions. Ensure that volunteers understand and work within their task description and that the insurance company has details of all the volunteer roles. If you have volunteer drivers, confirm that their car insurance covers them when using their car for this purpose.  If volunteers are driving vehicles owned by the club, check that there is appropriate insurance cover. Regularly update your insurance details, adding any changes.

As mentioned in the first section, more information can also be found on the new Running Sport website on www.runningsports.org.  This is a new site, solely dedicated to volunteers in sport so it will give you a whole range of very useful support and advice.