Where to find new volunteers
Looking outside your club
By looking outside your core group of volunteers, you will increase the opportunity to grow the capacity, diversity and skillset of your club volunteers. To increase the success of engaging new people, make sure to present the opportunity in an appealing and flexible manner that speaks to the motivations of the people you are trying to attract.
In terms of your club, some questions to consider:
- Are your volunteers representative of the surrounding community?
- Is your committee representative of your members?
- Have you looked outside of your club for volunteers?
When planning your recruitment strategy, consider connecting with your local community via one of the ideas below:
- Use of social media pages
- Utilise sponsor social media and networks
- Past player networks
- Utilise volunteer platforms such as 'Seek' to advertise opportunities
- Connect with local schools and universities
- Link with Local Government community boards
- Local RSL and community groups
- Offer a volunteer referral program, rewarding members who recruit a volunteer
- Connect with local volunteering support agencies
- Jobseeker agencies for those looking to develop skills
Ways to include new volunteers
When looking to bring new people into your club, it is important to make sure they have a positive experience and feel welcome and supported.
Some people may experience barriers, challenges and have specific needs when it comes to getting involved in volunteering. Take time to understand these factors and make every effort to address them so that people can get involved and stay involved.
Some things you may want to consider to help create a welcoming environment:
- Ability to provide flexibility
- Food and beverage offerings (e.g vegetarian, no alcohol)
- Timing of commitment (family commitments)
- Accessibility needs
- Cost to be involved
- Buddy system
