Volunteers

Volunteers are the lifeblood of hockey in Ireland. Clubs, branches and the Irish Hockey Association simply could not function without them!

However, volunteering should be a two way relationship; both your club and the volunteer should benefit. The page below outlines some key areas that your club should focus on when it comes to Recruiting Volunteers.

Job or Role Description
Would you apply for a job if you didn't have information on it? The answer is likely to be no! So why would putting your name forward for a voluntary role be any different? Most volunteers would like to know what they are getting involved in before they sign up. This means that your club needs to have looked at the various gaps that you wish to be filled by volunteers and that you have fleshed out what role a volunteer can take on to fill that gap. The result from that work is usually a role description! It is a chance for you to clearly lay out what your club is looking for and you are also more likely to get the right candidate for the job. For more information on drawing up a role description, click here or to see a sample job description click here

Benefits
Why should someone give up their time to volunteer in your club - what will they get out of it? If you can't figure out what the benefits of volunteering with your club are, then chances are your potential volunteers won't either. Any place that you advertise or state that you're looking for volunteers, you need to ensure to outline what the benefits to volunteering are. These could be a range of things from giving back to your club, instilling a love of hockey in children through coaching, gaining experience that can be put on a CV, an opportunity to go on coaching courses for free etc. If you want people to come on board, you need to let them know what they will get out of it.

Ask
Has your club complained in the past about a lack of volunteers but doesn't actively approach people? If that's the case, you need to get out and ask! The majority of volunteers don't step up out of the blue, they are personally contacted. When you have your job description written up and you know all of the advantages of volunteering then you're armed to get out there and ask people directly to get involved.

Part of your club ethos
All clubs are reliant on volunteers but that is not always obvious to members. A healthy club should have an ethos of volunteering where it is expected of all members. One of the main ways in which this can happen is by clearly stating this approach at the beginning of the season. Many clubs are now telling parents that they will need to give up at least one day during the season to volunteer if they wish their children to become members. Also, when meeting parents at the beginning of the season, it is a key time to lay out the various roles that need to be filled if the club is to continue to be successfully run. Let it be known that your club is not just about showing up to play hockey - you're a community that requires everyone to pitch in.

Screening & Selection
In many instances you will no doubt be absolutely delighted to accept anyone and everyone who steps forward to volunteer with your club. But don't forget that you are perfectly entitled to have a screening and selection process in place where you, for example, check references or qualifications. Also, if the role will involve interaction with children, it is essential. For more information on meeting your club's Code of Ethics requirements where volunteers will interact with children, particularly around recruitment and selection, click here

http://hockey.ie/contentPage/133027/recruit

Retaining Volunteers

As we know volunteers are the heart of Irish Hockey. It is really important that any volunteer that gives up their time has an enjoyable and rewarding experience helping out. Also that they feel that there is a return on the time that they have given up. From the perspective of the organisation, it is generally easier to hold onto your volunteers than it is to find new ones. These are just some of the reasons why retaining your volunteers is important.

People volunteer for a multitude of reasons: to give something back to the sport; to gain or improve skills; to meet new people; because they are interested in an issue or cause within their organisation or within the sport; or because they have some free time on their hands.

Acknowledging the work that volunteers do with your organisation is crucial and ensures they will stay motivated and continue to work on your behalf. Here are some suggestions on how to retain motivate and thank volunteers.

Provide an induction so that your volunteers know about the role they are about to take on and so that they can settle in quickly.
Give praise and positive feedback on completed tasks or on a job well done.
Vary duties where possible and appropriate.
Respond to requests for help or assistance as quickly as possible.
Resolve problems swiftly and efficiently in a proactive manner.
Ensure volunteers are not overloaded or take on too much.
Support and supervise all volunteers.
Set goals together and share the outcomes with others.
Include volunteers in the planning process for projects and programmes associated with their role.
Demonstrate how their role has a positive impact.
Provide opportunities to learn more, take part in training or to go on coaching courses (for free if possible)!
Nominate your volunteers for the IHA Volunteer of the Year Award.

http://hockey.ie/contentPage/133029/retain

Rewarding Volunteers

Naturally an integral part of retaining your volunteers is to reward them and ensure they are recognised for the job they have done for you. It is important to acknowledge the impact their work has had on your organisation and the benefits they have brought.

Here are some ways to reward your volunteers:

Say ‘thank you'. Thank your volunteers regularly. Send them personal notes on special occasions (birthdays, Christmas, for a job well done etc). Remind them how important their efforts are to your organisation.Peter Jackson, winner IHA Awards
Award service gifts or certificates. Recognise effort and service by awarding small gifts that commemorate longevity. This can be a formal or informal prize giving.
Give volunteers an ‘identity'. Give them an official role title, have special volunteer T-shirts or name badges made.
Social events. Plan events to say ‘thank you' and show your appreciation. It can be anything from going out for a drink, a themed event, a film or lunch. Use your imagination!
Create volunteer appreciation day(s). Set aside a day to appreciate your volunteers. Put up posters. Make a speech. Everyone loves a cake!
Establish a volunteer ‘Hall of Fame'. Elect someone as the volunteer of the week, month, or year. Take his or her picture. Build a gallery of honoured volunteers.
Additional training or personal development. Send dedicated volunteers to relevant training to build on their knowledge and develop their skills in relation to the work they do for your organisation.
Professional events. Invite long-term volunteers to meetings, events or conferences that relate to their role.
Publicise volunteer efforts. Ask your local paper to write an article about one of your volunteers who has an interesting background, reason for volunteering, or other newsworthy characteristics.
Promote volunteers' work in your communications. Be sure that your newsletters, annual reports and other communications recognise the importance and extent of the work your volunteers do throughout the year.

http://hockey.ie/contentPage/133031/reward