Recruitment
So now you know the sort of person you are looking and the role you would like them to carry out.
You have the role description and are ready to recruit. So where do we go from here?
Start with your own club. Ask people, people often react better to the ‘personal touch’.
Make sure also that potential volunteers know who to contact to express an interest. Advertise yourself as volunteer coordinator!
Perhaps provide an enquiry form for potential volunteers to complete and try to include the following:
- Information about your club and the ASA. How do they operate, management/committee structure, where they fit in and what opportunities are available. Also information regarding time commitment and expenses may be useful.
Make sure any enquiry is followed up!
If the potential volunteer would like to take their enquiry further make sure they have the necessary contact details or better still agree for you to contact them after they have had chance to look through the information.
Ask the parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters and friends of those already involved with the club, as a competitor or volunteer. Parents often share a coffee while they wait for their children. Have a chat to them about the prospects of becoming involved as a volunteer. Or try to get them involved from day one when their child/children are registered.
Adapt your club membership form to ask any new members about any time they may have available or any skills they may have to offer. The fact you are asking for this information might just prompt somebody to offer his or her help.
Do use notice boards, newsletters and word of mouth to advertise vacant positions. It is easy for a club committee to assume that everybody knows what’s going on, but they don’t unless you tell them!
Ask current volunteers to identify people who might be interested in taking over from them if they are leaving. Or to simply promote the benefits from a volunteer's perspective.
Try not to make potential volunteers feel that you are not recruiting for one position and that position only. Make it clear that you may also need volunteers in other areas. For example, a potential recruit may be put off if they feel that the club only requires a new treasurer and not someone like themselves with a few hours a week to spare on club nights.
Challenge existing or traditional values, what about job share? Just because a role has always been done by the same person, doesn’t mean they may not be keen to share with someone bringing along new skills and ideas.
Sell the benefits of becoming a volunteer, why do people volunteer in the first place: meet new people, make friends, learn new skills, influence the current situation, helping the team to success and being valued for their contribution.
It may also be useful for you to try to understand why people do not volunteer. You can then make sure that any recruitment campaign does not highlight the following:
- That anyone wanting to volunteer feels they must first be a member of the club
- Expectation that they should be good at, or have knowledge of the sport
- Certain age expectation
- Tendency for club management to be dominated by specific gender. Volunteers should reflect the membership profile of the club!
Other resources for recruitment
- Volunteer Bureaux nationwide. Many towns and cities now have a dedicated centre for volunteering. An organisation you can not only potentially recruit volunteers from, but also gain much needed advice and support. Information regarding possible sources of funding for example. Make yourself and your club known to them, they can place adverts for particular volunteers you may be needing, or simply promote your club to anyone interesting in volunteering in swimming or other associated disciplines.
o Find out where your local volunteer bureau is by visiting www.vde.org.uk and click on ‘VB finder’. Alternatively call 01216334555 for a copy of the Volunteer Bureaux Directory
- County Sports Partnerships. Many local authorities now have county sports partnerships and more of an emphasis is being placed on volunteering in sport. Contact your local authority for information regarding sports partnerships local to you, or alternatively visit www.activesports.org.uk and click on partnerships.
We would encourage you to register your club as many sports partnerships are now looking to place volunteers within sports clubs
- Schools, colleges and further education. Many schools now have School Sports Co-ordiantors responsible for establishing links with local sports clubs. They will be more than happy to work with your club to attract and recruit more younger people into volunteering. Alternatively speak to the head of PE. Not only may you actually recruit volunteers but you will establish good school-club links.
Many schools and colleges run the Community Sports Leader Award (CSLA), and maybe looking for placements for their students. Make sure you are aware of how long such a placement would last, but you never know what it may lead onto!
Your local Sports Development Officer should also be able to tell you any such courses elsewhere.
Many universities are also keen now to be more involved in their local community. One such way is for students to volunteer within local sports clubs, giving them hands on experience relevant to their field of study.
Some universities may have specialised University Sports Volunteer Development Officers. It may be advantageous to establish good links as they may often be looking for placements for their students. You never know what might come from it!
f you are aware of any higher educational establishments in your local area, try giving them a call and see if they have anyone dealing with sports volunteers, what do you have to loose?
Most universities will also have a swimming/water polo/synchro sports society. Use university fresher fairs to advertise your local club and the opportunities you have to offer. Its new and fresh blood and many young people may come with a coaching qualification.
The internet is becoming an ever more valuable source of information and trying to find organisations to recruit volunteers from is no exception. Below is a list of organisations you can access via the web and some include information about how they may be able to help.
- The Experience Corps www.experiencecorps.co.uk
The Experience Corps is an independent, non-profit making company, funded by a grant-in-aid from the Home Office, set up to encourage all people, aged 50 and over, to offer their skills and experience to benefit others in their local community. The Experience Corps enlists people who have either never been interested in volunteering before or who may have become ‘lapsed’ volunteers.
The Experience Corps ‘Animators’ will match potential members with volunteering opportunities in their area. Your club could be just the opportunity!
- Reach www.reach-online.org.uk
Reach could match the skills of experienced people in your local community to your club.
Reach recruit and support people with managerial, technical and professional expertise and place them in part-time, unpaid roles in organisations in their local community.
- CSV (Community Service Volunteers) www.csv.org.uk
CSV offer high quality volunteering and training opportunities that tackle real need and enriches the lives of people involved.
Could your club provide such an opportunity to enrich someone’s life?
CSV can also offer support to you and your club. CSV can help you involve volunteers by finding volunteers, creating a volunteer programme or training staff.
- CSVRSVP www.csv-rsvp.org.uk
RSVP, the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme is a FREE standing programme within CSV. It exists to encourage the growing number of those aged 50 plus to participate in their local area. Your club could tap into the range of skills and experienced nature of someone over the age of 50.
- Millennium Volunteers
MV is aimed at young people aged 16-25. All MV’s volunteer their time to help others by doing something they enjoy.
All MV’s also work towards FREE nationally recognised awards. It’s also a chance for any young volunteers currently volunteering in your club to register with MV and gain further recognition for their voluntary work!
Call 0800 917 8185 for your local contact or visit the website.
- UK Youth www.ukyouth.org
UK youth is the largest national voluntary youth work charity in the UK. We exist to support and develop high quality youth work and informal educational opportunities for all young people.
UK youth supports more than 750,000 young people and 7000 youth groups, clubs and projects. That’s a huge potential market for recruiting volunteers!
- TimeBank www.timebank.co.uk
Timebank is a national volunteering campaign trying to raise the awareness of volunteering and its benefits.
Timebank maybe useful if you are holding an event and would like more coverage. They may use your event to promote how enjoyable volunteering can be.
- Prince’s Trust www.princes-trust.org.uk
The Prince’s Trust help young people overcome barriers and get their life’s working.
They help 14-30 year olds realise their potential and transform their life’s. What better way to dot his than by volunteering and giving up some spare time to benefit others.
You may have a project that a group of young people with the Prince’s Trust would love to get their teeth into!
- Do-It www.do-it.org
Do-It is the first and only national database of volunteering opportunities in the UK.
It’s a great way to advertise your club and any volunteering opportunities associated with it. It’s a great recruitment and marketing tool.
You can register any of your clubs opportunities at your local Volunteer Bureaux or you may want to post your opportunities directly onto the site.
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