Often the main reason an event organiser offers volunteering opportunities at an event is because it’s a great way to fulfil on the day roles and reduce staffing overheads, which is true. However, it is often overlooked that these opportunities also help to create solid foundations for your event, building a community of enthusiasts and supporters loyal to your brand. It also allows people to be part of a sporting event even if they are physically unable to participate, the list of positives in building a community of volunteers is a long one. This blog aims to give an event organiser helpful pointers on how to create a loyal community of volunteers.
1) Have an awareness of the different types of volunteers and why they get involved
There are five distinct reasons why people volunteer on events, it’s important that as an event organiser you are aware of these different types because their needs at an event will vary widely.
Fun
Events are exciting places to be, you get the opportunity to be part of something that is out of the ordinary. Many people sign up to volunteer purely for the thrill of it.
Work Experience
In a world where you need experience to get any job, working on events is a great way to get behind the scenes and see how a major event is put together. Volunteering your time also shows an employer that you are committed to working in the sector, plus it’s a great way to meet all the right people.
Charity
With many events acting as fundraising and sponsorship platforms for charities, it’s no surprise that people with a cause close to their heart will take part in an event to fundraise for their chosen charity. The same fits for volunteers, taking on a volunteering role allows them to offer their time (rather than money) to their chosen cause.
Community
The world can be a lonely place at times and not everyone is blessed with a good network of friends and family. For some, volunteering can be a great way to meet new friends, feel part of a community and build a network of like-minded people.
Supporters
Want to get the best view of your loved one at a sports event, volunteering is often the best way to do this. This is often enough of a driving motivator for people to sign up to volunteer, plus they're going to be on site anyway so why not!
2) Have attractive roles to meet the needs of different types of volunteers
Generating volunteering roles is a fine balance between meeting your operational needs and providing an experience that volunteers will cherish and learn from. We recommend creating a list of roles that are required purely for operational purposes and then categorising them in line with the above types of volunteers. For example, if you have a role that requires someone to check in staff in a welfare room, this may meet the needs best of a volunteer looking to gain admin experience or a sense of community. However, if you have a role that is focused purely on engaging a crowd with high fives this might be more suited to volunteers looking to have fun or support their loved ones. Once you have your roles categorised it’ll be easier to identify an audience to market the roles to, and then fill volunteers into a role they will actually find rewarding.
3) Market and fill your volunteering roles
Once you have categorised your roles from step two, it’s time to find ways of marketing to these specific audiences of potential volunteers. For example, a role identified at supporters can be emailed to all current participants encouraging them to sign up family or friends interested in this role. However, if you have a role identified at volunteers looking for fun, you may consider some paid social media advertising to draw in this local crowd.
As an event manager you can go further to ensure you get the right people in the right roles, this is important because it will give you the best chance of retaining your volunteers and building a strong network of supporters. When people sign up to volunteer, ask them what their driving motivator is (using the above five categories). This will allow you to fill people into roles they want to do, without committing them to a specific role which could stop you from moving people around and filling gaps in your staffing plan.
4) Have a communication strategy
It’s likely that you will start your volunteer recruitment drive months before your event, during this time it’s important to make sure volunteers feel part of the event. You can do this by having a personalised weekly communication, this can be via email, through a blog or a website (or all). During this process we suggest having one allocated face of the volunteer drive (even if multiple people are working on it), this allows your volunteers to feel like they can get in touch with their volunteer manager at any time to ask questions. All of this will ensure retention of volunteers is kept to an acceptable level.
5) Ask volunteers to reconfirm their attendance before the event
It’s well known in the event world that on the day between 15% - 30% of volunteers will not turn up for their role. To bring this number down towards the lower limit of 15% we suggest asking volunteers to reconfirm their role with you a couple days before the event. This will allow you to audit your staffing plan and make amends where possible.
6) Ensure volunteers are briefed on where to go, who to meet and what they are doing (plus the plan for lunch!!)
Reduce the amount of questions you will receive from your volunteer workforce a week out from the event by giving them a good written brief. This will need to include site plans, a running order for your event, information on their area managers and a brief role overview. This is also your chance to outline welfare issues like where the toilets are or where they can pick up lunch (always a hot topic!).
Now your volunteer workforce have had an overview briefing you can ensure that they are provided with a detailed role specific briefing on site with their area manager. This also allows a forum for questions to the whole group.
7) A thank you email goes a long way
This one is simple! Event seasons are busy times and you may have an event the following week, but DO NOT forget to thank your volunteer workforce. This can be through a personalised email or something as simple as a social media post with some of your favourite volunteer pictures.
8) Ask for feedback and market future opportunities
A thank you email serves its purpose but also allows you to collect valuable feedback from your volunteer workforce, allowing you to make changes to your process, communication and on the day management.
At this stage you can also ask people to sign up to volunteer for next year or other opportunities, giving you a valuable head start for the next time you go through this process.
This blog was written by All About Event Management event consultant Josh O'Boyle. Josh has seven years experience in event operations and volunteer management in some of the UK's biggest sports events. For help with your volunteer management get in touch with us through hello@allaboutsportsevents.co.uk
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