We've compiled a series of questions and answers below that you may find useful if you're looking to get your volunteering project or organisation started.
If you can't find an answer to your question, you can also get in touch with our volunteering team.
"You don't have to be great at sport, or have always played it, to volunteer," says Jennie. "Unless you're doing a really technical role, like refereeing, you won't need any specialist knowledge. If there's an interesting club or event near you, go along and ask if you can help – chances are they will be delighted to see you.”
Read moreIf you’re helping someone find different or new volunteering opportunities, there are plenty of ways for you to recommend:
Information about setting up a new club can be found on our Buddle website.
Read more Read lessThe single most effective way to encourage someone to help is by asking them. However, if you’re thinking about doing this, be clear on what the task is, how long it will take and why it’s needed.
Read moreThere are lots of resources available to help you attract new volunteers, including websites where you can advertise your opportunities for free, or guidance on the best way to recruit. They include:
Remember, a good quality experience is key to keeping volunteers and will be influenced by a wide range of factors. Organisations should consider how they can ensure ongoing support, recognise volunteers’ contributions, address positive relationships/conflict within groups and involve volunteers in decision-making.
Read lessFirstly, you need to identify what type of volunteer is needed. What roles are already covered and what would you like to add to that list? If your club has a volunteer manager, they may already know what types of roles they need filling and how the club is recruiting volunteers, so talk to them first.
Read moreOnce you’ve established which roles need to be filled, the next step is finding volunteers. Here are some tips:
You may want to screen all new volunteers at your club to help you assess whether they’re the right person for the role. If it’s a formal position, perhaps interview them and ask for references.
Read moreWhether volunteers need Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks depends on their role in the club and who they’ll be working with. It’s not a requirement for all positions, but you should consider carefully what the remit of each volunteer role is before deciding on the level of screening required. The National Council for Voluntary Organisations’ guidance on safeguarding will help you further understand the necessary considerations.
The Sport and Recreation Alliance has a useful flowchart that takes you through the decision making process around whether someone is undertaking ‘regulated activity’ and therefore requires a DBS check.
One important point of note is that DBS checks only cover the UK. If you have a potential volunteer who needs a check before they start their role, you should ask if they’ve spent any time living abroad.
If the answer is ‘yes’ you’ll need to obtain, if possible, the equivalent of a DBS check for the time they have spent abroad. The procedure differs for each country – you can find more information on criminal record checks here.
Read lessMany roles at a sports club can be done without specialist skills. A simple induction and a small amount of training can be all that’s required to help volunteers on their way.
Read moreHowever, some roles require specific skills. Think about what sorts of tasks you need volunteers for and which skills you’re missing. The Buddle website has some useful information about how to approach this, including a template skills matrix. If your club is facing a specific challenge and you’d like a business professional to help, the Buddle mentoring scheme could be for you.
Once you know where you have skills gaps, the next challenge is filling them. Consider whether any of your existing volunteers could be trained to do the role, as this will be of mutual benefit to them and the club.
There are also some agencies that specialise in skilled volunteer recruitment, such as Reach. Some voluntary sector recruitment sites such as Charity Job have a section on volunteer roles.
Training your existing volunteers is not always a possibility, especially if you need someone who is professionally qualified, such as an accountant or a lawyer. Our guidance around recruitment provides lots of suggestions about how and where you can advertise. For more information on this please read 'Question 3 - I want to recruit new volunteers. How do I go about this?’.
If you’re looking for people with specific professional skills, you could also approach a local business that employs these people. A good starting point is to work out if you have any existing links to useful businesses amongst the volunteers and participants in your club and approach them through this route.
Some businesses have volunteering schemes that their employees are encouraged to get involved with. Even if they don’t have a scheme, they may be able to put the word out among their staff and encourage someone to come forward to help.
If you’re looking for short-term help, the National Council for Voluntary Organisations has a page on how to attract skilled professionals to micro-volunteering opportunities.
If you’re searching for coaches, your national governing body or Active Partnership will be able to help. There’s some information on how to approach recruitment on Sports Coach UK’s website.
Read lessNew volunteer roles should be something that your club or organisation’s management are involved in identifying and shaping. Setting them up should be part of your wider volunteering strategy.
Read moreIt’s a good idea to make a list of tasks that you’d like volunteer support with and to identify the skills that someone will need to perform these tasks. From here you can write role descriptions.
It’s also important to think about how much time you think these tasks will take and how frequently they need performing. It might be that you find volunteers who are suitable but who can’t commit the full amount of time you need.
In these circumstances you should think about whether the role can be split – is it something that one person needs to have oversight of, or could the role be divided? The more flexible you can be the easier it’s likely to be to find the help you need.
Finally, you should think about where it’s best to advertise a new volunteer role. This may differ depending on the role. For example, in advertising for a new coach, you might target different audiences than if you were advertising for a new social media manager. Our answer on where to advertise volunteer vacancies for 'Question 3 - I want to recruit new volunteers. How do I go about this?’ may be of help.
For more information, see Volunteer Scotland’s good practice guide on matching the right volunteers to the right roles.
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