Keeping volunteers

There are a number of ways to recognise and support volunteers to keep them at the club. Most importantly volunteering must be fun and make a difference.

Taking the time to communicate with, and listen to your volunteers will help them remain committed and motivated.

• Keep in touch on social media
• Hold meetings with groups of volunteers to keep them updated and give them a chance to ask any questions or give feedback.
• Email - keep them updated with emails or newsletters
• Social events - organise opportunities for volunteers to get together socially

Recognising your volunteers is important too. This will help them to feel valued and part of the team. Recognitions doesn't always need to be grand gestures, sometimes the little things make the biggest difference. Remember, not everyone likes to be publicly celebrated so it's important to get the balance but a thank you will always be well received.

• Saying thank you - this can be a personal thanks after a session, or thank you card or letter
• Volunteer recognition in newsletters or on social media such as volunteer of the month
• Linking up with campaigns such as Volunteering Week to shout out to your volunteers
• Volunteer awards evenings
• Incentives for volunteering hours - you can offer volunteers training or kit once they achieve a target number of volunteer hours
• Show the difference volunteers make - either collectively or let them know individually
• If you have young people volunteering with you, a great way to recognise their efforts is through vInspired awards. vInspired is a charity which pairs organisations, including sports clubs, with young volunteers (14-25 year olds). Through vInspired, young volunteers can work towards their v10, v30, v30 and v100 awards, showing how many hours they've spent volunteering, which look great on CVs and as a discussion point in job interviews.

Check out Buddle's top tips on making volunteer experiences meaningful.