Imagine the turmoil if all of the sport volunteers in your region suddenly went on strike. No more volunteers regularly devoting their time, expertise and resources to all levels of sport.
Imagine what this would mean for your local Council. Grounds and facilities not being used – what would you do with them? Consider the increased costs (no doubt picked up by Council) to support the shortfall in resources.
Picture the decrease in community spirit, closure of complexes, decrease in events, and the resulting boredom possibly leading to civil unrest. All in all, more work and more cost for Council.
Sounds farcical, but do you take the time to consider how the volunteers in your Council region are treated and valued? Are they appreciated and recognized? Do they receive relevant administration training? Is there a management plan for volunteers?
If you answered no to any of the questions then perhaps you should take some action. While volunteers may not go on strike the consequences could be worse – volunteers quietly disappearing because they were taken for granted and not valued.
How can your Council help sport and recreation volunteers?
The Active Australia Volunteer Management and Club/Association Management Programs have been developed by the Australian Sports Commission to support clubs and associations that want to improve their volunteer management and organisational management practices.
The training materials are highly regarded and delivered through a range of agencies including local governments.
The programs provide a clear separation between the management of volunteers and the management of organisations. Aimed at improving the environments in which sport and physical activity services are delivered, the Club/Association Management Program (CAMP) has nine modules including Creating a Club, Club Planning and Financial Management The Club/Association Management Program has been designed to encourage sport and recreation organisations to examine how they operate and how they might be able to improve their operations.
To complement the Club/Association Management Program, the Volunteer Management Program (VMP) aims to develop excellence in volunteer management. Based on a human resource approach, the volunteer management program encourages sport and recreation organisations to take a strategic perspective in the management of volunteers.
Six modules including Recruiting Volunteers, Retaining Volunteers and Managing Event Volunteers focus on good practice across a range of volunteer management issues.
So what does this all mean for Local Councils?
To ensure the availability of training throughout Australia, especially in regional and rural areas, the ASC is working increasingly with Local Government.
Many Councils are getting involved and supporting sporting clubs and volunteers by promoting, facilitating or directly delivering VMP and CAMP.
The City of Gosnells in WA recognises the great service that volunteers do for the community and is prepared to support local clubs and their members. It uses the VMP/CAMP program as a strategic way to assist sporting clubs improve their management.
Can your Council become involved? It can be as simple as accessing the free promotional brochures from the ASC to send out to clubs in your local region, or promoting courses conducted by your state department of sport and recreation to being trained as a course facilitator or becoming a course organiser.
For more information about supporting volunteers in your council area please contact Dianne Cowan, National Coordinator CAMP/VMP, Australian Sports Commission, telephone (02) 6214 1445 or email dianne.cowan@ausport.gov.au
