Volunteers in Sport
Volunteer management
Volunteer involvement in an organisation needs to be planned to ensure that their input meets the goals and objectives of the organisation, and that volunteers are managed in accordance with best practice principles, including suitable recognition and appreciation and appropriate training and supervision. 1, 2, 3, 4, 8
Sport Volunteer Resource Hub
The Australian Sports Commission and Sport Volunteer Coalition have collaborated to establish the Sport Volunteer Resource Hub, gathering essential resources, tools, and practical advice in one location. These materials aim to support efforts in recruiting, retaining, and appreciating volunteers within clubs and the wider community sports network.
The hub includes information on:
Planning and support
Policies, guidelines, and resources
National policies and guidelines have been developed to act as resources for organisations to effectively manage volunteers.
Planning and support
Policies, guidelines, and resources
National Standards for Volunteer Involvement
Volunteering Australia developed the National Standards for Volunteer Involvement (2015) in consultation with the volunteering sector to support the involvement of volunteers.
The Standards provide a framework for organisations to consider the role of volunteers and the impact effective volunteer involvement can have on achieving strategic goals and aims.
In 2023, a project to refresh the Standards was begun. Until the process is completed, Volunteering Australia recommends that organisations continue to use the 2015 National Standards as the benchmark for good practice.
Workplace health and safety
Safe Work Australia is an Australian government statutory agency. They develop national policy to improve work health and safety (WHS) and workers’ compensation arrangements across Australia.
The Work Health and Safety Act 2011 provides a nationally consistent framework to secure the health and safety of works and workplaces. The current legislation affords the same rights and responsibilities to volunteers as to paid staff in organisations with both types of workers.
- The Essential Guide to Work Health and Safety for Volunteers, Safe Work Australia, (9 November 2020).
- The Essential Guide to Work Health and Safety for Organisations that Engage Volunteers, Safe Work Australia, (9 November 2020).
- Work health and safety: What it means for volunteers [video], Safe Work Australia, YouTube, (3 September 2014)
- Overview and index of materials available from Safe Work Australia relating to Volunteers, (accessed 10 May 2022).
- Volunteers help South East Melbourne Phoenix soar, Australian Sports Commission, (17 August 2023). Despite being one of the newest franchises in the National Basketball League, the South East Melbourne Phoenix volunteer program, the Heartland Crew, is soaring. “We have built our volunteer program on the understanding that volunteers need flexible and diverse roles, learning opportunities and regular recognition”. To ensure the Phoenix can best place its volunteers to meet their individual expectations, while optimising its own game-day operations, the organisation holds a Heartland Crew launch night before every season. Phoenix has also developed a thorough recognition program, which aims to retain Heartland Crew members by ensuring they feel appreciated by the club and motivating them to continue to volunteer their time. 'We really try to bridge the gap between our volunteers and players, because for most of our Heartland Crew, being amongst the players is the most rewarding part of their volunteer experience.'
- Recruiting, retaining and supporting volunteers in a changing sport system, Caela Fenton, Paul Varian, SIRC, (5 July 2023). Paul Varian is a sport-management consultant and thought-leader with experience at all levels of the sport sector, from community and amateur sport to large national governing bodies. Varian met with SIRC to discuss the state of volunteerism in the Canadian sport sector and offer concrete tips for organizations seeking to improve their recruitment, retention and support of volunteers. I think what sport organizations have missed is how volunteerism has changed over the last 30 years. The baby boomers were a different generation. They were wartime kids. Millennials will volunteer. But you have to ask them differently. And then Gen Z is different again. For them, volunteerism is all about opportunity, particularly employment opportunity. My view is that all of these people will volunteer. You just need to be strategic about how you ask them and what you ask of them. The final thing I’ll say, and this is very, very important. We’re bad, as a sector, at showing volunteers how they’re making a difference. Not only do we not invest enough in saying “Thank you, that was great,” but we also don’t take the time to show volunteers how if it weren’t for them, these kids would not have this amazing experience.
- How can we bolster Australia’s depleted army of volunteers to match the soaring demand for their services? Amanda Davies, The Conversation, (17 May 2023). The COVID-19 pandemic hit volunteering very hard. By June 2021, volunteer numbers in Australia had fallen by 37% from the start of the pandemic. To try to rebuild the ranks of volunteers, Volunteering Australia recently released a government-funded national strategy. It outlines 11 strategic objectives for the next ten years to secure the future of volunteering in Australian communities. Work and family commitments are the most common reasons for not volunteering.
- What happened to Australia’s volunteer army? Herman Tse, Kohyar Kiazad, Monash University Lens, (18 October 2022). Volunteerism is waning in Australia. The army of Good Samaritans propping up the country’s social and economic fabric is shrinking. But it’s not necessarily a lack of desire to volunteer that’s to blame. Rather, the sector is suffering from a funding shortage and increased demand for volunteer labour, compounded by a complex web of systems for attracting, training and retaining volunteers.
- Volunteer groups tap into 'elixir of youth' in WA after rebranding on social media, Kate Leaver, ABC Radio Perth, (16 February 2022). Keen to attract people aged in their 20s and better understand their hesitancy, Volunteering WA took the unusual step of employing a marketing agency to kickstart the sector's makeover. To kickstart the campaign, the agency enlisted the support of two Perth-based youth organisations, Oli Clothing and sunrise swimming and mental health group Cold Nips to tap into their networks of thousands on social media.
- At this Perth soccer club, fees were a barrier to participation — so it waived them in exchange for parents' time, Jessica Warriner, ABC News, (16 May 2021). Every Tuesday and Thursday evening, hundreds of kids descend on a suburban Perth park — but this isn't your average weeknight training session at a local soccer club. Each child can attend for free. The trade-off is parents must volunteer. Some coach, others fry up chips in the canteen, run raffles, and wash kits.
- Virtual volunteering in community sport, Haley Baxter, Katie Misener, Pam Kappelides, et al., SIRCUIT, (13 July 2020). Physical distancing measures and stay-at-home protocols during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic illuminated how technology can keep people connected and involved in their local communities. These new ways of working provide an opportunity for community sport clubs to tap into existing and new volunteers in innovative ways. This article explores the concept of virtual volunteering and its benefits and provides suggestions for incorporating virtual volunteering into community sport now and as an ongoing practice to increase capacity and engagement.
- Volunteering Australia Response on a National Sports Plan, Volunteering Australia, (July 2017). The National Sports Plan aims to guide future priorities and approaches of the Australian sporting sector for the long-term. Volunteering Australia believes that a National Sport Plan needs to: acknowledge volunteering as a key pillar for sporting activity in Australia; and develop mechanisms to facilitate and enhance its contribution. They have also emphasised the need to consider volunteering in policy development and workforce planning. The response highlights the need for a sustained investment into the volunteering sector by the Australian Government to ensure long-term benefits.
- Sport Volunteering, Russell Hoye, Graham Cuskelly, Chris Auld, et.al., Routledge, (2019).
- Managing the Business of Sport: An Introduction (2nd edition), Hassan D (editor), Routledge, (2018). Chapter 20: Managing sport volunteers.
- The Virtual Volunteering Guidebook, Cravens J and Ellis S, Energize Inc, (2014).
- Sport Volunteering in Europe: Realities, opportunities and challenges, V4V: Skills acquired through volunteering in sport project, European Observatoire of Sport and Employment, (October 2023). This report is the first intellectual output from V4V, a major three-year collaborative partnership project, co-funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ sport programme, consisting of 12 partners (national and international federations, universities and education bodies, sport and research institutes, and national, European and global umbrella organisations) all of whom have a deep interest in the promotion and development of sport volunteering. V4V was led and coordinated by the European Observatoire of Sport and Employment (EOSE). Key findings include:
- All strands of research show that volunteering is an indispensable resource for the sport sector, and that sport organisations could not provide opportunities for the general population to engage in sport and healthy physical activity without the support of volunteers. .
- Volunteers are in the majority in all key positions in grassroots sport organisations
- In addition to their unpaid efforts, sport volunteers are also vital in: Bringing energy and enthusiasm to sport organisations, Helping to build relationships with local communities, Introducing new participants to sport.
- Sport organisations need to fully understand and appreciate the potential benefits which volunteers bring or could bring to all areas of their work and to society as a whole.
- In order to maximise volunteer engagement sport organisations must highlight the positive benefits of volunteering for the volunteers themselves and the wider community when promoting volunteering and seeking to recruit and retain volunteers.
- The volunteer capacity of community sports clubs to support women and girls in sport, Change Our Game, (2023). The aim of this research project was to investigate community sports clubs’ volunteer capacity - including management, retention and recruitment - to engage women and girls in participating and volunteering in community sport. The insights from this research can help sports organisations and local clubs identify areas of improvement in growing volunteer capacity to support women and girls’ participation in community-level sport. Some key findings include:
- Women’s willingness to volunteer, and the volunteer roles they perform in local sports, are influenced by many societal, organisational and individual factors, with gendered roles and stereotypes continuing to be one of the biggest barriers. E.g., women generally volunteer in team manager roles rather than coaching or executive committee positions. This is particularly the case in sports traditionally dominated by men with few women volunteers.
- In some clubs, women are still not widely accepted to be president of a club, nor coach of a men/boys’ team/sport and are thus reluctant to put their hand up.
- To engage and retain volunteers in community sports clubs consider a range of options such as: breaking down volunteer roles, considering payments or reimbursement for some roles (although this may not be possible financially or because it may impact community ethos and values), provide other incentives (e.g., subsidising or waiving fees, a club meal, apparel, etc.), provide visible recognition, provide mentorship.
- There was a perceived lack of credibility towards women in coaching positions, in particular, women coaching men’s or boy’s teams and in sports traditionally dominated by men and boys.
- Supportive behaviours from men at clubs (including players) are important in enabling women to play sport, such as men taking on roles on game day (e.g. scoring or running the canteen).
- There are varied attitudes of club volunteers towards supporting opportunities for women and girls to play sport.
- Parents play an important role in supporting girls to play sport, in particular dads with daughters, who seemed enthused to fill volunteer roles for girls’ teams, to enable opportunities for girls
- Some clubs display deep-rooted gender stereotypes, where boys’ player pathways are perceived to be more important than girls’ pathways.
- Inequities in resourcing teams, for example clubs’ focus on the category with the highest number of teams (i.e. having more men’s/boys teams).
- To support women and girls community sports clubs should consider actions such as: Addressing inequalities in team resourcing, developing specific strategies to increase women in volunteer roles, have policies supporting women in leadership roles in the club, support younger women to build confidence and capability, create a welcoming and inclusive club culture.
- Applying insights from behavioural economics to increase volunteering, Professor Swee-Hoon Chuah, Volunteering Australia, (November 2022). Given the evidence that charitable giving and volunteering share an underlying philanthropic and/or “civic” core, we have critically analysed the literature from charitable giving above in order to apply these insights to volunteering. Below we recommend some potential Behavioural insights (BI)-policies to increase volunteering. To encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely. E.g., Appealing to emotions by focusing on one specific, identifiable beneficiary of the help and weaving a vivid narrative around them; Leveraging on mental shortcuts by changing the default in organisations so that employees need to opt-out of volunteering instead of opt-in to it; and Describing the social norm with messages indicating that “people like you” typically volunteer.
- Online volunteering: Unlocking untapped potential, Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Irit Alony, Paul Flemons, et al., Volunteering Australia, (November 2022). Online volunteering (also known as virtual volunteering, digital volunteering, or e-volunteering) is defined by two main components: the volunteering component and the online component. Like traditional volunteering, it is unpaid work which requires volunteers’ time investment and the creation of benefits for others. However, unlike traditional volunteering, it occurs fully or partially on the internet. Online systems play a crucial role in volunteer recruitment, facilitating tasks, and volunteers’ work and often involves specialised systems infrastructure, focusing on civic engagement. A study on the topic highlights how volunteering, even when done online, can still help meet the volunteers’ self-actualisation needs6 with unique advantages in information processing and communication.
- Volunteering in Australia 2022: The organisation perspective, Kirsten Homes, Patrick Dunlop, Leonie Lockston-Binney, et al., Volunteering Australia, (October 2022). As part of the Volunteering in Australia research, this report provides an important contribution to the evidence base informing the National Strategy for Volunteering. The focus of this report is the organisational perspective. We explore the characteristics of volunteer involving organisations and the challenges they are facing. The research draws on a literature review and several data sources. New data collection was undertaken through a survey and focus groups during May-June 2022.
- The great (volunteer) resignation: An evidence-based strategy for retaining volunteers, Vivien Forner, Djurre Holtrop, Darja Kragt, et al., Volunteering Australia, (September 2022). This paper is intended to inform and guide the volunteering sector, national volunteering strategy and government policy to address the serious and ongoing decline in volunteer numbers. Our systematic review and meta-analysis of volunteer turnover research identified four factors that prevent volunteer turnover; 1) support from paid staff, supervisors, and peers, 2) affording volunteers autonomy, 3) roles where volunteers feel they are contributing productively, and 4) preventing burnout. Evidence-based recommendations for key actions that will have the greatest impact on minimizing turnover rates in volunteer involving organisations include: Increase social support – create stronger social connections and encourage support from staff, supervisors, and other volunteers. Improve the experience of autonomy – when possible, grant volunteers decision making authority, and when not possible, provide a clear rationale. Help volunteers feel productive – design volunteering tasks to be stimulating and clearly related to organisational goals. Minimize burnout – regularly check with volunteers if they have enough social, cognitive and physical resources to deal with their task demands.
- Without leadership there is no volunteering: The importance of strategic investment in leadership development in Australia, Darja Kragt, Sarah Wilson, Toby Newstead, et al., Volunteering Australia, (September 2022). A good amount of leadership expertise already exists within the volunteering ecosystem, and this should be acknowledged and leveraged through an ongoing and substantial investment in leadership development. * Volunteers and volunteer involving organisations are a workforce in their own right and it is critical that this is accordingly recognised and resourced by public policy.
- The future of sport volunteering: insights report, Australian Sports Commission, (April 2021). This document provides a series of actionable insights and tools that can bring about immediate, and long-term change across the sector. The tools are designed with both a short- and long-term view. In the short term, you have a range of actions that can be implemented immediately. In the long term, you can use the tools to stretch your thinking and discover new ideas.
- Leading and Managing in Tasmania’s Volunteer Sector Volunteer, Dr Toby Newstead, Dr Gemma Lewis, and the Volunteer Leadership Research Group, UTAS in partnership with Volunteering Tasmania, (2021). This report distils the findings of a study that sought to assess the current challenges, strengths, and opportunities to better support volunteer coordinators in their efforts to lead and manage within Tasmania’s Volunteer sector. Almost 300,000 Tasmanians volunteer. Approximately 200,000 of these are termed formal volunteers, in that they volunteer within an organisation. The remainder are informal volunteers who give their time in more self-organised community activities. This report focuses on formal volunteers. The findings of this study, coupled with leadership and management research, point to two key recommendations:
- Invest in providing and developing good leadership and management in the volunteer sector;
- Conduct further research to examine the challenges, strengths, and opportunities of volunteer leadership and management from volunteers’ perspectives.
- The Social and Economic Sustainability of WA’s Rural Volunteer Workforce, Kirsten Holmes, Amanda Davies, Leonie Lockstone-Binney, et al., Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Report No. 22/19, (February 2019). Study identified how rural communities in WA are addressing the challenges of recruiting and retaining volunteers at a time of unprecedented demographic change and increasing pressure on the rural volunteer workforce. It identified the critical role of volunteering in creating a sense of community wellbeing and delivering essential services in rural areas. It also presents the strategies volunteers and voluntary organisations are using to sustain the rural volunteer workforce.
- Leadership in volunteering survey, State of Victoria, Ministerial Council for Volunteers, (June 2017). [Download link] The Ministerial Council for Volunteers (the Council) conducted a survey late to seek the views of those who lead or coordinate volunteers. Findings from this survey helped to inform key points on strengthening and supporting volunteer leadership in Victoria. Key points identified by the survey for organisations were: valuing/recognition of volunteers; training/education; and, investing in efficiency and competitiveness.
- Givers: Recruit, manage and retain your volunteers more effectively, Join in, Sport + Recreation Alliance, Simetrica, (April 2017). For the first time, groundbreaking behavioural science research, has given us new evidence and insight into what drives people to volunteer, and what keeps them from doing so. We’ve distilled these insights into a simple framework to help grassroots clubs and organisations recruit, retain and realise the potential of volunteers. We call this GIVERS. It stands for: Growth; Impact: Voice: Ease and Experience; Recognition; Social.
- The Canadian Code for Volunteer Involvement, Volunteer Canada, (2017). The CCVI aims to improve volunteer involvement across the county. It is designed to be adaptable and can be adopted and implemented by organizations of all sizes. The CCVI clearly states the values and benefits of volunteer involvement. It provides a framework for discussion and decision-making within organizations. It also promotes meaningful volunteer involvement that meets the needs of both the organization and its volunteers.
- The changing face of volunteerism, Steggles A, Higher Logic, (2014). This paper details some of the challenges facing volunteerism. Associations are embracing a hybrid approach to incorporate alternative engagement opportunities for their membership, thus allowing a much broader audience and greater level of engagement, satisfaction and ultimately, an improved retention rate.
- Recruitment and retention of volunteers: A rapid literature review, Melanie Randle, Samantha Reis, NSW Family and Community Services, (2013?). This rapid literature review synthesises existing research on volunteering in Australia. It focuses specifically on motivations, barriers and facilitators to volunteering among different segments of the population, and the application of marketing concepts to provide insight into the volunteering marketplace and understand volunteering behaviour. In addition it reviews publicly available evaluations of previous social marketing campaigns that are designed to recruit volunteers to assess their effectiveness. The review aims to provide a set of evidence-based recommendations for future campaigns, aiming to increase the recruitment and retention of volunteers.
- Beyond 2012 – Outcomes, Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, (2012). Chapter 4 of this report covers volunteering. When the discussion moved on to their ambitions for the round table itself, the tone shifted to a more equivocal one: yes London 2012 had made a huge success of volunteering but now we are back in the “real world” of austerity with the Games already fading slowly into history, how do we motivate people to volunteer on a regular basis? The answers to the question “What question would you like to have answered by this group?” revealed this uncertainty quite clearly questioning what such a group could actually achieve, the steps needed to establish the widespread value of volunteering and investigating the reasons why people do or don’t volunteer and how best to engage those volunteers previously involved in London 2012.
- Modelling the organisational socialisation of volunteers in English associational golf clubs, Christopher Mills, Cathy Urquhart, Chris Mackintosh, et al., European Sport Management Quarterly, (1 February 2023). The article develops a model for the organisational socialisation of golf club volunteers. The model highlights an extended period of organisational socialisation, which locates assimilation during club membership before volunteering begins. This prior period of assimilation allows individuals to acquire organisational knowledge and make informed decisions about whether to volunteer. It also shapes their actions as volunteers and the meanings they derive from volunteering. Our findings emphasise the importance of participation among members as a precursor to volunteering. They also highlight how, in the absence of orientation support from the club, movement through the socialisation process depends on individuals’ biographical assets. The model should help golf clubs, and potentially other voluntary sports clubs, manage their organisational socialisation process to develop established members, improve volunteer recruitment and produce long-term volunteers. Improved management of this process could also enhance the diversity of both members and volunteers.
- Volunteers in Sport Organizations and Events: A Source of Competitive Advantage? Erik Lachance, Milena Parent, International Journal of Sport Management, Volume 22, pp.1-24, (July 2021). Data were gathered from eight semi-structured interviews with four volunteers and four executives (executive director, president) from different sport organizations and events in the same community. Following an inductive and deductive thematic analysis, findings highlight the ability for volunteers to be valuable, rare, and inimitable resources supported by organizational practices, thus representing a source of competitive advantage in sport. These findings indicate how volunteers should be considered when planning and developing the strategic outcomes of sport organizations and events to outperform their competitors (e.g., as brand ambassadors/organizational representatives providing legitimacy to the sport organization or event). To gain a competitive advantage in sport, managers should develop formal human resource management practices and procedures, and incorporate volunteers into their strategic planning.
- Volunteer satisfaction in sports clubs: A multilevel analysis in 10 European countries, Siegfried Nagel, Ørnulf Seippel, Christoph Breuer, et.al., International Review for the Sociology of Sport, Volume 55(8), pp.1074-1093, (December 2020). Regular voluntary engagement is a basic resource for sports clubs that may also promote social cohesion and active citizenship. The satisfaction of volunteers is an imperative factor in this engagement, and the purpose of this article is to explore individual and organizational determinants of volunteer satisfaction in sports clubs. Results show that the most important determinants of satisfaction are the conditions of volunteering (recognition, support, leadership and material incentives) and the workload of volunteers. Surprisingly, club characteristics, size or having paid staff are not significant determinants of volunteer satisfaction. The results of this analysis can assist more effective volunteer management in sports clubs that are facing challenges of individualization and professionalization.
- The determinants of the intention to continue voluntary football refereeing, Thomas Giel, Christoph Breuer, Sport Management Review, Volume 23(2), pp.242-255, (April 2020). The purpose of this research is to identify the factors that determine the intention to continue voluntary refereeing in the context of football in Germany. Analysis reveals the motive of self-orientation, respect shown by athletes, coaches, and spectators towards referees, compatibility of refereeing with one’s occupational and private life, perceived organisational support, and referees’ satisfaction to predict referees’ positive intention to continue with their activity. Simultaneously, experiences of offences during refereeing negatively influence this intention, and younger referees show higher intentions to continue their activity than do older referees. Because volunteer recruitment and retention are expensive, the findings of this study facilitate the improvement of effective retention strategies for the federations responsible for referees.
- Managing sport volunteers with a disability: Human resource management implications, Pam Kappelides, Jennifer Spoor, Sport Management Review, Volume 22(5), pp.694-707, (November 2019). The authors examine the benefits and barriers to including volunteers with a disability in three Australian sport and recreation organisations, as well as the potential human resource management implications. The authors draw on interviews with sport volunteers with disability, staff from sport organisations, and recipients of services from volunteers with disability conducted in 2016–2017. Researchers have not previously examined these diverse perspectives, but they are important for understanding how to include and support sport volunteers with disability. Analysis of the interviews revealed a wide range of benefits of including volunteers with disability including social acceptance, social inclusion and personal development; but both volunteers and organisations identified numerous barriers to volunteering, including negative attitudes, personal factors, organisational factors and lack of social inclusion. Based on the results of this study, the authors develop recommendations for human resource management practices and policies to support volunteers with a disability in sport and recreation organisations, which are organised around an ability-motivation-opportunity framework. The results suggest that organisations need to create an environment that facilitates open, two-way communication with volunteers with a disability about their needs and wants. There also should be training and education to all volunteers and staff around an inclusive workplace culture.
- Selling volunteering or developing volunteers? Approaches to promoting sports volunteering, Nichols, G., Hogg, E., Knight, C., et al., Voluntary Sector Review, Volume 10 (1), pp.3-18, (2019). This paper considers the balance between promoting volunteering in sport by emphasising the personal rewards to prospective volunteers themselves – the dominant management approach – and promoting it by the long term development of the values of volunteering. We review the motivations and rewards of sports volunteers and how these can be used to promote volunteering as being a transaction between volunteer and organisation. This is contrasted with a life-course approach to understanding volunteering, and evidence that an understanding of the value of volunteering can be inculcated that underpins continued volunteering. The two approaches regard potential volunteers respectively as ‘consumers’ and as ‘citizens’. We suggest that a shift to treating volunteers as consumers can lead to volunteering being regarded as transactional. The discussion has implications for volunteering in general; in particular, how it can be promoted in a society where narratives of ‘the consumer’ increasingly dominate over those of ‘the citizen’.
- Willingness-to-volunteer versus willingness-to-pay in sports clubs: how organizational capacity affects individual decisions, Pamela Wicker, Philipp Swierzy, Christoph Breuer, European Journal for Sport and Society, Volume 15(4), pp.332-351, (2018). In light of increasing problems of recruiting and retaining volunteers, non-profit sports clubs might consider providing their members with an option to buy their way out of voluntary work. Using a rational choice framework, this study examines how organizational capacity of sports clubs affects members’ preferences for willingness-to-volunteer (WTV) versus willingness-to-pay (WTP). It uses data from German sports clubs (n = 228) and their members (n = 636). The member survey included a hypothetical scenario supposing that their club needs more resources because of financial difficulties (negative scenario) or service quality improvements (positive scenario). Members were presented with randomized increases in voluntary working hours and membership fees and asked whether they would prefer WTV or WTP under these conditions. The results of probit models reveal that the current voluntary workload and potential increases in voluntary working hours are positively associated with WTV, suggesting that volunteering is a stable construct. Members are more likely to prefer WTV in clubs engaging in strategic planning, while WTP is preferred in clubs that break even and employ paid staff. The findings support the role of organizational capacity, with some evidence that club members weigh benefits against costs when making these decisions.
- The impact of organizational capacity on voluntary engagement in sports clubs: A multi-level analysis, Philipp Swierzy, Pamela Wicker, Christoph Breuer, Sport Management Review, Volume 21(3), pp.307-320, (June 2018). Based on the concept of organizational capacity, in the present study, the authors investigate whether and how human resources, financial, and structural capacities of sports clubs influence individual voluntary engagement. The results of multi-level mixed effects regression analyses show that all capacity dimensions are significantly associated with voluntary engagement of both adult members and parents of underage members. A larger number of members and a greater share of volunteers reduce the amount of time a volunteer devotes to voluntary work; adult members are less likely to volunteer when their club has a balanced budget; and strategic planning increases the likelihood of individuals to volunteer informally.
- Recruitment and Retention of Referees in Nonprofit Sport Organizations: The Trickle-Down Effect of Role Models, Pamela Wicker and Bernd Frick, VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, Volume 27, pp.1304–1322, (April 2016). This study examines the trickle-down effect of role models on the retention of already active referees and the recruitment of new referees in German football (soccer). Secondary panel data on the number of referees and role models (i.e., referees promoted to the status of a Bundesliga or FIFA referee) were collected for the 21 regional football associations. The regression results show that the presence of role models has a statistically significant and positive effect on the number of existing referees. The number of new referees is positively affected by referees who were promoted to the status of a first Bundesliga referee, but not by those promoted to the status of a FIFA referee. The findings suggest that nonprofit sport organizations should capitalize on the effect of role models to a greater extent.
- How do sports clubs recruit volunteers? Analyzing and developing a typology of decision-making processes on recruiting volunteers in sport clubs, Schlesinger T, Klenk C and Nagel S, Sport Management Review , Volume 18(2), pp.193-206, (May 2015). This article examines the decision-making processes in the recruitment of volunteers. Data was collected from nine case studies of selected sport clubs. Results showed that the decision-making processes are generally characterised by a reactive approach, rather than a strategic one. Decision-making seems to be shaped frequently by inconsistency, unexpected outcomes, and randomness. This leads to the question how can decision-making processes in sport clubs be examined adequately? It was possible to develop a typology that gives an overview of how different decision-making practices interact; situational versus systematic decisions, and top-down versus bottom-up driven decisions. The most effective practices were the result of top-down and systematic decision-making. The least effective practices were driven by situational decision-making, regardless of whether the decision was made using a top-down or bottom-up approach. The researchers concluded that recruitment practices in sports clubs cannot be modelled on comparable practices in the corporate sector. The key to successful recruitment practices lies in the commitment and competence of the central decision-makers within the club who are responsible for club policy.
- A multi-level framework for investigating the engagement of sport volunteers, Wicker P and Hallmann K, European Sports Management Quarterly, Volume 13(1), pp.110-139, (2013). Previous research has extensively investigated the drivers of the decision to volunteer on an individual level. As volunteering usually occurs within an institutional context (e.g., sport club and sport event), the characteristics of the institution must also be considered; however, they have been largely neglected in previous research. A review of the literature on both levels reveals both theoretical and methodological shortcomings which this paper attempts to address.
- Volunteer Toolkit, Good Sports, (accessed 9 November 2023). The toolkit also shows how celebrating the achievements and dedication of volunteers is a great way to build team morale and keep volunteers coming back. It can also help to bring on board new people for your club.
- Recruiting and managing volunteers, Sport New Zealand, (accessed 10 May 2022). Advice and tools to attract good volunteers and keep them
- Volunteers – what you need to know, Good Sports, (January 2021). This practical how-to guide will talk you through the challenges and opportunities when engaging new volunteers. It will equip you with some handy resources to make the recruitment process easier and help to spread the load. The toolkit also shows how celebrating the achievements and dedication of volunteers is a great way to build team morale and keep volunteers coming back. It can also help to bring on board new people for your club.
- Volunteer Management Toolkit, Volunteering Victoria, (2020). The toolkit is simple, easy to use and provides guidance for volunteer managers at each stage of the volunteering life cycle. It also includes: Hints and tips for best practice; Useful links; and, Downloadable templates.
- Aktive Volunteer Management Toolkit, Sport NZ, (September 2019). The purpose of the Toolkit is to provide information, insights and ideas that will assist organisations to find and look after volunteers who can help to deliver their sport or activity.
- Inspiring volunteers: a guide to recruitment and communication, MediaTrust, (2017). Inspiring Volunteers draws on the best practice and learning developed through Volunteering for All, and the work of the Volunteering for All Opportunity Partners. The guide aims to inspire small to medium sized charities and community organisations who may struggle to effectively market volunteering to a wider, more diverse audience and is full of ideas on recruiting, communicating with and retaining volunteers.
- Rugby World Cup 2011 volunteering resources. Sport NZ, (2011). The 2011 Rugby World Cup was supported by New Zealand's biggest ever volunteer effort. Officially called the Rugby World Cup 2011 Volunteer Programme, it saw an unpaid workforce of more than 5000 play a crucial role in the delivery of a great sporting event. This resource covers planning, recruitment, training, volunteer compliance, uniform distribution, scheduling, reward and recognition, research and reporting.
- The Disability Resource, La Trobe University, (accessed 10 May 2022). This website is designed to help volunteers and staff who facilitate sport and active recreation experiences understand how best to work with people with disabilities. The website includes online courses and resources that can be used as a reference guide for volunteers and staff.
- Volunteer.vic, Department of Health and Human Services, (accessed 10 May 2022). The Department provides a number of resources for organisations that use, support, or manages volunteers.
- Building an inclusive volunteer program, Volunteering Victoria, (accessed 10 May 2022). Volunteering Victoria encourages you to think about how you can build an inclusive volunteer program and involve volunteers from diverse backgrounds including people with a disability, from a culturally and linguistically diverse background, people who identify as LGBTQI+ and many more. Website also provides a wide variety of additional guides that are not sport specific but cover good and promising practice for volunteer organisations.
- Give retention some attention, Stories driving volunteer retention, Australian Sports Commission, held online, (10 October 2023). In this webinar our panellists shared insights into the impact around creating a sense of belonging within the volunteer workforce, the importance of demonstrating the impact of volunteers, the value proposition, and how volunteering changes lives, including your own! We also learned from the volunteer perspective and heard about impactful volunteer experiences and what keeps them coming back for more.
- Take the Pressure Down - New approaches to recruiting sport volunteers, In Focus Seminar Series: Volunteering, Australian Sports Commission, held online, (17 August 2023). During this online conversation, we explored ideas to help sport move outside traditional volunteer recruitment strategies, and how we can change the game by tapping into a new pool of volunteers who are ready to make a difference in their communities. Our presenters led us to explore how sporting organisations can connect into the corporate, university student, and veteran communities, and ignite new thinking around recruitment strategies for volunteers.
- The Future is Youth: A whole new ball game, In Focus Seminar Series: Volunteering, Australian Sports Commission, held online, (16 May 2023). During this online conversation, we discussed the current volunteering landscape in Australia for young people, hearing from prominent speakers who shareed their knowledge around the barriers, the motivations and how we can effectively communicate about volunteering in sport with young Australians. A facilitated Q and A explored the motivations and benefits of volunteering amongst young people, recruitment strategies that appeal, how sporting clubs can ready themselves for young volunteers as well as understanding new and emerging Australian communities.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
Events
The motivation and management of event volunteers can be different to those who volunteer regularly in sport.
Planning and support
Events
Volunteers make a significant contribution to international, national, and local events. Many events, would not be possible without a large volunteer workforce. 5, 6
The motivation, and management, of episodic volunteers (i.e., only volunteer for specific event/s) can be different to those who routinely, or regularly volunteer in sport (e.g., someone who volunteers each week or season). This means that the way in which an organisation attracts, supports, celebrates, and retains these volunteers may also require different management techniques. 7
- The Curious Case of The Disappearing Race Volunteer, Caryn Maconi Lawler, Outside, (9 August 2023). Multisport events across the country rely on volunteers to operate, but not only are volunteers not always free, they're also becoming an endangered species. What happens when the helpers stop showing up?
- Surviving and Thriving from the Volunteer Involvement in Mega-Sport Events, Tracey Dickson, Simon Darcy, Volunteering Australia, (November 2022). MSE like the summer Olympic and Paralympic Games can require up to 70,000 OCOG volunteers. They may provide a series of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to attract volunteers that are well above volunteering norms. An important issue for this paper is how the MSE volunteering experience impacts the future desire to volunteer elsewhere. With such a demand, other organisations dependent upon volunteers need to have a strategy in place both to survive the games-time impacts upon their volunteers, but also to thrive beyond the games from the increased public awareness of, and enthusiasm about, volunteering.
- London 2012 Games markers: Towards redefining legacy, Dickson T and Banson A, Government of the United Kingdom, Department of Culture, Media and Sport, (2013). Volunteering is an essential aspect of many mega-sporting events with stakeholder rhetoric suggesting that it is desirable and that these events will leave a ‘volunteering legacy’ beyond the Games. For London, work among a wide range of stakeholders has created a new volunteering spirit and an improved volunteer network with more opportunities and better training for those who want to give their most important commodity – time.
- London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games: post-Games review, National Audit Office, (2012). This report focuses on the cost of the Games and contains a section on the impact of volunteers (p. 12).
- Beyond 2012 – Outcomes, Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, (2012). Chapter 4 of this report covers volunteering. When the discussion moved on to their ambitions for the round table itself, the tone shifted to a more equivocal one: yes London 2012 had made a huge success of volunteering but now we are back in the “real world” of austerity with the Games already fading slowly into history, how do we motivate people to volunteer on a regular basis? The answers to the question “What question would you like to have answered by this group?” revealed this uncertainty quite clearly questioning what such a group could actually achieve, the steps needed to establish the widespread value of volunteering and investigating the reasons why people do or don’t volunteer and how best to engage those volunteers previously involved in London 2012.
- Serious Leisure Event Volunteering and Social Capital, Hallmann, Kirstin; Wright, Richard; Morellato, Massimo, Event Management, Volume 27(3), pp.353-366, (2023). It has been argued that all serious leisure activity is founded upon a strong sense of companionship and community. Besides, social capital is widely believed to generate mutual understanding and communal reciprocity. Sport event volunteering is considered a form of serious leisure. However, the interrelationships between these concepts deserve further investigation. This study analyzed the interrelationships between serious leisure volunteering and social capital acquisition of 311 World Masters Games volunteers using a structural equation model. Moreover, differences between groups of volunteers were assessed. The findings revealed a significant relationship between serious leisure and social capital. For example, local volunteers identified significantly more with serious leisure volunteering than those from outside of the host region.
- Multi-dimensional framework as a new way to study the management of Olympic volunteering, Olesya Nedvetskaya, European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 23(5), pp.1523-1548, (2023). The London 2012 Olympic Games volunteer (Games Maker or GM) programme was the primary case for this research. Data was gathered before, during and 14 months after the Games in the UK via a mixed methods approach. Survey data from volunteers was complemented with semi-structured interviews with volunteers and managers, the author’s participant observations and documentary analysis. The proposed framework helped identify and evaluate the systems, mechanisms, and processes of developing and managing the GM programme. It became evident that unless key event stakeholders acknowledge the complex nature of Olympic volunteering and put adequate structures, resources and practices in place, the volunteer programmes are ineffective in managing volunteers and attaining a sustainable volunteering legacy. This paper offers valuable insights into the organisation and management of Olympic volunteering to achieve various programme results. It answers a call for a holistic approach to the phenomenon under study and features new directions for continued academic research in this critical area.
- Opening the black box of the sport event volunteer’s journey: from candidate to volunteer, Veronica Lo Presti, Tracy Taylor, Jennifer Onyx, European Sport Management Quarterly, (18 July 2022). This paper investigates candidates’ journey to being selected as a volunteer for the Rio2016 Games. Drawing on Actor–Network Theory, the research tracked the sociomaterial practices undertaken by candidates to become volunteers and sought to identify the actors that participate in these practices and the role the latter played in facilitating a positive (or negative) experience. The journey to volunteering at Rio 2016 comprised sociomaterial practices that impacted the volunteer candidate’s progression (or lack thereof) through the journey to volunteering. These were qualifying as a candidate, Waiting for ‘Godot’, Being rejected and Getting the ‘passport’ to the Games. This research presents a practice-based conceptualisation of volunteer candidates’ journey to selection. The findings demonstrate the centrality of sociomaterial practices in volunteer recruitment and the importance of an effective human and non-human interface. Flexible approaches to volunteer recruitment and selection that consider the diversity of interactions of actors involved can be profitably deployed to facilitate a good candidate experience and minimise the stress, tension and communication issues that potential volunteers face.
- Volunteers in Sport Organizations and Events: A Source of Competitive Advantage? Erik Lachance, Milena Parent, International Journal of Sport Management, Volume 22, pp.1-24, (July 2021). Data were gathered from eight semi-structured interviews with four volunteers and four executives (executive director, president) from different sport organizations and events in the same community. Following an inductive and deductive thematic analysis, findings highlight the ability for volunteers to be valuable, rare, and inimitable resources supported by organizational practices, thus representing a source of competitive advantage in sport. These findings indicate how volunteers should be considered when planning and developing the strategic outcomes of sport organizations and events to outperform their competitors (e.g., as brand ambassadors/organizational representatives providing legitimacy to the sport organization or event). To gain a competitive advantage in sport, managers should develop formal human resource management practices and procedures, and incorporate volunteers into their strategic planning.
- Managing sport volunteers with a disability: Human resource management implications, Pam Kappelides, Jennifer Spoor, Sport Management Review, Volume 22(5), pp.694-707, (November 2019). The authors examine the benefits and barriers to including volunteers with a disability in three Australian sport and recreation organisations, as well as the potential human resource management implications. The authors draw on interviews with sport volunteers with disability, staff from sport organisations, and recipients of services from volunteers with disability conducted in 2016–2017. Researchers have not previously examined these diverse perspectives, but they are important for understanding how to include and support sport volunteers with disability. Analysis of the interviews revealed a wide range of benefits of including volunteers with disability including social acceptance, social inclusion and personal development; but both volunteers and organisations identified numerous barriers to volunteering, including negative attitudes, personal factors, organisational factors and lack of social inclusion. Based on the results of this study, the authors develop recommendations for human resource management practices and policies to support volunteers with a disability in sport and recreation organisations, which are organised around an ability-motivation-opportunity framework. The results suggest that organisations need to create an environment that facilitates open, two-way communication with volunteers with a disability about their needs and wants. There also should be training and education to all volunteers and staff around an inclusive workplace culture.
- The impact of volunteer experience at sport mega‐events on intention to continue volunteering: Multigroup path analysis, Hyejin Bang, Gonzalo A. Bravo, Katiuscia Mello Figuerôa, et al., Journal of Community Psychology, Volume 27(4), pp.727-742, (May 2019). This study examined the impacts of volunteers’ motivation and satisfaction through Olympic/Paralympic volunteering experiences on their intention to volunteer for future community events and the moderating role of previous volunteering experience in the relationships among motivations, satisfaction, and intention to continue volunteering. Path analysis revealed that among the total sample, motivations had direct and indirect (through satisfaction) effects on intention to volunteer. Results of multigroup path analysis showed that the relationships among motivations, satisfaction, and intention vary by returning and first‐time volunteers, supporting the moderating role of prior volunteering experience in the path model.
- Determinants and Outcomes of Volunteer Satisfaction in Mega Sports Events, Daehwan Kim, Chanmin Park, Hany Kim, et.al., Sustainability, Volume 11(7), (March 2019). The role of volunteers is an important factor for the sustainability of mega sports events. Key issues in the literature on sports event volunteers are volunteer satisfaction and its determinants and outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of the fulfillment of volunteers’ psychological needs and Volunteer Management Practices (VMP) on overall volunteer satisfaction, and to test their conditional effects depending on volunteer involvement. Overall volunteer satisfaction was found to positively affect future volunteering intention, spreading positive words regarding sports event volunteering, and intention to visit the host city as tourists. In conclusion, sports event managers need to design an optimal work environment that can fulfill volunteers’ psychological needs and improve VMP to enhance the sustainability of mega sports events.
- Olympic Volunteers: the case of 2018 Games, Keunsu Han, Yong-Yeon Ji, Jin Dong Park, Journal of Sport and Recreation Management, Volume 16(2), pp.51-62, (2019). The role of volunteers has become a core component for the overall success of major international sport events. In recent years, the Olympics, considered to be the world’s biggest sporting event could not be hosted without the contribution of a large number of volunteers. From the large number of volunteers, the Olympic organizing committee could not only obtain a huge financial advantage but also create a positive energy and culture. Despite the significance of volunteers in the Olympics, research on Olympic volunteers’ motivations is still limited. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between the motives and future intentions of volunteers at the 2018 Olympics, and investigate the factorial structure of the Motivation Scale adapted for this study. Data were collected from a volunteer sample of 36 individuals who offered their services at the 2018 Olympic Games. The results from the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression show that only the “Volunteer Attachment” variable out of the four factors of volunteer motivation has a significantly positive relationship with volunteers’ future intention. This study will provide information that could enhance effective volunteer recruitment and retention in the Olympics.
- Lean thinking in leisure: continuously improving event volunteering and management, Clayton J. Hawkins and Michael S. Bonney, Annals of Leisure Research, Volume 22(3), pp.362-372, (2019). The events industry is facing rapid societal change. Issues such as professionalization of the industry, competing funding streams, a crowded market, and decreasing access to volunteer labour are creating an environment of need for solutions. This paper proposes the application of lean thinking as a platform for simplification and continuous improvement in the event industry as a case example of potential broader relevance to the leisure industry. It scopes the event industry context, discusses the concept of lean, and proposes the testing of lean as a philosophy and methodology to assist event organizers and their volunteers navigate the changing event industry context. This paper also examines the potential benefits of lean to time poor volunteers to maximize the value of their participation.
- Selling volunteering or developing volunteers? Approaches to promoting sports volunteering, Nichols, G., Hogg, E., Knight, C., et al., Voluntary Sector Review, Volume 10 (1), pp.3-18, (2019). This paper considers the balance between promoting volunteering in sport by emphasising the personal rewards to prospective volunteers themselves – the dominant management approach – and promoting it by the long term development of the values of volunteering. We review the motivations and rewards of sports volunteers and how these can be used to promote volunteering as being a transaction between volunteer and organisation. This is contrasted with a life-course approach to understanding volunteering, and evidence that an understanding of the value of volunteering can be inculcated that underpins continued volunteering. The two approaches regard potential volunteers respectively as ‘consumers’ and as ‘citizens’. We suggest that a shift to treating volunteers as consumers can lead to volunteering being regarded as transactional. The discussion has implications for volunteering in general; in particular, how it can be promoted in a society where narratives of ‘the consumer’ increasingly dominate over those of ‘the citizen’.
- Volunteering legacy of the London 2012 Olympics, Olesya Nedvetskaya, Vassil Girginov, Chapter 4 in Legacies and Mega Events, Routledge, (2017). London 2012 Volunteering Strategy was premised on the commitment to use the Games as a way of inspiring a new generation of volunteers and contributing to a lasting volunteering legacy for the UK. Using a critical realist evaluation approach, this chapter examines the processes through which the volunteering legacy can be achieved, for whom, under what circumstances, and over which duration. It concludes that the momentum to build on the enthusiasm of 70,000 volunteers was lost, and the volunteering legacy became declared rather than delivered. This inevitably poses questions about the effectiveness of legacy planning and delivery. The chapter extends the body of knowledge about social legacies of mega sport events and their governance and can be highly beneficial for future bids and host cities.
- Pioneer volunteers: the role identity of continuous volunteers at sport events, Fairley S, Green B, O’Brian D, et.al., Journal of Sport and Tourism, Volume 19(3-4), pp.233-255, (2015). This study looks at the role identity of 125 volunteers during lead-up events as well as their participation in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. In addition, a small sample were interviewed 12 years after the Olympics. Six themes described the experience of ‘pioneer volunteers’ (i.e. continuous volunteer participation): (1) friendship and teamwork; (2) prestige; (3) behind the scenes access and knowledge of the event; (4) learning enabled by their experience; (5) a sense of connection with and ownership of the event, and; (6) transition to Games time roles. Pioneer volunteers experienced a strong and sustained identification with their role and sought out continued opportunities to volunteer in future events.
- Volunteer Management: The Case of Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Heeyle Park, Eric Olson, Iowa State University, (2020). Volunteer management is an integral part of any event that relies on volunteer contributions. Managing volunteers for events is related to three related domains: events, human resources, and volunteering. Each of the domains is discussed for its relation to volunteer management in the context of a sport event. The practice of managing volunteers is considered in terms of its phases. A real–life case is provided so that students can apply their understandings of volunteer management in resolving the case problems.
- Rugby World Cup 2011 volunteering resources. Sport NZ, (2011). The 2011 Rugby World Cup was supported by New Zealand's biggest ever volunteer effort. Officially called the Rugby World Cup 2011 Volunteer Programme, it saw an unpaid workforce of more than 5000 play a crucial role in the delivery of a great sporting event. This resource covers planning, recruitment, training, volunteer compliance, uniform distribution, scheduling, reward and recognition, research and reporting.
- VounTEARS: What would sport be like without us? A look at volunteering in major sporting events, Participation Leaders Network In-Focus Seminar Series, Australian Sports Commission, held online, (27 March 2023). Hosted by Dr. Lindsey Reece (Australian Sports Commission) and Dr. Sue Regan (Volunteering Australia), during this online conversation we discussed the essential role volunteers play in enabling major sporting events. We explored who is volunteering at major events, reasons why and how you can apply these learnings into future sport delivery and drive enhanced community outcomes.
Access to resources
Where possible, direct links to full-text and online resources are provided. However, where links are not available, you may be able to access documents directly by searching our licenced full-text databases (note: user access restrictions apply). Alternatively, you can ask your institutional, university, or local library for assistance—or purchase documents directly from the publisher. You may also find the information you’re seeking by searching Google Scholar.
References
- National Standards for Volunteer Involvement, Volunteering Australia, (2015).
- Managing sport volunteers with a disability: Human resource management implications, Pam Kappelides, Jennifer Spoor, Sport Management Review, Volume 22(5), pp.694-707, (November 2019).
- The impact of organizational capacity on voluntary engagement in sports clubs: A multi-level analysis, Philipp Swierzy, Pamela Wicker, Christoph Breuer, Sport Management Review, Volume 21(3), pp.307-320, (June 2018).
- The great (volunteer) resignation: An evidence-based strategy for retaining volunteers, Vivien Forner, Djurre Holtrop, Darja Kragt, et al., Volunteering Australia, (September 2022).
- Volunteering Strategy for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Tokyo 2020), (December 2016).
- Surviving and Thriving from the Volunteer Involvement in Mega-Sport Events, Tracey Dickson, Simon Darcy, Volunteering Australia, (November 2022).
- A systematic review of motivation of sport event volunteers, Kim, Eunjung, World Leisure Journal, Volume 60(4), pp.306-329, (2018).
- Sport Volunteering in Europe: Realities, opportunities and challenges, V4V: Skills acquired through volunteering in sport project, European Observatoire of Sport and Employment, (October 2023).
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