Recruiting Event Volunteers

Volunteer wearing a mascot suit Recruitment of volunteers is a key issue in sport delivery as every sport administrator knows. The task of recruiting and more importantly retaining volunteers needs to be a consistent all year round effort. It is not so much a task of the Event Director but more a general philosophy. Good sport administrators and event director are continually in recruitment mode in terms of their interaction with people they meet. Everyone is potentially a volunteer.

The range of strategies that can be employed to recruit event volunteers includes:

Newsletter - article about the event and explaining the tasks that need to be done, calling for volunteers.
Direct approach - asking people in person or by phone (not by email) whether they are interested in "helping" with the event.
Social media announcements
Event Management: Recruiting Event Volunteers - Strategies
Loud speaker announcements at other events
Social functions of the organisation. The Event Director can address people gathered to promote the event and speak about volunteers needed.
Contacting local volunteering organisations that run websites such as Volunteering Queensland. There are many senior citizens in the community looking to do useful work in their retirement.
Holding information meetings at the club or in the community
Developing schemes that reward volunteers for their service. These schemes can be advertised on the organisation or event website. Rewards are not "pay" but might include free meals, special clothing with insignia, removal of fees (if they are a participant), etc.