Salaried Officers

In the last decade in Australia, due largely to increases in government funding for sport, there has been an increasing tendency for sport and recreation organisations to employ professional administrators, coaches and officials. Organisations that were once managed solely by a voluntary management committee are now adjusting to considerable change caused by increasing professionalism in the sport and recreation industry.

There is increasing pressure on non-profit organisations to employ salaried staff so that they have a fair chance of competing in the market place. The role they play in an organisation is obviously very critical and should be determined through the strategic planning process. The employment of salaried officers enables the organisation to meet community expectations for service delivery. The following table illustrates this point.

Comparison between salaried and voluntary officers
Salaried Officers	Voluntary Officers
Enquiries from the public are dealt with promptly	Enquiries from the public are dealt with at the officer's convenience
Visits to schools, clubs and other organisations in the community can be visited when most appropriate	Visits to schools, clubs and other organisations in the community can only be effected only when the voluntary officer has time available
Organisation of programs and events is organised to a high level and on a continual basis	Organisation of programs and events is dependent on the amount of time the voluntary officer is willing to give
Salaried officers are recruited from the general job market and are selected on the basis of ability	Voluntary officers are often selected on the basis of who will come forward

There may also be unforeseen disadvantages when an organisation moves towards employing salaried officers. There is not always an immediate and apparent advantage. There are two issues that commonly arise:

The amount of financial resources expended on salaries can become a very considerable burden. Whilst service delivery to the organisation's stakeholders may increase it may appear that too much effort is expended by the association in raising funds to keep salaried employees.
The introduction of salaried workers changes the way that volunteers contribute. Tasks previously performed by volunteers are handed to salaried workers. The result can be that the organisation is now paying for something it used to get for free.

The positions created for salaried officers, if any, are a major component of the organisation structure. It may be one of the main determinants of whether an organisation will succeed with the implementation of the strategic plan.

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Salaried Officers