Co-ordinators and Sub-committees

In addition to the employment of a number of salaried personnel, the implementation of a strategic plan will require the involvement of a great many volunteers who will need to be organised, directed and co-ordinated.

The structure of a non-profit organisation commonly includes a number of sub-committees, each with its own volunteer co-ordinator, built around essential functions such as fundraising and event organisation. In Figure 5, the sub-committees are:

• Fundraising
• Promotion
• Officiating
• Events
• Coaching

The formation of sub-committees is dependent on the needs of the organisation. If the organisation does not need a fundraising committee then its should not have one.

The sub-committee co-ordinator or chairperson is identified by the organisation as having particular skills and interest in the function area. For example a person who is a referee and shows an interest in training other referees may be appointed by the management committee to head the sub-committee for officiating.

As is the case with all volunteers, the output of work performed by sub-committees may range from very high to almost nothing. It depends on the skills, abilities, time and motivation of those involved. Organisations benefit greatly when volunteers are highly motivated but often it is a case of begging members and participants who are very reluctant to assist. In general, however, despite these issues, non-profit organisations benefit very greatly from the input and involvement of volunteers and it any operational plan must make use of all human resources available.

Allocation of tasks

It is important to consider how tasks and responsibilities will be divided amongst salaried officers and volunteers. It is also important to consider how volunteers will recruited, utilised and co-ordinated according to objectives and strategies contained within the strategic plan.

Identifying and matching tasks to be undertaken with human resources available is a fundamental part of operational planning. This process may be facilitated by drafting an organisational chart (such as Figure 5) that helps to identify important functions and positions in the organisation. It is also necessary part of operational planning to have a system that ensures that each strategy contained within the strategic plan is allocated to appropriate personnel.