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New Web Based Resources to Measure the Impact of Sport Volunteers
Sports clubs will be able to calculate the value of volunteering to their bottom line, thanks to a set of web-based tools launched by Volunteering England.
The four tools allow individuals to assess the impact of sport volunteers on their organisations click here to see them. The initiative is being supported by Sport England
The volunteering tools are coupled with a report, A winning team?, which was funded by the Institute for Volunteering Research, the organisation which piloted the impact assessment methods on clubs from the rugby union, hockey and Riding for the Disabled Association groups.
Laura Ferguson, head of sports volunteering at Volunteering England, said: “The report will show other sport organisations how they can assess the impact of their volunteers and give them a method of finding out how to improve their volunteering.”
The report revealed the need for improvements in the management of sport volunteers, and suggests clubs create volunteer co-ordinators positions to focus responsibility, as well as to monitor the workload of individuals.
It also recommends clubs introduce mentoring and buddying systems and establish links with supporting organisations such as Volunteer Centres.
According to the report volunteers contribute to how clubs’ function, their income, financial welfare, profile and reputation. “Unless attention is given to volunteering, and ultimately investment is made in sport volunteering, organisations run the risk of their volunteers becoming unhappy and even leaving,” says Ferguson.
The project was funded by third sector organisation capacitybuilders through the Volunteering Hub – a Volunteering England initiative targeted to producing an infrastructure that will increase volunteer participation by 2014.
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