Developing a Relationship with Swim Club Volunteers

How Your Swim Club can Develop a Mutually Beneficial Relationship with Your Volunteers

The tasks involved in managing a swim club are endless – from tracking customer payments and managing customer service to cleaning up the grounds. Performing the day to day activities of a swim club can be a juggling act, even if you have fantastic staff members on hand to help members and a board managing behind the scenes. But the solution to mounting pressure on these resources doesn’t have to be adding more staff but rather can focus on swim club volunteers.

Volunteers can become the lifeblood of your organization. Allowing volunteers to perform tasks not only helps your club to run more efficiently, but it can also encourage community spirit. But how do you attract and retain great volunteers?

Make It Easy to Volunteer

A hurdle many people face when starting to volunteer is the fear of the unknown. You can make the process easier and encourage them to volunteer in the future by developing a process.

Here are few things that will make it easier:

• Have a defined sign up process that clearly explains what they will be doing
• Hold a volunteer group meeting at the beginning of each season to announce goals
• Delegate tasks between volunteer roles and staff responsibilities
• Be transparent about the dates you need help and the expectations of time required
• Thank them for volunteering

Provide Transparency When Volunteerism is a Requirement of Swim Club Membership

You may come to a point when financially you cannot keep your swim club running without the help of volunteers. At this point, many swim clubs make volunteering a requirement of membership. Transparency is key to minimizing volunteer confusion and making sure relationships remain strong when volunteer hours are missed.

• Include volunteer requirements in your membership packet
• Create an online method for members to track hours
• Offer flexibility for life events
• Host regular club meetings for volunteers to ask questions and address issues

Offer Incentives to your Swim Club Volunteers

Everyone loves freebies. Incentives may include a discounted seasonal membership, free guest passes or a free swimming lesson or location rental. These items don’t have to cost much in a price difference and can be offset by value of work being completed by the volunteer.

By making the volunteering process easier, providing transparency and even offering incentives, you can keep your swim club organized season after season.

eSoft Planner for Swim Clubs offers functionality that can support your volunteer organizing efforts. Schedule a demo today to see how you can spend less time and hassle on administration and more time supporting your club and its members.