We know that recruiting new volunteers can sometimes be a challenge. Taking the time to develop a recruitment plan can help ensure you have plenty of people willing to help run the club moving forwards.
See our top tips and resources below to help recruit volunteers at your club.
Think about what your club is trying to achieve, and the skills required to do this.
Use the resources below to help identify who currently holds roles, where a volunteer may be taking on too much and if there are gaps to fill.
When you know this, think whether you can breakdown some of the roles and share tasks amongst a group of people, using the resources below to help.
Think about how you can communicate with potential volunteers whether that's players, ex-players, parents or members or the local community.
55% of the public don’t realise community sports clubs are run by volunteers; including volunteering in your marketing material and communications can help reach new audiences. Use the resources below to tell people how they can help your club.
Everyone is entitled to take part in sport in a safe, positive and enjoyable environment.
When recruiting volunteers all reasonable steps must be taken to ensure only suitable people are selected. Visit our Safer Recruitment page for more information on what this means for you.
Welcoming new volunteers is essential to providing a positive first impression. Offering an induction can help new recruits feel supported and informed so that they want to play their full part in the team. Use the resources below to plan how you will welcome new volunteers.
Volunteer Recruitment Programme: Funding Applications Open
The Volunteer Recruitment Programme supports grassroots clubs across England to recruit more volunteers. It includes the opportunity to apply for funding (£500) and access a range of resources, from online learning to recruitment guides.
As part of the project, clubs will be required to deliver a volunteer recruitment activity, such as a volunteer open evening, targeted marketing & communications, or a volunteer work party, and consider the longer-term support that they offer to volunteers.
Clubs, Constituent Bodies (CBs) & referee societies can apply here, with the opportunity for 130 clubs to receive support packages of £500, along with access to online learning modules and additional guidance to help plan a successful volunteer recruitment activity.
Further information, including FAQs and Terms & Conditions, can be found here.
Applications close: Friday 22 November 2024 (17.00).
Find out how clubs have recruited new volunteers in the videos below.
Building an Inclusive Volunteer Team
We have developed a toolkit to provide guidance, ideas, and tools on how to recruit more volunteers, provide an inclusive volunteer environment and diversify perspectives, skills & experience.
Take a look at the Inclusive Volunteer Recruitment toolkit for tips on engaging with your local community, creating inclusive volunteer opportunities and developing an action plan to recruit more volunteers
Creating Inclusive Volunteer Opportunities
Engaging with your Local Community
Supporting Inclusive Conversations
Inclusive Marketing
Creating an Action Plan to support Recruitment of Volunteers
YOUNG VOLUNTEERS
Young people are an essential part of the rugby community, whether that is as players or as volunteers.
Ensuring that your Club or Constituent Body (CB) can attract and retain young people within the game is incredibly important to the future and sustainability of rugby.
The National Youth Council have developed a guide to help you think about how you can effectively inspire and recruit more young volunteers, and provide meaningful development opportunities.
Young Volunteer Engagement Toolkit
Another way to get young people involved is to offer sections of the Duke of Edinburgh (DofE) award at your club. For more information, read through our DofE in Rugby Clubs guidance.
