Guidelines on how to build sustainable volunteer programs for (sport) events

‘Sustainability is an ability of a program to continue engaging citizens to meet the needs of the community (…)’

Stage 1. Before volunteers are brought into the program - Planning - Recruitment of volunteers Stage 2. During the time volunteers are part of the program - Induction, orientation and training of volunteers - Motivation of volunteers - Supervision, support and management of volunteers Stage 3. After volunteers leave the program - End of the Program - Continues improvement of the program

Stage 1. Before volunteers are brought into the program

General planning

Volunteering landscape What is volunteering tradition in your country? What should be still done to further promote, develop and support volunteering in your country? How your volunteer program (and the event) can support volunteer development? How the strengths of volunteering landscape in your country could help you to deliver the objectives of your program?

Sustainability goals What do you want to achieve? What do you think the program should leave as heritage for your organisation? Volunteers? Your country? Civil society?...

Collaboration map How active are the volunteer organisations in your country? Do you foresee any partnerships? Which local organizations and local authorities could and should support your work to achieve your goals?

Internal planning What vision and mission do you have of the program? How will you cooperate with other departments to achieve the goals of the program?

Recruitment

Profile of a volunteer and your target groups Who is a ‘usual volunteer’ in your country? Would you like to address those ‘usual suspects’ or you want to encourage new groups of people to volunteer? How would you do it? If you do not have sufficient resources to do it – which external partners could help you to achieve that?

Communication campaign What image of volunteering do you want to promote? How it can contribute to the promotion of volunteering in general? Which external partners could help you to reach to your target groups?

Application, Interviewing & Selection Do you outsource the collection of applications or do it by yourself? Who will be interviewing volunteers – professionals or other volunteers? How do you select volunteers? Do you value experience or do you give a chance to those who do not have much volunteering or professional experience?

Rejection & Managing disappointment How do you manage disappointment of rejected candidates? What can you do to prevent those rejected from leaving the world of volunteering for ever? Who can help you with it?

Stage 2. During the time that volunteers are part of the program

Induction, orientation and training of volunteers How can you organize trainings to maximize sustainability of the program? Would you involve external partners to organize volunteer trainings? What would be the benefits of such solution?

Motivation of volunteers Which benefits volunteers should get? Do you organize motivational program for volunteers? With whom you need to collaborate to deliver different benefits? How to make public opinion aware of what the volunteers have achieved?

Inspiration: UEFA EURO 2012 motivational program The UEFA EURO 2012 Volunteer Culture Programme was a program of dozens of entertaining, social and sport events designed for volunteers to thank them for their time, sustain their motivation, raise awareness on certain social issues and - finally - to create links between volunteers and local organizations. In the frame of the Program volunteers e. g. participated in a series of workshops and games on disability, community leadership and conflict solving.

Supervision, support and management of volunteers How do you deal with volunteers who want or need to leave (resign or are dismissed?) What do you do not to discourage them from volunteering?

Stage 3. After volunteers leave the program

End of the program How do you encourage volunteers to stay in volunteering? How can you ease their transfer from your program to other existing volunteer opportunities? How can you involve external partners in ensuring that volunteers continue with their voluntary engagement?

Continuous improvement of volunteer programs How can you plan the evaluation so it supports sustainability e. g. supports your future events, civil society in your country etc.? How can you respond to evaluation? How do you maximize transferability of experience to the next events and other organisations?