What can research and experience tell us about event volunteering? Learning from major sport events

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What can research and experience tell us about
event volunteering? Learning from major sport
events
Dr Karen Smith Victoria University of
Wellington karen.smith_at_vuw.ac.nz

• Gillian Peacock
• Gillian Peacock Consulting
• gillian_at_xtra.co.nz

Volunteering Unleashed - National Volunteering
Conference 2009, Wellington
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Overview

• Event volunteering - lessons from major sport
  events
• Volunteer profiles and motivations
• Issues for managing sport event volunteering at
  each stage of the event life cycle
• Pre-event recruitment and selection, training,
  and managing expectations
• During the event experiences, rewards and
  satisfaction
• Post-event commitment and retention, and the
  longer term volunteering legacy
• Learning from both Research and Experience

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Overview of Event Volunteering

• Event volunteering
• Short-term, project-based or occasional flexible
  volunteering commitments
• Bounce-back event volunteering
• Event organizations
• Scale - mega, major, minor
• Frequency - one-time or periodic
• Location - fixed or roaming
• Type - sport, culture, business

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Research on Sport Event Volunteering

• Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC)
  Literature Review of Sport Event Volunteering
  (2009)
• Research has focused on
• Sport and mega events
• Single-event case studies
• Quantitative (volunteer survey) or multi-methods
• Volunteers in operational roles rather than
  organisational or other perspectives

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Sport Event Volunteer Profiles and Motivation

• Demographic profile
• Reflects the profile of the associated sports
  participants
• The larger and more unique the event, the broader
  the profile of volunteers at the event
• Motivations
• Little agreement about what motivates sport event
  volunteers, although the episodic nature of event
  volunteering is important
• Motivations vary over time, and by event, gender,
  age, employment status, resident/non-resident,
  new/repeat volunteer, and volunteer role
• Mega event volunteers have distinct motivations,
  including pride in country and culture

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Sport Event Volunteer Profiles and Motivation

• Dependent on event and location

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Issues for Managing Sport Event Volunteers

• Strong correlation between good human resource
  management practices and positive volunteer
  outcomes.
• Volunteer management expertise is vital to ensure
  the time, skills and commitment of volunteers are
  maximised.
• Large-scale events have complex organisational
  structures, and have a formalised and structured
  approach to volunteer management.
• Smaller-scale events are less complex and
  volunteer management is usually informal, ad hoc,
  and insufficiently resourced.

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Issues for Managing Sport Event Volunteers

• Set clear expectations regarding delivery of the
  event, volunteer roles and rewards.
• Training should include orientation, venue/site
  training, job specific training.
• Customer service training and test events used to
  ensure enthusiasm commitment, enhance visitor
  experience, quality service.
• Regular and clear communication with volunteers
  so they feel included and have up to date
  information about the event.
• Be consistent

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Issues for managing sport event volunteering at
each stage of the event life cycle

• PRE-EVENT
• recruitment and selection
• training, and
• managing expectations

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Pre-event recruitment and selection, training,
and managing expectations
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Recruitment and Selection

• The approach to recruitment and selection depends
  on the frequency, location, and scale of the
  event
• Periodic events that remain in the same location
  
• Retention of veteran volunteers - encouraging
  bounce-back
• Recruitment of new volunteers - relatively
  informal (word of mouth, social networks, links
  to sporting clubs and sports participation)
• Selection involves screening volunteers for
  suitability and role allocation

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Recruitment and Selection

• One-time and periodic roaming events
• Require a well-timed recruitment drive approach
• High profile events are often over-subscribed and
  a structured selection process and selection
  criteria are required
• Recruitment can be targeted at those with
  specific skills or socially excluded groups.

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Recruitment and Selection

• Time
• Commitment
• Enthusiasm
• Customer focus
• Performance driven
• Always only recruit for Best Fit for the Role
• Skills, experience and attitude

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Scheduling and Training

• Episodic volunteers are generally accepting of
  operational pressures and the lack of scheduling
  flexibility necessitated by the event context.
• Training can be both a motivation and reward for
  event volunteers and can influence a volunteers
  decision to continue as volunteer (at the current
  event and in the future).
• Training includes orientation, venue/site
  training, job specific training, and social
  interactions to build an effective event team.

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Scheduling and Training

• Training is mandatory, must be good quality and
  must be effective
• Informational and inspirational
• Set clear objectives
• Phases needs, design, delivery, test
• Type orientation, job, venue, leadership
• Information inspiration
• Ownership of training

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Managing Expectations

• Event volunteers have high expectations but are
  generally willing to accept minor downsides if
  the overall volunteering experience is positive.
• Volunteers will walk away from organisations
  which fail to provide them with meaningful tasks
  and satisfying experiences.
• As with paid staff, management expertise is just
  as vital to ensure the time, skills and
  commitment of volunteers are maximised.

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Managing Expectations

• Be consistent
• Communicate
• Be clear about whats expected
• Its hard work and long hours
• You dont get to see the game!

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During the event experiences, rewards and
satisfaction
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Experiences, Rewards and Satisfaction

• Most important benefits relate to
• the nature of the volunteering experience
• rewards that clearly identify the volunteers
  affiliation with events prestige and reputation
• Factors positively influencing satisfaction
  include
• being part of a unique event, celebratory
  atmosphere,
• social interaction and networking,
• public appreciation and recognition,
• achieving job skills and desired level of job
  competence

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Experiences, Rewards and Satisfaction

• Management factors influencing satisfaction
  include
• clearly defined responsibilities,
• training,
• scheduling and convenience of hours and location,
• communication,
• clear relationships with paid staff/management,
• recognition and feeling valued
• Dissatisfaction
• generally relates to organisation or welfare
  issues, or job characteristics, and this has
  consequences for commitment and retention

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Experiences, Rewards and Satisfaction

• Satisfying role
• Trained to do the job well
• Meaningful contribution
• Respected, not patronised
• Fair and reasonable expectations
• Right treatment care
• Recognition

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Post-event commitment and retention, and the
longer-term volunteering legacy
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Commitment and Retention

• Event volunteering can be one-off or committed
  volunteers who find the experience rewarding and
  satisfying can return or bounce-back to volunteer
  with the same periodic event or different events
  or voluntary activities.
• Commitment is related to motivation, sporting
  factors, and volunteering experiences at the
  event
• Different retention strategies are required in
  the pre, during and post event stages.

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Commitment and Retention

• Manage volunteer expectations dont
  over-promise
• Retention starts at selection select the right
  people
• Training you and they have obligations
• Supervision by people managers not assembly
  line
• ONE team paid and volunteer staff

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The Impacts of Sport Event Volunteers and Event
Volunteering Legacy Programmes

• Minimal research evaluating the economic value or
  other impacts of sport event volunteering on the
  event organisation, host destination, or wider
  society
• Mega events can build volunteering capacity
  before, during, and after the event
• Legacy programmes aim to maximise the long-term
  benefits of an event and can include
• the development and promotion of volunteering
  opportunities and capacity (e.g. online portal)
• creation and support of a pool of trained
  volunteers available to volunteer at other events

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The Impacts of Sport Event Volunteers and Event
Volunteering Legacy Programmes

• Databases keep it live
• Leadership training
• Volunteer management training
• Encourages ongoing volunteering
• Links to wider volunteer sector
• Resources, templates, process and procedure

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Concluding Thoughts

• Value of research-informed practice
• Volunteers good for the event and good for
  legacies
• Transform a good event into a GREAT event
• Will leave lasting memories
• Inspire others
• Top management support a MUST
• Partnerships build relationships, get advice
• Its not easy plan hard, work hard, work smart
• Have HIGH standards EXPECT THE BEST
• Recognition do it well
• Right people into right jobs with right training
  and right management

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What can research and experience tell us about
event volunteering? Learning from major sport
events
Dr Karen Smith Victoria University of
Wellington karen.smith_at_vuw.ac.nz

• Gillian Peacock
• Gillian Peacock Consulting
• gillian_at_xtra.co.nz

Volunteering Unleashed - National Volunteering
Conference 2009, Wellington