Volunteers - how to attract them?

[fjordmom]

Interesting series on the dwindling pool of volunteers in the eventing world. You are not alone, it’s a problem pretty much everywhere. As a long time volunteer in multiple areas - 4-H horse activities, scout leaders, school class rooms - I hope I can add some thoughts and productive suggestions.

Why do people not volunteer or stop volunteering?

1. They don’t feel appreciated. Yes this is true, I don’t volunteer as much anymore as many people take my effort for granted or act down right entitled. I go where people are truly grateful. This point was made in the articles: thank your volunteers. Let them know that they are truly valued. Kind words, the snacks and drinks coming by now and then, and other small gestures can make a BIG difference.

2. Many potential volunteers feel unequipped to handle “the job.” Mentoring and training makes a big difference. This does not always have to be time consuming, but it is important to build confidence in the volunteers.

3. Many potential volunteers never get asked point blank if they would be willing to help. They don’t even know the need exists or are just oblivious to it.

If I may, let me use my experience with 4-H Horse Bowl as an example of how we improved a chaotic situations where the wheel seemed to be reinvented every year. Regional horse bowl competition moved from county to county each year with a whole new crew of (mostly untrained) volunteers each time. Each county participating was expected to provide 2 volunteers. (Often of course, this did not happen.) Volunteers got very brief training the morning of the competition. Things started late, ended late, and everybody was tired, frumpy, and frustrated swearing not to get involved again. Yet they wanted their kids to still be able to have this event to participate in but many parents did little to nothing to help it happen. Yet they were there to “support the team.”

After attending a few of these regionals (and yes, absolutely being one of the volunteers from our club) it was our turn to host. Those who know me, will tell you I am I’m a planner and hyper organized (maybe almost to a fault, but hey it gets the job done well). Of course I did step up to be the team lead since no one else rushed to raise their hand. From the get go I hoped to make changes that would make things smoother and more fun:

1. I wanted it to be fun for everybody. It’s a long and intense day (much like eventing) but done right I just knew it could be a blast.
2. I decided to draw all the volunteers from our own club. Other clubs were welcome to send volunteers as well, but I knew the history and reality of that). I wanted to have our bases covered in advance. If you had a child in our club who competed, that child’s family was expected to provide a volunteer. If you had 2 children, 2 volunteers. Several families, mine included, had 2 competitors. Dad pitched in too. In a few cases I did have to ask for that second parent/volunteer but after a personal phone call I never came up empty. I few had “minor excuses” but we found solutions without any real arm twisting. “Surely you want to be part of this event. You will discover how much FUN it is!”
3. As much as possible, I tried to let our volunteers choose which of the many jobs they would like to do. Good with numbers = great scorekeeper; burly, husky, jovial guy with a great sense of humor = perfect for door monitor (there was to be no noise in the hall while teams were on deck waiting their turn); articulate? = perfect reader of the questions…
   We had several age levels, so needed multiples of each job done. There was room for every talent or skill. I also tried to place parents in their child’s room when ever possible.
4. Training was done on an evening ahead of the competition day. Snacks and drinks (and there may have been adult beverage at the finish). Each role was gone thru with everybody having the chance to ask questions and get answers. Also, with everybody trained together, volunteers had an idea of what the other positions involved in case a last minute fill-in was needed.
5. Competition day we started at 8AM SHARP with welcome and review of the rules and procedures for all, then off to the 1st rounds. The day ended at a reasonable time, ribbons were handed out at a final gathering and volunteers were thanked with a big show of applause from the participants (their kids). Many of the first timers came to me afterward and told me they didn’t realize just how fun this could be. Mission accomplished! And best part, many asked if they could come along and volunteer when the kids went on to the state level. Oh yes, yes!!!

I suggested that each region host for 2 years in a row. That went a long way to having repeat volunteers who know the drill and could follow their kids as the progressed through the levels before aging out.

I also wrote down all of what our volunteer team did, so this “handbook” could be passed on to the next host county with the hope of saving them having to start from square one. Many really liked that and the format was followed for many years with occasional addition improvements as warranted.

As mentioned in the articles, we did a few other things to support our volunteers - bottled water, a quiet room for volunteers only to escape to during lunch break, and lunch was provided - pizza, sandwich, buffet, salad bar).

I don’t think any of this is rocket science, but sometimes we forget to implement the successes as time goes by and just assume everybody know how things work. Sometime they do. Sometimes they don’t, and always we should keep ourselves open to improvement

Now, suggestions on how this could be modified/applied to events.
Obviously things like provide snacks, water, lunch, and invitations to the competitions party are pretty much no-brainers. Other perks such as free schooling days are nice for some, but not much needed for those of us who are retired from riding.Be creative with perks that might entice volunteers who are not immediately local - donated tack shop or restaurant gift cards, gas cards, other general use items or experiences.

It might be worth taking a cue from kids who participate in the 4-H livestock program. In our area these kids “court” buyers for the livestock auction that caps off the week of the fair. Many of these buyers are local businesses. The kids always have signs hanging above their current year entry thanking last years buyer (bonus:business PR and community goodwill here for sure) and they send thank you notes to current buyers. It cultivates an attitude of gratitude in the kids. One more way to encourage everybody to be nice. (I’m old school and still aghast that we even have to remind people, young and old, that being nice matters.) So how does this apply to eventing? Maybe if our young (and not so young) eventers don’t have time to volunteer their time during competition, they could “court” a volunteer sponsor who volunteers on their behalf. Could be a parent, barn mate, buddy, neighbor, grandparent, the list could even go outside the horse community. In turn the competitor does something in their spare time to acknowledge the volunteer - make them cookies or a little care package to have on competition day, horse sit so their volunteer can get a weekend off, mow their lawn, shovel snow, wash their car or horse trailer, so many little ways to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to have an affordable competition. A heartfelt thank you card for sure. Send a nice letter to the editor of the local paper thanking all the volunteers. (It may even bring a future volunteer out of the woodwork, who knows.)

And a final thought for an untapped source of volunteers - “retired” riders who now travel in their motor homes but still enjoy spectating at events and might be enticed to volunteer. There was mention of the feeling of community dwindling among eventers. What if an area was set aside (doesn’t need to be prime real estate) where volunteers could be offered free camping in their motor homes? Motor home travelers are a notoriously friendly bunch. We go to rallies largely for the social fun. A level area with a fire pit to relax around at the end of the day would be the main draw. Hot dogs to roast provided are a nice touch, but don’t worry we can surely find some beverage to pass around.

Portable group generator (like they use at fairgrounds and other large events, can be rented) mainly to power AC in hot weather, would be another nice perk. I bet you might get a group that comes back regularly to reconnect with friends they’ve made while volunteering and RVing. I had always hope to volunteer at Richland once I retired, but alas…
Certainly wouldn’t be averse to volunteering elsewhere and work it into one our RV adventures. You’d get 2 of us. Although husband isn’t horsey, he can hold his own since our horses are here at home. He is an infinitely trainable farm boy who could certainly do start box duty, set stadium fences, drive gator for all sorts of chores and lots more. I bet we are not the only such couple in that boat. Reach out to us and let us surprise you.

Right now when our 3 year old grandson visits he greets us with “Oma, I ride (his dad’s 30 year old pony)” as he holds out his helmet. I’d like to think that eventing is still available, affordable and fun should he want to pursue it as he gets older.

[LCDR]

To be blunt, I don’t volunteer at horse trials any longer since jump judges don’t get bathroom breaks, and no way can I make it through a whole completion.

[skydy]

Here are the articles:

https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/part-1-where-have-all-the-eventing-volunteers-gone/

https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/part-2-where-have-all-the-eventing-volunteers-gone/

@fjordmom I too am shocked that people have to be reminded to be “nice” to others. I know that some people are jerks, but they can and should say nothing to volunteers if they can’t be polite. It seems that to solve that problem it really comes down to the punishment of bad behavior, as was mentioned in the article.

What you did for the “horse bowl” sounds great. They were lucky to have you!

[trubandloki]

Lots of good ideas.

I find volunteering to be a very thankless job.

A volunteer should not have to ask what is included in their day as far as perks. They should be told up front what it is, and how they get it. (They should not have to ask if they get lunch, and when they do ask, the response should not include snark about how they should know the answer.)

All volunteers should be treated like their job matters.

If you are offering a gift for your volunteers, make sure you have enough to accommodate them. Telling them they should have come the first day (when their job was only on the second day and they have to travel over an hour to get there), too bad, we are out of those, is not a good look. It is an even worse look when it happens year after year, and the organization, when told it is happening acts like a volunteer should not care if they get the gift, volunteering is to help the organization, not to get a gift.

A person in charge of volunteers that is actually organized is an amazing thing. A rare thing too.

[Syrynx]

I’ve volunteered at 3 different venues over the past few years, 1 which sadly doesn’t exist anymore. Of the 2 left, 1 is recognized, 1 unrecognized.

I have to say I had felt appreciated at all 3. They did feed us and came 'round with water frequently at 2 of them. I was happy to bring my own food at the other (unrecognized) because the entries were low and it was just a few hours. And I was warned. The organizers and a lot of the riders thanked me at both.

When I go to an event as ground crew with my barn or DH, I always thank the volunteers.

My reason for not doing more, I work all week and have limited weekend time to ride myself. So to take a full day away from that really is a struggle. I have already done 1 more than I normally do this year and will try and volunteer and 1 or 2 more.

[LadyB]

Honestly, I don’t have any events remotely close to me. Everything is an hour and a half away. I can barely afford gas on the regular work weeks. So I just haven’t even tried this year, and I know I should.

The cost of everything makes it a bit harder.

I know in Ontario in the past they have collected money from riders while at the event and had an end of day draw for the volunteers.

[trubandloki]

@Syrynx

I have to say I had felt appreciated at all 3. They did feed us and came 'round with water frequently at 2 of them. I was happy to bring my own food at the other (unrecognized) because the entries were low and it was just a few hours. And I was warned. The organizers and a lot of the riders thanked me at both.

I want to clarify what I wrote above…

I do not expect food or gifts. But if you give food/gifts to everyone (example) who cross country jump judges, then the people who are there just as many hours doing stadium jobs should also get food/gifts. A venue should not cater to one group of volunteers over another.

[Syrynx]

Oh! I didn’t realize that was what you’d meant. Yeah, that is not cool at all.

I generally do the smaller events.

[Larksmom]

As a former rider, I was away from it for a long time. My horse has been gone for 20 years. I started volunteering about 6-7 years ago at two of our local events. One of them used to ask me to paint jumps. I was thrilled to do it. But it seems like I simply cannot take the heat like I used to. So I haven’t painted for a year ofr two. For all volunteering jobs, we have to go thru the volunteer dashboard. It never has jump painting or repairing jumps listed. It only has things directly affecting the days of the event. Both groups have my email address, and could contact me but they don’t. They send me emails about buying t shirts and merch. But not about jump building and painting.
We recently had the spring event, and I did my two day thing. The first day I helped people figure out where their stabling was, and where to park. The second day was jump judging and this was the first year I wasn’t there for the whole day. They always offer food and drink, and I ALWAYS take my own water, and we are definately offered bathroom breaks, I agree with LCDR, I would be unhappy with that if I wasn’t offered a break.
I don’t need a lot of affirmation, and I have noticed a lot of competitors thanking me for volunteering, and I appreciate that. I don’t have any real contacts anymore, so I only come out during the events. If they would ask, I would help more.

[Texarkana]

Great post @fjordmom.

I totally agree with your 3 reasons why volunteers are dwindling: lack of appreciation, lack of training, and ignorance of the need.

I will add these thoughts:
There isn’t much room for “free labor” in today’s society, so we need to stop relying on it. We are all so busy anymore; most people work full time and are working past retirement years. Kids are more oversubscribed than ever. So the volunteer pool is already much tinier than it was in yesteryear when you had more SAHMs or early retirees or bored kids needing something to do.

On top of that, because of the price of everything anymore, we rely on free labor when we really need to be paying people for their time. (Working students anyone?) We’re in this conundrum where it takes so much effort and expense to put on any type of event, whether it be a horse trial or a kid’s little league, that we have to rely on volunteers to run the thing. But then volunteers get saddled with too much work, too high of expectations, no appreciation, etc. Who wants to do a hard job for free while being treated like garbage? Certainly not me.

I don’t have a solution. But I agree with all the points that @fjordmom made. Treat people well, make expectations clear, don’t make people feel like they are being volun-TOLD to do something they don’t want to do, appreciate them somehow, remember they are donating their time. Incentives are always nice, but I don’t necessarily need one. I do need to know I haven’t just “wasted” my time trying to help you, so utilize my help and tell me you appreciate it.

[HeartsDesireEventing]

That would be untenable for pretty much everybody! I usually do bathroom breaks while they’re changing levels as part of the moving jumps (if needed)/score pickup/etc. phase. And everywhere I’ve volunteered there’s been a hospitality person/volunteer coordinator/somebody who could come cover for a horse or two if you needed a bio break during a level. I’m surprised there are events that don’t have a way to handle this? Seems like a simple fix to avoid losing volunteers.

To contribute to the rest of the thread, I greatly enjoy volunteering - and scribing is what led me into getting my judge’s license. I typically either scribe or jump judge, but I have also been a ring steward, jump crew, done scoring at a dressage show, briefly been a volunteer coordinator (also for a dressage show), starter (for one division), etc. We used to show up a day early and help prep - putting red and white paper plates on cross country fences, etc. - in exchange for the extra night of stabling when we were driving 7 hours to the event and arriving and leaving a day later.

I think understanding why people volunteer is key to motivating them to come back. For those of us with the horse bug, it’s a way to stay involved and absorb the show atmosphere even if we don’t have an actively competing horse ourselves. It can also be very educational - a day watching good and bad cross country rides can teach you a lot, as can scribing for a good judge. I have seen and heard the concept of a (free to the volunteers) volunteers-only clinic as a motivator, and for those volunteers who still ride that may be an incentive to be explored. A local event is apparently considering gas cards as well, which could be particularly useful for events in remote areas. If we’re trying to pull in non-horsey folks to help out, I would think the training component and getting more people comfortable with the tasks is key. I can see how something like jump judging would be intimidating/overwhelming if you’re not familiar with horses at all, or even if you are but aren’t familiar with eventing itself. And then we need to make it worthwhile for the non-horsey person - we all know horse show days can be quite long, so breaking up shifts can help, although then you need even more people. Off the wall idea - could volunteering at a horse show work for any Scout merit badges or similar?

I too have a hard time understanding why it is so difficult for people to be nice to each other, but that is of course an important element. Nobody is going to come back and volunteer to get yelled at.

[Alterwho]

@LCDR

To be blunt, I don’t volunteer at horse trials any longer since jump judges don’t get bathroom breaks, and no way can I make it through a whole completion.

Two words: Astronaut diapers.

Just kidding! Expecting a person to hold it all day is totally unacceptable and very unhealthy

[strangewings]

I love volunteering at shows and have been struggling for the last few years to make it a priority. Commiting 4-8+ hours in one day is just tough in my current phase of life. 2-hour shifts would help, including work days, for local events. It is almost easier to do 6 hour spread over 3 days than 6 hours in one day.

I do think parents and trainers should be putting some pressure on the kids and young adults to volunteer to keep that culture of the sport alive. There are skills to learn regarding property maintenance, course building, scribing, the reasons for the rules, people in the community to meet, etc. So many intangible benefits for young people. That is what I remember as a teen anyway. I thought of it more as community responsibility than “free labor”. I am not even that old.

[LCDR]

Some of the horse trials where I have jump judged have you drive your vehicle out to your jump, and even judge from inside it. I have used the truck to relieve myself on occasion. But if you have to walk to Timbuktu to get out to your jump, you are out of luck, since the porta-potties are all located in the stabling area, well out of range for a quick trip and back on foot. And I am not talking about mom and pop non-recognized horse trials either.

And while I’m on a roll, I might as well mention limited access for disabled people, and not just bathroom facilities for them. SO was wheelchair bound during the Atlanta Olympics, and attending it as spectators was a nightmare. I still have the unblemished cross country tickets that proved to be unusable.

[Willesdon]

I suspect that volunteering is a social habit learned early in family life. My mother volunteered. I volunteer. My nephews, however, never volunter. Excellent points @fjordmom

[Texarkana]

@strangewings

So many intangible benefits for young people. That is what I remember as a teen anyway. I thought of it more as community responsibility than “free labor”. I am not even that old.

It is a community responsibility, but a lot of organizers have lost sight of that (I don’t specifically mean horse events, it’s true for many volunteer-based groups).

For example, I was volunteering at the local animal shelter last summer. I stopped after the director canceled an appointment we had made to train me on some additional tasks 30 minutes prior to the appointment. The cancellation wasn’t what got me; it was being told that she moved our session to the next day. I told her I was sorry but I wasn’t available then. She then told me she didn’t think I seemed very committed to volunteering. I’m supposed to cancel existing plans because the animal shelter changed theirs at the last minute?

[axl]

Back in my Army days, the portapotties somehow only showed up on the second day of field training. Caused a lot of UTIs, because in El Paso there simply wasn’t anywhere that either your a$$ or front were exposed. Germany marginally better. Now - unwilling and unable to hold my bladder all day.

Any event close to Raleigh that needs help? I’d be willing, but I have never been clued in to the eventing scene other than what I read here. Southern Pines isn’t too far. It would be nice to have preferred parking. Much harder to volunteer on the Friday, though: limited PTO.

[Larksmom]

Out here, there are strategically placed porta pottys. They drive us to the jumps in golf carts. If that is how they treat you, I wouldn’t volunteer either. I do remember once, and I think it was wet, they let me drive my car to the jump.

[Bearx2]

@trubandloki

A person in charge of volunteers that is actually organized is an amazing thing. A rare thing too.

This!! Having one person to recruit, train and look after volunteers would be amazing. I don’t chase volunteer opportunities, I reach out to an organization once or twice and if I don’t hear back I look for something else to do . There are too many places with good communication to waste my time with places that don’t take to time to respond. I traveled 8 hours one way and paid for a hotel room to volunteer at Rebecca Farm last year. They made volunteering extremely easy and provided a lot of goodies, and the overall experience was very enjoyable.

[Rackonteur]

That was what I was thinking. Volunteers need bathroom breaks and reliable, prompt substitutes. And convenient porta-potties.

OP, I also recommend a big end-of-year banquet/dinner, FREE to the year’s volunteers, maybe an awards banquet.