We did that on a small scale, club members were charged a certain amount but if you volunteered at the clubs shows a certain amount was refunded. It wasn’t very much $ and several riders never volunteered.
Yes, that’s what’s going on here. Lots of complaining on the FB post yet no one wants to offer any solutions. I can sort of understand those who are coming from far flung areas are upset because they don’t have any local clubs, but then again, if they can afford to spend $$$$ on petrol to get to said events, they can afford the $30 AUD levy.
2 Likes
Every activity that depends on volunteers is finding them really hard to recruit and retain. It’s a world wide problem! People say “No time” as they plug into SM and helicopter hover over their kids. Or they say “I wouldn’t even know how”. It isn’t a problem unique to Eventing.
I do think making volunteering a pleasant experience, with organisers showing respect and care for their treasures, goes some way to making volunteers more likely to return for another go. From a competitors point of view, volunteers are invisible. From an organisers point of view, volunteers are a slightly awkward necessity and generally recruiting volunteers is given to a single person with a good email list - one less thing to worry about.
I think offering training at the start of the season and then mentoring new volunteers would give more people the confidence to step up to the role.
2 Likes
