Club volunteers are vital to the sustainability and success of our sport.  This course gives an overview of how you can create an exceptional volunteer experience that will help connect with, convert, cultivate, communicate with, and celebrate volunteers.

Creating an Exceptional Volunteer Experience

Course Overview

Approximate completion time: 60 minutes.
Suitable for: Club leaders, committee members, volunteer coordinators and anyone who has an interest in engaging volunteers..

In this course, volunteer engagement expert, Carole Thelwall-Jones, will give you a comprehensive introduction that will guide you to create an exceptional volunteer experience.  This course has six sections:

Lesson 1 considers five elements that help volunteers connect to your gymnastics club:

  • Contribution – the opportunities you offer volunteers that fit their lifestyles
  • Culture – your beliefs, values and behaviours
  • Cause – why you exist and how you make people’s lives better
  • Comfort – how you welcome volunteers to your club and provide opportunities for them to get to know you
  • Club Identity – how you create a sense of belonging and show volunteers are a valued part of your team

Lesson 2 focuses on how you convert people into volunteers in your club using four elements: what activity you need help with, who you approach, how you ask them to get involved, and what you need to do to accept them into your team. 

Lesson 3 discusses four elements that matter when cultivating your volunteers: Enjoyment, Education, Empowerment and Encouragement.  Cultivating volunteers means you are more likely to keep them.  It also helps them develop to be even more effective and inspires them to take on new activities.

Lesson 4 looks at four types of quality, two-way, communication that create an exceptional volunteer experience: Having a buddy; Getting briefings; Sharing feedback and Receiving bulletins.  You will learn the five ‘killer questions’ that will improve your communication with volunteers.

Lesson 5 considers some key concepts to celebrate the contribution of volunteers.  It describes how you can use four types of recognition: gratitude, gifts, growth and glamour.  The ten top tips will help you appreciate your volunteers.

Lesson 6 recaps the module and gives you a four-step process to create a powerful action plan to deliver an exceptional experience for your volunteers.

If you have any questions about this course, please contact development@scottishgymnastics.org

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