Volunteers make up the majority of our netball centres management in the South Zone. They/you choose to contribute time, skills and experience to benefit our Netball community and expect no payment for this in return. Without volunteers, Netball simply wouldn’t happen. It’s people that influence the quality of our game so it’s essential that these people are looked after well. We want everyone to reap the value and benefits that can be enjoyed through sport including our volunteers.
If you don’t already have one, it’s highly recommended that you find a Volunteer Manager/Coordinator to help manage, recruit, protect and retain your volunteers. They should be passionate about supporting other people and preferably have personal volunteer experience, along with the ability to motivate and influence in an enthusiastic and friendly manner. This person should be involved in decision making – ideally, they will sit on your committee/ board.
It's our job as a zone, to help assist you in finding and holding on to these amazing people in our community to help your centre thrive.
To assist you, we recommend creating some form of a volunteer management plan. (VMP)
Why have a volunteer Management Plan?
By incorporating the six Volunteer Management Plan principles into your centre, you will ensure that your overall volunteer flow is maintained. It’s natural for volunteers to come and go, and as long as you have efficient and sustainable systems in pace to deal with this, your centre will continue to function smoothly. Your centre will become more efficient, even if it seems like more admin at the time.
What makes up a Volunteer Management Plan?
The VMP can be broken into six different aspects of volunteering:
- Recruitment
- Appointment and Induction
- Recognition and Reward
- The Volunteer Role (structure and descriptions)
- Retention (culture and training)
- Succession planning
Ensuring you cover these six aspects mean you are looking after the complete volunteer experience. Some common mistakes involve, for example, focusing only on recruitment without identifying that your volunteer culture may need attention.
If you are wanting help to create a Volunteer Management Plan in your centre, please reach out to
Please see full VMP template here for your reference
Volunteer Recognition
Netball New Zealand run Volunteers of the month awards during in season months, and at the end of the year a Volunteer of the Year award.
Even if you already have your own form of recognition for volunteers, nominating them is another fantastic way to say thank-you to your volunteers.
