Events of all sizes need volunteers. Small community events are particularly reliant on volunteer…

Events of all sizes need volunteers. Small community events
are particularly reliant on volunteer labour. Managing volunteers can be a
complex task as they do not have the same motivation as a person would have for
paid employment, namely economic necessity. Events are organised in a wide
variety of contexts tourism events, corporate, religious, sports, music,
cultural and community are just some examples. The role of volunteers in events
management and in organisations which provide events or event services is
varied. Some volunteers are members of a committee with decision-making power;

Events of all sizes need volunteers. Small community events
are particularly reliant on volunteer labour. Managing volunteers can be a
complex task as they do not have the same motivation as a person would have for
paid employment, namely economic necessity. Events are organised in a wide
variety of contexts tourism events, corporate, religious, sports, music,
cultural and community are just some examples. The role of volunteers in events
management and in organisations which provide events or event services is
varied. Some volunteers are members of a committee with decision-making power;
other volunteers may be temporary and available to the organisation/event for
a short period of time. Some research has produced classifications of
volunteers which indicate different types of volunteer. Broadly, there are
formal and informal volunteers. Informal volunteering includes unpaid work
done for friends and family or neighbours, such as running errands or
performing odd jobs. Formal volunteering is where an individual volunteers
their time and skills to organisations or programmes/ initiatives. As
volunteers may be with an organisation for a short (i.e. one event) or extended
period of time (i.e. volunteer committee member), and the skills required of the
volunteer may also vary, the recruitment and training (including motivating)
are very important. A variety of organisations have produced guidance on good
governance of volunteers which relates to the recruitment and training of
volunteers generally and in sport specifically. In Table6.1 some of the
key points from a selection of these guides are summarised.