Golf Tournament Volunteers: Recruiting & Organizing
When planning a golf tournament, volunteers are an important element to the event's success. Events can quickly become complicated, so recruiting volunteers to assist with pre-planning, tournament games, and post-tournament activities can really simplify the process. However, if you've never recruited and organized a group of volunteers before, it can be a challenge.
In this article, you'll learn more about volunteer recruiting and how to recruit golf tournament volunteers to develop a successful event.
How to Recruit Volunteers
The first step in planning a golf tournament is finding and recruiting volunteers. Depending on the purpose of your tournament, volunteers are found from three primary avenues:
- Within the charity organization network
- Colleagues and teammates
- General public
Though many of the recruiting steps for each volunteer scenario is similar, there are some key differences when it comes to approach. Learn more about what has worked in the past and how to begin the recruitment process.
Recruiting Volunteers through Supporters, Friends & Family
If you're planning a charity golf tournament, volunteers are most easily found through organization supporters, friends, family, and neighbors. To start recruiting, reach out to anyone involved in the charity - chances are they already heard about the fundraising tournament! This could include advertising the tournament on the organization's website, email newsletter, or announcements at existing events. From there, encourage individuals who do sign up to ask their network of friends to get involved as well. This way you will have expanded your reach and increased awareness for the charity.
Finding Volunteers through Your Organization
When planning a corporate tournament, volunteers will most-likely be recruited through your organization. If not available on your direct team, reach out to other areas of the organization asking for volunteer help. This can be accomplished by sending out emails from an internal email list, hanging flyers in the break-room, or just asking colleagues you think are most likely to assist. For larger organizations, consider promoting via LinkedIn to grab the attention of individuals you do not work directly with.
Finding Volunteers through the Public
If you're unable to find volunteers through the organization or charity, reach out to the public. Start by identifying meetup groups interested in the organization's mission or topic. For example, if the charity you are fundraising for is based on an animal welfare effort, find animal rights groups in the area. With the help of Facebook and other social platforms, you can easily post about the volunteer opportunity across all related group pages. This will give you the opportunity to:
- State the organization's mission
- Inform users of basic volunteer duties
- Ask genuinely for help!
If all of these aspects are clearly communicated, you'll be recruiting volunteers in no time.
Volunteer Duties: Before, During & After
Once all golf volunteers have been recruited, you'll need to organize and distribute duties accordingly. To start managing recruits, break down what efforts are needed before the tournament, during, and after. Not sure where to start? Have no fear! Below we've listed the top volunteer duties for all stages of tournament planning.
What to Consider Before Recruiting Volunteers
Before recruiting volunteers, it's always important to start with a plan. This way your volunteers know what to expect when joining the team and you stay organized from the beginning.
Some considerations include:
- Determining a uniform
- Making a list of all tasks
- Deciding location for volunteer meet-ups
- Limiting the amount of time required of each volunteer
Before Tournament Tasks
After you've recruited volunteers, it's time to distribute tasks and get your tournament planning started. Pre-tournament preparation mostly consists of advertising and figuring event logistics. Some initial tasks may include:
- Kick-off meeting
- Brainstorming
- Hanging flyers
- Volunteer training
- Social media advertising
- Assembling and preparing mailings
Remember, you're not alone in planning this event. Include volunteers in every step to ensure a smooth and stress-free planning process. So take advantage of the help, and have volunteers help spread the word about your golf tournament.
During the Event
On the day of the tournament, organizing your volunteers is crucial. Though there are probably many steps needed specific to your event, some major tasks for golf tournament volunteers include:
- Meeting to review tasks, hours and expectations
- Creating a registration/greeter team
- Having witnesses for on-course contests
- Keeping score
- Running food and beverage stations
No matter what else your day-of-event requires, start with the basics and hash out remaining tasks from there. Before you know it, you'll have a detailed list of everything needed for the big day.
Post-Tournament Activities
After the tournament concludes, it's time to consider what post-event activities you want to have and how to distribute tasks for that event. Many tournaments end with a dinner, a silent auction and an awards ceremony. Depending on what you decide, there are plenty of tasks to get your tournament volunteers involved in.
Ask volunteers to help:
- Organize silent auction donations
- Set up awards and prizes
- Greet guests and offer instructions if needed
- Announce winners and distribute awards
Helping Tournament Volunteers Help You
Once you've started golf tournament planning, remember to keep your volunteers involved. You will be grateful that you had their help. Start by recruiting volunteers in your network, and keep your process organized by listing tasks relating to before, during, and after the event. Once your volunteers are signed up and given their tasks, you will be on your way to planning an organized and stress-free event.
