There will be 23,000 volunteers at the 2015 Toronto Pan Am / Parapan Am Games, each putting in an average of 12 shifts.  The Games spends a lot of time and money recruiting, selecting, training, outfitting and motivating the volunteers.  A strong showing elevates the spirit of the games and keeps everything running.  A poor showing can spell logistical disaster.

Over the years, the volunteer efforts at international sporting events have been recorded and analyzed, with the results being passed on to future games organizers.  The Toronto team has access to statistics gathered since the 1960’s on most of the major international events, including the Olympics and Pan Asian Games. 

Volunteer engagement

You might think that the chance of being close to the athletes and celebrities is the reason people volunteer for major sporting events, but the reality is that most volunteer work takes place away from the field of play.  No, the reasons for volunteering are deeper and more complex, resembling Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

In her study of volunteering at the London 2012 Olympics, Dr. Linda Wilks noted the following motivations:

• Self-interestedness - Self-enrichment, feelings of accomplishment, enhancement of self-image
• Altruism - Unselfish regard for others, contributing to group accomplishment.

Both of these motivations could apply to any charity.

Volunteer abandonment

An important statistic for Olympics organizers is the number of volunteers who come to their first shift, but then don’t come back, or volunteer abandonment.  This forces the team to scramble to fill the immediate need at the last minute, as well filling the remaining slots for that volunteer.   In a survey from the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics, the number one cause of volunteer abandonment was poor team leadership (also often a volunteer position).

The leadership training for the 2015 Toronto Games emphasizes these requirements:

• Be enthusiastic, find the fun in the activities.
• Engage the team and encourage their input.
• Start each shift with a briefing.  Let volunteers know what is happening.
• Check in often.  Rotate duties.  Have activities for down times.
• Make sure volunteers have food, water and rest.
• Be inclusive and mindful of diversity.
• Be prepared to handle requests for schedule and work changes.
• Above all, thank volunteers for their contribution, being as specific as you can.

Local volunteers

You may not be organizing an Olympics, but there is a lot you can do to help your volunteers connect with your mission and have the kind of experience they will want to repeat.

• Make volunteer management a senior staff responsibility.
• Train volunteer leaders, particularly if they are also volunteers.
• Build team spirit by reserving some merchandise (e.g. hats, pins) just for volunteers.
• Help volunteers to connect with each other as well as with the organization.
• Ask volunteers how they want to contribute and what would be fun for them.

At the same time, watch out for circumstances that frustrate volunteers as noted by Dr. Wilks:

• Volunteers want to feel needed and useful.  They are giving up their time to volunteer and want their effort to feel worthwhile.
• Volunteers are not always content to be just ‘helpers’ and given low-level jobs – some want to be challenged, others want to build knowledge.
• Volunteers want to keep their costs to a minimum.  Even though the amounts might be small, make sure they are offered reimbursement for all out of pocket expenses.

Long term volunteers

According to a 2005 research study of volunteers to the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, a key motivating factor in sports event volunteering is community belonging and development, which is interesting, given the short term nature of sporting events.  Local charities can offer a long term stable community for their volunteers, not quite as exciting as the Pan Am games perhaps, but if managed well, just as emotionally rewarding.

Go team!