A well-designed and thorough orientation and training process is important for new volunteers. The orientation process is critical to ensure volunteers are welcomed, that they feel a valued part of the club and most importantly, that they are comfortable in their role and can work productively.

Orientation of volunteers

Many volunteers have probably already been involved in the club as a parent or member. Orientation for the new volunteer who is also new to the club takes on even more importance. Orientation for volunteers should cover areas such as:

• general club information —  who are the important people in the club, and its mission, goals and history
• roles and responsibilities —  what the volunteers are expected to do (position descriptions are very useful)
• volunteer management —  who supervises volunteers, who they approach for help, who do they contact if they cannot attend, and the communication methods used by the club
• risk-management procedures —  what risk-management procedures the club has, what to do in an emergency and occupational health and safety matters
• introductions —  to other staff or volunteers
• familiarisation with the work area —  hands-on training of required tasks.
  

Training volunteers

Training is not just a one-off process completed when volunteers start. It should be an ongoing process, continually updating and improving volunteers’ skills. Just as first aid officers have to do refresher courses every few years to stay accredited, so should volunteers. Coaches should attend training courses to gain further accreditation, or clubs could run information sessions where the top coaches pass on the latest training techniques to other coaches.
Training volunteers can be informal meetings run by club officers or local experts, or they can be more formal, for example a TAFE or accredited coaching course. Training and development opportunities vary widely from club to club and need to be adapted to suit the needs and educational background of the volunteer as well as the club’s needs and level of resources.