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Your workforce is integral to providing fun, safe and regular activity

Volunteers account for a large proportion of the workforce within clubs and community organisations. Employed members of staff often work across national organisations, local bodies and private leisure facilities or sports clubs. Both are essential to providing high quality opportunities to communities across the country.  

This section provides resources that will assist you in: 

  • Finding and engaging with new volunteers or staff members. 
  • Developing and supporting your workforce. 
  • Identifying roles, tasks, and skills. 
  • Employing staff. 
  • Meeting volunteers needs to retain engagement.  
  • Planning for the future. 

Do you have sufficient volunteers and staff? Are their skills known and used productively? Do you have a plan for when your current workforce leave? Buddle’s resources will help you answer these questions. 

Developing people

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Developing and supporting your people

Learn about developing volunteers, find hints and tips for new volunteers, create your induction process, advice on supporting coaches, and guidance on valuing and engaging volunteers.

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Working out tasks and roles

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Identifying your roles and tasks

Identifying new volunteering opportunities, how to conduct a skills audit, and guidance on breaking volunteer roles into tasks to develop task-based volunteering, plus helpful role descriptions.

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Finding volunteers

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Recruiting and retaining new people

Practical tips for finding and recruiting new volunteers, effective communication, dispelling myths about volunteering, and useful case studies.

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Meeting people's needs

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Engaging volunteers

Learn about keeping people engaged and motivated. And try our tips for retaining your volunteers.

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Succession planning

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Plan ahead

Understand why a succession plan can be so important for community sports organisations, and how to develop these effectively.

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Employing staff

Familiarise yourself with the essential aspects of employing and managing paid members of staff.

Read the guidance from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

Find out more

Volunteer in the park

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Understanding and communicating with people

A happy group is a productive group and a motivated one. We've got advice on how to learn more about your people - and keep them coming back.

Woman running in the park
Working with different groups

How to benefit from diversity and provide for the different groups of people that want to get active. Which is, well, everyone!

A teenage boy with a prosthetic limb strides along an assault course of small swinging platforms held up by ropes
Being inclusive

Find out more about creating welcoming and inclusive environments, connecting with your community and diversifying your offer.