Coinciding with National Volunteer Week, Paddle Australia has today released the first phase National Volunteer Strategy, the research and findings, which will aim to inform the overall strategy to improve recruitment, recognition and retention of volunteers in the sport.
Paddle Australia has long boasted a strong, albeit small, group of volunteers who generously give their time to helping the sport from grassroots participation through to elite level competition.
Thanks to the support of Sport Australia, Paddle Australia has launched a review to develop a new national volunteer strategy. With the sport reliant on volunteers, Paddle Australia has invested in a National Volunteer Strategy, designed to attract, empower and retain the next generations of volunteers.
Paddle Australia CEO, Phil Jones, said as the sport embarks on a new approach to get more people participating in paddling activities, comes a need for a larger volunteer base.
“Our sport has a very proud history of volunteering, with people across the country giving up their time to help get more people on water whether that be recreationally or as part of our competitions.
“But our volunteer numbers are small, putting pressure on the ‘regulars’, which can result in burn out and drop off in numbers.
“Not only do we need to support those who are currently in our volunteer ranks, but we also need to employ strategies to recruit a new generation of volunteers. Whether that be to support our Clubs or to help deliver our national events, there are so many roles volunteers can play a part in and we want to have the tools in place to welcome them into our sport.
“This is the first step on our journey towards the 2032 Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games, which will provide a great incentive for volunteers to get involved.
“After extensive consultation with our paddle community, we are pleased to present the first phase of the national volunteer strategy, the research and findings, will help to inform the final strategy around how we will recruit, empower, retain, and recognise our next generations of volunteers,” he said.
The next phase of the project will seek further consultation prior to the release of the final strategy.
Please click here for the Phase 1 National Volunteer Strategy – Research and Findings
