Behind every great event there is almost certainly a crew of fantastic volunteers who have been there since 6:30am.
For our large scale events (E.G. Cayman Islands Marathon or Taste of Cayman) the main event survives on volunteers. Operations are always run by a core staff but the volunteers supplement the staff in key areas, such as greeting event attendees or managing sales. Safe to say at most large events, there’s a good chance that volunteers are the first and last people your attendees will encounter.
Now you may be thinking: “why not just hire staff”. Obviously, it is always ideal to have paid workers on staff, but with large events that are seasonal even the largest event would struggle to pay for 6 hours shifts for over 300 volunteers. Think about the Olympics paying the thousands of volunteers or FIFA shelling out for every ticket taker or seat usher…. Crazy right? Now this is why volunteers are so important. What’s even more important is treating your volunteers well, making sure they are fed, hydrated and respected by staff and event attendees alike.
A lot of clients can be quick to dismiss volunteers or be rude to them (THIS IS A NO-NO). Volunteers are being paid nothing. Volunteers are not employees, they are there out of the goodness of their hearts and are also human beings.
Treating volunteers with respect also includes trusting them to do their jobs. No one likes a helicopter-boss hovering around and rubber-necking. Holding volunteer training sessions, brief volunteers thoroughly of their duties and then trust them to do those duties. Ensure that volunteers are clear who their point of contact is if anything should go wrong in their area.
At the end of the day, volunteers are your eyes and ears at every point in the event, so listen to their feedback. Volunteer feedback can be extremely valuable, they see all and they hear all. Volunteers can be the best source of what is and what is NOT working at your event.
Showing your volunteers some apreci-LOVE (not appreci”hate”). Show them you value their presence and their help. Volunteer parties, extra snacks and drinks at the event and even an official event keepsake will help keep moral high after events. Keeping your volunteers happy is a sure-fire way to keep them coming back to help with your event again and again.
Again, we would just like to say Volunteers: we appreci-LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you! Keep being the awesome people you are!
Kelly Holding Ltd. 