Volunteering - what have you been up to?

Following Marks latest newsletter lets guilt trip each other, I guess we probably all do our bit on here, but maybe a discussion about the usual issues, finding more volunteers, volunteers over paid club officials (doesn't happen in my world but does elsewhere I'm sure).

So having found my lake membership cost has tripled in recent times with the promise that everything will be so much better, I still found myself part of a pot hole filling brigade last weekend. I've done 3 dutys at the sea club and probably dutied more than I've sailed recently. Covid and increased costs have wrecked both club sailing sections and we're struggling to rebuild, so getting enough bodies just to form a competition group is bad enough, never mind finding capable dutymen/women. Our race officer this sunday was a lady in her mid to late eighties, struggling with a suspect race management system that should be automatic but now and again just doesn't (the joys of a windoze operating system.)

Let me put it this way, it aint getting any easier finding capable volunteers.

Edited by iGRF - 01 Jun 21 at 12:07pm

I fully buy into promoting the sport and club activities to ensure that anyone interested in sailing and even better, racing, have no barriers to access to the sport, I am not quite so convinced that trying to interest anyone who is not really up for it is really going to be that productive.

Bartley green sailing club, which is not far from me, appear to be doing well, this is a very large club though, they have a large modern club house, bar, dining etc, not my cup of tea, I prefer 'Last of the summer wine' type clubs, but if there wasn't one, I would go to a big club, sure to be a barmy bunch I can join or start.
The more aggressive racing would be nice for a change.

Not sure if this year will show the future, people appear to be in hibernation, waiting to see what happens.

We run a club WhatsApp group, and promote it as much as possible.It allows us to put out calls for help and mostly they get answered.
This year has been difficult, unless members were within walking or cycling distance they were unwilling to drive, having the usual working parties with 5+ people was out. So this year really only about 8 people on the exec committee have been active. We are all feeling a bit burnt out.