Tips to Successfully Set Up Volunteers for Your Assessment Day

We all know that the best way to succeed in running an athletic event is to execute a solid plan. As important as it is to have a high-level strategy for success, is also important to have a solid set of volunteers that are ready and prepared to assist however needed. The easiest way to prepare your volunteers for evaluation day is to have a detailed conversation with them about the plan for the day including what they will need to bring, their specific duties, and the actual skills that they will be evaluating. Here are a few things to keep in mind when getting your volunteers ready for your evaluations.

Have a meeting ahead of time to ensure accuracy and professionalism.

Before calling a meeting, you must decide how many extra people you will need to help out, and place people within specific roles. Some tasks can include helping with registrations, taking head shots within your evaluation app of your athletes, handing out tryout gear (if applicable), scoring athletes, or any other tasks you see fit. Schedule a meeting with the group who will be assisting you at your tryout, gage comfort levels for assigned positions, and discuss specifics as to what they will be responsible for. Be prepared by taking the time to talk to volunteers. Ask and answer questions that will help you both, and ensure that you have done your part to ensure a professional display come the day of the assessment

As the coach, you know which skills you are most looking for in your athletes. It is important to share these specifics and details with your volunteers and evaluators. Make sure that all individuals around you know exactly what you are looking for during the evaluation. The discussion leading up to the event should include which skills your volunteers are most knowledgeable about, as well as where they do not feel as comfortable sitting. Placing people within their skill sets will allow comfort from all parties and allow the highest level of success. Leading up to the evaluation, your volunteers should know the schedule and flow of the day, as well as their specific duties. This will ensure that they are comfortable and ready for the evaluations and minimize the amount of confusion on the day of your evaluation.

Create a task list for all volunteers

As a follow up to the pre-event meeting, we suggest creating a task list to distribute via email after the meeting has taken place. Creating a detailed list and distributing it to each volunteer guarantees that each volunteer will have all their duties in writing, as well as any reminders that you want to pass on to them for evaluation day. Since we are in the digital age, this process will be best done through email, as your evaluators and volunteers will likely have their cell phones on them.

Have a brief meeting the day the evaluation begins

This may seem like overkill, but gather your troops over a quick coffee in the morning for a quick refresher the day the event begins. Ensure that all questions have been answered and everyone knows exactly what they are doing, where they are going, and what the day will look like as a whole. Go over the schedule for the day, make changes if you need to, and verify that your volunteers know the plan perfectly. Brief any new additions to the volunteer team, or simply say thanks before the day starts.

Be nimble and ready for any unforeseen circumstance

Regardless of the time and effort put into preparation, there is bound to be something unexpected that comes up on the day of a tryout. This could be anything from a change in the forecast to confusion about the location, or even an injury during the evaluations. An emergency communication plan is essential to ensure the safety and well-being of everyone at the event. Even if you are recording evaluation data on a tablet, ensure that all volunteers have a cell phone on them to make contacting them easy. Good communication will enable you to smoothly navigate any unforeseen circumstance and get the day back on track.

Having your volunteers prepared for your evaluation day will give your assessment an extra touch of professionalism. Seeing a plan put into action and all volunteers knowing exactly what they are doing will give parents confidence that they are choosing the right team for their child.

Professionalism can help grow your organization and SkillShark is here to help. Did you know that SkillShark is the most affordable software solution on the market, and boasts features such as registration and team management integrations, player development recording, and unlimited video recording? Schedule a demo to learn more about SkillShark and see how you can get ahead of other organizations around you.