Volunteering in 2018
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Pól Ó Murchú | Mar 22 2018, 12:32am | You will most likely have noticed the recent problems with getting volunteers for races resulting in the cancellation of one race last week. It is with great regret that this had to happen but possibly long overdue in many ways. Should the need arise again we will have no hesitation in cancelling other races in the future. IMRA is of course a volunteer run organisation and is entirely dependent on the goodwill of its members to assist in the running of events throughout the year. Put simply no volunteers = no races... Please volunteer well in advance of races rather than waiting until the Race Director is scrambling around desperately looking for more volunteers days before the event. A worrying statistic is that we now have more members than ever before and growing year on year and recent changes to registration and online entry systems mean that we actually require less volunteers that ever before but seem to struggle more than ever to fill race roles. We are introducing a number of changes to annual prizes and Club 100 Tshirts with immediate effect. Hopefully this will recognise those who volunteer more frequently, open up the pool of prizes to more people and also in some ways punish those who run race after race with little of no volunteering history. Starting in 2018, the Committee has decided to change to an overall annual prize rather than a summer league prize. Any runner who has completed any 10 races in the IMRA calendar, other than MMRA events, and two non-running volunteering roles will be eligible for the prize. This will hopefully make it fairer for all members to have a chance to get IMRA prizes rather than limiting this to those who can regularly make the Wednesday evening races. As MMRA events have their own annual prizes, they will not be counted towards the necessary 10 races. In addition as previously advised the CLUB 100 shirt will be only be available to IMRA members who have run 100 races while also contributing at least 10 non-running volunteer roles. This is in line with minimum volunteering guidelines. It is quite shocking to look through the list of those on or near 100 races who have not done what should be considered the minimum requirement. Hopefully these changes will encourage a few more to step forward but be warned that we will have no problem cancelling races if there is not the required number of volunteers registered for an event. I would ask that all members take a moment to review and reflect on their level of volunteering to date. This information is readily available on your my IMRA Profile. For anyone new to the organisation and wondering where or how they can volunteer you will find this information on https://www.imra.ie/volunteering/ and can volunteer for an event on every event page. Thanks to all volunteers for your contribution to date! The Committee |
| Warren Swords | Mar 22 2018, 10:44am | Good stuff. I'm not sure if the loss of a league prize/t-shirt is enough of an incentive. I'd go one step forward and ban people from racing unless they have one volunteer role for every ten races ratio. You shouldn't be able to run more than 10 races if you've never volunteered once, more than 20 if you only volunteered twice. |
| Ann Horan | Mar 22 2018, 11:37am | Well done Pól and others for highlighting this problem. I think this is probably a huge issue for sports clubs all over the country.. a minority of people taking on the majority of the workload. I think volunteering at races is really important as it gives you a greater appreciation of the organisation and effort that goes into running a race. You see the race from a totally different perspective. It was disappointing to see Maulin cancelled but also important for members to realise that being forced to cancel races isn’t just an idle threat. Hopefully there won’t be a need to ban people from races as this does seem very negative and would be difficult to police. Giving prizes for participation and volunteering is a lovely idea and very positive. As a new member last year I was delighted with my bag and use it loads. Maybe people reading the forum will click on their names and examine their own consciences. Highlighting the issue might be enough. |
| Ronan Hickey | Mar 22 2018, 11:59am | Two brilliant ideas. It also reduces the manic scramble to get your 7 Leinster League races in as holidays, injuries, rush-hour traffic and getting stuck in work on a Wednesday evening take their toll. |
| Brendan Lawlor | Mar 22 2018, 12:23pm | Well done committee on these changes.. cancelling a race has been threatened many times and always rescued at the last minute.. hopefully it will act as a wake up call. Moral pressure and carrots are the only real weapons IMRA has to encourage volunteering (which by its name and nature is voluntary).. we can't really ban people who for whatever reason won't volunteer. There are selfish people in all walks of life unfortunately |
| Alan Ayling | Mar 22 2018, 1:01pm | Point 1: Banning would seem to incur a significant admin burden. Unless someone wants to volunteer to be the Volunteer Gestapo?... Point 2: While there is undoubtedly sense in the idea of withholding a prize from anyone with a poor volunteering record, I am disappointed to hear of the Leinster League finisher's prize being discontinued. The tradition of getting a prize for finishing the league, 7 or more from 13, goes back many years. The requirement to have 2 volunteer duties done was introduced for all the right reasons a few years ago, possibly under the Murphy or Lawlor or Kelly administration, I don't remember. But the prizes were cool, if simple - a technical top, a fleece, a hat... just something nice to keep and wear and have as a little reward for completing the league. To discontinue that seems a shame. If we must have a way of incentivising members to volunteer, could we keep that separate from the LL as proposed, but still have a relatively simple prize for the LL? Even a technical top like the ones the Munster guys arrange for the Ballyhoura and Loop-de-loop events - those are class! And something a bit fancier for those who volunteer and do 10 or whatever non-Munster races in the year? [Admittedly what I'm asking conflicts with the principle of keeping admin to a minimum, but it might at least simplify the LL administration and leave the other volunteer-based prize admin to the end of the season, which seems logical] Point 3: Need to be careful how judgmental we are based on looking at the official volunteering records alone. There are lots of things that people do for IMRA that don't appear in those records - service on the committee in particular. |
| Shane O'Malley | Mar 22 2018, 1:11pm | Without going into too much detail, unfortunately there will probably be so many grey areas and administrative burden to make monitoring the situation unworkable (Unless the website has the necessary function). I also think it may not help those races in poor weather, further away from population centres etc. Encouragement, education and support should be the way forward with members contacted by email rather than just messages on forums (Which i suspect are mainly read by those already meeting min requirements) Thanks Shane |
| Jeff Swords | Mar 22 2018, 1:47pm | If someone is hitting 80, 90, 100 and more races with only 2, 3 or 4 volunteering roles (excluding juniors/juveniles) then no amount of education and encouragement is going to change that. They would have read the forums and (maybe) facebook posts and heard the calls for assistance at race starts and price giving plenty of times. I like Alan's idea of a Gestapo Officer though, will be interesting to see the people who put themselves forward for that at this years AGM. |
| Anthony Alexander | Mar 22 2018, 2:10pm | I'm with some of the more balanced views on this topic. Positively incentivising volunteering is the way to go. It's well acknowledged that volunteering is on a severe decline across all sectors over the last decade, and it would be unreasonable to judge or punish individuals for this phenomenon. In my own case I run very few IMRA races per year and have yet to volunteer. I volunteer already several hours per week at the local GAA, at my children's school and for the parish. I wouldn't consider myself "lazy", and expect to be able to volunteer regularly for IMRA in 5-10 years from now when the children are older. I'm sure several other IMRA members are not able to volunteer now due to their life circumstance, but would happily volunteer when things change for them. I would be horrified to be "banned" from IMRA races due to my current volunteer record, as the races give me an important social and recreational outlet that my well-being craves. |
| Warren Swords | Mar 22 2018, 2:19pm | If you have time to run a race, you have time to volunteer. |
| Warren Swords | Mar 22 2018, 2:26pm | If you have time to run an IMRA race, you have time to volunteer. Last week's race cancellation may be an anomaly. It was cancelled/re-scheduled etc and then it was on the first long St Patrick's weekend for a couple of years. Hopefully normal service resumes. I'd echo Alan's comments re Leinster League prize, be a pity to see that go. |
| Val Jones | Mar 22 2018, 4:59pm | I think having the prize 10 events in the year rather than just the Leinster League is a good idea. Having to complete 7 LL events and volunteering twice, but not necessarily at LL events is somewhat of an anomaly. I remember doing the laptop at Lugnacoille a few years back. There weren't that many in the race, only one new registration, and no real pressure. But there were plenty of volunteers not very busy, there to get in the volunteering. Of course, fine if there's a LL prize as well as an overall annual prize, fine. Maybe have a requirement to have one of the volunteering at a LL race? |
| Brian Kitson | Mar 22 2018, 6:45pm | How are we engaging and promoting the imra ethos (and volunteering requirements) to new and existing members? Are we welcoming new members with an email explaining all the things they should know? Do we have on boarding strategies to ensure nobody gets left behind? Could we have a quick meeting for new members after races to explain what's involved? The Irish mountaineering Club arrange special climbing nights for beginners to teach them the basics and talk about the club; why not an imra version? Perhaps each new member could be assigned a 'buddy' who is a long serving member to answer any questions (by email or at races) they have? With a bit of thought I'm sure there could be plenty of other initiatives launched to engage members and encourage them to more actively embrace the non racing aspects of imra. I'm not as engaged in imra as many of the rest of you, but as a relatively new member as far as I can tell this forum is the main (only?) source of communication I get about the organisation and I rarely visit it. I wonder what percentage of all members read it on a weekly basis and would be aware of what the ethos is? There's something very special about imra but I'm very disappointed by suggestions to withdraw prizes and potentially banning people. Imra should be about promoting and encouraging wider participation in trail running in Ireland and I wonder what signals these type of measures send out about the culture of this organisation. |
| Mick Hanney | Mar 22 2018, 8:13pm | Fair play to the committee for trying to mix it up. And I agree that it is no harm that a race cancellation happened due to a shortage as it sends an important message. Personally I think the prize for Leinster League is too big a prize in any event. People are doing the races for the enjoyment of it and any prize is a bonus, so it doesn't need to be significant. The initiative last year to reward race directors with a prize, for me, was great and a more telling initiative in that its a more focused item for a badly needed role. On the wider subject of volunteering and shortages, I do think however we need to look at the calendar. While it is encouraging to see races happening in various provinces the amount of races on the calendar is enormous compared to other years so its inevitable some events are going to struggle for volunteers in that situation. Its a difficult balance to strike. And while we have made progress in eliminating some roles at races (taking and managing money), some initiatives have lead to the creation of roles that not all race directors are trained in or familiar with e.g. the chip timing. Lastly in terms of volunteers, personally as a race director I try direct all or the majority of the spot prizes towards the non running volunteers. Without them the race cannot happen. |
| Gordon Place | Mar 22 2018, 9:10pm | Firstly, i know i could get the finger myself and volunteer more. I wonder are there a lot of people who only do the Leinster league and no other races? In that case linking the prize and volunteering to it seems the best way to encourage those to volunteer over the summer before they disappear, and everyone else can do so over the full year thus spreading it out a bit. Agree with Mick on RD prize. As for not having time, I'm with Warren on that one, if you find time to race, you can volunteer, but not in favour of banning ...... maybe having to race in some kind of bib of shame... And as for emails and hand holding, it seems like only more work for someone. The volunteering requests in emails can just as easily be ignored as those made at the events etc. New member info etc is all here so if you can manage to register online you should be able to find it, if you look. And if you want to stay up to date, i think you should have to make the effort to look up whats happening on the site/forum instead of someone keeping you up to date. Maybe a standard welcome email with volunteering info could issue automatically with registration? (maybe it does, i cant remember) |
| Andrew Hanney | Mar 22 2018, 9:16pm | In my athletic club, when you register each year you give a commitment to volunteer at selected races, I don’t see why Imra shouldn’t do something similar. Specific roles like laptop operator which are forever in need should be looked into to see if there is a better way. I would definitely agree that if you run 10 races you should need to volunteer before you can expect to race again. I’ll be sad to see the end of the LL prize though as it made the summer a bit of fun. |
| Peter O'Farrell | Mar 22 2018, 9:56pm | The likes of Dermot/Mick/Vivian/The committee should be banned from the last minute saving of races. It's not fair on them. If the race lacks vital volunteers 7 days before the event it should be automatically cancelled. With no comeback. A single forum post could go out 14 days before the race detailing which vital roles remain unfilled and if they remain unfilled 7 days out, cancel the event. I appreciate the efforts the committee have gone to in order to attempt to gently encourage volunteering but a few cancellations are probably required to get the message across. |
| Liam Cannon | Mar 22 2018, 10:06pm | As someone who has done the very bare minimum of volunteering with IMRA, I'd like to speak up as to the reasons why this is the case, as I feel that there may be others in the same position as myself. The principal reason why I haven't volunteered with any regularity is very simple - I don't drive. This means that on many occasions I have had to watch the IMRA site the night before a race, or on the day of a race, hoping for an 11th hour addition to the carpool just so that I can show up. Without being in a position to show up early, or stay late, it makes it extremely difficult to commit to being a volunteer. Due to this, my volunteering record is entirely composed of events along the DART line, as in these cases I could commit to getting there early. I have the utmost respect for all of the people who give their free time to IMRA and allow us all to enjoy our running. I regularly remark to people within and outside of IMRA how well it is run for a volunteer-based organisation. However, in my case (and maybe for others too), the various sanctions being proposed will not improve my volunteering record. I will probably miss out on a Leinster League prize again this year due to my volunteering record and again I will say there was nothing I could do about it. For a non-driver to get to races can often be a tall order and to get there early enough to volunteer can often be nigh impossible. I'm someone with a poor volunteering record, but I don't feel that this is due to any lack of willingness or sense of duty. It's entirely due to the reasons I've outlined above. If you want to motivate the likes of me, I'd suggest more carrot and less stick. For example, if I see someone saying on the forum saying that they're going to be driving to an event early, I might be in a position to offer my services as a volunteer. It's something that might take a little bit of coordination. I thought of the idea of a sub-forum or maybe a thread on the forum so people can organise to get there early and help out. To be honest, I was getting a bit tired of some of the sanctimonious points of view on this subject and I wanted to offer some constructive input. I'd suggest that my reason for not volunteering might be a common one and if you find a way to address it, it might make life easier for everyone. |
| Greg Byrne | Mar 22 2018, 11:14pm | And so the first of the perennial questions arrives… I think we’ve been on the cusp of cancelling a race for the last five years at least, and finally it happened. The problem is well established and I don’t think there is any simple solution. There are those who feel that volunteering is critical part of their participation in IMRA, some of it done without recognition of a website record. For others the running is their over-riding desire. I think in the longer term the carrot is a better tool as the stick will only bounce off the parapet of priorities & excuses. In fact I would suggest the bigger the stick the deeper the entrenchment of some. We do like being rebellious on our little island…. How about sharing some ideas for carrots or rewards? * Keep the current system in place and give running top or similar as the LL prize? * Introduce a superior prize for those run 10 races and volunteer 3 times (3x non-running of which 2x non-LL) * Introduce a separate volunteer prize, 2x non-running & non-LL volunteers * 20% discount for one race voucher for those who volunteer 4 times in a year (non-running) * 50% discount for one race voucher for those who volunteer 6 times in a year (non-running) * One free race voucher for those who volunteer 8 times in a year (non-running & including min 1. RD) * One free race voucher for those who volunteer 10 times in a year (non-running) * Change the calendar and make the last race of the LL a volunteer thank you event… - Race entry requires min 2 volunteers already logged - Free BBQ for those who have already completed their volunteering * Pre-entry period for popular races which usually sell-out * Reserve places on capped races for those with volunteer record * Discount on the most expensive/popular races for those will >5 volunteering done in the last two year? I thought it was interesting that despite already getting 3 volunteers in this year I only got off my backside to sign-up this week and was given number 1765. So many members… why are we short volunteers? For those who think transport is a barrier, it should be highlighted that race volunteers usually try to organise a volunteer car pool among themselves. Doesn’t always suit, but from my experience it works out about as often as the race car pooling… and makes for some great chats (or debates). |
| Andrew Mendelson | Mar 23 2018, 11:22am | IMRA races cost virtually nothing, and are only possible because of the time and effort dedicated by volunteers. Instead of bans or business as usual, institute differential entry fees based on volunteering rates. If you're running dozens of races and never volunteering, you can hardly quibble about having to pay a higher entry fee, and this little surcharge also serves as a gentle reminder (a nudge, in the behavioural economics parlance) that perhaps it is time that one threw one's hat into the volunteering ring. |
| Stuart Scott | Mar 23 2018, 12:09pm | I think the rescheduled recancelled Maulin race is a bad example. I appreciate how hard the committee tried to run the race but it was very short notice and I'm not surprised if many already had plans. It was worth trying though. Regarding volunteering in general, I too would favour the carrot (not in a vegetarian sense obviously). There are lots of reasons why people don't volunteer but the league (now 'annual') prize is a great incentive. There should be no reason why someone can't vounteer twice in a whole year of races. That said, there are a number of people who go above and beyond and always seem to step in at the last minute and that's not fair. It's early days though so I'd hope once a few announcements are made at races then people should start to take note! As for the forum, it's the runners' responsibility to look at it. It's not up to the organisation to schpoon-feed people (as my Irish teacher used to say). I wonder how many turned up to Maulin without realising...! Stuart |
| Conor Murphy | Mar 24 2018, 6:43am | "Do you know about the early days at the Kimberley Diamond Mines?". Was listening to the radio the other night and talk turned to the hobbling scene in the film Misery. I proposed it on the West Cork Trail Runners Facebook page, for people who skip hill repeats. But it seems to me it could also be used on those who skip volunteering... |
| Louis Mullee | Mar 25 2018, 11:04am | Hi, I just noticed that some of my volunteering records are missing from my profile (they had been there previously). For the races I could remember I volunteered at, I looked at the race details and could see my name listed as a volunteer but the record is not showing up on the profile page. Who should I talk to to have the records updated? Thanks. |
| Jarlath Hynes | Mar 25 2018, 1:15pm | @Louis, same for me, approx half of mine are not showing (were also there until recently). Someone somewhere has changed something, maybe it's related to relatively new 'non-running/running' volunteer settings. |
| Laura Flynn | Mar 27 2018, 7:34pm | On a positive note we already have Race Directors signed up to all three Trail League races so a big thanks to John Bell, Mikey Fry and Caoimhin for this. It really does make their jobs easier if you can put your name forward sooner rather than later. Having said that, we all understand that most of you have family and work commitments and this may not be possible at times. It’s clear from the dialogue which Pól’s post has prompted that we’re all passionate about this sport and I think it’s a good thing that there’s been some debate about the volunteering early in the season. There are some well-made suggestions in the various posts but I believe some of them would only involve more time and energy to administer. That’s just my view and not the committee’s though. I believe banning or similar punishments would only damage IMRA as an organisation. Now that members have been alerted to the issue let’s hope we have a really positive response during the racing year ahead. |
| Brian Farren | Mar 27 2018, 9:00pm | I think the changes to the summer league prize could reduce the numbers running in it. A lot of runners can only take part at this time because family commitments reduce. A lot of these runners only do up to about 10k or so. Running 7 and volunteering in 2 is just about manageable. Now they’d have run 10 out of 13 and volunteer for 2. The committee should keep an eye on this to see if it has a negative impact. |
| Stuart Scott | Mar 28 2018, 12:50pm | Brian, I see your point but with over 100 events on the calendar (albeit with many outside Leinster) surely it would be possible to 'escape' for 2? Some members' families also help at the start/finish or marshal at smaller races but obviously that wouldn't apply to all. Hopefully the changed dates for the trail league might help matters this year too - effectively that means you will have 16 races to get your 10 from. Personally, I think the committee has done a good job! |
| Mick Hanney | Mar 28 2018, 1:19pm | Hear hear Stuart. Positive to see the Race Director names filled in for a lot of the up and coming races too. |
| Karen Devenney | Mar 28 2018, 9:09pm | Folks if you read Pol's post properly, you'll see that the 10 races do not have to be 10 of the 13 Leinster League races - they can be any 10 non-Munster races this year. The hope was that by allowing for the fact that many runners cannot qualify for the LL prize due to personal commitments, making these changes would hopefully increase the number of volunteers too. It's been a serious struggle to get volunteers for a long time now. Pol's post has resulted in plenty of excellent ideas for how this might change...some of these may well be implemented in the future. It's import we retain the long standing spirit of IMRA but to do that we rely on everyone doing their bit |
| Richard Nunan | Mar 29 2018, 10:55am | Just a suggestion - In earlier years - we did Volunteer Training - we have many new members so it might be worth re-visiting the Training of Volunteers - at least the Primary non-running volunteer roles. Race Director, Laptop and First Aid(already looked after) I can make a Training room available to the committee to carry out this training and all the normal technology you need for a training room. I would be happy to do assist anyone with RD or Laptop Training. People should be educated and engaged rather than punished. We need to use both FB and the Website and the usual hustling for volunteers at the prize giving etc ... Would be good to maybe go at this before the summer starts .. in general I would like to see the summer prize stay as is and would agree that its unfair that people would run and not Volunteer at all. Hopefully educating, rewarding and a shuffle of the conscience will be enough. |
| John J Barry | Mar 29 2018, 11:08am | A small request, Can a person substitute some of the runs for volunteering roles? e.g. 8 runs plus 4 volunteers roles also counts towards end of season prize |
| Brendan Lawlor | Mar 29 2018, 12:08pm | Lots of great positive suggestions here for the committee to think about. Richards proposal of early RD, Laptop and general volunteer training (and awareness) is a very good one and I'll be happy to assist with that too if committee decide to proceed |
| Pádraig Doyle | Mar 30 2018, 12:00am | Hello. Long time listener, first time caller. Love the show... Just so excited to get through. Volunteering record: ticking over - neither shameful nor shining light. Usually run about 20 races per year and volunteer about twice. If I sign up to do something long in advance, it'll be a significant obstacle to stop me turning up. I know what would work for me... if I had to choose 2 or 3 volunteering races in the year, at time if registration... I'd be very likely to fulfill that commitment. Of course I don't know what my Wednesday in late July will have in store, so instead of not turning up, I'd be more likely to reschedule. Could selection of a number of volunteering slots be part of our annual registration process? From my volunteering chats, most people seem to enjoy them. For me at least, I just don't always think to opt in. I think a quibble-free optional opt-out would see a high fulfillment of vol-au-vent slots, for, like , when your granny's car breaks down and she needs a lift to bingo next week. Because granny's cars break down and we can't always know! Maybe the webmaster would have a conniption fit. |
| Declan O'Dwyer | Mar 30 2018, 3:03pm | Just a few thought on the above: 1) I think the 10 races over the year idea is good. Why should LL get preference over WL/Championships for prizes. 2) John Barrys suggestion that volunteering (e.g when injured) can take the place of running for earning a prize is a super idea. 3) The carrot approach to volunteering is much better than the stick and incentives such as free race entries for hitting volunteering target levels is worth trying 4) The assumption that the IMRA volunteering ethos is understood and the website/forum is widely read is questionable. There are regular forum posts that would not be made if the thread above them had been read. I believe a fair view runners go no further than the events page. 5) There has to be merit in pushing volunteering as part of annual registration and to first time runners in order to encourage this culture in the organisation. 6) As someone relatively close to the 100club, I just checked my volunteering record and see it has been almost halved as my previous running volunteering have been eliminated. That is fine under the new rules regarding volunteering but I do note that those volunteering roles were recorded when running volunteering was accepted by the rules of the association. |
| Brendan Lawlor | Mar 30 2018, 3:36pm | Running volunteers play an important role is helping at races (car parking, registration , race tidy up and sometimes demarking) and it would be a real pity to completely ignore these volunteering efforts... a running Deputy Race Director can be worth his or her weight in gold to a newbie Race Director in particular with the pre race planning activities |
| John Langenbach | Mar 31 2018, 6:40am | Can we assume actually completing the Leinster League and ranking results within it will still be a best 7 of 13 system and similar for other leagues? (As opposed to counting to 10 of whatever for satisfying the volunteering requirement or annual prize allocation) |
| Maeve OReilly | May 11 2018, 9:06am | I have been wondering if the Parkrun approach would help - put more emphasis on volunteering in general and reward it. We could have a VOL25 section on the website that recognises people who have volunteered 25 times, and maybe give them an IMRA buff. By the time they get to 50, they'll have lost that buff so give another one, or T-shirt or cup. Anything really, as any type of reward can be a goal that helps motivate us. |
