Subcommittees

WALKERVILLE SOFTBALL SUBCOMMITTEES 2022-23

To get teams on the diamond each year, there are a number of essential roles that need to be filled.  Some roles require short bursts of activity, such as fundraising, events coordination, coaching selection panels, and merchandise; and others are spread out over the season, such as grounds and equipment coordination, umpire liaison, and junior coordination.

We recognise engaging in volunteer work can be daunting if you don’t know what you’re putting your hand up for or how much time you’re committing to.  To help attract more active volunteers to the club, we’ve created a bunch of subcommittees and roles with position descriptions and estimated time commitments.  The following subcommittees have been designed to ensure the commitment required of each committee member is as manageable as possible: 

• Junior subcommittee
• Events and fundraising
• Equipment
• Grounds duties
• Volunteers and recognition
• Merchandise and uniform
• Finance
• Social media and communications
• Umpire liaison
• Grants and sponsorships
• MPIO

If you’d like to volunteer but have limited time to offer, we can find or create a role to suit your preferred area of interest.  We would love to see more people offering a little bit of their time, which will help us get the club ready for the upcoming season and move it forward.  Ideally, there would be members of each senior team on subcommittees plus parents of junior players.

If you’re interested in any of these roles or have some skills you can offer the club, email us at walkerville@softballsa.com.au or contact one of the committee members.

JUNIOR SUBCOMMITTEE

The Junior Subcommittee is responsible for the overall management of the Club’s junior program.  Led by a Junior Coordinator, key responsibilities include:

• Liaising with schools in our zoned area about advertising to prospective new junior players.
• Development of an information pack for new parents and families.
• Organisation and promotion of junior clinics, come and try, and off-season activities.
• Providing junior coaches with advice on managing weekly tasks and engaging parents and other volunteers.
• Working with Softball SA and other bodies to access available resources and programs.
• Reporting monthly (or as required) to the Committee.

Composition

We are looking for around five or six volunteers, in addition to the Junior Coordinator, to keep the workload to a minimum.

Our Junior Subcommittee currently consists of:

• Bindy Stansfield – Junior Coordinator
• Chelsea Robinson
• Ursula Bradshaw

Time commitment

Most of the time required for this subcommittee is during the preseason to ensure the focus and strategy are set and enough helpers are engaged. 

It’s recommended the subcommittee meets bi-monthly throughout the season or as often (more or less) as they deem necessary. Allocation of responsibilities such as scheduling clinics, contacting schools, and promoting the junior program will be allocated among the subcommittee members to keep the time commitment of each person as low as possible.

EVENTS AND FUNDRAISING SUBCOMMITTEE

Throughout the year, the Club seeks to hold various events to either drive engagement or fundraise for the Club.  Events and Fundraising are an extremely important way to engage with the Club’s membership and supporters and ensure the Club’s financial stability.

The Events and Fundraising subcommittee will create a calendar of events and develop various methods of fundraising throughout the year.  The subcommittee will then look to engage people to help run each initiative – for example, one or two people will run the quiz night, another will run Club Day, another to organise a raffle, etc. 

The General Committee will work with the subcommittee to establish the fundraising goal for the year to ensure a balanced budget is achieved. Examples of events and fundraising initiatives the subcommittee could deliver include:

• Club day.
• 75^th birthday event.
• People's Choice Credit Union raffle.
• Quiz night.
• 100 club.
• Raffles.
• BBQs.
• Footy tipping.

Responsibilities of the Events and Fundraising subcommittee include:

• Creating a calendar of events and fundraising initiatives across the year.
• Recruiting volunteers to run or assist with each event and initiative.
• Work with the General Committee on setting and managing a fundraising budget.
• Report monthly (or as required) to the General Committee.

Composition

We are looking for two or three core members to establish the calendar of events and fundraising initiatives for the year and engage volunteers to manage each of them.  The number of additional volunteers will depend on the number of events and initiatives planned and the available time each can offer.  An additional five or six volunteers are recommended.

Time commitment

Initially, the Events and Fundraising subcommittee will spend two to three hours developing a plan for the season, followed by up to an additional hour to recruit volunteers for each.  The time required to run each event or initiative will depend entirely on its nature and the number of volunteers available.

EQUIPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE

The Club provides each team with training and game equipment and other resources as required.  The Equipment subcommittee is responsible for recording and keeping track of the Club’s equipment and liaising with coaches to ensure they have the equipment they need and source more when required.

The Equipment Subcommittee is responsible for:

• Reviewing the previous season’s stock records (provided by the Committee) and advising of any discrepancies or issues.
• Making sure each team has adequate equipment at the start of the season, such as game balls, scorebooks, and a fully stocked equipment bag.
• Liaising with coaches regarding equipment needs.
• Assisting the Committee in sourcing equipment throughout the season when needed.
• Providing feedback to the committee about the equipment needs of the club.
• Collecting all equipment from teams at the end of this season, completing a stock take against the starting records, and recording all details with the committee.

Time Commitment:

• Work required at the start of the season is estimated to be one to two hours per team.
• Work throughout the season is minimal and will only occur if equipment needs to be replaced.
• Work at the end of the season is estimated to be one to two hours per team plus up to another hour of recording and liaising with the committee.

Composition:

This subcommittee should have one person taking the role of Equipment Coordinator and up to two additional members are recommended to keep workload to a minimum.

Johnno is currently coordinating the Equipment Subcommittee.

GROUNDS DUTIES SUBCOMMITTEE

Every season, each club has an allocated number of times they need to help with grounds duties and diamond lock-up at Diamond Sports Park.  The Ground Duties Subcommittee will be responsible for the following:

• Letting the club’s members know what duties need to be done and when.
• Organising a roster of people to cover the duties identified.
• Putting out and bringing in diamonds on our allocated game days – or organising a roster of volunteers to do it.
• Organising volunteers to manage diamond lock-up on a Saturday, Wednesday, or Tuesday depending on what games are scheduled on diamonds 1 and 2.
• Organising team tents/shades on game day or ensuring team coaches and/or managers are aware of where they are stored. 
• Liaise with the Adelaide Clubs Competition (ACC) Chair with the combination of the lock box with the diamond and gate keys.
• Provide feedback to the committee regarding the subcommittee and duties involved.
• Liaise with the Volunteers and Recognition Subcommittee to help recognise the efforts of key volunteers.

Composition:

This subcommittee should have one person taking the role of lead Equipment Coordinator and a minimum of three members is recommended to keep workload to a minimum.

It’s helpful to have people on this subcommittee across various grades to cover the varying times required.  For example, A and B grade players or supporters to help with mid-week lock up, junior parents to take control of putting diamonds out before the junior games, and others as required who can bring in diamonds after the last game of the day.

Johnno is currently coordinating the Grounds Duties Subcommittee.

Time Commitment:

Grounds and lock-up duties are usually allocated to each club two or three times a season.  The ACC Committee allocates each club’s rostered days at the start of the season so a club roster can be organised early. 

Putting out and bringing in diamonds take approximately 30 minutes each.  Bringing in diamonds can be staggered throughout the afternoon depending on scheduled game times, so therefore can be allocated to various people, or left to the end of the day.  There is a buggy available in the shed to help with this.

Diamond lock-up occurs after the final game on the allocated night and usually takes approximately 15 minutes.  Often there are umpires or baseball people who will complete this function if they are there later.

VOLUNTEERS AND RECOGNITION SUBCOMMITTEE

Recognising the commitment and efforts of our volunteers is essential each year.  The Volunteers and Recognition Subcommittee helps the Committee openly recognise the efforts of key volunteers and looks for opportunities and initiatives to do so.

The Volunteers and Recognition Subcommittee is required to:

• Monitor and liaise with Club volunteers to ensure they are having a positive experience.
• Seek feedback from Club volunteers on ways to improve the volunteer experience.
• Identify key volunteers and look for ways to recognise them.
• Liaise with Softball SA, Sport SA, and other peak bodies to identify programs to help engage volunteers.
• Look for and identify community volunteer awards work and submit nominations, as directed by the Committee.
• Report to the Committee monthly or as required.

Composition

This subcommittee should comprise one or two members.

Time Commitment

It’s estimated that three to four hours is initially required to develop an outline of possible initiatives and programs to support, engage, and recognise Club volunteers.  Following this, up to three hours a month is required during the season, depending on the number of volunteers and initiatives that have been identified.

MERCHANDISE AND UNIFORM SUBCOMMITTEE

The Merchandise and Uniform Subcommittee is responsible for managing the sourcing and ordering of standard Club uniforms and merchandise as well as any special uniforms and merchandise to support special themed rounds, such as indigenous and pride round, as set by the ACC.

• Allocate junior uniform tops, record who has what numbers, and collect deposits.
• Ensure all junior uniforms are returned at the end of the season.
• Liaise with Julie Dale for senior playing numbers should they need to be allocated.
• Liaise with each team and the Committee for any specific uniform requirements.
• Manage the merchandise available on the Club website.
• Manage the sales of existing stock.
• Liaise with ACC regarding the timing of special rounds.
• Organising special uniforms and merchandise as required.
• Liaise with the Communications and Social Media subcommittee to ensure the club is aware of upcoming rounds and merchandise available.
• Work with the Committee on setting and managing a sales budget.
• Report monthly (or as required) to the General Committee.

Composition:

This subcommittee should have one person taking the role of lead coordinator and a minimum of two members is recommended to keep the workload to a minimum.  It is helpful to have at least one junior parent on this subcommittee.

Sophie Roberts is currently coordinating the Merchandise and Uniform Subcommittee.

Time Commitment:

Allocating junior uniforms at the start of the season is estimated to take an hour per team and collecting junior uniforms at the end of the season is also estimated to take an hour per team.

Organising merchandise and/or uniforms per special round will be determined by how many rounds will be included.

FINANCE

Effective financial management is essential for the survival of our Club and is an important part of good governance.  This involves the planning, directing, monitoring, organising, and controlling of the Club’s monetary resources in a way that ensures the Club remains viable, can grow, and can help our members to compete and enjoy sport each week and into the future.

While the responsibility of the Club’s ongoing financial management sits with the Club Treasurer, there are opportunities for members with financial expertise to help make key financial decisions that affect the entire Club.  These include establishing a three-to-five-year budget, setting playing fees, and assisting with Sporting Schools Grants. 

Composition

We are looking for two to three members with financial qualifications and expertise to assist the Club Treasurer with one or more key projects.

The Finance Subcommittee currently consists of our Treasurer Desi Giamarelos and Ursula Bradshaw.

Time Commitment

Establishing a three-to-five-year budget and establishing a clear system of reporting and management is required as soon as possible and is estimated to take approximately 5-10 hours.  Club fees will be a key component in the budget and could take up to two or three hours.

GRANTS AND SPONSORSHIP

This subcommittee searches for and applies for grants and looks for mutually beneficial sponsorship opportunities in order to help bring more funding and engaged business partners to the club.

Composition

We are looking for two to three members to fill this subcommittee.

Time Commitment

Identifying grants and sponsors can be a little ad hoc but could be as little as an hour a fortnight.  Each grant application and sponsorship proposal will vary in length depending on what is requested so the Club Committee members are available to help with larger submissions to ensure the time spent on the subcommittee is kept to a minimum

SOCIAL MEDIA AND COMMUNICATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE

The purpose of the Social Media and Communications Subcommittee is to engage members, sponsors, and the wider community.  The Subcommittee will be responsible for planning key initiatives as well as working with the Committee to manage weekly and monthly communications.

Key responsibilities include

• Communicating all announcements, including on-diamond results, player milestones, Club events, and fundraising initiatives.
• Promoting Club Sponsors and key stakeholders.
• Drafting monthly online newsletters for approval and scheduling for distribution.
• Creating and publishing social media content.
• Engaging media partners and key influencers.
• Working with all Subcommittees to achieve their objectives.
• Reporting to the Committee monthly or as required.

Composition

To ensure workload per person is kept to a minimum, three to four members are recommended.  Whilst all members need to work together, each volunteer could manage a specific area – such as social media, online newsletters, media management, or website management – depending on their skillset or area of interest.

Time commitment

An initial planning session and allocating of duties is estimated to take about two hours. 

Social media is required to be managed weekly and could take up to an hour, depending on the number of posts required.  Creating and scheduling monthly online newsletters could take two to three hours a month.  Media management would only be required when stories are identified and could take up to two hours each. 

Website management will require up to three hours initially to set up for the season ahead and then possibly up to an hour a month or as changes are required.

OTHER KEY ROLES

We are also looking for people to fill the following roles:

• Umpire liaison
• MPIO and Child Protection Officer (could be more than one person)
• Database support