Club & Program Handbook · Chapter 5

Volunteers & Roles

Volunteers are the engine of every program. This chapter covers recruiting them, the roles that make a session run, and how to train and screen them.

Finding volunteers

Volunteers are a key resource for a successful program, and they come from all sorts of backgrounds and skill levels. Start at your own club — members are often keen to help. Beyond that:

• Contact local hospitals or universities with physiotherapy, occupational therapy or recreational therapy programs — aspiring therapists often want practical experience.
• Approach community groups such as Rotary, Men’s Sheds and lifestyle villages, who may include volunteering with you in their social and community programs.

Train volunteers well to maximise their safety and their contribution. If they don’t have a sailing background, consider supporting them through a Start Sailing 1 or 2 course or an Adult Learn to Sail course.

Program structure

For a club running an inclusive or Sailability program, the recommended approach is not to run a separate Sailability committee, but to have representatives from the program join the club’s existing General, Sailing and Social committees. If your club does choose a separate committee, it works best with a mix of club representatives, interested individuals, and local community and support organisations — and should include a member of the general and/or sailing committee. Monthly meetings are recommended.

A program committee typically:

• Plans, promotes and runs inclusive sailing and boating activities
• Fundraises for equipment and activities through donations, grants and sponsorship
• Promotes the program to potential participants, members and volunteers
• Provides a delegate to report to the Sailability Victoria Committee
• Works with the club to be included in Discover Sailing, racing, recreational and social activities

Office bearers usually include a Chairperson/President (the program’s primary spokesperson), an optional Vice-Chairperson, a Treasurer (accurate financial records and annual statements) and a Secretary (correspondence) — the Treasurer and Secretary roles are often combined. Individual members can take on specific tasks such as fundraising, membership development, media, volunteer recruitment, or bookings.

Roles within a program

Most sessions rely on a familiar set of roles. Many can be combined in smaller programs, but each responsibility needs an owner.

Suggested volunteer roles within a program

Role	Responsible for
Program Coordinator	Overall administration, sailing and training. Runs volunteer inductions and workshops, allocates tasks, implements safety and operating procedures, ensures enough instructors/drivers/volunteers and well-maintained equipment, files the quarterly report to the Executive Committee, and safeguards everyone’s wellbeing.
Booking Officer / Administration	Handles enquiries and bookings, confirms by email, provides the booking sheet to the Dock Marshal and Coordinator, issues and collects registration forms, and registers participants and volunteers in RevSport/SailPass.
Treasurer	Looks after all program finances and reports to the Executive Committee.
Instructors	Help participants take their first steps in sailing: prepare boats and equipment, monitor and report equipment condition, assess weather before each session (and brief the Coordinator), and demonstrate and instruct on the water.
Dock Marshal	Safety of participants on the dock: greeting arrivals, checking everyone has signed in and completed a registration form, fitting correct lifejackets, safely transferring participants into boats using safe lifting techniques, and reporting any dock incidents to the Coordinator.
Safety Boat Drivers	Safety of participants on the water and the primary means of assistance. Keep a safety boat on the water at all times during activities, check fuel/motor and shore communication, know towing and reefing methods and how to extract someone from the water, and report on-water incidents. Should hold a boat licence — an AS Safety Boat certificate is recommended.

Screening & requirements

Screening and training establish whether a volunteer is suited to the roles they’ll perform, and protect participants, your club, Australian Sailing and Sailability Victoria from harm, legal risk and reputational damage. As best practice and duty of care, each program should have in place:

• An operating procedure for the program (adapt this manual)
• A Risk Assessment and an Emergency Action Plan
• A first aid certificate for all volunteers
• Compliance with all State and maritime laws (powerboat licences, correct PFD use, etc.)

Australian Sailing also offers courses worth having across your team — Assistant Instructor or Instructor, Powerboat Handling, and various free online modules (see Australian Sailing e-Learning). Funding to cover these may be available from Sailability Victoria when funds allow.

Training pathways

Training builds from a common induction (first aid, WWCC, on-water procedures) toward sailing and powerboat qualifications. Suggested pathways by starting point:

Suggested training pathways for volunteers

Starting point	Typical pathway
No prior sailing experience	Volunteer induction → Start Sailing 1 & 2 → Powerboat Handling → Assistant Instructor → (Classifier, if a medical practitioner or physiotherapist).
Intermediate sailor (no on-water qualifications)	Volunteer induction → Better Sailing course if required → Powerboat Handling → Instructor → (Classifier, if applicable).
Experienced sailor (no on-water qualifications)	Volunteer induction → Powerboat Handling → Instructor → AS Coach Development Pathway → (Classifier, if applicable).
Qualified instructor	Volunteer induction → Senior Instructor → AS Coaching Pathway → (Classifier, if applicable).

For sailors with an intermediate or experienced background, the program leader should review a short summary of their sailing experience.