Training Center Volunteer Policy
Revised: Oct 2024
Definitions
SWA (Saskatchewan Weightlifting Association): The official governing body overseeing the sport of weightlifting within Saskatchewan.
Volunteer: Any individual who participates in activities such as serving as an executive member, director, committee member, loader, competition setup or teardown, or any other apporved task that supports the SWA.
Summary
Volunteers are essential to the success of any not-for-profit organization. The SWA relies on volunteers to facilitate competitions and other events. This policy outlines the required volunteer hours for all SWA Training Centers, detailing how these hours are to be tracked and reported.
Purpose and Scope
The aim of this policy is to define the volunteer obligations for SWA Training Centers. Each Training Center must fulfill a specified number of volunteer hours based on its membership count within the competition season (from October 1st to August 1st) to qualify for MAP Funding.
Training Centers are expected to volunteer for events that contribute to the SWA's development and financial stability.
Policy
Volunteer Hour Requirement: Each Training Center is required to provide 3 volunteer hours for every registered SWA member during the Competition Year.
Tracking Hours: Volunteers are responsible for recording their hours in the Volunteer Binder available at each event. Alternatively, the Training Center owner/coach may submit the hours using the Volunteer Hour Tracking Form, signed by a Competition Director, Technical Official Chair, Event Coordinator, or the Executive Director.
Officials Requirement: Training Centers must provide the necessary number of officials as mandated by the SWA policy. Each technical official will be asked to officiate at least 4 sessions per competitive season. The Training Center is responsible for recording and coordinating these hours with the meet directors and the SWA Executive Director.
**Added: Technical Officials are paid $20.00 per session for your time and committment to our SWA competition sanctioned events and are not considered Volunteer hours. New Shadowing Officials are not paid until they do a full session on thier own at a competition but thier time shadowing can be used as Volunteer hours for thier club. Technical Officials and the ED will monitor session for Stipend payout at end of year.
Non-compliance: Training Centers that fail to meet the required volunteer hours will lose eligibility for MAP funding for that year, with the funds being redistributed to compliant Training Centers.
Non-transferable Hours: Volunteer hours cannot be transferred between Training Centers.
Volunteer Roles: The following roles fulfill volunteer hour requirements:
- Event organizers
- Volunteers for event setup and teardown
- Loaders at competitions
- Committee members, or those involved in tasks like social media management, membership management, or website management, as approved by the SWA
Responsibility: It is the responsibility of each volunteer to ensure their hours are recorded and submitted within the allotted time frame. If the hours are not submitted and approved by the SWA Executive, the Training Center will forfeit eligibility for MAP funding.
Monitoring: The SWA will monitor volunteer hours, but the onus is on each Training Center to maintain and submit the required hours according to the guidelines.
Additional Guidelines
**Elite Athletes:** Volunteer hours completed by elite athletes will be credited to their respective Training Centers.
Volunteer Log: A Volunteer Book will be available at each event. Each volunteer must record their time, activity, and sign the book. The SWA will maintain this book, but it is not the SWA's responsibility to track individual volunteer hours.
Volunteer Hour Cap: Training Centers are responsible for 3 volunteer hours per registered member, up to a maximum of 75 hours.
For example, a Training Center with 8 members must complete 24 volunteer hours.
- Role Exclusions: The following roles do not count toward the required volunteer hours:
1. Coaching
2. Officiating
3. Any compensated roles
4. Board Member positions
Monitoring and Reporting
The SWA Executive Director and Board of Directors will oversee the monitoring of volunteer hours to ensure compliance.