4 Ways Volunteers are IMPACT PLAYERS

It’s always amazing how with so much negativity that exists in the world around us, the positivity is always there if you are willing to look. Sometimes it is very visible as when a community will rally around natural disasters or personal tragedies. At that moment, you come to realize that the “community” goes beyond city limits and is defined by connections.

At other times, the power of a community is much more obscure and found in the actions and responses of a few, under the radar, heroes who take time to volunteer, step-up and do what is needed to get the job done.  I have written quite a bit about IMPACT PLAYERS in past articles and they can be found in countless community organizations working to provide positive experiences for others.

I’ve spent over 20 years involved in our local competitive basketball program that serves as a feeder team for our high school boys’ and girls’ teams. I love the game of basketball and have enjoyed helping to provide an avenue for young kids to learn more about the game while hopefully providing a positive and fun environment for the kids to grow. Ultimately, we look for the IMPACT from this involvement to show up in the success of our high school teams but also in the future leaders that graduate.

With the youth sports market estimated at $37BILLION in 2022 and continued growth rate of 9.2% per year, you know there is a lot of focus on sports and the kids. But unlike the moneymaker organizations that make regional and national pushes, community sports organizations are interested in the local impact and hopefully focusing specifically on the impact to the kids themselves. They are not a business, but a volunteer organization.

THEY FACE THE CHALLENGES
When running any event, there are always going to be the potential hiccups that will happen as the day of the event draws close. With youth tournaments you have teams back-out, referees get sick, volunteers don’t show up, and weather-related issues, but somehow, it always works out.

My wife would always be amazed how the stress of having these things seemingly unravel sometimes the day before or the day of an event, wouldn’t seem to bother me. I would look at her as she seemed to be offering up some “sympathy-stress” and say, “It will all work out.  It is what it is.” And you know what, it always did.

That is the importance of understanding that while getting volunteers to help in any event is EXTREMELY difficult and only seems to be getting worse, you will always have those handful of committed people that refuse to let you down. Those IMPACT PLAYERS are what makes an organization run.

THEY SUPPORT EACH OTHER
On a personal note, my recent participation in running the tournaments over the last few years has dropped to a very minor role as I have had sons playing in a high school tournament that is the same day as our youth tournament.  

In my middle son’s sophomore year, I chose to miss the championship game that he was playing in to stay behind and make sure everything ran smooth. Coaches from other towns were asking why I wasn’t at the tournament watching my son play and I explained it away. As I listened to it on the radio and walked back and forth between gyms, I listened as my son got his first varsity start, knocked down multiple 3’s, and led his team to the tournament championship.

Afterwards, my fellow members of our youth Board said you are not missing one of those again. I am ever grateful that they have been there shouldering the burden, doing work that none of the teams or fans in attendance at these tournaments see or are even aware of, so that the kids can have a great experience.

THEY DO WHAT IT TAKES
This past weekend we were down to two Board Members at the tournament, but they took care of business. Mopping up bathroom floors, cleaning messes, dealing with missing volunteers, and adapting to the situations, they did their part to help our community and to be sure that they were making an IMPACT for others.

I arrived back at the gyms, as the final games of the day were getting ready to tip-off so I could be there to help shut things down and clean the facility. While the Board Members were tired, they had smiles on their faces as they were able to reflect on the events of the day and laugh about what had happened. But they could take pride as parents and coaches would walk by and tell them thank you and show appreciation for a great experience for them and their team.

THEY LEAVE A LEGACY
A referee came to me at the end of the day, exhausted because of having to pick up some extra games for me. He explained that he wasn’t feeling well when he woke up but knew he couldn’t let us down. He played in our tournaments as a kid. He played for me growing up. He knew the IMPACT that he had on the event and being part of the community, he wanted to do his part.

I understand that not everyone can volunteer.  There is a lot going on in people's lives with work and family. Maybe they already volunteer for other organizations and are already stretched thin. Many people want to help but are not sure how. Some people always volunteer, but never seem to find a time that works.

Regardless, it is what it is.  The reality is that when you find your IMPACT PLAYERS who are willing to step up and be part of an organization, then “it will all work out” is a guarantee because they won’t let it fail. The strength of a community can be found in these few volunteers.  These few IMPACT PLAYERS, who make sure it will ALWAYS work out, Beyond Today.

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