/ Our association

"The volunteering of the future"

"I see the biggest challenge in retaining people at the club, but at the same time accepting it when they leave and then taking care of activating new committed people in good time," says Martin Meyer, 2nd Chairman of Moabiter FSV, on the topic of volunteer recruitment. In the summer of 2024, his club took second place in the first edition of the "Berlin Football Innovation Award" in the "Recruitment of Volunteers" category. Together with Noah Funk, Managing Director of Polar Pinguin, who took first place at the award ceremony, we take a look at the topic of volunteering a year and a half after the Innovation Award with the aim of creating incentives to apply for the next edition. The application phase for the second edition of the Innovation Award will start soon and will focus on the topic of "Recruiting and retaining volunteers".

"Clear expectation management" and "good structures"

"What is definitely a big issue for us is the recruitment of new volunteers. Especially when it comes to responsible roles or positions that require more time, where there is regularity, [...] we still have problems finding new people," says Noah Funk in an interview with the BFV, addressing challenges that are part of everyday life for most Berlin clubs. The solution at his club: "If a club has good structures, good organization and, in the best case, full-time staff, this can take a lot of pressure off the volunteers and ensure that people can concentrate on the essentials."

The full interview can be viewed on YouTube:

The picture shows a person standing in a large, modern interior. The room has high ceilings and is illuminated with several light sources in shades of turquoise and green, creating a moody atmosphere. White walls and black steel beams are visible in the background. There are several tables and chairs in different colors (red, green, yellow) scattered around the room, indicating an open, flexible use, for example for workshops or events. The person is wearing a knitted sweater in Bordeaux red with a striking pattern of curved lines in blue and purple. A pearl necklace is around the neck and a small microphone is attached to the sweater, indicating that the person is speaking or being filmed. In the bottom right-hand corner of the image, a text is superimposed: "NOAH FUNK POLAR PINGUIN" in black letters on a white background, presumably indicating name and affiliation.
Click on the image to open the YouTube video.

Martin Meyer believes that clubs have a responsibility to manage expectations clearly when it comes to retaining volunteers and to adopt a modern approach to volunteering. The motto in his association: "We can't expect people to get involved for ten years in a row, take on an office straight away and run the association on their own. Instead, the focus on project-related work should create the necessary commitment: "We have a lot of young people who are getting involved for the first time. We have a lot of young people who only want to get involved in small projects on a temporary basis. Talking to them in advance and clearly managing their expectations is our big challenge, because then they will be much more committed for a certain period of time, and that will probably be the volunteering of the future."

The full interview can also be viewed on YouTube:

The picture shows a person in a large, modern interior with high ceilings and visible steel beams. The lighting is in shades of turquoise and green, which creates a moody atmosphere. In the background are several tables and chairs in different colors such as red, green and yellow, which indicate an open and flexible use of the room, for example for workshops or events. The person is wearing a burgundy sports jacket with a zipper. Several white prints can be seen on the jacket: the brand logo "JAKO", the initials "MM" and a club crest with the inscription "Moabiter FSV Berlin" and a stylized figure in motion. A small microphone is attached to the collar, indicating that the person is speaking or being filmed. In the bottom right-hand corner of the picture, a text is superimposed: "MARTIN MEYER MOABITER FSV" in black lettering on a white background.
Click on the image to open the YouTube video.

All information on the next "Innovation Award of Berlin Football" will be communicated promptly via the BFV channels.

Kategorien: Our association

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