Building capacity for evaluation with students and volunteers

An essential part of improving sport service delivery is program evaluation. Program evaluation allows sport organizations to understand how their programs or initiatives work in different ways. However, many organizations receive insufficient training or lack the capacity (staff, funding or time) to engage in evaluative work (Carman & Fredericks, 2010).  One way that sport organizations can boost capacity for evaluation is to involve students and volunteers. Indeed, there are many examples of graduate students partnering with…

The role of social capital in the organizational capacity of community sport

Project summary  Social capital is the trust, reciprocity, and shared understanding that may be produced and reproduced in a social connection. When generated among individuals and within groups in an organization, this ‘social energy’ may be an important resource for goal achievement. The objectives of this project were to investigate the nature and development of…

Sport volunteering

Looking to give your resumé a boost? Research shows sport volunteering positively influences hiring managers’ perceptions of applicant qualifications. Sport volunteering may act as a signal of values and competencies, such as altruism and a willingness to work in a team environment.

National Volunteer Week

This week (April 18-24) is National Volunteer Week, a time to celebrate and thank Canada’s 12.7 million volunteers.  Virtual volunteering is a novel way to engage volunteers during persisting COVID-19 restrictions, but it doesn’t need to stop post-pandemic. Online opportunities can help sport organizations build their pool of volunteers, attract volunteers with diverse skill sets, and become a more flexible and inclusive organization.  

Reducing Vulnerability to Fraud in Sport Organizations

Community sport clubs in Canada can be vulnerable to financial fraud, where someone uses their position for personal gain by deliberately misusing an organisation’s resources or assets. According to our research, recently featured in a CBC Sports investigation, the impact of fraud can be deep and last for years, regardless of the amount of money…

Membership engagement

For community sport organizations, understanding what members value, their suggestions for improvement, and desires for future programming, is essential for long-term success. For the Rocky Point Sailing Association, findings from a membership survey helped inform return to play strategies and engaged members in setting the organization’s vision for 2021.

Changing attitudes towards people living with a disability

Integrated physical activity programs for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities not only offer benefits for participants, they can also influence the attitudes and behaviours of others. Learn how the APEX program is impacting support workers, program volunteers, and other members of the University of Windsor community, in the SIRCuit.

Social responsibility of CSOs

Giving Tuesday is a global movement for giving and volunteering, harnessing the potential of social media and the generosity of people to bring about real change in their communities. Research on the social responsibility activities of community sport organizations (CSOs) discovered members who are aware of the good things their CSO does beyond their sport…

Navigating COVID-19: A Community Sport Perspective

In the winter of 2020, the Rocky Point Sailing Association (RPSA) in Port Moody, BC was preparing for the upcoming season. RPSA is primarily run by volunteers and employs ten seasonal full-time staff who deliver long-term athlete development (LTAD) programming to more than 600 participants annually. When the COVID-19 pandemic was announced, summer programs were…

Volunteer Recruitment

Virtual volunteering can reduce some of the barriers to volunteering with more schedule flexibility, micro assignments requiring shorter time investment, and allowing people to contribute from home. Learn more in the SIRCuit.