'Dig Deep Game Day'

Hey everyone,

I’ve just completed two weeks of my placement at Cancer Council WA and can’t believe I am already half way through. Last Saturday was the West Coast Eagles Dig Deep Game Day, the first time I’ve been involved in helping run an actual event. The Dig Deep Game Day is held every year and is quite a simple event which basically involves organising volunteers to go around and sell wristbands before and after the game, with the donations going towards Cancer Council WA. The main aspect of the event was organising the Cancer Council WA volunteers. The beginning of the day involved greeting and signing the volunteers in, providing them merchandise and collection buckets and briefing them on the event. Throughout the day my job involved ensuring volunteers had sufficient merchandise to sell, collecting excess cash from volunteers and organising their breaks.

Volunteers are such a crucial stakeholder group for the Cancer Council WA and without their help this event would not be possible. To maintain positive relations with their volunteers Cancer Council WA provided them free tickets for the game, free Cancer Council WA ‘Dig Deep’ t-shirt and thank you stickers. My job on the day was also to ensure we maintained positive relations by ensuring basic needs were met; such as providing them with water bottles, handing out ponchos and making sure they all had breaks. I believe that simply having a conversation with the volunteers and expressing thanks really makes a difference and shows that the organisation is grateful for their help and really cares. For those working for a not-for profit and dealing with volunteers, what is your organisation doing to maintain positive volunteer relations?

Overall the event was a success and ran very smoothly. From the event I learnt the importance and helpfulness of a running sheet. I knew exactly where I had to be, where everyone else was located and what was happening next. I can imagine the possible confusion and chaos without a running sheet.

The project I am currently working on is devising an internal communication strategy to improve information sharing and an online communication strategy to enhance relations with Cancer Council WA supporters. So far I have received really positive feedback from my supervisor and hope that I get the chance to implement the plan. I really appreciate the openness and flexibility the Cancer Council WA provides, it has allowed me to be creative and apply all my skills and knowledge I have gained from my degree.

Until next time,

Chelsea