Conference Offers Handy Tips

IT’S only two weeks out from the start of the local footy season and you’re frantically organising everything – or what feels like everything – for your club.

After sorting through the huge pile of sign-on forms, endless phone calls and other odd jobs, your weary legs lead you to the car.

The trip home gives you time to think. You immediately contemplate what it would be like to have more hard-working volunteers by your side.

Sound familiar?

It is well known that many sporting clubs rely on the same group of people every year.

But that problem may just remain a thing of the past for clubs who have enthusiastic delegates attending the 2008 QRL Admin Conference on the Gold Coast from February 8-10.

Belinda Busoli, the Managing Director of the Not-For-Profit Network, will touch on this issue in her presentation.

Titled the “Generational Perspective”, Belinda’s session will work through many key issues, including how generational change affects the club environment.

The highly-successful consultant likens the struggle of finding new and young volunteers to a first date, saying established club volunteers shouldn’t ask for too much too early from first-time helpers.

“You can’t ask someone to sleep with you on your first date … or you can – but you might not have much success,” Belinda quips.

Put simply, Belinda says new volunteers should only be given small tasks first-up.

Belinda will also tackle important factors like the need for leadership and “fostering the next generation”.

“When you deal with young people, you have to change the way in which you ask them to volunteer,” Belinda says.

The fascinating insight into generational change will be backed up by a host of topical presentations.

Other topics include Leaguenet and new technology, senior footy, women in league, media management, fundraising and senior club management.

The registration form and agenda conference is available on our downloads section – www.qrl.com.au/downloads.php