Elmbrook United is a non-profit organization that relies heavily on the volunteerism of our families and players. We truly appreciate all our volunteers and couldn’t run Elmbrook United without you!
It is important to clarify the different types of volunteer jobs that exist within the club.
Club Jobs (All Families)
These are jobs that generally benefit the club as a whole, such as: field relining, field drawing, soccer park maintenance, garbage collection, tournament/special events assistance, or concessions. Additional club jobs include roles such as division director, recreational coach/assistant coach, or team manager.
At registration, each family is assessed a $150 annual volunteer deposit regardless of the number of players in the family. For example, if you have 3 children participating in fall & spring soccer, you will only be charged $150 for the year. In order for the deposit to be refunded, families complete volunteer jobs based on the number of players in the program. As in the example, our family of three would need to complete 3 volunteer jobs in order to be refunded. Note that at registration, families may choose to “opt out” of doing volunteer jobs, in which case the $150 will be kept by the club to offset costs to complete required work.
As club job volunteer opportunities arise throughout the year, families will be sent Sign-Up Genius signups by the Volunteer Coordinator or contacted directly via email by a club committee chairperson. We use the primary email provided at the time of registration to send the sign up emails. Links to Sign-Ups will also be added to the website once initial emails have been sent out.
During the online registration process, you are given the opportunity to indicate volunteer preferences. We try to match up volunteer opportunities to your preferences as best we can. You may receive requests to assist outside of your preference as need requires. Volunteer jobs generally range between 2-1/2 – 3 hours.
If you volunteer for one of the following jobs, you will receive volunteer credit for every child in your family: Recreational Coach, Recreational Assistant Coach, Academy or Select Manager, Select Treasurer, Division Director. All other volunteer jobs, except for these, count for one child and you must do one job for each child in your family to receive your volunteer credit.
Note that if you delete your sign up less than 24 hours before a shift or do not show up for a volunteer opportunity that you signed up for and you do not attempt to contact us prior to that shift, you will forfeit your $150 volunteer deposit. By cancelling last minute or missing your shift, not only does it inconvenience someone else but that volunteer spot was made unavailable to someone else trying to earn their refund back.
We will notify you as soon as possible if a volunteer shift you have signed up for is cancelled due to inclement weather. If the shift you are signed up for is re-scheduled, we will give you the first chance to sign up for those new slots. If there is not a re-schedule date for your shift, we ask that you find another volunteer opportunity to fulfill your volunteer obligation.
If you change your email after registration, please contact the volunteer coordinator so you are able to receive volunteer opportunities.
Select Team Jobs (Select Team Families Only)
In addition to their “club” jobs, select families may be asked to complete a volunteer job for their select team. These volunteer jobs are not managed by the club, rather by the team coach and manager. These jobs are not reimbursed by the club–they are strictly for the benefit of the team. These select team jobs vary depending on each team’s needs. Some examples of select team jobs are tournament registration person, team statistician, team social director, photographer, indoor coordinator, team fundraiser, team website manager, or first aid kit organizer.
As indicated above, Select Team Managers and Select Team Treasurers are reimbursed their full $150 deposit due to the time commitment involved in these jobs.
FAQ’s
Q: Am I charged the $150 volunteer deposit once per family or once per player?
A: Each family is charged one annual $150 volunteer deposit at registration regardless of the number of players registered in your family.
Q: What is the difference between a “club” job and a select “team” job and how does it tie to the volunteer refund?
A: Club jobs are things that benefit the whole club such as working concessions, lining fields, working a tournament, etc. The $150 volunteer deposit is collected at registration and refunded upon completion of you fulfilling a club job for each of your players or upon taking on a position which fulfills all of your club obligations.
Team jobs are things that benefit the team specifically, such as snack coordinator, hotel organizer, tournament chair, social coordinator, etc. This has nothing to do with your $150 volunteer deposit and does not relieve you from fulfilling a role if your team needs it.
Q: When can I expect to receive my reimbursement after I have completed my club volunteer job(s)?
A: Once your volunteer job(s) have been completed and confirmed by the appropriate person, the information is given to the Volunteer Coordinator for processing. The credit card that you used at registration will be used to reimburse you. Though reimbursements normally occur within a few weeks after you have completed your job(s), it may take longer during peak times. You will receive your reimbursement no later than the end of the current soccer season.
Q: How do I let the Volunteer Coordinator know that I did my job?
A: This is a little different job to job. You must sign in at things like concessions duty or park opening events where there are a number of volunteers and someone overseeing the volunteers. If it is an independent activity like weekly garbage duty or weeding at the park, you are responsible for emailing the Volunteer Coordinator once you have completed your job, according to the instructions on the sign-up.
Q: I have tried to sign up for an activity but they are always full by the time I get to them. What can I do about that?
A: There will be plenty of opportunities for everyone to work. You will receive Sign-Up Genius invitations for you to participate in the activities you listed as your first choice first and we will move to your second choice as the year goes by and we see you haven’t fulfilled your job yet. We will also open up invitations to anyone that still needs a job as the year goes by.
Just because you don’t get a job in fall doesn’t mean you need to worry. There are lots of opportunities in spring that need help over and above concessions and field lining, such as the Bob Buss tournament and park closing. We want everyone to have a chance to get their volunteer deposit back.
Please note that we use Sign-Up Genius as our sign up software. If you are not registered with Sign-Up Genius, these invitations might end up in your spam. We recommend you review your spam to look for invitations from us or be sure to register with Sign-Up Genius (https://www.signupgenius.com/register). It is free.
Q: I haven’t received any volunteer signup opportunities yet? What’s up?
A: There could be a couple reasons for this. (1) Emails are sent to the primary email address used at registration. Have you checked this email? Have you checked your spam folder? OR (2) At registration, each family indicates a preference for volunteer activities, such as concessions, field lining, fundraising, special events, etc. Based on that, we send invitations to Sign-Up Genius signups. Sometimes we expand the offers outside of your preference as we do not get enough positions filled from those included in the initial invitation. OR (3) Perhaps we have not had opportunities that fit your requested volunteer preferences.
Q: What is our obligation to work at tournaments sponsored by the club?
A: The Select (September), Pumpkin (October), Academy (April) and Bob Buss (June) tournaments rely on club families to run successfully. The shifts for these tournaments are viewed as any other club job and will allow a family to fulfill one of their club jobs by working it.
Q: I am very busy and can’t fit in one more thing. Can I opt out of my volunteer job(s)?
A: Yes, you can opt out of the club volunteer requirement. You may have done it at registration or you may do it post-registration by contacting the Volunteer Coordinator. We will note that request and the $150 volunteer deposit will be used by the club to hire assistance as necessary.
Feel free to contact Michele Meidl in the EBU office at [email protected] if you have any further questions.