VOLUNTEERS
Why Volunteers Are Needed
Burnaby Minor Hockey Association (BMHA) thrives on the dedication and hard work of our volunteers. From organizing events to coaching teams, every aspect of our association is sustained by the time and effort generously contributed by our volunteers. Their involvement ensures that our young athletes have the best possible experience, fostering a love for the game and teaching valuable life skills along the way.
The Importance of Volunteers
Volunteers are the backbone of BMHA. Without them, we simply couldn’t operate. Here’s why volunteers are crucial:
- Community Building: Volunteers help create a strong sense of community and belonging for our players and their families.
- Operational Support: From managing equipment to organizing tournaments, volunteers handle countless tasks that keep our association running smoothly.
- Cost Efficiency: By relying on volunteers, we can keep our fees lower, making hockey more accessible to everyone.
- Role Models: Volunteers, especially coaches and team managers, serve as role models for our young players, teaching them about teamwork, dedication, and sportsmanship.
Volunteer Commitment Policy
To ensure the smooth operation of our association and to fairly distribute the workload, BMHA requires each family with players in U15 and below to contribute to our volunteer program.
- Volunteer Deposit: At the beginning of the season, each family is required to provide a post-dated cheque for $200.
- Volunteer Hours: Families are expected to volunteer a minimum of 10 hours over the course of the season.
- Cheque Policy:
- If the family fulfills the 10-hour volunteer requirement, the post-dated cheque will be shredded.
- If the family does not complete the required volunteer hours, the cheque will be cashed.
How You Can Help
There are numerous ways to get involved and contribute your time and skills. Some of the volunteer opportunities include:
- BMHA Level:
- Picture Day
- Tryouts
- House evaluations
- Equipment Manager helper
- Goalie Manager helper
- Volunteer Banquet helper
- Tournament Level:
- Various tournament roles (raffle table, 50/50, etc.)
- Planning committee
- Sponsorship
- Fundraising
- Association Ambassador (engage with visitors, answer questions, gather feedback, etc.)
- Team Level:
- Coaching and Assistant Coaching
- Team Management
- Timekeeping
- Scorekeeping
- Dressing Room parents
- Video (record or livestream games)
- Music (if separate from scorekeeping)
- Social coordinator (organize team lunches, dinners, social activities)
Volunteer Program Exemptions
BMHA deeply values the time and effort contributed by all our volunteers. While we encourage all families to participate in our volunteer program, we recognize the significant contributions made by individuals in key roles. As such, the following positions are exempt from the volunteer hour requirements:
- Board Members: Exempt due to their ongoing commitment and responsibilities in overseeing the association's operations and strategic direction.
- BMHA Support Staff: Equipment managers, Goalie equipment managers, and similar roles, who do extensive planning before and during the season.
- Tournament Committee Members: Exempt due to their critical role in organizing and managing tournaments.
- Division Managers: Exempt due to the significant time and effort they contribute in overseeing and coordinating activities across different age groups and divisions.
- Rostered Team Officials: This includes head coaches, assistant coaches, HSCP, and team managers, who are directly responsible for the training, development, safety, and management of our teams.
By recognizing the contributions of these key roles, we ensure that our volunteer program is fair and acknowledges the essential functions these individuals perform within BMHA.
U18 Volunteer Program Exemption
The U18 division will be exempt from the volunteer program due to the following considerations:
- Paid Game Roles: U18 Rep teams utilize paid timekeepers and scorekeepers, reducing the number of volunteer opportunities available for parents.
- Player Independence: Many U18 players drive themselves to practices and games, meaning parents are not always present to volunteer.
- Tournament Participation: BMHA does not host a dedicated tournament for the U18 division, limiting additional opportunities for parental involvement.
These factors have led to the decision to exempt U18 parents from the volunteer requirements, ensuring fairness across all divisions.
U21 Volunteer Program Adjustments
For our U21 teams, we understand that it can be more challenging to engage parents in volunteer activities, as many U21 players drive themselves to practices and games. Therefore, U21 parents are exempt from the general volunteer program requirements.
To ensure smooth game operations and support our team managers, the following measures have been implemented:
- Game Timekeeper and Scorekeeper Compensation: U21 teams will compensate scorekeepers and timekeepers $25 per game. This cost will be included in the team fees collected by the team manager.
- Parent Participation Priority: Parents within the team who wish to volunteer as timekeepers or scorekeepers are given priority, providing an opportunity for those who want to be involved.
- Securing Game Helpers: The Director of Volunteers will maintain a mailing list of willing game helpers. U21 team managers can use this mailing list to broadcast game availability and ensure these essential roles are always staffed.
By implementing these adjustments, we aim to streamline game operations for our U21 team while providing fair compensation for those who take on these important roles. We appreciate the ongoing support of our parents and volunteers in maintaining the high standards of BMHA.
To be added to the U21 Helper mailing list, please fill in the google form HERE
Implementation Timeline for the Volunteer Program
Implementing a significant initiative like the volunteer program will require cooperation and patience from everyone involved. The timeline below outlines the major milestones and their expected completion dates:
- August 15: Volunteer Program website goes online.
- August 31: BMHA database is imported into the Sports Helper database. Website goes live.
- September 15: Manager meeting to review the volunteer program.
- September 30: Collection of Volunteer Fee post-dated cheques, along with jersey. deposits.
- October 15: Exhibition and placement games are added to Sports Helpers.
- Nov 15: First half of regular season games are added to Sports Helpers.
- Dec 31: Second half of regular season games are added to Sports Helpers.
- Jan 31: Playoff games are added to Sports Helpers.
BMHA events and tournament roles will be added as soon as volunteer roles are identified.
Volunteer Tool
BMHA is using an industry-standard tool called SportsHelpers. This tool is widely used by numerous hockey associations in the Lower Mainland, as well as other sports organizations across North America.
https://portal.sportshelpers.com/login.aspx?s=bmha
We will be updating this page with tutorials for using SportsHelpers for Parents, Team Managers and Event/Tournament Organizers. An email will be sent once this section is updated with the relevant information.