Recruiting new members into your SLSC is a vital step in ensuring the SLSC has the right human resources to support and sustain it. As is evident over the years SLSCs have existed in Australia, many SLSCs experience fluctuating highs and lows of member numbers as recruitment strategies, SLSC culture, SLSC volunteer opportunities and Club Management Team members ultimately evolve and change.
SLSCs should be engaging in activities to actively screen, recruit and retain a diverse array of members with the support of their SLSNSW branch and the SLSNSW Membership Team. The specific activities undertaken will depend on the identified recruitment need.
This will help ensure your SLSC:
- Has other human resource and people management needs met
- Meets patrolling member number requirements as per lifesaving service agreements
- Retains a healthy number of trained and engaged members.
When recruiting, you can target and support new members by understanding how they wish to engage with the SLSC. Members who love to get in the water can become a surf lifesaver or lifeguard, participate in junior development programs, compete or participate in surf sports, or help manage the activities of a patrol team. If members want to stay on the beach, they can help support the development of our youngest members or help others achieve their sporting goals on the sand by becoming a coach, official or carnival judge. Some members may like to dedicate their limited free time and expertise to help lead, coordinate or support SLSC activities from within the SLSC, such as in an SLSC officer role or as part of an SLSC committee.
Club Management Team members should refer to the SLSNSW Recruitment Toolkit that contains fact sheets, SLSC case studies and templates that can assist them in running targeted recruitment campaigns for the SLSC. Fact sheets include:
- How to use design tool, Canva
- SLSC Hosted Recruitment Events
- External Community Events
- Information Events
- Media Recruitment
- Recruitment Partnerships
- Schools and Universities.
They should also refer to the latest SLSNSW Recruitment and Retention Guide for ideas and tips about recruiting and retaining new SLS members and the SLSNSW Membership Team for more individual support with recruitment campaigns and requirements.
Club Management Team members are encouraged to use Canva for non-profits to create top quality and easily customised recruitment and promotional resources. Professional branded images are available for use from SLSNSW. Other promotional resources are available to them, such as SLSNSW branded promotional trailers and SLS social media content.