A French start-up has created a digital community to connect volunteers with organizers of cultural and sporting events.
Like other federations, the French Baseball and Softball Federation (FFBS) has signed an agreement with Qo-ezion. The company presented its digital platform during a webinar. Over a dozen French clubs have already responded. The company’s database has already collected more than 50,000 volunteers across France, ready to be mobilized as needed. They have also secured numerous partnerships with high-profile events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As everyone knows in baseball, volunteering is the backbone of organizing a sporting event: from a junior match to a major tournament. Each club relies on volunteers from the circle of players and licensees: parents, relatives, friends of… This may not be enough for a larger event. Some volunteers may be missing for simple tasks as well as more technical ones.
The federation has purchased a package from this start-up. It therefore offers clubs looking to expand their volunteer circle the opportunity to use this tool. The club administrator, in contact with François Collet, the federation’s coordinator, enters the event into the platform: location, date, poster, and volunteer needs. Then, the club urges all people in the circle to register on this platform and launches a real recruitment campaign to reference themselves (free registration). Each registered person will then receive a newsletter indicating the events that may interest them, either in terms of geography or schedule.
Then, based on availability and skills, the club informs the volunteers who have expressed their interest via the platform about the location, dates, times, and characteristics of their mission. Then, the digital aspect fades, giving way to human relations.
Will it work? It’s hard to say. It is certain that in your city, several volunteers who do not know baseball may be curious to discover this sport. As always, some clubs will take advantage of this tool offered by the federation, and others will not be interested at all.
Moreover, recruiting young, tech-savvy volunteers will surely be easier than with retirees who prefer human contact from the start. If the event is important—Challenge de France, All-Stars, Championship Final, European Cup, various Open events at all levels—this system can provide services and centralize the overall action of volunteers.
