Scaling impact: How End Overdose increased its volunteer base by 150% and cut admin time in half
150
%
Volunteer base growth
50
%
Less admin
The future of sports event volunteer programs: How an engaged community elevates the
guest and athlete experience
A guide to transforming your sports event program told through the real world stories of some of the most engaged programs in North America and beyond.
Key topics covered:
Volunteering is on the up
Retention is the real issue
Admin bottlenecks
Could be the main obstacle to growth
Community counts
A sense of belonging is critical
Get boardroom ready
Compliance and data is key to your reporting
AI and Automation
But not at the cost of the personal touch
In partnership with:
Key findings
- 75.7 million Americans (28% of the population) formally volunteered in the year to September 2023, contributing 4.99 billion hours worth an estimated $167 billion (AmeriCorps & U.S. Census Bureau, Nov 2024)
- 16–17 year olds now have the highest formal volunteering rate of any age group, at 34%
- Organizations using Rosterfy report up to a 75% reduction in day-to-day admin time and 80% typical volunteer retention
- The Golf Association of Philadelphia cut manual admin time by 75% while managing 450+ volunteers across 200+ event days a year
- The Special Olympics World Games in Berlin coordinated 16,000+ volunteers across 17 venues, screening 56,116 registrations for 9,227 shifts
This guide provides volunteer coordinators and heads of events with actionable strategies for transitioning sports event volunteer management from manual, spreadsheet-heavy administration to a scalable, digital-first operation.
You will learn how modernizing to a self-service platform eliminates administrative burdens—reducing manual labor by up to 75%—and resolves critical operational pain points such as attendance uncertainties, volunteer turnover, and complex compliance tracking for background checks and certifications. Through real-world case studies from organizations like the Golf Association of Philadelphia, MUDGIRL, Formula E, and the Special Olympics World Games, you will gain insights into managing high-volume recruitment surges, implementing group and family volunteering, navigating international data residency requirements, and leveraging post-event data to boost retention.
Additionally, the guide outlines how to directly connect volunteer engagement with an elevated athlete and guest experience while building a compelling, ROI-driven business case for leadership and board members.
FAQ: Common questions around sports based volunteer programs
What is volunteer management software for sports events?
Volunteer management software automates the recruitment, onboarding, scheduling, background-check compliance, and communication involved in running large volunteer programs — replacing manual spreadsheets and email chains.
How much time can sports organizations save by digitizing volunteer management?
Organizations profiled in this guide report automating up to 75% of day-to-day admin work and saving roughly 50% of coordinator time through automated workflows.
How many volunteers does the Special Olympics World Games manage?
The Special Olympics World Games in Berlin coordinated more than 16,000 volunteers across 17 venues, screening 56,116 applications for 9,227 available shifts.
What is “family volunteering” and why does it improve retention?
Family volunteering lets parents register children under one account and schedules sports clubs, friend groups, or families together as a unit. MUDGIRL’s parent company Sportera uses this to turn volunteering into a repeatable tradition rather than a one-off task.
How does data residency affect international volunteer programs?
For events with cross-border volunteers, hosting data in the country where the event takes place resolves local data-protection concerns that otherwise stall program launches — this was a key factor for Formula E’s rollout in markets like Tokyo.
About Rosterfy
Rosterfy is an end-to-end volunteer management platform that automates administration, streamlines operations, and helps organizations recruit, engage, and retain volunteers at scale.
CUSTOMER STORIES
Measurable change across a range of industries
Special Olympics World Games: Ensuring a world class volunteer experience
56
K
volunteer registrations
1
M+
emails sent through Rosterfy
Orange Sky: Delivering a consistent and streamlined volunteer experience globally
Rosterfy has merged quite a few different systems that we had into one consolidated place... our communications, our training, our rostering all come into the one location for volunteers so they don't have to jump between different systems or get confused.
Meals on Wheels Queensland: Saving time and delivering a better place to volunteer
Rosterfy has been tremendous for services. I’ve found it incredibly easy, and it has made my life a lot easier. It’s helped by reducing the amount of time to onboard new volunteers. It’s given us back the time that we spend doing what we love, which is helping our clients.
Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV: Advanced scheduling for 8,000 volunteers
“If I didn’t have this tool [Rosterfy], I don’t know how I would have been able to manage all the pieces.”
British Heart Foundation: £200,000 in savings per year
£
200
,000
in savings each year
125
%
increase in the number of volunteers on multiple roles
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Book a short discovery call with our team to learn how Rosterfy can help you better connect with, manage, and inspire your volunteers.
