With petrol and diesel prices remaining stubbornly high (they have fallen from the very high levels seen at the end of June) and a suggested price cap on gas prices that will mean the average householder in the UK will need to spend £4266 per annum to heat their homes in 2023, is it time that the LDWA revisited its volunteer strategy to ensure that it can continue to offer challenge events and group walks to its members? Or at least, start a conversation on how members might be affected by the reduction in living standards in the UK and the impact on the volunteer sector.
In the LDWA's 50-year history, there has never been a formal policy on rewarding the people who volunteer that in turn ensures that our members can attend a wide-ranging choice of both social and challenge walks. Many of us enjoy volunteering and have willingly given up our time to ensure that others have pleasure in pursuing the sport that we love. We do this knowing that some members will reciprocate and we in turn can enjoy challenge and social walks.
The reward for some of us is simply the good feeling that we experience knowing that a job has been done well and that many people have appreciated the efforts that we went to in order to provide as good a day out for others as possible.
But, in these straightened times, how many volunteers that the LDWA relies on, will be lost due to the financial pressures on everyday life? Let's look at a few examples.
1. The Annual 100 mile Flagship Event
This event is run somewhere in the UK and it takes the organising team up to four years to plan in detail. It is impossible to identify how many miles the volunteers will cover as they manage their individual portfolios, but we can be confident in our knowledge that the volunteers are on the organising committee because they truly want to deliver this event in their local area.
But, it's not just about the organising committee! I think that we can say conservatively that there are probably in excess of 200 volunteers at the flagship event and all have to travel from various parts of the UK to be at the event.
2. Local Group Challenge Events
As above but on a much smaller scale of course. And, we can mitigate to a degree as the challenge events will be much more local to the organising group so consequently, expenses will be much reduced.
3. Local Group Walks
All walk leaders really should be doing a recce of their proposed route in order to check that it is safe, unless of course, the terrain is so well known to the walk leader and a recce isn't necessary, in which case any expenses incurred will be significantly reduced.
In our wonderful Association, we will always have members who willingly give up their time on behalf of others. We also have several members who never expect to receive any form of financial recompense for the distance that they have had to travel to ensure their attendance at the respective event. But, should this be the default position in an Association that relies upon volunteers to ensure that it can deliver the services that it offers its paying members? Are there members who would volunteer but are put off by the cost that they might incur and because they think they are expected to cover all their own costs?
Due to the structure of the Association, Local Groups must decide for themselves as to what they would like to do. I am aware that some Groups do already financially reward their walk leaders in lieu of mileage incurred in recceing the route and for attending on the day. The attitude being, if the volunteer doesn't turn up, then there will be no walk!
I'm also aware that some Local Groups offer their volunteers a slice of the surplus made on the challenge event thus rewarding their members for helping provide and event for others.
But, some Local Groups might benefit from guidance from NEC on what they might wish to consider at a time when many people are facing difficult times financially.
With regards to the annual 100, I am pleased to say that in recent years, the organising committees have accounted for some volunteer expenses within the entry fee to then distribute to the Local Groups that support the checkpoints. But, not everybody receives a slice of the distributed pie and the LDWA does appear to have reached a point where it just accepts that members will volunteer and not ask for any financial recompense for travel.
I believe this is a mistake when one looks at the long-term health and wellbeing of the Association. The Association relies on volunteers. How is it going to encourage new volunteers if no financial donation is offered, particularly when a combination of travel and energy costs have spiralled so much that members' finances are being significantly squeezed?
My preference would be a hybrid approach.
One can't force another person to take a donation, but every volunteer should be afforded the option. If a member really felt uncomfortable about receiving a donation, then they could return their fee and nobody would be embarrassed. But, if a member did need that financial offering, then they could keep it knowing that they have helped and they have received a small donation in lieu of their services.
Will this put up the price of entry fees? Yes, I suspect it will, but better to have an event that is safely staffed with volunteers than no event because volunteers couldn't be found.
