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Volunteers: The Heart of Our Club
Volunteers: The Heart of Our Club
The City of Canterbury Swimming Club is run by volunteers. From training sessions and competitions to the work behind the scenes, our members make it all happen. There are roles to suit every schedule, from helping at a gala to supporting poolside sessions or joining the committee.
No experience is needed, just a willingness to get involved. Our volunteer team needs to grow so that the club can continue to thrive and the workload is shared fairly.
Explore the roles below and click on a role name to find out more. If something interests you, follow the link to get in touch. A committee member will explain what is involved and answer your questions before you decide whether to take it on.
Admin and Governance Support
Admin and Governance Support
All the admin and governance roles described below need to be filled for the club to run efficiently and grow stronger.
Chairperson - Leads the committee, helps set the club’s direction and ensures decisions are made in the best interests of members.
The Chairperson leads the committee and helps the club set its priorities for the season and beyond. They chair meetings, ensure that decisions are made fairly and followed through, and act as a key link between committee members, coaches, volunteers and the wider membership.
This role suits someone who is organised, approachable and comfortable guiding discussions. You do not need to do every task yourself. The Chairperson helps the right people work together and ensures that the club is well run.
Treasurer - Manages the club’s finances, including income, payments, budgets and financial reporting.
The Treasurer looks after the club’s finances and helps the committee make informed decisions. This includes monitoring income and payments, maintaining financial records, preparing budgets and reports, and ensuring that bills and expenses are handled properly.
This role suits someone who is comfortable with numbers, records and spreadsheets. An accountancy background is helpful but not essential, provided you are organised and willing to learn the club’s financial processes.
Secretary - Organises committee meetings, keeps records and correspondence, and helps the club meet its administrative responsibilities.
The Secretary is central to keeping the club organised. They arrange committee meetings, prepare agendas, record decisions and actions, and manage important correspondence with members, governing bodies and other organisations.
This role suits someone who is methodical and communicates clearly. Much of the work can be done at a time that suits you, with additional activity around committee meetings and key dates in the club calendar.
Vice-Chairperson - Supports the Chairperson in leading the club and chairs meetings in their absence.
The Vice-Chairman works alongside the Chairperson to support the committee and help the club run smoothly. They contribute to committee discussions, help follow up agreed actions and take responsibility for particular projects or priorities as needed.
When the Chairperson is unavailable, the Vice-Chairman chairs meetings and helps keep decisions and activities moving forward. They also provide a sounding board for the Chairperson and support other committee members.
This role suits someone who is approachable, reliable and comfortable working with others to make decisions. It involves attending committee meetings and staying involved between meetings, with responsibilities shared and agreed with the Chairperson.
Membership Secretary - Maintains member records, processes registrations and renewals, and is a helpful point of contact for membership queries.
The Membership Secretary maintains accurate records for the club’s members. They support the trial process and on-board new joiners. They are responsible for renewals and membership queries, and help ensure that relevant registrations are completed on time.
This role suits someone who is organised, reliable and happy working with confidential information. It is an important behind-the-scenes role that helps families have a smooth experience from joining the club onwards.
Competition Secretary - Coordinates the administration of the club’s hosted galas, including entries, programme information, officials and communication with visiting clubs.
The Gala Secretary coordinates the administration and communication that enable our swimmers to attend galas. They maintain the gala calendar, share event details and entry deadlines with swimmers and families, and liaise with coaches and gala organisers to arrange entries.
As the main point of contact for gala enquiries, they keep everyone informed about upcoming competitions, entry confirmations and any changes to arrangements.
This role suits someone who is organised, communicates clearly and can keep track of deadlines. The work takes place behind the scenes, with no requirement to attend or help run galas.
Volunteer Coordinator - Recruits, supports and schedules volunteers so that club activities and events have the people they need.
The Volunteer Coordinator helps make sure that the club has enough people to run its activities safely and successfully. They promote opportunities, maintain volunteer rotas, welcome new volunteers and help people find roles that match their interests and availability.
This role suits someone who enjoys talking to people and bringing them together. The aim is not to pressure anyone, but to make volunteering straightforward, supported and shared fairly across the club.
Welfare Officer - Promotes a safe, inclusive and positive environment, and is the main contact for safeguarding or welfare concerns.
The Welfare Officer helps ensure that the club is a safe, welcoming and inclusive place for all swimmers, volunteers and families. They are the main point of contact for welfare and safeguarding concerns, and work with the committee and relevant organisations to make sure concerns are handled appropriately.
This is a position of trust and requires the appropriate safeguarding training and checks. It suits someone who is calm, approachable and able to handle sensitive information carefully and confidentially.
Fundraising Officer - Coordinates fundraising activities, applies for grants and seeks sponsorship to support the club and its swimmers.
The Fundraising Officer works with the committee to identify funding needs and plan ways to meet them. This includes organising fundraising activities, researching and applying for grants, and approaching businesses for sponsorship and donations.
They prepare applications and sponsorship proposals, keep track of deadlines and maintain relationships with funders and supporters. Working with the Treasurer, they monitor money raised and help ensure that funding conditions and reporting requirements are met.
This role suits someone who is organised, communicates clearly and enjoys turning ideas into practical plans. Experience of fundraising or writing applications is helpful. The workload varies around events, application deadlines and reporting dates, with tasks shared across the committee and volunteers.
Masters Representative - Represents the interests of the club’s Masters swimmers and helps communicate relevant training, competition and social opportunities.
The Masters Representative represents the interests of adult swimmers within the club. They share information about training, competitions and social opportunities, encourage participation, and give Masters swimmers a voice in club discussions.
This role suits a Masters swimmer who enjoys helping others feel included. It is a flexible role that can make a real difference to the experience and growth of the Masters squad.
Poolside Support
Poolside Support
For swimmers to get maximum benefit, the club needs 6 volunteers poolside during every training session.
Coach - Plans and delivers safe, enjoyable training that helps swimmers develop their technique, confidence and performance.
Coaches plan and deliver structured training sessions that help swimmers develop their technique, fitness, confidence and performance. They create a positive learning environment, give constructive feedback and ensure that sessions are safe, inclusive and appropriate for the swimmers in their group.
Coaching requires relevant qualifications and safeguarding requirements, with opportunities for training and development. It suits someone who enjoys working with swimmers, communicating clearly and supporting their progress over time.
Assitant Coach - Supports the coach in delivering sessions, giving swimmers guidance and helping maintain a safe, positive poolside environment.
Assistant Coaches work alongside the lead coach to help deliver safe, enjoyable and effective training sessions. They may explain sets, give swimmers feedback, support individuals who need extra help, and help keep the group focused and organised.
This is a great role for someone interested in coaching who would like to gain experience with support from an established coach. Relevant training and safeguarding requirements apply.
Poolside Helper - Assists coaches with session set-up, equipment, organisation and swimmer supervision under the coach’s direction; they are not solely responsible for the group.
Poolside Helpers support coaches during training sessions. Typical tasks include setting out and putting away equipment, helping swimmers understand the set, recording times or attendance, and helping maintain a tidy, safe poolside environment.
Poolside Helpers work under the direction of a qualified coach and are not solely responsible for the group. It is a practical, hands-on role and a good introduction for anyone who would like to support swimming without taking on full coaching responsibility.
Gala Support
Gala Support
To ensure a safe and equitable experience for all swimmers, the club needs at least 3 Team Managers and 3 Technical Officials present at every gala.
Team Manager - Supports swimmers at competitions, coordinating attendance and poolside arrangements while providing a calm, well-organised point of contact for families and coaches.
Team Managers support the club’s swimmers at galas. They coordinate information for families, manage attendance and passes, organise swimmers on poolside and act as a key point of contact for coaches, parents and event organisers.
The role helps create a calm, organised experience so that swimmers can focus on racing. It suits someone who is reliable, approachable and happy to attend competitions, with relevant training and safeguarding requirements provided.
Technical Official - Helps ensure races are run fairly and in accordance with swimming rules, in roles such as timekeeper, judge, starter or referee.
Technical Officials ensure that races are fair, accurate and run in accordance with swimming rules. Depending on the qualification and role, this may involve timekeeping, judging strokes and turns, recording results, starting races or refereeing.
Officials are essential at every gala and can progress through recognised training and qualifications. This role suits someone who enjoys concentrating on detail, working as part of a team and contributing directly to a well-run competition.
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