🏊♀️ Engaging Your Volunteers and Committees in the Off-Season
Keep your club or HOA connected, inspired, and full of community spirit through the winter months.
When the pool covers go on and the courts quiet down, it’s easy for club and HOA activity to slow too. But the off-season is the perfect time to keep your community connected, strengthen your volunteer base, and set the stage for a successful reopening next year.
Here’s how your club or HOA can keep committees active, motivated, and full of seasonal spirit through the winter months.
🍂 1. Celebrate the Season of Gratitude
As Thanksgiving approaches, take a moment to thank the volunteers, staff, and committee members who made your season shine. A simple email or digital “Thank You” board can go a long way. Consider hosting a small Volunteer Appreciation Dinner or “Friendsgiving” — even at someone’s home or a local restaurant willing to sponsor the event.
Local partnerships are a win-win: restaurants often love supporting community organizations in exchange for free advertising at your club or fundraising nights where a percentage of sales benefits your swim team or HOA improvement projects.
🎄 2. Keep Committees Connected Over the Holidays
The holidays are busy, but they’re also the perfect time to build camaraderie. Encourage your committees to plan casual get-togethers like cookie swaps, ornament exchanges, or themed dinners hosted at members’ homes.
You can also partner with local restaurants or small businesses for a Holiday Social or “Dine & Donate” night — members mention your club, and a portion of the evening’s proceeds goes toward your swim team or facility upgrades. It’s a fun, festive way to stay visible in the community and keep everyone feeling connected.
✏️ 3. Conduct Off-Season Planning Sessions
Once the holiday rush winds down, it’s time to refocus. January is ideal for quick planning meetings to review what went well, what can improve, and what goals to set for the next season.
With Member Splash, you can share financial summaries, membership data, and registration reports to help your committees make informed decisions for the year ahead. A short virtual meeting can save hours of scrambling in the spring.
❄️ 4. Build Skills and Confidence During Winter
The off-season is the perfect opportunity for light training and onboarding for next year’s volunteers. Offer short “how-to” sessions on topics like managing online registrations, updating member data, or creating forms and polls using Gravity Forms within Member Splash.
Empowered, confident volunteers make your opening season run that much smoother.
🎉 5. Welcome the New Year with Purpose
Ring in the new year with excitement! Encourage committees to set one fun goal and one improvement goal for the season ahead — such as launching a new event, updating signage, or refreshing your website.
You might even host a New Year Kickoff Brunch or virtual toast to announce upcoming plans and recruit new volunteers.
💬 6. Keep the Conversation Going
Maintain engagement with monthly touchpoints — short updates, committee spotlights, or fun member polls. Use these updates to highlight progress and keep everyone in the loop.
If you’re already using Member Splash, it’s easy to send announcements, share committee reports, and collect quick feedback — all from one system.
Building Community All Year Long
Off-season months aren’t downtime — they’re an opportunity to strengthen your community and prepare for success. With a few creative ideas and consistent communication, your volunteers will stay connected, appreciated, and ready to dive into the new season with enthusiasm.
With Member Splash, managing communication, reports, and engagement activities is simpler than ever — letting you focus on what really matters: building community, connection, and a strong start to next year.
