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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 408
| I'm hoping to get some ideas from you guys... as we all know finding volunteers at barrel races can be a NIGHTMARE! what kind of incentives do you think it would be good to promote people to volunteer more? one, two and GOOOO |
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Location: my piece of paradise | A couple of free exhibitions and I would volunteer. Or even one entry paid. |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
  
Location: WI | Unless you are an organized club, you just have to pay your help. This can be in the form of free exhibitions, stalls, office charge or cash.
Clubs can charge say $75/person, if you volunteer 8hrs or more you get a refund of $25. Or working is a requirement to qualify for year end awards.
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | Free exhibitions
Free lunch from concession...maybe a ticket good for large drink, burger, fries, and candy bar?
Our NBHA director pays cash...it depends on how many entries exactly how much.
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Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | linds - 2018-02-20 10:36 AM
Unless you are an organized club, you just have to pay your help. This can be in the form of free exhibitions, stalls, office charge or cash.
Clubs can charge say $75/person, if you volunteer 8hrs or more you get a refund of $25. Or working is a requirement to qualify for year end awards.
One club I ran a couple years ago you had to work 10 classes. They had several events and age groups so plenty of options to schedule your work time when convenient. Some people would work 10 classes in one day...I would do 2-3 at every show after I ran. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| Here's my 2 cents (and I'll probably get lynched)! When I go to a race, I don't go to work, I'd rather pay a higher entry fee to not work - especially if I have more than 1 entered. I would GLADLY pay a high school kid money to run the gate or pick up barrels. I'd just rather pay more so I can concentrate on my warm ups, runs and cool downs. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 408
| Griz - 2018-02-20 11:11 AM
Here's my 2 cents (and I'll probably get lynched)! When I go to a race, I don't go to work, I'd rather pay a higher entry fee to not work - especially if I have more than 1 entered. I would GLADLY pay a high school kid money to run the gate or pick up barrels. I'd just rather pay more so I can concentrate on my warm ups, runs and cool downs.
I totally understand and I get it! I put a full week at work and then I work some more when I get home plus all the chores. I am with you, when I go to a barrel race I want to relax and have fun and concentrate on my horses. Unfortunately (and we all know this), it takes a lot to put a barrel race, it takes money, it takes work, it takes time etc. Not every club, association or arena has the extra money to pay for the help so volunteers are a must :( Without the volunteers we won't have barrel races unless someone had the funds to do it all!
But I do understand your point, I truly do! |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | Threaten to take away from the added money unless you get some help?
Our club offers one free entry for the next show chosen from the list of who helped the show before. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Griz - 2018-02-20 11:11 AM Here's my 2 cents (and I'll probably get lynched)! When I go to a race, I don't go to work, I'd rather pay a higher entry fee to not work - especially if I have more than 1 entered. I would GLADLY pay a high school kid money to run the gate or pick up barrels. I'd just rather pay more so I can concentrate on my warm ups, runs and cool downs.
All this^^^^ I want to be able to do what I want to do not have to worry about having to go run a gate are sit barrels I want to relax. Alot of the races that I've been to hire local kids to do the work, thats usually about 4 kids to work the barrels and gate.. If I'm having to work for points to earn a prize I rather just buy my own tack, I dont care to be earning points. .. I did all that in my younger days. Now its my turn to have fun... |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 408
| We don't have the money to hire anyone :( |
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Expert
Posts: 2531
Location: WI | love2ridepre - 2018-02-20 12:19 PM We don't have the money to hire anyone :(
Take the money from the office fee, exhibitions, and 30% held back. If you can't, then please have (reliable) help lined up before the race, I hate going to races where there are delays bacause they can't get volunteers. I might help that night, but I won't be back.
I've put races on and had family help - I paid them still from the funds I listed above. It was a small 30 person jackpot that lasted an hour. 30ppl x $5 office fee is $150. You can pay 1 gate, 1 tractor, 1 announcer and 3 barrel setters $30 from that money. I did the office and didn't run myself. |
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Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | The only job i have ever been offered is gate or barrel setting. I am old so forget that! Never has anyone accepted my offer for office help i am very good and very fast with numbers or data entry. I could record times.... i work with numbers and calculations all day it would be so easy for me but nope they dont need help even though it takes them about all day to get anything done
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| I for one do not mind volunteering. It actually makes the day go faster and makes it more enjoyable. BUT.. (there is always a but :) ).. When its time for me to go and warm up for my run, I want the person who will be taking my spot volunteering to be there and ready when its time for me to go. So I would suggest some type of sign up sheet and be sure that the next person is where they are supposed to be and when they are supposed to be. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| A free exhibition for every so many drags set for the next race has worked ok for one of the groups around here. Imo for barrel setters that’s fine...
Gate person and tractor driver should IMO be paid or at minimum committed to the whole race. They should also be good at what they do - a tractor driver who’s use to plowing fields not dragging arenas can make footing uneven for racers to downright dangerous in a hurry. I’m unsure if I’ll go back to a couple arenas this year because of how drastically the footing changed from first run to last run.
A good gate person can make or break an event - they need to be on their toes, checking to see that barrels are set fairly (I’ve refused to take my run at smaller jackpots because a barrel was very visibly leaning in), making sure the arena is clear before allowing some one in, making sure the next runner is headed over and maybe even recording times to backup the office. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 684
Location: Oklahoma | Me personally, offer me some free exhibitions and I'll help you all night! 
What others have mentioned though, keeping a small percentage of the entries back to pay for a few hands would probably work also.
The biggest question though, is how are you advertising for help? Are you expecting help from within the orginization/club, or are you advertising for outside volunteers? I suspect, if you go outside of the orginization, you'd be more likely to find someone with young horses that aren't ready to compete, but would be willing to work for some exhibition runs, or people like me, who work full time (and then some!) and don't have enough time to dedicate to keeping their horses legged up all the time, but would still enjoy to go and make a few exhabition runs in exchange for some free work. |
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 Expert
Posts: 5293
| Get hold of your local 4H club or FFA. Or junior rodeo association. Most of these have to have to many volunteer hours. Maybe let them have a concession stand there to generate a little money for their club as well. |
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 Did I miss the party?
Posts: 3864
| If you go the route of giving your volunteers a free entry, just don't take what would have been their money out of the payout! |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| Our association requires 20 work points from every member. We have about 20 races from January to October and by August most have their points and we are back to begging for barrel setters. The directors usually end up staying all day. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| Just joined NBHA LA01. All is volunteer everyone works because we know that we can't have a show without volunteers. Volunteers names put in a pot and drew for doorprizes. I got an insulated nbha cup that had a $20 in it. Sweet |
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