This year the Human Potential Running Series (HPRS) has assembled a group of community members, participants from our races, to serve in a volunteer role as part of a Focus Group. Through the spring, this group worked diligently to suggest a number of goals and initiatives to improve HPRS from a runner experience and business perspective.
Recently we held a smaller focus group whose charge was to focus specifically on the HPRS event volunteer and trail work volunteer programs. This group took a deep dive into how each program currently works, the benefits this program provides to our races and volunteers alike, as well as the implications this program has on the financial stability of our business.
Volunteerism is one of the cornerstones of trail and ultramarathon running. Whether a race is put on by a for-profit or a not-for-profit entity, events like ours cannot happen without the support of a community of volunteers. We recognize that it has become an incredibly difficult time for event managers like us to secure enough volunteers for our races. We continue to receive emails from other races that we’ve previously run looking for volunteer help. We continue to see social media posts from races begging for more help. The “volunteer issue” has become the number one issue that threatens the health and stability of our sport and that’s not lost on us.
Here is a brief snapshot of volunteerism at HPRS over the last few years:
In 2020 we had a record 229 unique individuals volunteer across our series of races. They provided 3,003.25 volunteer hours in this year (13.12 avg hours)
These numbers increased in 2021 with 261 unique individual volunteers providing 3,831 volunteer hours (14.62 avg hours).
2022 saw a slight decrease in the number of unique individual volunteers as we dropped down to 259, who provided a record 4,022.5 volunteer hours to the series (15.53 avg hours).
These hours may sound impressive, but they are still short of our needs. We calculated that for 2023, we need 546 unique individuals to put in 5,647.8 volunteer hours for minimum efficiency at our events (10.34 avg hours). This accounts for a total of 720 volunteer shifts across our series. At this point in 2023, we have had 172 unique individuals give us 2,563 hours (14.9 avg) with 4 events to go.
“The Cost” of Volunteers
We have been able to determine that in 2020 volunteers cashed in on $11,258.50 of the credits they earned through our volunteer program. This number increased to $15,003 in 2021, and catapulted to $22,214 in 2022. These numbers do not include the total amounts associated with straight up comp race entries; so these numbers are understated. Still, many volunteers chose not to use their earned credits. We estimate that credits earned in 2022 amounted to $40,225 not including the cost of comp entries earned when used. We estimate that with comp entries used this number is closer to $46k. Obviously, if everyone cashed in every comp and credit they earned, HPRS would be in a difficult financial situation.
The above snapshot is not being present to whine or complain, we just want to be transparent about the realities of our volunteer program and why we felt it was time to gather our focus group to discuss possible changes to the program. With that, here are the changes that will be implemented:
Event Volunteer Program
• We will change all volunteer registration slots to just what we NEED for a successful event. These slots are $10/hr ($15/hr for overnights) until filled.
• Once the above slots are filled, we will add additional slots to aid stations that could use an extra hand. These slots will be $5/hr ($10/hr for overnights).
Our goal with the above changes is to try and add some urgency to folks signing up as an event volunteer knowing that they’ll make more for their time if they sign up sooner. Once the initial slots are filled, the next wave of opened slots are “nice to haves” and helps improve the runner experience, but late registrants will earn less.
• Volunteers who volunteer at least 6 hours at one event, are eligible to receive a volunteer t-shirt. Shirts will cost $10 and will be paid for out of the volunteer’s credits earned. No cash will exchange hands.
• Volunteers may donate their credits to the “Community Fund” but must do so within 2 weeks of earning them. See more below.
• Thresholds:
Those who provide 32 Hours of volunteer service in a calendar year (1/1 – 12/31) will receive the gift of a HPRS foam trucker hat.
80 Hours = HPRS Hoody
100 Hours = You can now use your credits to purchase HPRS Gear. Gear will cost double credits. So a $50 hoody = $100 in credits.
• Only those age 14 and older are eligible to accrue volunteer credits
• All credits are still transferable, and will expire one year from the date earned.
• We’ve also previously updated our dog policy for volunteers, which you can read about HERE. If you are a runner, crew or pacer… dogs are still not allowed at HPRS events.
Trail Work Program
• For a day of trail work you will now earn a comp up to 50-Miles in distance
• If you want to register for something longer than 50-miles, you can use your comp for a percentage off of those fees. So.. If a 100k costs $200 and the 50-mile costs $160, you will use $160 in TW Credits and pay the $40 difference for the 100k.
• No more double dipping for 100-milers. Either you’re using your TW day for a discounted entry OR to satisfy the volunteer requirements for one of our 100+ milers.
Other notes on both of the above
• We will be reaching out to high schools, boy scout and girl scout troops, and high school and college athletic teams to solicit volunteers for our events. These individuals will not be eligible for credits but instead, we may provide a small donation to their group.
• Should one of these groups agree to take on an aid station, we will assign an “HPRS Liaison” to that station to ensure they are serving runners appropriately and that someone with “ultra knowledge” is present.
• Volunteers will now wear name tags at events
• In post race volunteer thank you and credit e-mails, we will make note that volunteers are not required to use their credits and it in fact helps us if they don’t. We will encourage them to donate their credits to the “Community Fund.” We will encourage them to use SOME of their credits for a race but to try and pay at least 20% of the entry fee if they can.
Should HPRS race registrations (participants) improve over the next year or two, we will once again revisit the above programs and make adjustments to the compensation plans. While we need more volunteers, we could also use some more paying runners. So help spread the word!
What Is This Community Fund You’ve Mentioned?
HPRS remains committed to being a place where Running Is For Everyone. We have always been a champion for accessibility, inclusion, diversity, equity and equality. When we think about accessibility, we think about how we strive to keep our entry fees below the industry average. We think about our volunteer program and how it affords folks the opportunity to earn discounted and comp race entries. We also acknowledge that not everyone has the ways or means to volunteer, and that entry fees are ever rising. We’re raising our entry fees in 2024, the first time we’ve done so in a few years. We feel we can still do better in helping welcome underserved communities to our events.
HPRS will be creating the new “HPRS COMMUNITY FUND.” After each race we will ask volunteers to earned credits to donate some, or all, of their earned credits to this community fund so that credits will be available to help defer the costs associated with race registration for those who may not have the means to join us.
• Donated volunteer credits will fall into the community fund. They will have the same value and expiration date when donated
• These funds are available to select groups, and we believe making these funds available to these groups affords them a chance to recreate with us:
– Members of the BIPOC community
– Members of the LGBTQ+ Community
– Anyone under the age of 30
– Anyone aged 30 years or older with a NEED.. folks who have lost their job or are in financial hardship. They must apply for use of credits explaining why they have a NEED
We ask you to please stay tuned to a formal announcement of this program and how members of these communities can apply for use of credits.
I Can’t Volunteer But Want To Support HPRS… How Can I?
• We will create a way for folks to “contribute” to HPRS via Venmo, PayPal or some other suitable way
• Contributions are taxable revenue
• Money donated will be used:
– To off set volunteer credits
– to add funds to the community fund
– for trail work initiatives
– to help offset the cost of volunteer shirts hats and hoodies
– to help off set the cost of our merit badge program
– continue to keep our entry fees at reasonable rates
and simply to say thank you (a tip).
We thank the HPRS Volunteer Program Focus Group for the time and energy they provided in making these recommendations. Instead of these decisions being unilateral in nature at the direction of HPRS staff, we decided it would be best for your peers, members of our community, to determine what would work and be best for our series moving forward. We know not all of these decisions may make sense or be popular, they are decisions we’ve made to continue to encourage volunteerism while trying to overate a successful race series.
To learn more about volunteering with HPRS, click HERE.