Non-profit Sports Clubs Research Articles

Consequences of the decrease in volunteers among German sports clubs: is there a substitute for voluntary work?

Volunteers represent a key resource for many voluntary sports clubs; however, a decrease in volunteers has been reported in many countries during recent years. The question arises as to how sports clubs respond to this and whether losses in voluntary work can be compensated for by other means. The purpose of this article is to analyse the consequences of a decrease in volunteers on an empirical basis, using a unique panel data set from a German survey of non-profit sports clubs (n = 724). Within the analysis, sports clubs that experienced a decrease in volunteers from 2005 to 2009 are compared with clubs with a stable development (i.e. no change) or an increase in volunteers during the same time period. The results indicate that there are some substitution effects in sports clubs with a decrease in volunteers which differ between the short term (2005–2007) and the long term (2005–2009). In the short-term, the number of secondary volunteers and the proportion of clubs with low-cost employees (people with jobs from the employment office) increased significantly. In the long-term, the share of clubs with paid staff increased significantly. The findings indicate that sports clubs are capable of compensating for declines in volunteer numbers. Nevertheless, one major policy implication for sports clubs, sports federations and policymakers should be to improve the recognition of voluntary work. Moreover, public subsidies for the employment of paid staff could be provided.

Understanding the Importance of Organizational Resources to Explain Organizational Problems: Evidence from Nonprofit Sport Clubs in Germany

Nonprofit sport clubs experience organizational problems regarding the recruitment and retention of members, volunteers, and coaches, and the financial situation of the club. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of different types of organizational resources on the severity of organizational problems. A theoretical framework based on the concept of organizational capacity is presented, which explains the influence of human, financial, infrastructure, and cultural resources on organizational problems. The empirical evaluation is undertaken using data from a nationwide online survey of nonprofit sport clubs in Germany (n = 19,345). The regression results show that human resources (women on the board, secondary volunteers, etc.), financial resources (Herfindahl index), infrastructure resources (own facilities, and public facilities), and cultural resources (e.g., strategic policy, formation policy, value of conviviality, and variety of sports) are significant determinants of organizational problems. The findings of this study have implications for the management of voluntary sport organizations.

Understanding the interactions among revenue categories using elasticity measures—Evidence from a longitudinal sample of non-profit sport clubs in Germany

The revenue composition of for-profit and non-profit organisations is fundamentally different. Non-profit organisations have diversified revenues and must therefore manage an income portfolio. For the management of the income portfolio of a non-profit sport club it is not only important that sufficient revenues are available, but also where they come from as complex interactions exist among different revenue sources. These interactions are referred to as crowd-out effects (increases in one revenue source lead to decreases in another source) and crowd-in effects, respectively. The interactions among revenue categories of non-profit sport clubs were analysed using a longitudinal dataset from a nationwide sport club survey in Germany (n=5026). Elasticity measures were calculated within a regression framework which provided information about the nature and significance of interactions. The results revealed a significant positive interaction between revenues from donations and sport supply (e.g., membership and service fees) pointing towards a crowd-in effect, i.e., increased revenues from donations have crowded in revenues from sport supply. Moreover, increased revenues from subsidies were found to crowd in revenues from donations and economic activities (e.g., sponsorship). Significant negative interactions were observed for revenues from economic activities and other supply suggesting that increased revenues from economic activities have crowded out revenues from other supply. The findings indicated an increased level of commercialisation supporting a modernisation of German clubs. Furthermore, the uncertainties have increased and therefore sport clubs have to consider the level of uncertainty of their revenue sources when they manage their income portfolio.

The value of human resources in non-public sports providers: the importance of volunteers in non-profit sports clubs versus professionals in for-profit fitness and health clubs

There is a growing debate on the professionalisation of non-profit sports clubs (e.g., more paid staff) and the remuneration of sports volunteers. These voluntary sports organisations are, together with for-profit fitness and health clubs, the main types of sports providers at the grassroots level in Flanders (Belgium). They both are non-public organisations, active in the same market, but differ regarding to their objectives and their human resources (i.e., volunteers versus paid staff). Hence, the purpose of this paper is to analyse and compare the hypothetical HR-cost of volunteer work in non-profit sports clubs, based on a market price of equivalency model, with the actual HR-cost of for-profit sports providers. The results show that fitness and health clubs are found to be more efficient, in terms of the unit human resources cost. However, non-profit sports clubs have a distinctive economic structure and own rationality. Hence, it seems not appropriate to transfer the economic efficiency approach of ...

Undeclared Work in Non-Profit Sports Clubs: A Mixed Method Approach for Assessing the Size and Motives

Non-market economy including volunteer work is often ignored in estimations of the shadow economy because no money changes hands. Whilst volunteers stricto sensu are not paid for their activities, a tendency is noted that legal frameworks do allow for reimbursement for actual expenses incurred. However, if the latter receive reimbursements beyond the scope of regulations and labour law this can also be regarded as undeclared work. In this article, the size and motives of this type of undeclared work in non-profit sports clubs in Flanders (Belgium) are explored. As this kind of informal work, by its nature, is difficult to measure, a mixed method approach was used. The results show that at least 10% of volunteers can be considered as undeclared workers. The tax and social security contribution burdens are considered as the main causes for this undeclared work. It is argued that a new employment status for paid volunteers in sports is necessary to guarantee the provision of qualitative sports services.

Gender Effects on Organizational Problems—Evidence from Non-Profit Sports Clubs in Germany

In sports organizations, women are still under-represented, especially compared with their share of the general population. This holds true for management and leadership positions in particular, which could be explained by the lack of congruence between the female gender role and leader role. Therefore, the theoretical framework underpinning this study is based on role congruity theory. The research question is whether the share of women on the board and among members influences the perceived severity of organizational problems faced by sports organizations. This postulation is examined for a representative sample of sports clubs in Germany (n = 13,068). Analyses of variance are conducted with the severity of organizational problems and the share of women on the board and among club members. The results show that the share of women on the board and among members has a significant negative impact on the severity of organizational problems. Sports clubs with a high share of women on the board and among members perceive the severity of organizational problems as smaller on average. This finding is related to female leadership style, which might serve as one possible explanation. Based on these results, it is recommended that sports clubs appoint more women to management positions. This study provides empirical evidence that the often postulated increase in the share of women can be beneficial to sports organizations.

Scarcity of resources in German non-profit sport clubs

Non-profit sport clubs face several challenges including those relating to human resources, financial capabilities, networks and infrastructural elements. In order for clubs to realise their capacity to respond to encountered challenges, it is imperative for club executives and sport federations to have an improved understanding of the clubs’ resource structure and ability to deploy resources. Drawing on the concept of organisational capacity as well as Resource Dependency Theory, the objectives of this study are to provide empirical evidence of the resources of non-profit sport clubs and to show that these clubs are characterised by scarce resources. A large sport club survey in Germany ( n = 13,068) was used as the data set for this study. The results indicate that sport clubs seem to have organisational capacity, as they have many different types of resources at their disposal that which can be ascribed to four capacity dimensions. The analysis of longitudinal data reveals changes in resources that indicate particularly human resources (volunteers) and infrastructure resources become more scarce over the course of time.

Are sports club members big spenders?: Findings from sport specific analyses in Germany

This paper analyses the sport expenditures of people who are members of non-profit sports clubs ( N = 10,013) in Germany. Adult members, active in 21 sports, were asked about their sport expenditure relating to several defined categories. The results show that members spend an average of €1610 per year on their chosen sport. Sport specific analyses reveal big differences in expenditure between sports, ranging from badminton (€338) to equestrian (€7902). According to sport-specific regression analyses, personal income, level of performance, and weekly time of participation are the main predictors of sport-specific expenditures. Compared to other studies, these results show that the financial status of members of non-profit sports clubs is very strong.

Application of relationship marketing in non-profit organisations involved in the provision of sport and recreational services

The marketing literature of the past decade contains many articles dealing with strategies and tactics by means of which organisations could enhance and increase the duration of their interaction with customers. The concept of relationship marketing was born from this need for long-term interaction with customers. A variety of factors have over time contributed to a need for marketing in non-profit organisations, such as non-profit sports clubs and recreation centres at local and school levels, to offset the decrease in income and membership many of these organisations experienced. (S. African J. for Research in Sport, Physical Ed. and Recreation: 2002 24 (1): 113-130)