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A Practical Guide on
How to Start a Volkssport Club
PART II
Steps
&
Timeline
Prepared by
The Canadian Volkssport Federation
Printed with the support
December 2004 of Imperial Oil
Steps and Timeline to Forming a New Club
Preparation: At least a six (6) month period in advance of becoming a club.
Preamble: A determined willingness to start such a club by supporting and promoting the
goals and purposes of the IVV and CVF must exist among the founders.
Step 1: Help
Resources, strategies and information on running a walking club and program may be
found through:
1. Consultation with your provincial Volkssport Association and/or CVF
Regional Director as well as with the CVF Head Office
2. Exchanges with other Volkssport clubs
3. Twinning with other Volkssport clubs
4. Partnership with other Volkssport clubs
5. Mentorship by larger Volkssport clubs
6. Sponsorship by other Volkssport clubs, sports / recreation / fitness facilities,
municipal agencies, commercial enterprises, local service clubs or other
community organizations
Step 2: Membership
Build up your membership, as it is the backbone of your entire organization through:
1. Yourself, friends and family
2. An existing walking club, which might be interested to add Volkssporting to
its activities
3. Community social groups such as senior groups, service clubs, church groups,
youth groups, fitness clubs, etc
4. Employers such as governments, municipalities and the private sector with a
fairly large number of employees and who are usually concerned with their
health and wellness
5. Your general local population by using all kinds of appropriate / available
community means of publicity at your disposal (usually free of charge)
Step 3: Partnership
Investigate the extension of the local support organizations such as:
1. Municipal Recreation Department
2. Municipal Health Department
3. Service clubs (such as Lions Club, Kinsmen, Rotary, Legion, YM / YWCA,
etc…)
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4. Access to community centres and possibly to other locally available benefits
and programs
Step 4: Start points for YRE(s) and scheduled events
Scout out potential start points; you should consider the following:
1. At recreation / sporting / fitness facilities (municipal, commercial, etc…) or
nearby (Open business days and hours for a YRE must be 7 days a week)
2. At commercial establishments with refreshments, food and / or lodging
facilities for social activity after your walks, if feasible
3. Have a warm location for cold weather
4. Visibility, free parking and toilets are a plus
Step 5: Site and route selection
Choose the most appropriate site and route for your walks:
1. Some trails already exist in many localities (permission to use them may be
required from municipal, provincial, federal, private, etc. authorities)
2. Select an interesting and pleasant route you would like to see as if you were
visiting a new place
3. Scenic, historic and thematic walks are always well appreciated and
remembered
4. Usually the walks are 10 km long with most often a 5 km Route available for
scheduled events (not YREs or Seasonal/Medium/Short Seasonal events)
5. Measuring wheels, GPS units, odometers or pedometers are useful tools to
adequately measure your distances
6. The following trail rating system is in effect to let the walkers know if the trail
is an easy one or perhaps a more challenging one:
(January 2006)
Part 1 – INCLINE Part 2 - TERRAIN
1. very little hill or stair climbing A. almost entirely on pavement, probably
suitable for baby stroller
2. some moderate hill or stair climbing B. a significant part of the walk takes place
on well-groomed trails with very little
more difficult terrain
3. some significant hill or stair C. a significant part of the walk takes place
climbing on somewhat difficult terrain
(rocky / rooted paths)
4. a good deal of significant hill or D. a significant part of the walk takes place
stair climbing on very difficult terrain
5. many steep hills or high altitude E. the majority of the walk takes place on
trails very difficult terrain
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Step 6: Sponsorship
Develop a plan to gain sponsors for your club. You should consider:
1. Each commercial start point
2. Any publicly-funded agency for economic development or public health
promotion
3. Any sporting goods suppliers / stores
4. Major local commercial establishments
5. Any service establishments that you use
6. Any member-operated business
A business card advertisement in your future event program, brochure and
newsletter will be financially helpful.
(January 2007)
Step 7: Publicity
Look for places / means to publicize your activities. You should consider:
1. Recreation / fitness facilities
2. Libraries
3. Medical clinics of any type
4. Travel agencies
5. Publicity stands in commercial malls
6. Sporting goods stores of any type
(New Balance Shoes stores or stores which are selling their shoes should be
willing to take your flyers and publicity pamphlets. The Running Room chain
stores have their own walking clubs, but may be willing to allow adding your
flyers to theirs)
7. Local tourism and / or economic development office, Chamber of Commerce,
etc…
(January 2007)
Further down in the process
1. Local media (Community papers, T.V., radio, usually free announcements)
2. Mail
3. E-Mail
4. Website
5. Club newsletter
6. Telephone committee
7. Regional Director / Provincial Association re: Annual Calendar of Events
publication
8. CVF Volkssport Canada / Footpaths
9. IVV World Book
4
Step 8: Club Identity (As a non-profit entity)
Shape the type of your organization and the size of its Executive Committee
1. Choose a club name and logo
2. Prepare a draft constitution (For beginners, simplicity is the rule). An
example of a club constitution may be obtained through CVF Head Office
3. Think of the size and configuration of your club‟s Executive Committee:
President provides general direction, acts as liaison with
outside organizations and looks after the
protocol matters
Vice-President assists the president, coordinates all aspects of
club‟s events including publicity and replaces
Minimal the president as necessary
Configuration Secretary / processes correspondence, receives and
Treasurer disburses funds as well as prepares an annual
budget
Trail Director looks after all trail matters for club Events
Publicity Coordinator
Later on Membership Coordinator
in the process Social Coordinator
Splitting the Secretary / Treasurer function
Etc… as locally required
4. Fixed terms of appointment and election periods are key to your survival and
renewal
Step 9: Walking Program
Plan your first year walking program
Note: New clubs or re-activated dormant clubs: two (2) YREs and ten (10)
scheduled events per year free for the first two (2) years may be sanctioned at no
cost to the club; however, the club will be required to pay the insurance fees for
each sanctioned event.
1. What kinds of walks can be organized?
All the walks are organized community walks, held in all weather,
following planned trails, which are safe, scenic and circular: usually
10 km (5 km is often available as an optional route).
The most popular kinds of walks are the following:
5
Annual Volksmarch Events, i.e. a marked trail with checkpoints
Guided / Map Walks, i.e. a walk with a guide or with instructions and
maps
Short / Medium Seasonal / Seasonal / Year-Round Events, i.e. a self
guided walk on every day with a map and / or instructions
(January 2006)
See also Annex 3 for different types of Volkssport events
2. Quantity vs. Quality? The goal should always be „Quality Walks‟
See Annex 4: the CVF paper on “What is a „Quality Walk‟”?
3. A Year-Round Event (YRE) is an excellent revenue generator
4. One annual Volksmarch (W) should be your most important event of the year,
your priority day
5. One or two Guided or Map walks should complete your walking program and
be carefully planned and scheduled to attract as many walkers as possible
locally and from your immediate surroundings
Step 10: Volunteer work
Establish a list of volunteers, as your survival depends on them
1. Have a person or committee responsible for the volunteer work
2. Have a Volunteer Sign-Up Book for your volunteers to register their names as
their availability permits under whatever volunteer work is required
3. Have an overall person responsible for each activity you are planning
4. Involve many people to share the responsibilities and rotate them as often as
possible
5. Organize some appropriate recognition / appreciation of the volunteers, as
locally decided
Step 11: Financial
How and where to raise some start-up funds:
1. Your membership
2. Your municipal recreation department
3. Any publicly funded agency for economic development and / or public health
promotion
4. Local service clubs or other community organizations
6
5. Other local sports / recreations / fitness facilities and / or commercial
enterprises
6. Other Volkssport clubs
7. Your Provincial Volkssport Association and / or CVF Regional Director
Set yourself an operating budget (revenues and expenses) and open a bank
account.
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NOTES:
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