Family Commitment Plan (FCP) and Volunteer Policy (updated September 2024)
Family Commitment Plan (FCP) and Volunteer Policy (updated September 2024)
We want you!! PWAS is a volunteer run organization. PWAS established a Family Commitment Plan (“FCP”) many years ago (at least since 2015) that is essential to manage our club operations through volunteerism. Volunteers provide an important contribution since fees, grants, and fundraising only cover a portion of the club’s operations each year (e.g. pool rentals, coaching costs, etc.). Through volunteering at PWAS you can grow in our artistic swim community, friendships and fun.
Each family is asked to assist by contributing time towards the numerous jobs that need to be filled throughout the year. PWAS volunteer roles are assigned points based on the estimated effort required to fulfill the responsibilities of the role. Each athlete’s family is required to volunteer acquiring a certain number of points, related to the stream (LCOMP, PS, NS) of their athlete, over the course of the season (September to August). We understand that some families may not be able to contribute much volunteer time or may wish to have some flexibility as to the number of hours they volunteer. Therefore, those who are unable to fulfil the full volunteer time/point commitment may “buy-out” all or some portion of their volunteer time with cheques.
All volunteer positions will be confirmed and appointed by the Board in consultation with the Head Coach / Technical Director and Volunteer coordinator. All directions for assigned volunteer positions are to come from a Board member, staff member or volunteer in a leadership role under the direction of the Board. If a member acts on their own accord, without direction from the Board or staff member, the member will be asked to cease volunteering, and additional action may be required.
Some teams are being asked to contribute more to their buyouts, though their required volunteer points are similar to another stream with a lower buy-out. This is occurring as the team with the larger buy-out has been deemed to require more volunteer resources for the team to be successful (ex. national and international travel are/may be involved).
A family whose athlete stops club activity for an extended period due to medical reasons, will have consideration to adjust their FCP requirement subject to approval from the Board. The same will apply for the parent/guardian of the athlete who cannot volunteer due to medical reasons.
More details about volunteering at PWAS may be found here: https://pwasc.ca/volunteer/
Teams, Volunteer points Needed and Buy-Outs
- Aquago – 0 volunteer points – $0 Buy-out
- LComp – 5 volunteer points – $90 Buy-out
- PS – 30 volunteer points – $500 Buy-out
- NS – 50 volunteer points – $900 Buy-out
Member’s Role and FCP Process
- After registration members are required to complete the FCP Volunteer Form to confirm their volunteer positions for the season. Swimmers without a signed form for the season will not be permitted to register for future seasons.
- For families with two or more swimmers in the club, the FCP obligation will be the volunteer points required based on the swimmer with the greater number of training hours plus 25% of the points for each additional swimmer.
- At least 50% of the volunteer points must be directly within the club. This is to say that the other 50% may be fulfilled through deck volunteering for competitions – filming, judging, scoring.
- Members are responsible for ensuring that they take their own initiative in earning, recording and reporting FCP points; reporting them to the Volunteer Hours Tracking Coordinator for reconciliation at the conclusion of the season when prompted with a form.
- They are also required to provide two post-dated cheques payable to “Pacific Wave Artistic Swim Club” dated October 15th for 50% of the FCP “buy-out” amount and May 1st for the balance of the “buy-out” as set out in the chart above in the “Required Buy Out” column. If you have not indicated a role you will fulfill for the club by November 1st, then the first cheque will be deposited by the club.
- The second cheque will be cashed if your volunteer roles and corresponding points are not reported to the volunteer coordinator by May 1st.
- Please note that these cheques will be destroyed rather than cashed if a family meets their minimum required volunteer points for the season. For any others, a proportionate credit will be issued to the member’s account for all volunteer points earned prior to the end of the current season. At the end of the season all FCP cheques for incomplete and partial points will be deposited and any credit will go back to the swimmer accounts. Full points will only be awarded for jobs that are successfully completed. If a family does not fulfill their FCP volunteer points or neglects to pay for the buy-out, they will be withheld from registering for the following season until payment is made or a payment plan agreed on.
The Volunteer role and point guide for the season will be published on the website.