One of the cornerstones of OYS is that we are a self-help club. By definition that means the members volunteer their time and energy to complete many of the maintenance, administration and operations tasks required to keep the club operating in an effective manner. These include assisting during launch and haul-out, the general maintenance of the clubhouse, grounds and docks, organizing and supporting the various social functions and assisting in the operations of the club including the sailing school, the regatta, the Executive Committee and various administrative tasks. Many of the volunteer opportunities do not require physical labour and can be completed from home so, hopefully, every member will have the opportunity to complete their volunteer hours annually.
See the Current volunteer opportunities.
Rules
- All Full, Full Outer Harbour, Associate Borrow-A-Boat, Full Borrow-A-Boat, and Intermediate memberships are required to contribute twenty volunteer hours per year. The twenty hours per year requirement can be shared by both parties in a Full, Full Outer Harbour, Associate Borrow-A-Boat, Full Borrow-A-Boat or Intermediate Membership.
- If a Full, Full Outer Harbour, Associate Borrow-A-Boat, Full Borrow-A-Boat or Intermediate Membership is one person, that person has an twenty hour per year requirement.
- All members can apply any Launch/Haulout hours worked to their twenty hour volunteer requirement.
- All Officer of the Day shifts count towards required volunteer hours.
- All other types of Memberships including Associate, Life, Honourary, Crew, Absent, Junior, Racing and Dinghy are not required to do volunteer work but are encouraged to join in and assist where possible.
- Unworked volunteer hours, i.e. any shortfall below the twenty hour minimum, will be billed at $35 per hour at the end of the year.
Sign-up
- Each Executive Committee member and Committee Chair (e.g. Regatta Chair) will identify and make available appropriate volunteer opportunities to the membership.
- The volunteer opportunities will be posted at the club on the Website. Since volunteer opportunities will become available continuously throughout the year, members are encouraged to check the Volunteer postings on a regular basis.
- Each Executive Committee member will post a Volunteer Job listing the opportunity, the hours assigned to it and any skills/tools required for the assignment. Members with the appropriate skills and experience for the various opportunities are encouraged to sign up as soon as possible to allow the Executive in charge of the area the chance to plan the required work.
- Each member who completes volunteer hours should complete an “Oakville Yacht Squadron Volunteer Program – Member Work Hour Submission Form” on the website. The appropriate Directors will authorize the hours submitted for inclusion in the Volunteer Hours programme.
- An OYS job list will be provided in the Volunteer Program area of this website and a regular ‘From the Docks’ will be sent out to act as a guide to members seeking volunteer OYS work. There are certain volunteer opportunities which come up with little or no advance warning. In those situations, the Directors will use e-mail messages, web postings or ‘From the Docks’ postings to make members aware of these urgent volunteer opportunities.
- All members are encouraged to check the available opportunities on a regular basis and to check that their volunteer hours have been properly assigned and accounted for.
See the Current volunteer opportunities.
Submit your volunteer job/hours completed form.