Create a volunteer checklist for a college sports day

Volunteers stand around when nobody owns a task. The question is who does what, at which point in the day, and who they turn to, written so a first-time volunteer can act without waiting to be told.

• What happens on the day, in order, from gate opening to the last cone packed away?
• Which jobs need a person standing in one place, and which need someone moving around?
• Who does each volunteer report to, and how do they reach that person on the day?
• What should a volunteer do if something goes wrong and the organiser is not nearby?

A one-page checklist with every role named, what that person does before, during and after the event, one clear owner per task, and a short line on who to call when something goes wrong.

Writing roles like 'help with sports' or 'general support'. A role without a specific task and a place to stand is how volunteers end up idle.

• The day's programme from your sports committee: events, timings and venue areas
• A walk around the ground, noting the gate, track, stands, water points and the store room
• A short chat with someone who volunteered last year about what was missing

AI must not invent roles, timings or reporting lines for your college. Every role should come from your walk-through of the real day; AI only suggests what you may have forgotten, and you check it against your own ground.

1. 3.1 Walk through the day in orderCLAUDE CHAT

   Why this tool: Being asked step by step helps you remember the dull jobs that are easy to miss.

   Describe the day in your own words and let Claude ask what happens at each stage. Write each job down as you go.

   Prompt to copy · fill in the [brackets]Copy

   I am writing a volunteer checklist for a college sports day at [your college or ground]. Ask me questions, one at a time, that walk through the day from gate opening to pack-up, so I can list every job that needs a person. Do not list jobs for me; ask about each stage.

2. 3.2 Turn jobs into roles with ownersGOOGLE SHEETS

   Why this tool: A small table shows at a glance whether every job has exactly one owner.

   One row per job. Columns: role, before, during, after, reports to. Merge small jobs into one role where one person can do both, and leave no job without a name.

3. 3.3 Find what a first-timer would forgetCLAUDE CHAT

   Why this tool: A second reader spots gaps, but only you know which suggestions fit your ground.

   Paste your role list and ask what is usually forgotten. Keep only what applies to your college and add it to a role that already exists.

   Prompt to copy · fill in the [brackets]Copy

   Here is my list of volunteer roles for a college sports day:
   [paste your roles]
   What tasks do first-time organisers usually forget, such as return of borrowed equipment or lost property? List them, then tell me which of my roles each could sit under. I will decide which apply.

• Every job in your walk-through has one named role, and no role has nothing to do during the event
• Each role names who it reports to and how to reach them on the day
• Read the 'if something goes wrong' line: it tells a volunteer whom to call, not how to handle an injury themselves
• Ask last year's volunteer to read it and mark anything unclear
• Walk the map with someone who does the work
• Every step has an owner

AI suggests roles from big professional events, such as accreditation desks or media officers, that a college sports day does not need. Cut anything that does not match your actual day.

• Every role listed with before, during and after tasks
• One reporting person per role
• A short what-to-do line for when the organiser is not nearby
• Checked by someone who has volunteered before

One page in a table, roles down the side, before, during and after across the top, with the contact line in a box at the foot.

Name one task your first draft missed that the walk-through or a past volunteer caught, and how you assigned it.