Q: Why was it necessary for Santa Teresa Little League to have a volunteering requirement?A: To date, STLL has relied on an informal program for getting the broader community to assist in the running of the league. Unfortunately, this is not sustainable for the long-term health and success of the league. Overall field conditions deteriorated, important and necessary board and committee positions continually went unfilled, and large numbers of volunteer shifts for league-wide events were not being covered. The purpose of the volunteering requirement is to secure more help from all families in the STLL community to cover league operations, field improvements and maintenance, and events.
Q: How does the new volunteering program work?
A: The volunteering program is a points-based system, with each registered family required to complete a certain number of points for each season in which their child/children play in STLL. Requirements for the Fall and Spring seasons differ because the needs of those specific seasons are different. Families have the option to participate in the volunteering points program or a seasonal buy out option (see bottom for buy out details).
Q: How many points per season are required?
A: Families are required to earn 10 volunteering points in the Spring season and three (3) volunteering points in the Fall season.
Q: What are the time frames during which volunteering hours must be completed?
A: As we have two seasons, we will have two volunteering windows as outlined below:
· Fall Season – August 1 through end of following Spring season (usually first week of June). Note that this timeframe is long because we allow families to earn points during the Summer Tournament Season and apply them ahead to the fall.
· Spring Season – August 1 through June 30
As an example of this, for Fall 2024, the volunteering window will be June 2, 2024 through roughly June 1, 2025, while Spring 2025 volunteering window will run from August 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. Because the volunteering requirement is larger in the Spring, we allow families to earn ahead starting in the Fall season.
Q: How is the Volunteering program tied to registration?
A: During registration, you will be prompted to select a volunteering role. In the past, this was not a required field. Now, all families must select something on the volunteering page. You will only have to select this once if you have multiple children in the league. If you have already selected this, it will show under “Volunteer Requirement Program” and you can skip this page. If you select no volunteering role, you will then be prompted to accept and pay the buyout offer at the end of the registration process. We continue to work with Blue Sombrero (IT system) to make this as simple and easy as possible to register.
Q: What if I have more than one child in the league?
A: We only have one volunteering points requirement per family per season. Volunteering and buyouts will be tied to the registration of your oldest child in the league.
Q: How do I earn points to fulfill my volunteering requirement?
A: Points are earned through participation in a wide variety of activities needed to successfully run the league. This includes taking on Board and Team Roles (coaches, managers, team parents), participating in scheduled activities and events such as field clean up days and Opening Day, or through other activities that help support the business of running the league. The league has created a set of activities for which points can be earned which you can see here and on our website.
Points Chart
| League Wide Roles |
| Board Director | 10 | |
| League Coordinator | up to 10 | Based on need and level of activity |
| Field Maintenance Crew Member - Season | Spring-10, Fall-3 | Fall crew members will receive 3 points to cover volunteering requirement |
| Team Roles ( Spring/Fall ) |
| Manager | Spring-10, Fall-3 | |
| Assistant Coach | Spring-10, Fall-3 | Uppers / Majors / AAA – Max 2 per team
AA and below – Max 3 per team |
| Team Parent | Spring-10, Fall-3 | Will allow Spring teams to have 2x team parents at 4 pts each if desired |
| Activities |
| Field Support | Varies | Minimum 2 hour shift. Opportunities include field
maintenance, clean up, or TBD projects |
| Umpire Training | 1 | This is in preparation for taking ump assignments |
| Volunteer Umpire Assignment | 3 | Does not include mandatory team assignments |
Events Support
| Point per hour | Minimum 2 hour shift |
| Registration Support | Point per hour | Minimum 2 hour shift |
Uniforms Support
| Point per hour | Minimum 2 hour shift |
| Operations Support | Varies | Project-based opportunities. Examples may include document creation, data entry and organization |
| Skills / Donations Trade | Up to 10 | Please submit requests here |
Q: How will STLL keep track of points earned by families?
A: We will be using a Volunteering App called “Track It Forward” which you can download on your Android or iPhone here at https://www.trackitforward.com/site/santa-teresa-little-league.
Q: What if I was told I had earned points for an activity but am not seeing them in my account?
A: For most activities, we have a log of who signed up for what activity, and who completed them. While we will do our best to keep things updated in real time, please understand there may sometimes be a delay in hours being logged. Don't worry we will figure out how to credit you.
Q: Will there be other opportunities added to the points list in the future?
A: This is a living list and our program is intended to be flexible and inclusive. We created an initial list of points as a means of addressing the most pressing issues we’ve identified over the past two years. This list will be continuously updated to present more opportunities for volunteering as needs arise throughout the year. Please reach out to Roger Fortier, Community Engagement Director at [email protected] if you have any questions or ideas.
Q: Where can I see a list of events or activities for which I can sign up?
A: Events are posted on the STLL Website here and in our Track It Forward app here. We regularly send out sign up sheets for major events.
Q: Can I recommend projects or share skills and resources I have that might benefit STLL for which I could receive points?
A: YES!!! We are always interested in feedback on potential ways to leverage the skills and talent from the STLL community to address critical needs. Please fill out our form here if you believe you have a skill or resource that would benefit the league. You can send recommendations for projects you feel may be of use to the league to [email protected]
Q: What happens if I do not fulfill my volunteering obligation for a given season?
A: Points not completed by the cutoff date for each season will be charged to registration for the following season at a cost of $30 per point. For example, three (3) points not completed by end of year cut off will equal $90 added to following year’s registration fee.
- Fall cut off - May 31 of the following Spring season
- Spring cut off - June 30
Q: How does the volunteering program buyout work?
A: Families may buyout the volunteer requirement in the Fall Season for $70 and in the Spring Season for $250. Buyouts can only be done at the time of registration. Anyone electing the buyout will have this reflected in Track It Forward, and points credited for the season in which the buyout is paid.
Q: What does the buyout actually cover?
A: There are two sets of volunteering in STLL. First there are league/team duties which include operations, field improvements and maintenance, events, and any of the league or team specific roles we need filled every season and every year (Managers, Coaches, Team Parents, Board members). Then there are game day activities which includes snack shack, score keeping (GameChanger), pitch counting and scoreboard operating.
IMPORTANT – the buyout only covers the first set of volunteering activities above in the the league/team wide category as the buyout covers the league's ability to replace a family's volunteer hours. Buyout does NOT cover gameday responsibilities for teams including snack shack, scorekeeping (GameChanger), pitch counting and scoreboard operating. Volunteer points requests for these activities posted in Track if Forward will be declined.
Q: How will I know I have been credited for my buyout?
A: Anyone electing the buyout will have it reflected in Track It Forward as a credit for volunteering points in the season in which the buyout is paid. The league will enter the buyout on your behalf. No action required.
Q: What if I signed up for the buyout and need to switch to the volunteering program for some reason?
A: In year one, we can either offer you a full refund of the buyout fee or we can credit your account. Starting in Fall 2024, we will only be offering an account credit if you need to change from the buyout to the volunteering program after the buyout is elected and paid.
Q: What if I signed up for volunteering and need to switch to the buyout for some reason?
A: Email [email protected] to request a change to buyout.
Q: Is there a cut off for switching between the buyout and the volunteering program?
A: Yes. We will not be able to make changes to your selection after the first game of the season, in most cases.
Q: How will STLL use the money it receives either through the buyout process or through fees collected as a result of non-fulfilled volunteering requirements?
A: All funds collected either through pre-registration buyout or through “not completed” fees will be earmarked specifically to cover replacement for volunteer hours (ex: Additional resources for field maintenance or staffing for opening day shifts),and tracked in the STLL annual budget as such. The Volunteer Committee will be responsible for the identification of organizations with whom STLL may want to partner to cover staffing needs. These organizations will be vetted and proposed to the board for approval. Examples include Local HS Baseball and Softball teams, or Local school organizations.
Q: Why aren’t you including Snack Shack, Game Changer, Pitch Counting and Scoreboard duties in the buyout or volunteer points program?
A: We are focusing on addressing the shortfalls we are experiencing in helping with league-wide duties. The business of the league will not get done if we don't have more participation in league-wide volunteer positions; our fields will deteriorate if we're not able to get more people out on a consistent basis for major clean up and repair days; and the quality of our events will start to go down. We are committed to continual evaluation of the program on an annual basis to determine what is working, what is not, and what changes we may want to implement moving forward.
Q: Can you specifically elaborate on Snack Shack which other leagues allow buyouts for?
A: The simple reason is equity for all. We did not want to set up a dynamic where families with the means or willingness to pay the buyout would place a heavier burden on covering Snack Shack on those parents who could not or did not select the buyout. The volunteering points program therefore focuses on those things outside of game days where families can then choose how they want to contribute to the league as a whole. This can be through the buyout (where we can offset the loss of volunteer hours with money to secure the resources we need) or through participation as a volunteer.
Q: What if I am unable to fulfill the volunteering requirement, either through participation or a buyout?
A: STLL will try our best to work with families who have hardships because of unique situations. Requests for a hardship exemption should be emailed [email protected] for consideration by the STLL Board.