Working Bee & Ground Maintenance — GoClubPro

Training Module 91 | Coordinating Working Bees, Recording Improvements, and Maintaining Club Facilities

What This Guide Covers

Community sporting clubs often maintain their own grounds, change rooms, equipment sheds, and club rooms. Working bees bring volunteers together to maintain and improve these facilities. GoClubPro supports working bee coordination through the Noticeboard and Schedule, and supports facility costs through Accounting. This guide covers the full working bee cycle.

Primary audience: Club Admins, Grounds Officers, Committee Members Also useful for: Coaches and Team Managers who coordinate working bee attendance

SECTION 1: PLANNING A WORKING BEE

When to Run Working Bees

Timing	Purpose
Pre-season (4–6 weeks before Round 1)	Ground preparation, line marking, nets/goals setup, shed organisation
Mid-season	Repairs after weather damage, equipment restocking
Post-season	Pack down, winterise, equipment check and store
Ad hoc	Specific projects (painting change rooms, installing new equipment)

Minimum notice: 2–3 weeks for planned working bees; same-week notice only for urgent repairs after storm/vandalism damage.

Adding a Working Bee to the Schedule

Working bees can be added as events in GoClubPro so members receive proper notification:

Schedule → Add Event
Type: Club Event / Working Bee
Name: "Working Bee — [Purpose, e.g., 'Pre-Season Ground Preparation']"
Date, time (start and expected end), venue
Description: what will be done, what to bring
Save → members assigned to the event can RSVP

This creates a record of the working bee in the platform and allows RSVP tracking so you know how many people to expect.

SECTION 2: NOTICEBOARD COMMUNICATIONS

Working Bee Announcement Post

3 weeks before:

"Working Bee — [Date] — [Start Time]

It's that time of year! We're hosting a working bee at [Venue] on [Date] to get the ground and facilities ready for Season [Year].

Tasks include:

Line marking and boundary flag installation

Goal post padding check and replacement

Equipment shed organisation and inventory

Change room clean and paint touch-ups (if needed)

[Any specific project]

What to bring: Work gloves, closed shoes, old clothes, enthusiasm. We'll supply tools and equipment.

Food: [Sausage sizzle / Lunch provided / BYO / etc.] from [time].

All help is gratefully received — even 1 hour makes a difference. RSVP in the comments so we know how many to expect!"

Working Bee Reminder Post (3–5 days before)

"Working Bee Reminder — [Date] — [Time]

Thanks to the [X] people who've already RSVP'd for Saturday's working bee! There's still room for more — the more hands, the faster we get through the list.

[Key task highlight, e.g., 'We're particularly hoping for help with line marking — if you have a line marker, please bring it!']

See you Saturday at [time] at [venue]. 🙌"

Post-Working Bee Thank You Post

"Working Bee — Done and Dusted! Thank You!

What a day! Thanks to the [X] volunteers who gave up [X hours] of their [Saturday] to get [Club Name] ready for the season. Special thanks to [Name], [Name], and [Name] who went above and beyond.

Here's what we achieved:

[Task 1 completed]

[Task 2 completed]

[X metres of line marking done]

The ground is looking great and we're ready for Round 1. See you on [date]!"

SECTION 3: RECORDING FACILITY COSTS IN ACCOUNTING

Types of Facility Expenses

Expense	Accounting Description
Line marking paint	"Grounds — Line Marking Paint — [Date]"
Goal post padding replacement	"Grounds — Goal Post Padding — [Supplier] — [Date]"
Change room paint	"Grounds — Change Room Maintenance — Paint — [Date]"
Turf treatment (fertiliser, herbicide)	"Grounds — Turf Care — [Supplier] — [Date]"
Equipment hired for working bee (e.g., bobcat)	"Grounds — Equipment Hire — [Item] — [Date]"
Volunteer catering (sausage sizzle)	"Working Bee — Catering — [Date]"
Plumbing/electrical repairs	"Grounds — Repairs — [Trade] — [Date]"
Building maintenance contractor	"Grounds — Contractor — [Name/Company] — [Date]"

Record all of these in Treasurer → Accounting → Add Manual Entry → Expense with the descriptions above. At AGM, filter by "Grounds" to see total facility spend for the year.

Capital Improvements vs. Maintenance

Maintenance (ongoing): Line paint, bulb replacements, minor repairs. Record as Expense in Accounting.

Capital improvements (significant new assets): New scoreboard, new lighting system, new change rooms. These may need to be recorded differently for accounting purposes (as assets, not expenses). Consult your accountant if the amount is significant (typically >$5,000).

Grant-funded improvements: If a capital improvement is grant-funded (e.g., a $15,000 council grant for new lights), record the grant as income and the expenditure as "Grant Expenditure — [Grant Name] — [Item]" per Module 89.

SECTION 4: MANAGING COUNCIL/VENUE RELATIONSHIPS

Club-Managed Venues

If your club manages a council-owned ground under a lease/licence:

Annual venue agreement / licence is typically renewed each year
Any significant modifications to the ground may require council approval
Maintenance responsibilities are split (check your lease: what does council maintain vs. the club?)
Working bee improvements may need council sign-off if they alter the ground

In GoClubPro: Record lease/licence fees as Accounting expenses: "Venue — Ground Licence — [Council] — [Year]"

Venue Hire (No Permanent Ground)

If your club hires grounds week-to-week from a council or school:

Per-game hire fees: Accounting → Expense → "Venue Hire — [Ground Name] — Round [X]"
Or bulk prepayment: Accounting → Expense → "Venue Hire — [Ground Name] — Season [Year] — [X] games"

VISUAL: Working Bee Cycle

4–6 WEEKS BEFORE WORKING BEE
 Schedule → Add Event (working bee)
 Noticeboard: announcement post (what, when, where, tasks)
 │
 ▼
1 WEEK BEFORE
 Noticeboard: reminder post + RSVP count
 Organiser: confirm supplies, tools, catering
 │
 ▼
WORKING BEE DAY
 Tasks completed
 Photo taken (for Noticeboard post + future records)
 │
 ▼
WITHIN 48 HOURS
 Noticeboard: thank you post naming volunteers + achievements
 Treasurer: record any expenses (supplies, catering, hire equipment)
 │
 ▼
ONGOING
 Admin Panel: note significant volunteers in member notes
 Accounting: all grounds expenses under "Grounds —" prefix

TOOLTIPS & HINTS

Name volunteers in the thank you post — specific recognition ("thanks to Tom for 4 hours on the line marker") is more powerful than generic ("thanks to everyone")
Photo at the working bee — before-and-after photos make great Noticeboard content and show the tangible result of volunteer effort
Working bee on Schedule — makes it official and trackable; members receive notification; RSVP shows expected turnout
"Grounds —" prefix in Accounting — consistent prefix lets you filter and total all facility costs at AGM
Council approval for modifications — check with the council before any physical alteration to a leased ground

FAQ

Q: Only 4 people showed up to the working bee despite 20 RSVPs. How do we improve turnout? A: Three strategies that improve actual attendance: (1) Personal asks — people asked directly by the coach or captain show up more than those who see a general post; (2) Specific roles — "we need two people for line marking, one for shed organising" makes it concrete; (3) Food — the promise of a sausage sizzle is a genuine motivator in community sport. Four dedicated people can still accomplish a lot.

Q: A volunteer was injured at the working bee. What do we do? A: Module 76 protocol — immediate safety response, external incident record, insurer notification. Working bee injuries are covered by your club's public liability and volunteer protection insurance (check your policy). Record the injury in their GoClubPro profile.

Q: The council says they're responsible for the ground maintenance but it's not being done. What do we do? A: Check your lease/licence for the maintenance responsibility clause. Document the deficiency in writing to the council. If it's affecting your ability to play, raise with your association (they may have a relationship with the council). The committee should also confirm what emergency maintenance the club is permitted to undertake under the lease.

COMMON MISTAKES

Mistake	Consequence	Prevention
No Schedule entry for working bee	Missed by members who only check the Schedule	Always add as a Schedule event + Noticeboard post
No thank you post after the working bee	Volunteers feel unappreciated; lower turnout next time	Post within 48 hours; name specific contributors
Grounds expenses mixed with other expenses	Can't see total facility spend at AGM	"Grounds —" prefix on every facility-related expense
Capital improvements expensed without accountant advice	Wrong accounting treatment for significant assets	Ask accountant for anything over $5,000
No photo record of facility improvements	Can't demonstrate value for grant applications or insurance	Photo before and after every significant working bee

SHORT ONBOARDING SCRIPT

"Working bees are coordinated through two platform tools: add the event to the Schedule (so members get notified and can RSVP), and use the Noticeboard for the announcement, reminder, and thank-you posts. Record every expense from the working bee in Accounting with a 'Grounds —' prefix so you can filter all facility costs at AGM. Name volunteers specifically in the thank-you post — specific recognition drives next season's turnout. And if your club is on a council-managed ground, check your lease before doing any modifications to confirm who's responsible for what."

MICRO-TRAINING QUICK TIPS

Schedule: Add Event → "Working Bee — [Purpose]" → RSVP tracking
Noticeboard: announcement (3 weeks before) → reminder (1 week before) → thank you (48 hours after)
Thank you post: name volunteers specifically; include what was achieved
Expenses: Accounting → Expense → "Grounds — [Item]" → AGM filter shows total facility spend
Venue licence: Accounting → Expense → "Venue — Ground Licence — [Council] — [Year]"
Photo: before and after every significant working bee (Noticeboard post + Google Drive record)

Training Module 91 | See also: 10 Noticeboard & Feed · 07 Treasurer & Accounting · 78 Equipment & Gear Management · 85 Volunteer Recognition · 89 Fundraising & Grants