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STLL Volunteering Program Overview

Santa Teresa Little League (STLL) is proud to be a volunteer-led organization and believes volunteering by parents/players teaches kids the life lesson of involvement and builds the overall sense of community in the League. As one of the largest Little League Organizations in the South Bay, the work of running the League and providing exceptional facilities for our players must be undertaken by the community at large. Santa Teresa Little League has therefore implemented a volunteering requirement for all families in our league.

Volunteering FAQ

Q: Why is it necessary for Santa Teresa Little League to have a volunteering requirement?
A: The purpose of the volunteering requirement is to secure help from all families in the STLL community to cover league operations, field improvements and maintenance, and events. In the past, 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.

Q: How does the 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 the league. Families have the option to participate in the volunteering points program or pay 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 ten (10) volunteering points in the Spring season and three (3) volunteering points in the Fall season.

Q: What are the timeframes 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 December 31
Spring Season – January 1 through July 31

Q: How is the volunteering program tied to registration?
A: During registration, you will be prompted to select a volunteering role, meaning you commit to volunteering to meet the points required. By selecting this option, you agree to meet the volunteering points requirement by either participating in our volunteering events and activities, or selecting a specific volunteering for a team-based role such as Manager, Coach or Team parent.

Q: Am I guaranteed to get one one of the team-based role positions if I sign up through registration?
A: No. Signing up indicates your willingness to take on one of these roles for a team, however, there is no guarantee you will be assigned this role. All managers are voted into their positions by the Board. All assistant coaches and team parents are ultimately selected at the managers discretion. Managers are given a list of volunteers who have signed up for consideration, and are encouraged to speak with all potential candidates.

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 youngest 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. See list of potential points roles and activities here (link to separate page with chart)

Q: How does STLL keep track of points earned by families?
A: We use 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. Reach out to [email protected] with any questions.

Q: Where can I see a list of events or activities for which I can sign up?
A: Events and activities for which families can sign up to earn points can be found on our website here: STLL Volunteering Opportunities Calendar

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: Families with past due volunteering fee balances are ineligible for All Stars, 9U Jamboree, or specialty tournaments such as Memorial Weekend or Summer Tournament teams until they have a zero balance. Points not completed by the December 31 or August 31 cut off dates will result in a $40 per point non-volunteering fee to be added to your STLL account, payable immediately.

STLL Volunteering Buyout

Q: How does the volunteering program buyout work?
A: Families may buyout the volunteer requirement. The buyout is $75 in the Fall and $250 in the Spring. Anyone electing the buyout will have this reflected in TrackTrack It Forward, and points credited for the season in which the buyout is paid.

Q: Do I sign up for the buyout through registration?
A: No. We found the use of the registration process to be confusing, so we are now running the volunteering buyout process separate from registration.

Q: How do I sign up for the volunteering buyout?
A: We will open a buyout window for the Fall Season as soon as registration closes, and for the Spring 2025 season starting a few weeks before opening day. Once all team-based positions are filled we will close the buyout window and no longer accept buyouts. We will communicate to all registered families when the buyout window is open and the process for paying the buyout fee.

Q: Where do I make my buyout payment?
A: You can make buyout payments via PayPal, Venmo and Credit Card here https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/5MUVPFJZ6NBRJ. Alternatively you can mail a check made payable to Santa Teresa Little Little League to: Santa Teresa Little League, P.O. Box 23944
San Jose, California 95153. Please indicate on the check Volunteer Buyout and the season. Example: Volunteer Buyout / Spring 2025

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 gameday activities which include snack shack, scorekeeping (GameChanger), pitch counting and scoreboard operating.

IMPORTANT – All families are required to help with gameday duties. 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 any reason?
A: No Problem! If you signed up for the buyout, but then took on a team/league role and need a refund, please contact [email protected]. We will only be able to provide you with a league credit on your account for your buyout fee unless you are leaving Santa Teresa Little League, in which case a refund check will be issued.

Q: What if I signed up for volunteering and need to switch to the buyout?
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: In order to plan for our requirements, we ask that families do their best to commit to the volunteering points requirement or the buyout by the time team roles are all filled, usually the first two weeks of the season. .

Q: How will STLL use the money it receives either through the buyout process or fees collected as a result of non-fulfilled volunteering requirements?
A: All funds collected either through the buyout and collection of non-volunteering fees will be used specifically to cover replacement for volunteer hours. This may include payments to third party organizations to work at STLL events (sports and cheer teams, bands, etc) or use of professional resources to complete specialty projects for the league (fencing, mound rebuilds, etc).

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 do not want to set up a dynamic where families with the means or willingness to pay the buyout 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.

Volunteering Program Points Chart

Volunteering Activity	Points	Notes
League-wide Roles (see requirements and details here)
Board Member	10 points	Any elected board member
League Coordinator	10 points	Based on need and level of activity
Seasonal Field Management Coordinator	10 points	Supports the Field Director in ensuring all fields are well maintained. Includes both playing fields and areas around fields (batting cages, viewing areas, etc.)
Concessions Support Team	up to 10 points	Supports the concessions director in operating Four league snack shacks at Anderson, Frost, Bernal and Herman.
Event Management Team	up to 10 points	Supports events director in management and execution of ALL aspects of events - Tryouts, Opening Day, Closing Day, Hit A Thon, Memorial Day Tournament, Arcadia Day (TBD)
Umpire Laundry Team	10 points	Four positions. This role picks up and drops off laundry for umpires weekly at the Herman, Bernal, Frost and Anderson fields. Volunteers from previous year will have right of first refusal, pending evaluation from UIC
Team Roles (see requirements and details here)
Manager	10 points*	*All managers will be required to complete the entire “STLL Manager Requirements” list to receive their entire 10 points. This is an all or nothing requirement
Assistant Coach	10 points	Majors / AAA – 2 rostered; AA and below – 3 rostered
Practice Coach	5 points	AAA and up - Max 2 per team (must be designated by manager)
Team Parent	10 points	Teams can have 2x team parents at 5 pts each if desired
Gameday Fill In / Backup	3 points	Any non-rostered coach or team parent filling in to support team on field or in dugout on gameday only
Activities
Field Days	Varies	Points will be assigned depending on level of work
League Events	Varies	Tryouts Opening Day, Closing Day, Town Hall Hit A Thon, Arcadia Day STLL Movie Night Memorial Weekend Tournament Tournaments (All Stars, Jamboree, Super 8’s)
Approved Projects	Varies	Examples: sponsorship banners (hanging, removing, cleaning); league signage hanging, cement work, electrical work, raising new flag poles (bernal)
Volunteer Umpire Assignment	3 points	Games must be separate from team-assigned games. No member of a team shall be given volunteer points for covering a game that is assigned to a team (ex: volunteer parent covers game assigned to Team X when Team X is assigned that game
Trainings	2 points	Umpire Clinics, GameChanger Training, other TBD trainings that arise
Registration Support	1 point per hour
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

Site Links

Santa Teresa Little League

Santa Teresa Little League, P.O. Box 23944
San Jose, California 95153
Phone : 408-800-6755
Email : [email protected]