Q: Why is it necessary for Santa Teresa Little League to have a mandatory 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 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.
Q: Do snack shack, GameChanger, pitch counting and scoreboard operating shifts count towards Volunteering Points?
A: No. Work in the snack shack, as a scorekeeper (GameChanger), pitch counter and scoreboard operator do not count towards volunteering points credit. All families are required to help with these gameday duties. This has been in place since the inception of the program in Fall 2023 and is acknowledged by all families at the time of registration through acceptance of the Volunteer Acknowledgement.
Q: Where can I see a list of events, activities or roles for which I can volunteer?
A: Events and activities for which families can sign up to earn points can be found on our website here: STLL Volunteering Opportunities Calendar. See list of potential points roles at the bottom of this FAQ.
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.
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: 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.