Why does each family need to provide $100 Volunteer fee?
The volunteer fee is per household (as of October 2019). Additionally, registration fees alone do not cover all of the expenses to operate the league. This fee also pays for Challenger Division uniforms, umpires, fees to the city for field rental and maintenance costs. In most cases, this can be a one-time fee provided each player has someone volunteering to support BLL activities. This also provides an option for those families who cannot provide volunteer time.
Please read the Annual Non-Refundable Volunteer Fee Policy to avoid paying the fee each year.
LEAGUE VOLUNTEER ROLES
Listed below are some common volunteer opportunities with Benicia Little League. Please contact us on how to best use your talents and skills to help provide your kids the best Little League experience possible.
Want to know more? Please email [email protected] with questions.
Overall Volunteer Coordinator
One coordinator to rule them all. Or at least keep everyone organized. We are looking for people who pride themselves at being the most organized and the ultimate delegator. This role will be responsible for preparing, tracking, collecting and organizing the volunteer hours for all BLL volunteers. If interested, contact [email protected] directly
Events
Benica Little League hosts a number of events where planning, logistics and execution help is required. These are some of the events we will need help organizing:
- Onsite Registration & Residency Verification (December)
- Player Evaluations & Tryouts (January)
- Equipment Handout & Collection (February & June)
- Opening Ceremony (March)
- Benicia High School Players Clinic (March)
- Annual Fundraiser (April/May)
- Closing Ceremony (May/June)
Being an Umpire
Aside from calling ball or strike, safe or out, umpires are responsible for teaching players good sportsmanship and the rules of the game. Umpires are also called upon to interpret rules and help settle minor disputes that may occur during games.
Our Majors and Minor A games have one home plate umpire and a minimum of one field umpire. Before becoming a home plate umpire you are required to participate in training sessions and seminars.
Selling Concessions
The job involves working within BLL's snack shacks and filling orders. In a paid role, we have the job where this person will buy, prepare, transport and/or store various concessions.
Starting a Fundraising Committee
Although all leagues may not have a need for such an organization, it may be a good idea to start a fundraising committee to help provide such things as uniforms, equipment, awards, team snacks/drinks, and team trips/parties. This may require planning and attending meetings, organizing and participating in fundraising events, and managing and distributing funds. While an unlimited number of fundraisers using adults are permitted, only one fundraiser using players, in or out of uniform, is permitted per year.
Making Phone Calls
Volunteers are needed to make phone calls informing players and their parents of team meetings, parent meetings, and cancelled or rescheduled practices and games.
Miscellaneous Tasks
We have all sort of one-off volunteer tasks including sponsorship outreach, inventory tracking and maintenance and many other tasks.
TEAM ROLES
Being a Team Manager or Coach
Being a manager or coach requires time, patience, and basic knowledge of the game of baseball. You may be required to attend meetings, instructional sessions, or seminars. You will communicate with the parents/guardians of your players to inform them of any schedule changes, rainouts, and Little League events and activities.
As a manager or coach, you have more interaction with young people than anyone else in Little League. Therefore, it is important that you understand the goals and virtues of the Little League program in order to effectively communicate them to your players.
Helping with Field Maintenance
In some cases, your local Little League is required to maintain the fields that your child plays on. As a part of the field maintenance crew, your skills and abilities may be used to mow grass, line fields, rake dirt, and execute minor repairs on fences, benches and bleachers.
Scorekeeping
The responsibilities of our scorekeepers will be to keep an accurate scorebook and pitch count throughout an entire game. Previous scorekeeping experience is NOT required, we will provide training.
Team Parent
The team parent's duties and responsibilities are to do the administrative tasks for the team which will allow the Manager to concentrate on coaching, the players and team development.
TEAM PARENT MEETING - Attend the Team Parent meeting and receive all the information you need to pass onto the manager, coaches and parents. We will provide you with all the information needed to be the liaison and facilitator of all league activities.
MAKE AN AFTER GAME SNACK SCHEDULE (for TeeBall and Farms Teams Only) Once you get your game schedule, pick a team player that will be responsible for bringing snacks that day. The players really appreciate and enjoy these snacks and refreshments after a game. NOTE: Please make sure to check with parents' to make sure their child doesn't have any food allergies.
EMAIL PARENTS - Send out an email, "Hey I'm the Team Parent" as soon as you can. You will need to always keep parents informed of what's going on with the team as well as with the league.
PICTURE DAY - You will need to pass out the picture order forms and inform the families on your team of your scheduled picture time on Opening Day.
TEAM BASKET - You will need put together a team basket to auction off at the Hit-A-Thon. Pick a theme and talk to the families on your team and collect donations so you can purchase the items needed to put the basket together.
SNACK SHACK SIGN-UPS - You will need to recruit/ assign the parents to help in the snack shack. You will be given a snack shack schedule at the beginning of the season. It is very important to you send out reminders to the families on your team of when they are scheduled to work snack shack.
TEAM PARTY - You will need to organize and plan an end of the season party for your team.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
League President
Presides at league meetings, and assumes full responsibility for the operation of the local league. The President receives all mail, supplies and other communications from Little League International. The President must see to it that the league personnel are properly briefed on all phases of rules, regulations, and policies of Little League. The league President is the contact between the local organization and Little League International.
Vice President
Presides in the absence of the President; works with other officers and committee members; is ex-officio member of all committees and carries out such duties and assignments as may be delegated by the President.
Secretary
Maintains a register of members and directors; records the minutes of meetings; is responsible for sending out notice of meetings, issues, membership cards and maintains a record of the league’s activities.
Treasurer
Signs checks co-signed by another officer or director; dispenses league funds as approved by the board of directors; reports on the status of league funds; keeps local league books and financial records; prepares budgets and assumes the responsibility for all league finances.
Player Agent
Conducts annual tryouts and is in charge of player selection, assists President in checking birth records and eligibility of players; serves as a member of the board of directors of the local league an generally supervises and coordinates the transfer of players to or from the Minor Leagues according to the provisions of the regulations of Little League.
Safety Officer
Coordinates all safety activities; ensures the safety in player training; ensures safe playing conditions; coordinates reporting and prevention of injuries; solicits suggestions for making conditions safer, and reports suggestions to Little League International through the league President.
Information Officer/Secretary
Manages the league’s official home page on active.com, manages the online registration process; assigns administrative rights to league volunteers and team; ensures that league news and scores are updated on a regular basis; collects, posts and distributes important information on league activities including direct dissemination of fund-raising and sponsor activities to Little League International, district, public, league members and media; serves as primary contact person for Little League and active.com regarding optimizing use of the Internet for league administration and for distributing information to league members and Little League.
Coaching Coordinator
Represents coaches/managers in league; presents a coach/manager training budget to the board; gains the support and funds necessary to implement a league-wide training program; orders and distributes training materials to players, coaches and managers; coordinates mini-clinics as necessary; serves as the contact person for Little League and its manager/coach education program for the league.