IGNITX is proud to highlight the active involvement of our IGNITERS, Tracie Carlsund and Emeline Fraysse, in the Erasmus+ funded project Upskilling Volunteer Managers in Sport (UVMIS). Led by Erasmus University Rotterdam, this two-year initiative brings together partners including CEV (Centre for European Volunteering), Koninklijke Nederlandse Hockey Bond, ENGSO, NR Sports Volunteering Solutions, French Federation Sport and Leisure Profession, CSV Trentino, Vytautas Magnus University, and IGNITX. The project seeks to enhance volunteer management in sports across Europe and develop structured learning pathways for volunteer managers.

We are delighted to have IGNITERS Tracie Carlsund and Emeline Fraysse, who bring years of experience in volunteer management, alongside Ilva Biedre, Managing Director and Co-Founder of IGNITX, as part of the project team. Their expertise is helping shape post-experience learning materials that provide clear pathways for validating volunteer management competencies through both formal and informal education, including university courses.

In February, UVMIS partners met in Cologne to refine strategies and align on next steps. This laid the foundation for a sustainable, ethical, and inclusive training and qualification programme for sport volunteer managers.

Building on this, in March IGNITX hosted two focus group sessions with sport event professionals. Participants discussed the role of volunteer managers, essential skill sets, available training programmes, and the value of certification. These discussions, combined with desk research, fed into the State of the Art Report.

The State of the Art Report, released in June, analyses the current state of volunteer management in Europe. Some key messages include:

These findings set the stage for UVMIS to create a comprehensive curriculum and advocate for recognition of volunteer management as a professional career path. For the full report, click here.

Having managed volunteer programmes at major events like Paris 2024 and Buenos Aires 2018, what key lessons do you think are most valuable for shaping the UVMIS training materials?

We need to train professionals who will inspire volunteers to fully commit to the event they are participating in. For managers, this involves how they recruit and train volunteers, but also how they treat them on a daily basis. We therefore need to incorporate project management methods into our materials, but also communication and human resource management methods for dealing with the unexpected. If we succeed at an event, volunteers will renew their commitment in the long term, which is also the objective of this project.

In your view, how can initiatives like UVMIS help bridge the gap between event-specific volunteer training and long-term professional recognition for volunteer managers?

Many volunteer managers gain skills on the job but rarely receive formal recognition for them. UVMIS has the potential to change that by creating structured pathways and certifications. This will not only empower managers but also encourage more people to see volunteer management as a professional career in sport.

With your extensive background in volunteer and workforce management at international events, what do you see as the most pressing challenges volunteer managers face today?

Consistency and recognition remain the biggest challenges. Volunteer managers are often expected to deliver complex programmes with limited resources and little formal training. There’s also the challenge of balancing operational demands with volunteer well-being. A project like UVMIS is vital to standardise practices and provide the right tools and training.

How do you think the UVMIS project — and particularly the State of the Art Report — can influence the way sports organisations value and professionalise volunteer management?

The report clearly shows that volunteer management is not just a logistical function but a professional skill set that adds real value to sport. By highlighting gaps and proposing solutions, UVMIS gives sports organisations a roadmap to invest in volunteer managers, ensuring they are recognised as key professionals in the success of events.

With the State of the Art Report published and the next phase underway, UVMIS will continue to develop pilot training, road test events, and a comprehensive curriculum. The contributions of our IGNITERS, Tracie and Emeline, will remain central in ensuring that the project delivers impactful and lasting results for the sports sector.

Visit the project website for more information - https://www.uvmis-eu.org/.