Volunteering

We're all in the same boat

The Gatineau River Yacht Club (GRYC) is a volunteer-driven community. While we hire a small staff during the summer to support sailing programs, administration, and maintenance, members play a crucial role in keeping the club running smoothly. By volunteering, you’re not just helping the club—you’re helping build a stronger, more connected community.

Quick links:

This is photo of a group of people lifting a boat

How volunteering works at the GRYC

There are many volunteer opportunities to suit a wide range of skills and interests. We make it easy to get involved through our online sign-up system. Most volunteer tasks are posted in the spring, with additional opportunities added throughout the season. Keep an eye on the e-newsletter and the club calendar on the website for links to sign up. We recommend checking 2–3 days before events for any last-minute openings.

Volunteer requirements

  • Adult members (individual) are expected to contribute at least 8 hours per season.
  • Family memberships must contribute at least 16 hours collectively per season.

Volunteer tasks are designed for adults, but older teens and young adults in family memberships are encouraged to help out—provided they can complete the task safely and independently.

Need an Exception?

If you’re unable to meet your volunteer hours due to medical reasons or other circumstances, email membership@gryc.ca. We’ll work with you to find a suitable role—or possibly grant an exemption.

Sample Volunteer Roles & Hours

A wide variety of volunteer opportunities are available every year: from social and sailing events, to manual work projects, to off-site administrative tasks and committee work. There’s something for all skills, interests, and abilities! Have a project or skill you can contribute to the club that isn’t listed in the Volunteer tasks? Contact the Manager or a member of the Board with your ideas.

Approximately 4 hours (1/2 day)

  • Sunday Race or safety boat crew
  • Club Night helpers: BBQ, food prep, clean-up
  • Facilities projects (various roles)

Approximately 8 hours (1 day)

  • Removing and storing safety boat winter tarps
  • Opening, closing, and maintaining the club water lines in spring and fall

Approximately 16 hours (2 days) or more

  • Serving on a committee
  • Acting as Club boat Captain
  • Leading or working on major facilities projects (4–100+ hrs)

Volunteer Contribution Administration

Using iVolunteer

All volunteer activities are managed through our online volunteer management system, iVolunteer.

How to sign up for volunteering:

  1. Click on the event or task you’re interested in from the GRYC iVolunteer homepage.
    (You can also find iVolunteer by clicking the “Volunteer sign-up” link at the top of any page on the GRYC website.)
  2. Enter your name, phone number, and the email address where you'd like to receive confirmations. Please use the same email and spelling of your name every time to help us stay within our software’s user limit and to facilitate accurate tallying of your contributions at the end of the season.
    Note: It is recommended to use the same email address and how your name appears in your Membership Profile.
  3. You will receive a confirmation email.
    Important: The first time you sign up, the confirmation email will include a link to verify your email address. Be sure to open it and click the link to finalize your sign-up. If not confirmed, the spot will reopen to other members and your volunteer hours will not be tracked.
  4. If you do not receive a confirmation, check your spam/junk email folder and allow emails from "ivolunteer.com".
  5. iVolunteer will automatically track all of your commitments linked to your email address.

Need to Cancel?

Please cancel early if you can’t make it so another member has time to step in. As a courtesy, please also inform the contact person named under “Contact” in the volunteer description in case they need to recruit last-minute volunteers.

To cancel:

  1. Open your original confirmation email.
  2. Click the “Manage all of your volunteering” link.
  3. Click on My Commitments, then select the opportunity you want to cancel.

Tracking Your Volunteer Contributions

It is each member’s responsibility to ensure their volunteer contributions have been recorded in the system. After each confirmed sign-up, you’ll receive a link to track your hours.

At the end of the season, the GRYC will tally all your volunteer contributions to confirm that your membership volunteer requirements have been met.

You can view your tracked volunteer contributions in iVolunteer. At the bottom of the GRYC iVolunteer homepage you may see “My Commitments”. Click on "My Commitments" or you can link directly to https://gryc.ivolunteer.com/participant. Enter the email address you used to sign up for tasks and click Send. You will receive a link showing all the commitments connected with your email address.

Important: Make sure your hours are accurately logged in iVolunteer. Hours not recorded in iVolunteer will not be counted. Mistakes happen—check in with staff or lead volunteers when you arrive, and follow up with the listed contact person or manager@gryc.ca if something is missing or incorrect.

Note: iVolunteer does not combine individual family members’ contributions automatically. For Family memberships, you may need to view each family member’s contributions using the email address they used to sign up for volunteer tasks.

Penalties for Not Meeting Volunteer Requirements

Members who don’t fulfill their volunteer hours may be charged a non-volunteering fine.

If a member consistently fails to meet volunteer requirements over multiple years, and does not provide reasonable justification, this may result in loss of membership (as per By-law Article 4.4).

Questions?

  1. Any questions about a specific task or see an error in a volunteer listing, contact the person named under “Contact” in the volunteer description in iVolunteer.
  2. For more general questions, technical difficulties, and volunteer opportunities, contact the Club Manager at manager@gryc.ca.
  3. Issues or concerns with volunteer requirements at the GRYC can be directed to membership@gryc.ca or the Club Secretary at secretary@gryc.ca.

Let’s all pitch in and make every season a great one!