Volunteer work in the spotlight: How TSV Schafhausen gives its volunteers a stage

Volunteers keep TSV Schafhausen running, yet hardly anyone knows their stories. The club is now making them visible – with an Instagram series that is more than just a nice idea.

TSV Schafhausen Ehrenamt im Spotlight Instagram-Serie
“Volunteerism in the Spotlight” regularly features individual club members on Instagram – with photos, text, and what they contribute to TSV Schafhausen.

Making volunteer work in sports clubs visible: the idea behind “Volunteering in the Spotlight”

Anyone scrolling through the social media channels of many sports clubs will see match reports, results, announcements, or social media trends. But what truly keeps clubs running often remains in the background: the people who volunteer their time, energy, and passion. And they do so alongside their families and jobs. Public recognition for this? Rarely any.


TSV Schafhausen, a multi-sport club with around 900 members, has changed that. With its Instagram series “Volunteering in the Spotlight,” the club deliberately puts the focus on the people without whom nothing would work: volunteers, organizers, and supporters working behind the scenes.

"One club, many faces": Personal stories as a key success facto

True to the motto “One club, many faces,” one person involved in the club is featured each week – with a photo and a personal story. It is a deliberate statement: at TSV, appreciation should no longer take place only internally, but also be made visible to the public.

Among those featured are long-time TSV member Philipp, whose “secret talent” is connecting the different departments, and Sandra, for whom children’s gymnastics is a true passion project. “She gives our kids an unforgettable time through sports,” the club writes on Instagram.

“We believe that these people deserve to receive appreciation publicly as well,” says Sebastian Heilmann, who has been a board member at TSV Schafhausen since March 2025, in an interview with spized. He explains that many of the club’s volunteers have been doing tremendous work “for years, in some cases even decades.” Not for attention, but out of conviction, joy, and a sense of purpose.

Win-win for the club and volunteer commitment: more visibility, more connection

Behind the idea, which grew out of the belief that these people deserve visibility, there is also a win-win approach for the club. “We give people a platform and show appreciation, but at the same time, they also do something for the club by making it more approachable and visible,” says Nico Sievers, who has also been part of the TSV board since March 2025.

The series therefore fulfills several purposes at once: it creates recognition for existing volunteer commitment, inspires other members, and makes the club appear more approachable to the outside world.

In addition, TSV hopes that the series will help attract new volunteers. Despite having many committed people within the club, this remains one of the biggest challenges shared by many sports clubs – and one that also concerns those responsible in Schafhausen. The group of active volunteers is too small for the long list of plans the club has. Heilmann sums it up perfectly: “Far too few people are doing far too much.” The consequence: projects remain unfinished and potential goes untapped. “Our departments really have a lot of ideas, but they cannot put them into practice because volunteers are missing,” says Sievers.

The goal of the TSV board is to gradually build the club on broader shoulders, create clear structures, and make volunteering attractive to new target groups. Because the understanding of volunteer work has changed. “In the past, volunteering was something natural for many people – it came from family traditions and village communities,” says Heilmann. “Today, you have to show people how rewarding and exciting it can be to get involved.”

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What the series achieves – for volunteers and the club

“Volunteering in the Spotlight” is one building block of this strategy and has already achieved its first successes. The series is being received positively – and not only by club members. The posts are also reaching people outside the club because they are personal. “When I see how many clicks these posts receive and how many likes come from non-members, it’s clear that people are noticing them,” says Heilmann.

For a club like TSV, which wants to attract new volunteers, this is an important foundation. Because commitment begins with visibility. People will not support a club they do not know. The series makes the club more approachable. And even more importantly: those who know the faces behind the club may be more willing to get involved themselves.

Conclusion: appreciation is not just a feeling – it needs a platfo

“Volunteering in the Spotlight” does something that many clubs neglect: it makes the invisible visible. It highlights the people who have been working for years without standing in the spotlight. TSV Schafhausen says out loud what is often silently expected – and in doing so creates something that goes beyond appreciation: approachability.

Want to try this in your own club as well? Start small. One photo. One text. One person per week. The impact does not come from perfection, but from consistency.

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