10 June 2026
"We're All In": The Small Grants Making a Big Difference to Club Volunteering
Small grants, big impact. RYA NI's We're All In initiative has helped six clubs recruit, recognise and support the volunteers who keep sailing afloat.
Volunteers are the engine room of club sailing, and RYA Northern Ireland's We're All In initiative has been working to make sure they feel recruited, recognised and supported ahead of the 2026 season.
Delivered through a flexible small-grants programme, the initiative encouraged clubs to place volunteering more visibly within their seasonal planning and to create welcoming opportunities for members, parents and new volunteers to get involved.
Six clubs and organisations took part:
- Donaghadee Sailing Club
- Ballyholme Yacht Club
- County Antrim Yacht Club
- Belfast Lough Sailability
- Portaferry Sailing Club
- Royal Ulster Yacht Club
Funded activities ranged widely, including volunteer information evenings, family engagement events, volunteer training programmes, clean-up days and social activities designed to reconnect members and strengthen club communities. More than 300 volunteer and member engagements took place across the initiative.
The results speak for themselves. Clubs reported increased volunteer engagement, the recruitment of new volunteers, stronger communication within their clubs, improved volunteer confidence, greater parental involvement and a wider awareness of volunteering opportunities among members.
Volunteers are at the heart of sailing clubs across Northern Ireland. What was particularly encouraging through We're All In was seeing clubs begin to think more proactively about volunteering, not simply as something that happens naturally, but as something that needs support, planning and visibility within club life.
Beyond the Grants
On the ground, that proactive thinking looked like family engagement evenings linked to junior sailing programmes, volunteer recognition and appreciation events, structured training and mentoring, specialist volunteer workshops, and even new digital volunteer rota systems.
The programme also shone a light on the wider volunteering challenges clubs are navigating, including volunteer fatigue, succession planning and a reliance on small groups of experienced volunteers. Feedback from clubs reinforced the importance of creating visible, welcoming and socially supportive pathways into volunteering.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway? Relatively small and flexible funding can create meaningful impact within clubs and help strengthen long-term volunteer sustainability.
RYA Northern Ireland will continue to explore opportunities to support clubs in volunteer development, training and community engagement across the region.