Stage 4 - Recruit volunteers

Open events are an opportunity to family members how fun, rewarding and easy volunteering can be – and get them as excited about joining as their children are. 

Adults new to Scouts might have misconceptions about what it takes to volunteer. Below is some advice on how to show them what it’s really like, and where to go from there. 

At the end of the evening, hold a short adult talk:

• Explain you’re looking for a team of adults to work together to deliver the type of activities they’ve experienced that night.
• Focus on the tasks you need help with, not the roles you need to fill. 
• Point out they already have the skills they need to get involved.
• Remind them flexible volunteering is an option, allowing them to join in a way that suits them and their schedule. 
• Answer any questions they might have. 

About a week after the open event:

• Invite the adults who attended to a meeting where you can explain the different ways in which they can volunteer and the tasks that need to be done to open and support the new section/group.
• Make it clear there’s a team of people to support them and that they won’t be left on their own.
• Remember: the adult talk resources are designed to help you.

Next, invite the new adults to help plan and deliver some taster sessions over a period of four weeks. These should be easy to deliver, fun and engaging for the adults as well as the young people. Check out the 4-week challenge information for help, and remember: there are lots of amazing tools available to support you with your adult recruitment. 

Now that you’ve recruited some volunteers, it’s time to move onto the final stage: Opening and support.

Watch the below video on how social media can help you bring more brilliant people in