{"alias":"blogEntry","byline":"","standfirst":"","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EThings are looking up. We\u2019re getting back to Scouts and having fun.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETo help us extend our reach and give more young people amazing experiences, \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/volunteer/volunteering-with-scouts/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Ewe\u2019re on the hunt for more volunteers\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe spoke with Mark, a County Commissioner and Group Scout Leader in Suffolk, to find out how he\u2019s gearing up to find more people to join them.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHe\u2019s a marketer by trade and has been involved with Scouts since he was a Cub! He has a wealth of experience to share on what\u2019s worked well, what hasn\u2019t, and what he\u2019s planning for this year. \u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/20012/two-girls-wearing-harnesses-and-crate-building-theyre-holding-onto-each-other-and-wearing-helmets.jpg","width":6000,"height":4000,"altText":"Two Scouts in orange helmets and harnesses hold on to each other while crate stacking.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat tactics have you used to recruit volunteers? \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI got some really good advice from one of the Scouts training courses (module 25).\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you say to people, \u2018We\u2019re absolutely desperate, we\u2019ve got no volunteers, and it looks like the group is going to fold, can you help us?\u2019 it\u2019s like saying, \u2018Do you want to join a sinking ship?\u2019, which isn\u2019t really attractive to anyone.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe aim to use positive messaging, such as \u2018We\u2019ve filled up and need to grow, so we need some people to step forward as we\u2019re on the upward trend.\u2019\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBy bigging up that you\u2019re growing and you\u2019ve got new volunteers, it makes your group look appealing to join. It\u2019s a classic sales tactic that has worked really well for us.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, not everyone is confident in being a good salesperson \u2013 if they were, the world would be a very strange place. You need to have a people-person upfront, talking to potential volunteers about how great volunteering is.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf no one\u2019s really a budding salesperson in your group, maybe that\u2019s where you ask for help \u2013 you could look for sales coaching opportunities.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18336/cubs-chatting-at-table.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"Four Cubs smiling and looking at each other while sat around a table outside.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat other marketing methods would you recommend?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWell, first off, our local village magazine that we advertised in for free for six months wasn\u2019t successful at all. We also tried a leaflet drop around the village, which didn\u2019t work either.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, what did work was posting on the village Facebook page. We received a lot of enquiries for young people to join, with a couple of their parents and carers saying they\u2019re happy to help as well.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EBuilding awareness and teaching recruitment skills is really where Districts need to come in \u2013 such as amplifying the #GoodForYou campaign and Census messaging at the end of May. Local BBC radio stations are also an excellent way to get your message out there. A good opportunity could also be Volunteer Week in June.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWho are you looking to recruit now?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re planning to recruit in three phases, focusing on the warmest audience first:\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Col\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EParents, carers and relatives of young people\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EYoung leaders and Explorers\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003EAdults new to Scouts\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003Cli\u003ECompanies that offer volunteering leave\u003C/li\u003E\n\u003C/ol\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ETraditionally in marketing, you\u2019d look to sell to existing clients first as they\u2019re already engaged, they know who you are and they trust you. So this can be applied to audiences already involved with Scouts \u2013 like parents of young people. \u003Ca rel=\u0022noopener\u0022 href=\u0022https://prod-cms.scouts.org.uk/media/13433/210125-eastern-region-adult-recruitment-v03.pptx\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EYou can find out more about our audience segmentation in these slides\u003C/a\u003E.\u00A0\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/18280/beaver-with-football.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"A Beaver in a blue jumper smiles while kneeling down and holding onto a football.","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow have you planned to recruit these people?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve pulled together a creative framework and message hierarchy, currently relating to skills for life, that we\u2019ll gear up to include #GoodForYou messaging too. We\u2019re also going to use people-based imagery \u2013 we want to show that sense of belonging and accomplishment. We want people to feel like they\u2019re jumping into a friendly family group, not a clique.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ll of course have the leaflets, posters, adverts etc but really it\u2019s about working out how you\u2019re going to use materials and where your target audience are. We need to broaden our networks and get out meeting new people. Don\u2019t just hand out a leaflet and not follow up \u2013 encouraging volunteers to make the ask of \u2018Will you volunteer with us?\u2019 is key.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s also really important we have a consistent welcome process. We\u2019re in the process of setting up automated welcome and next steps emails, and are looking at running county welcome events twice a year.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Ch4\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAny final words, Mark?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/h4\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe challenge of finding enough new volunteers, as a movement, is how we bring everyone along with us \u2013 it\u2019s the ones who don\u2019t tell you they have a problem that we need to think most about.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAnd remember, it\u2019s all about how you tell people about the benefits of Scouts \u2013 and there are lots of those!\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/19202/smiling-squirrel.jpg","width":7000,"height":4667,"altText":"A Squirrel in a red jumper and yellow and green scarf smiles while looking to one side.","caption":"","link":null},{"type":"Promo","cta":"","body":"\u003Cp\u003EFor more tips on supporting volunteer recruitment at county level, \u003Ca href=\u0022https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/april/how-one-county-commissioner-is-recruiting-volunteers/\u0022\u003Echeck out our interview with Amy\u003C/a\u003E, a County Commissioner from Lincolnshire.\u003C/p\u003E","link":null,"colour":"#f1f1f1","title":"","image":null,"imageFocus":"","imageId":0,"imageKey":"00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000","imageCrop":"","gridType":"card","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"17 May 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[],"relatedLinks":[],"id":48664,"nodeName":"How to recruit new volunteers \u2013 from a marketer by trade, volunteer at heart","title":"How to recruit new volunteers \u2013 from a marketer by trade, volunteer at heart","type":"blogEntry","image":{"url":"/media/11014/dwayne-fields-bhm-role-model.jpg?cc=0,0.036662083906178394,0,0.11969337166187567\u0026width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd126b3810","caption":"Dwayne Fields BHM Role Model","type":"jpg","size":11116690,"width":4000,"height":2667,"altText":"Dwayne Fields, wearing a black jacket and necker, stands in front of a sign saying \u0027You look like a role model\u0027."},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"How to recruit new volunteers \u2013 from a marketer by trade, volunteer at heart","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Tips and tactics from a County Commissioner and Group Scout Leader on how to get more volunteers in.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC80ODY2NCJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/may/how-to-recruit-new-volunteers-from-a-marketer-by-trade-volunteer-at-heart/"}