{"alias":"storyCaseStudy","byline":"","standfirst":"At Scouts, we\u2019re in the midst of a big drive to get more people understanding and experiencing the benefits of volunteering with us.","content":{"layouts":[{"type":"singleColumn","areas":[{"items":[{"gridType":"gridImageBlock","gtmId":"gtmId","gtmClass":"gtmClass","image":"/media/5033/recruitment-twitter-post-4-png.png","width":910,"height":512,"altText":"","caption":"","link":null},{"gridType":"RichTextBlock","content":"\u003Cp\u003EGroups in Hampshire have recently had great success in recruiting new volunteers. To find out what they\u2019ve been up to, we had a chat with Vanessa, their Local Development Officer.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESo Vanessa, spill the beans \u2013 what have you been doing to attract new volunteers?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve tried lots of different tactics, from the obvious flyers through to an interactive window display. They key difference is that everything features QR codes that take people to our local volunteer inbox, to make it simple to register interest.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe speed of getting back to people is critical \u2013 even just a holding email like \u2018I\u2019m investigating the best place for you to go\u2019 is reassuring for potential volunteers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d recommend people make the most of the empty shops about at the moment. We created a display (with up-to-date images of Scouts volunteers having fun in the outdoors) in an empty Debenhams window in a great central location \u2013 it\u2019s a fab way to show the public what Scouts is all about.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe ran our display for about three months and updated the scene according to the holidays to keep it fresh. We captured interest through QR codes and also by standing outside and chatting to people.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat audiences do you focus on recruiting?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EOur biggest source of volunteers is parents and guardians \u2013 we have almost 100% success, especially in a new group. It\u2019s their children in Scouts, so do encourage them to join in the fun. It\u2019s not just the child joining, it\u2019s the family joining, and that includes both parents/carers and grandparents \u2013 Scouts can benefit the whole family.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022/news/2021/september/how-portsmouth-s-reached-new-communities-with-squirrel-scouts/\u0022 title=\u0022How Portsmouth\u2019s reached new communities with Squirrel Scouts\u0022\u003EOur early years pilots in Portsmouth\u003C/a\u003E have proven to be a brilliant way to get more parents/carers involved. We said to them that they needed to come in for the first few weeks as part of the child\u2019s induction, which is a golden opportunity to show them Scouts (and almost like doing the four-week challenge by stealth!). They can understand what we\u2019re all about and we can challenge misconceptions \u2013 it\u2019s about giving the information to the parents at the earliest stage possible.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt doesn\u2019t stop there though. We tap into a wide range of audiences.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMilitary families and veterans are a huge source of volunteers for us as we\u2019ve got 13 bases in the area and the adults have all the right skills. You can target people who are leaving the services and looking for employment, as being able to say they volunteer with Scouts is a good way to enhance their CV. If you have a local base, talk to the Base Commander or Community Development Team.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EUniversity students need work placements too, especially those on childcare and education based courses. Rather than just going to freshers fairs (as students sign up to everything), talk to the university careers office as they also deal with volunteering opportunities. You\u2019ll need to bear in mind the life of a student \u2013 they\u2019ll come and go, but they\u2019re invaluable.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso target 16\u002B education, like sixth form colleges, where they offer a wide range of courses both for 16\u002B young people and adults. I go to their volunteering or freshers fairs as you can often get Young Leaders signed up. Get yourself along anywhere where there\u2019s a vocational course \u2013 if they\u2019ve got childcare, sports, early years, or an outdoor activity course, those people will want experience to go along with their studies.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople who are looking to adopt or foster children will very often need experience too. Have a conversation with your local authorities to understand how it works \u2013 they may only volunteer initially for a certain timeframe but they often come back later when the process is complete.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve tried targeting business professionals as well. We\u2019ve contacted organisations, particularly if they have a staff canteen, and have asked if we can be there over lunchtime with our promotional materials so people can have a ponder while they\u2019re having a meal \u2013 we\u2019ll then ask them when they come out if there was anything that interested them.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFind out who the community lead is in a business and tap into the staff room by getting some flyers in there. We were once invited by Tesco to talk to regional managers about why it\u2019s good for their employees to volunteer with us.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat other channels have you used to target these audiences?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EMake sure you tap into all the volunteer websites across the county.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI\u2019d recommend you tailor the wording of an advert to a \u2018non-Scout\u2019 audience by referring to a Group Scout Leader as a manager of the Scout group \u2013 this helps to attract the right people and provides more context about what the role actually is, for people new to Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIf you can get yourself in, volunteer fairs are a fantastic opportunity to recruit volunteers as you\u2019ve got a captive audience. Show that you don\u2019t have to just work with young people and talk about flexible volunteering opportunities. I\u2019ve done lots of these fairs online through the pandemic.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EIt\u2019s often harder to recruit in rural areas but you need to find where the community hub is; It could be the local shop, the phone box library or even the pub if they have one.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EYou can add flyers to community notice boards in local supermarkets and coffee shops too (go for an A4 flyer as they\u2019re less likely to be covered by others). Remember to keep revisiting though and make sure your flyer is visible and relevant, removing the \u2018out of date\u2019 flyers so people can see yours.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDo you have any other recommendations on the right things to say to people?\u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EI will always talk about them joining a team. Ideally, we\u2019d have 6-8 people per section \u2013 some leader\u2019s think that\u2019s too many but really, it\u2019s a team of people who can share the workload and rota themselves on or off. This makes it easier to sell too as it gives people the opportunity to volunteer without making a big commitment.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe emphasise the flexible volunteering model of being part of a large team. We all know life throws you curveballs \u2013 if you can\u2019t make it to Scouts, that\u2019s OK; you\u2019re not letting anyone down as you\u2019ve got a team to count on.\u0026nbsp;\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003ESuccess breeds success. If you\u2019re going to join something, you\u2019re more likely to join a big team because looking in from outside, the workload you\u2019re going to share is going to be a lot less.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EAlways ask for \u2018adults\u2019 to help, not leaders \u2013 while we know what that means, most people don\u2019t. The word \u2018leader\u2019 can also put people off, as they might feel intimated by it. It\u2019s about how you position things.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFinally, having asked people directly, never pressurise them into signing up as the natural reaction is to say no. Let them take away the information, digest it and come back with questions.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat\u2019s been the most successful tactic for you? \u003C/strong\u003E\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EThe most successful tactic is always asking people face-to-face. You cannot beat sitting down and having a conversation.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EConsider those casual moments, like when you\u2019re queuing for food, and get talking. People love talking about themselves, so find out something about them and then pitch. A Scouts colleague and I were once asked by a Community Beat Officer \u2018what we were up to\u2019 \u2013 10 minutes later he had agreed to volunteer at a group close to home. Never miss an opportunity when it presents itself!\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019re not asking for everyone to be leaders \u2013 we just need help. I firmly believe everybody can do something. It\u2019s not easy but if we can change the culture of the group so when families join they\u2019ll know they\u2019ll be expected to help in some way, no matter how small, that\u2019ll make a big difference.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe\u2019ve got a single parent with a young child in Beavers, whose job has brought her to Portsmouth and she didn\u2019t really know anyone else. Now that she\u2019s joined us, she\u2019s established a network of adults outside of school and work, so it\u2019s been brilliant. It\u2019s as good for her as it is for her child. It\u2019s all about being a part of a community.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EWe also all know volunteering can improve your mental health so don\u2019t feel awkward about mentioning this when talking to potential volunteers.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EFinally, make the most of the #GoodForYou national recruitment campaign. It\u2019s definitely helped us and enables us to highlight the value of volunteering at Scouts.\u003C/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003EHundreds of people have volunteered during the pandemic in some way and many more have re-evaluated what is important to them. This could be life-changing for them.\u003C/p\u003E","gtmId":"","gtmClass":""},{"gridType":"callToAction","gtmId":"","gtmClass":"","buttonText":"Discover more tips to recruit volunteers","buttonLink":{"name":"Growing Scouts","id":null,"url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/","newWindow":false,"target":null},"colour":{"value":"ca1a10","label":"ca1a10"},"alignment":"left"}]}],"config":null}]},"searchDescription":null,"pageType":null,"location":null,"versionDate":"07 September 2021","reviewDate":null,"furtherReading":[{"caption":"","title":"How #GoodForYou has worked for one Group Scout Leader","url":"/news/2021/june/how-the-goodforyou-volunteer-recruitment-campaign-has-already-worked-for-one-group-scout-leader/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Scouts launch #GoodForYou","url":"/news/2021/may/scouts-launch-goodforyou/","newWindow":false}],"relatedLinks":[{"caption":"","title":"Resources to help Grow Scouting","url":"/volunteers/growing-scouts/","newWindow":false},{"caption":"","title":"Volunteer recruitment workshops","url":"#","newWindow":false}],"id":50385,"nodeName":"Top tips for recruiting volunteers","title":"Top tips for recruiting volunteers","type":"storyCaseStudy","image":{"url":"/media/5033/recruitment-twitter-post-4-png.png?width=800\u0026height=450\u0026v=1d9becd05b177b0","caption":"Recruitment Twitter Post 4 Png","type":"png","size":690953,"width":910,"height":512,"altText":""},"assets":null,"headerOptions":{"headerTitle":"Top tips for recruiting volunteers","headerSubTitle":null,"headerCta":null,"headerCtaText":null,"headerCtaLink":null,"headerBackgroundColour":null,"showSEOImage":false,"headerBackgroundImage":null,"quickLinks":null},"subHeader":"Groups in Hampshire have recently had great success in recruiting new volunteers. We found out what they\u0027ve been up to.","browserTitle":null,"silktide":"eyJjbXMiOiJVbWJyYWNvIiwiZWRpdG9yVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9wcm9kLWNtcy5zY291dHMub3JnLnVrLy91bWJyYWNvIy9jb250ZW50L2NvbnRlbnQvZWRpdC81MDM4NSJ9","canonicalUrl":"https://www.scouts.org.uk/news/2021/september/top-tips-for-recruiting-volunteers/"}