Recruiting more adults

Scouting only happens because adults want it to! We depend upon adults to offer some of their spare time to help run exciting programmes for beavers, cubs and scouts. Without our adult volunteers we simply can’t make scouting happen.

With this in mind, it’s important to remember that all groups need to prioritise the recruitment of adults to help out and to do this properly it is important to take a step back, take stock, refocus and develop a plan of action to recruit and support new adults.

The purpose of these web pages are to help you systematically think through, prioritise and plan a successful adult recruitment campaign. It has been designed to be flexible, you can work you way through or you can pull out the bits that are most helpful to you at the current time.

When it comes to adult recruitment it can be easy for other responsibilities to squeeze your need to find more volunteers off your current to do list. No matter how much you want to get your recruitment drive up and running getting around to doing it can sometimes be hard.

Setting goals is a proven and keyway to help you move from daydreams to actions. A well thought out recruitment strategy will give your recruitment a sense of urgency and help to focus your mind and actions to getting the job done. And by building a time scale into your action plan you will give your team a deadline to aim for.

With clearly defined tasks and goals in place, it is easy to work out the steps you need to take to recruit new volunteers. You will also find you can communicate your plan and goals to your leadership and executive teams much more clearly, which is particularly helpful as you are relying on their commitment and support to achieve your groups goals.

Goals and plans are only effective if you keep them in front of you and review them regularly. Simply writing them only to stuff them into a filing cabinet will only mean you don't get the benefit of your planning. Remember to review your plans and if necessary, modify them on a regular (weekly?), basis otherwise you will quickly find that other pressures pushed them off your to do list.

Keep in mind that a recruitment strategy is a clear plan that explains what tasks/roles you are recruiting for, when, why and how. It should be tied to your group’s needs. Your strategy must be possible to implement and easy to communicate.

There are lots of things that you can do to plan for successful adult recruitment and this guide aims to provide you with lots of ideas and pointers to help you succeed.

In an ideal world you will have time to plan each of the stages listed below before you start to recruit, but we know that this isn't always possible or realistic...

Don't despair!
Use our checklist to identify any areas in your recruitment plans that could use some further thought, refining or possible adding to your plans and then pick your top three to concentrate on.

The sections below provide lots of food for thought, easy to use resources and download and use tools to help you recruit the people you need for your team.

• Follow-up enquiries quickly
• Encourage flexibility in volunteering in your section
• Provide a friendly welcome and induction
• Ensure early engagement with getting stated training
• Celebrate their volunteering early on
• Make it easier for your volunteers
• Spend time with new parents and let them know how they can get involved
• Breakdown roles (recruit people not leaders)
• Don’t be afraid to ask ANYONE

REMEMBER, REMEMBER, REMEMBER…
Flexibility is the key to recruiting and retaining volunteers, not just when they join, but through-out their time in scouting