Recruiting Volunteer Leaders: Get the Help You Need
Finding New Adults to Contribute Can Be Difficult - We Can Help
Adult volunteers are what make Scouting work. So it's very important to always be recruiting more adult volunteers. Here are some critical points to remember.
A Few Leaders vs. Everyone Helping
A well run pack/troop/crew has every adult helping with something. Scouting is interactive for ALL involved. If you let the parents sit in the back checking smartphones, they'll take advantage of that.
Everyone does something. Give every adult a leader application when their child joins. Even if you don't turn it in, you have it filled out, ready to go when they do have a position in the pack/troop/crew.
Group Asks vs. One-on-One Approach
The Group Ask (No)
One of the most common mistakes made in recruiting is having someone stand up in front of the crowd and says something like,
"Ok, we need a new Cubmaster or the pack is going to die. So if you're interested in doing this job, please let one of the leaders know so that we can...you know...not die as a pack."
This is one of the worst methods for getting adults to volunteer.
One-on-One Approach (Yes)
Better than asking a group, the pack committee should sit down and identify who would be the best candidate. You might start by asking,
"Who would be the best candidate for Cubmaster?"
Multiple names should come up and the committee writes down all the names that come up. Don't hold back. Excuses like, "she's really busy" or "he may not want to do this job" are not reasons to skip that person. Your child's unit (pack, troop, or crew) deserves the best leaders.
Once you have a list of names, rank them. Who would be the best candidate? That's your number one choice. Who is next? They're your backup and so on.
Then, figure out who needs to go recruit that person. The person that makes the ask to your prospect should be well respected by the prospect and a person that the prospect will have trouble saying no to.
Now comes the final step; the ask. The person that you have identified that your prospect can't say no to should go on this ask. Another unit leader should go as well. Have a job description with time commitments (including start date and end date).
When you're ready to ask, be direct and then wait for their response. Example, "Candidate, we want you to be the next Cubmaster of our pack. Will you do this important job for our kids?" and then be quiet. Please note that this silence can be uncomfortable the first time, BUT don't say anything. Let them answer. If they say no, ask what they can do to help out.
Then move on to the next prospect and do the ask process over again.
Tips
- Once you've made "the ask", wait for their response. Don't fill the silence.
- Give your recruit immediate responsibilities - don't recruit someone to hold a title
- Evaluate all parents in your pack/troop/crew and find a job for everyone
- Many hands make light work
- Giving everyone a job is not as easy as it sounds - PRACTICE!
- Get new leaders trained
- Always have a recruiting mindset (You can always use more volunteers)