Nov. 11, 2022

Volunteers, Redux

Finding and keeping volunteers: the ever-present challenge every Scout Group faces.

Show Notes

Finding and keeping volunteers: the ever-present challenge every Scout Group faces.

Podcast Topics

Ken is joined by Scouter Jonathan for this episode, to revisit a topic that was discussed as recently as Episode 121: how do you find volunteers for your Scout Group? And once you’ve done so...how do you retain them?

As you might well imagine, there’s no one-size-fits-all, cut-and-dried solution. It’s generally not a winning strategy to try and force the issue by way of ultimatums, though at times it may be necessary to trade someone’s commitment to train up as a Scouter for a “reserved” spot in the program for their child.

But once you’ve got those volunteers, how do you retain them? How do you keep them coming back? In part, this will depend on running a great program; parental engagement will follow youth engagement, in most cases. And in part, this will also depend on giving each Scouter the chance to shine in the role, to bring their knowledge and talents into the program for the benefit of the youth.

But perhaps the most important thing is to foster a sense of community and friendship between Scouters. It’s one thing to show up every week for meetings; it’s quite another to be able to meet up, have fun, and support each other outside of meetings too.