Explore, Discover, Volunteer: Adult Recruitment

Girlguiding Scotland this week launched its biggest adult volunteer recruitment campaign.

Guiding Development chair Rosy Burgess (she/her) (pictured) shares seven easy ways to grow guiding in Edinburgh:

1. Use social media to highlight the joys of guiding: Post adverts in local community groups, special interest groups, and even your own feeds to encourage people to join us. Check out this Girlguiding article for more top tips on using social media to get the word out.

   Example: We’re holding a communications training on Thursday 4th November from 7-9 p.m. to help volunteers get the most out of social media. Keep an eye on Wednesday Weekly for details of how to sign up!

2. Get the girls involved: Ask your unit members to write a role description or make a job advert to get them thinking about what makes an awesome leader.

   You can find sample role descriptions for a range of volunteer roles on the Girlguiding website.

3. Use posters and flyers from the Guide Shop: They’re free, so if you’re ordering badges or other resources for your unit, it’s easy to add a few packs of flyers or some posters at the same time. Stick signs up in your local shops, on community boards, and in your meeting place, or challenge your girls to hand out flyers to friends and family members.
4. Write a blog post for the Girlguiding Edinburgh website: We love sharing guiding ideas and experiences through our ‘I Am Guiding’ series. This is a great way to showcase the range of opportunities Girlguiding offers to girls, young women, and adult volunteers.

   Read examples of previous blogs here, and contact Steph and Fiona of our Marcom team at girlguidingedin.marcom@gmail.com to discuss how to submit a post.

5. Add a call for volunteers to your email signature: Here’s a wee message you could use or adapt:

   Looking for your next adventure? Girlguiding Edinburgh is seeking volunteers to help deliver exciting opportunities for girls and young women across the city. Find out more and sign up to join here!

6. Call for parents/family members to help with tasks: Need help understanding your accounts? Want someone else to take over GO updates? Don’t have time to buy or prepare resources? Ask around for assistance with unit-related jobs that don’t require a full commitment to guiding.
7. Be prepared to talk about guiding at any opportunity: You never know when you’ll find yourself chatting to a stranger in a queue. Tell them about the exciting things you’re doing with your unit this week. Direct them to our website and social media platforms. Encourage them to learn more about guiding in their area.

The key to recruitment is visibility. If you can hang even one poster, call in to a local radio station, or inquire whether any of your favourite shops will take flyers.