Move over Spielberg . . . 1st Hurst Scout Group have produced a great video to support their search for new volunteers. Group Scout Leader, James Madden, came up with the idea when their Cub Pack became low on volunteer numbers.
A video clip, recorded and edited by James, will be used on local social media to engage the local community. It will also be sent to parents and the Group waiting list, as well as being published in local newsletters via a QR code.
If you would like to try recruiting more volunteers and engaging your local community through social media, then read on to discover some top tips on how to do this effectively.
It is thought that individuals need to see a call to action three times before it is stored to their long-term memory and seven times (yes seven!) before they will be spurred into taking action. This means that planning a recruitment campaign in your local area is vital to ensuring you are having maximum impact.
Unsurprisingly, repeating the same content all seven times is unlikely to be productive. Ideally having a few different posts that employ a variety of media can have the maximum impact. These might include using stories of your volunteers and young people engaged in an activity, videos, scout brand centre recruitment resources (there are ready-to-go videos and Facebook/Twitter posts!), or perhaps running a poll or competition that allows a short but interactive engagement.
In spite of this, not every advert needs to be unique and maintaining brand recognition across them is important so that the posts feel part of a campaign. For more information on how to use our brand and how we talk at Scouts please click here
You may wish to concentrate on using local Facebook community pages or branch out into other social media platforms such as Instagram, SnapChat, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Tailoring the content to the platform and its suitability.
Not every post has to ask for help – mixing up awareness of what the Group gets up to with requests for support work best to build a picture of how much fun and adventure can be had at Scouting and why a volunteer should get involved.
You might even want to get your sections creating content towards their Digital Maker badges!
1st Hurst’s video does a great job of adding a personal touch by introducing Anne Marie – a member of the Cub Scout team. Being able to recognise and identify with a volunteer can help potential volunteers get to know the Group and break down any preconceived ideas on whether a Scouting volunteer needs to be a graduate from the Bear Grylls survival school!
1st Hurst’s recruitment video
For more information on how to use social media effectively see:
Recruiting new volunteers with social media