Re-engaging volunteers

Where possible:

• Contact volunteers using their preferred method of communication
• Don’t send mass emails – personal touches make a big difference
• Catch-up to see how they’re coping before you ask about their role in Scouts and what you might need from them

Talk to your team with energy and positivity. Despite the challenges we face, we have an amazing opportunity to drive change for the better right now.

Be sensitive:

• Everyone’s dealing with their own personal situations and struggles
• Everyone’s different and will react in different ways to changes
• It’s important to show empathy regardless of the response

Be supportive:

• If someone doesn’t feel like they can return right now, that’s ok
• Remind them the door’s always open for when they do feel more comfortable to come back

Be adaptable:

• There’s no right or wrong way to approach this
• Adapting your style to the person you’re talking to’s really important 

Be flexible:

• Throughout our history, we’ve always had to evolve as an organisation
• Now, we’re having to deliver Scouts in a variety of ways – whether we’re meeting face to face, virtually or through home assignments
• We also have more opportunities than ever to connect in different ways
• This allows for even more flexibility in what your team can do to support your group and local community – so try to embrace the positives

Don’t put square pegs in round holes:

• Instead of allocating volunteers a role, assign tasks
• Make sure it suits the individual's preferences and situation
• Keep it as simple as possible
• Remember: everyone has different skills and interests you can utilise

Option to stay in role

• If your team are happy to restart, that’s great
• Put together a plan for their next steps
• Assign tasks to get the ball rolling

Option to stay with different responsibilities

• Some members of your team may be willing to come back, but perhaps not in the same capacity as before
• Think about the sorts of tasks which need doing before you chat through options with them, making a note of the tasks now vacant
• You may want to use the 4-week challenge (see guidance below) or use the Task Survey to give them an opportunity to try something new

Option to take a break

• It’s ok to take a break – focus on what's right for each volunteer
• Keep in contact – on the phone, through a group chat or on social media
• Try to establish a possible date to return, only when they’re ready

Option to move on

• If a volunteer is unable to – or would rather not – resume their role/task, try to understand the reasons why
• Is there anything we can do to help?
• Can adjustments be made?
• Can they take on a different role/tasks?
• Reassure them we understand not everyone will feel comfortable or be able to resume the roles or tasks they previously did
• If they still decide to go, this is ok as long as we know
• Ask whether they’re happy for us to get in touch again at a later date

As volunteers return, it’s vital to offer and provide support – making sure they know they can contact you to talk about any issues or concerns

Remind them the door is always open – Make sure volunteers know they’re always welcome and can always come to you with questions.

Keep in contact – Once they’re back, don’t just assume someone’s ok. Check in regularly – it's easier to tackle any issues quickly that way. 

Provide training – Show your team how to use online delivery methods like Zoom. Remember: not everyone has this tech know-how, so it's important you allow time to practice in a safe environment. Check out our guidance here. They may also need support writing a risk assessment.

Offer shadowing – You could set up and allow your team to shadow you or another group/section to deliver an online or safe face to face session.  

Be adaptable – More than ever, we need to be flexible with our programme and make sure teams are comfortable and confident delivering them. Knowing where to look is a start. Remember: even if something goes wrong, you’ll learn from it and the young people probably won’t even notice.   

Master team meetings – Bring your team back together to talk through who’s doing what and highlight any gaps or concerns ahead of time, and arrange regular team meetings after that, touching base with your volunteers and planning and preparing your activities.  

This is a short version of our successful 4-week challenge, to help you re-introduce and re-engage your team following an initial conversation around returning to volunteering. 

Week 1 – Invite your volunteers to come along and be in the background to see how you deliver a safe face to face or virtual meeting. This week is all about observing. There’s no pressure on them to do anything at all – they can just see how the sessions work. 

Week 2 – Get them a little more involved, perhaps by running an ice breaker online or face to face. You can work with them to come up with a simple activity – it’s a great way of getting them more involved and feeling more confident about the idea of returning. 

Week 3 – Help them plan and run part of the session. This is the week where they can get stuck in. Discuss the tasks they used to carry out in the team and the skills they can bring to a session. 

Week 4 – Ask them to run a session with support. Make sure they know they won't be alone in this – you’ll be there in the background and can even help run a part of their planned session with you. By week 5, hopefully they’ll know if this is something they’re happy to do moving forward.