Scouting Ambassadors

Scouting ambassadors are prominent people who support us in transforming the lives of young people. They are representatives for Scouting, and use their knowledge and experience to benefit the movement.

Thanks to their high profiles they can promote Scouting to everyone, encouraging more people to volunteer and more young people to join. They also get the chance to show fellow peers and professionals just how much fun Scouting is.

The ambassador's role

Here is the role description of what we ask of our Scouting ambassadors. This role can easily be applied to any local ambassadors as well.

At the start of this two-year commitment there are a few small things we require of you:

• An interview or quote to be used on our website
• A photograph of you with some of our young people
• A visit to your local Scout Troop, Cub Pack or Beaver Colony (where we can take the photo)

In the future, in your role as an ambassador, we ask from you the following:

• Please speak positively about Scouting to any contacts you have who might be able to support us in the future. Anyone who might be able to further promote Scouting is very valuable to us.
• Any mentions of Scouting or links to our website that you could put on your websites or social media such as Twitter or Facebook, would be appreciated.
• We have several events in the year, some of them Scouting events, such as camps and jamborees, and some of them more external facing such as major donor events and parliamentary receptions. We would like you to attend one of these per year. We are happy to work with any you might be particularly interested in or which fit in best with your schedule.
• We also have several Scouting initiatives per year, such as fundraising activities, and campaigns. We will be sending you information on these as and when they are happening so that you are always up-to-date on the work of the Scout Association.

Local ambassadors

A part of the ambassadors strategy, we want to bring on board some bespoke local ambassadors in Counties/Regions.

We have people who support us nationally, but we want to encourage Counties around the country to bring on board their own people specific to the area. These people will support Scouting in the same way that the national ambassadors do, but they will be linked to that particular part of the UK.

The Ambassadors team is here to support and help those who want to bring their own Ambassadors on board.

There are a number of things we can do:

• Help identify who would be good for an ambassadors shortlist
• Discuss the best way to approach them
• Find contact details if needed
• Give advice on the official letter, which will include the commitment expected of ambassadors
• Advise the best way to chase up on an answer
• Once the 1st Ambassador has been engaged, look at which other people could be brought on board, keeping in mind the need for a diverse spread of people.

Case Study: Local ambassadors for Cumbria (PDF)

For any other information please contact Chris James.

Using high profile supporters

These are issues to keep in mind when using high profile supporters:

• A celebrity/high profile person should always be an added bonus. No event, campaign, stunt etc. should hinge solely on their involvement. The project must be able to stand on its own with the celebrity only being used to add extra sparkle. Also please be aware that the chances of them dropping out at the last minute are higher than average, due to filming schedules etc.
• These people do not guarantee press coverage. In this celebrity-obsessed society, celebrity photos are becoming more and more common.
• Do you really need a high profile person for your event/project? Would an unusual stunt or photo call generate more attention?
• How many people of a top calibre do you actually need? Please keep in mind that they can only be asked to do a few things per year. Could we better use their support elsewhere?
• What are your main objectives? Are you looking to raise money, generate press interest, or create awareness? Certain people are better suited to different things.
• If you have specific names in mind, have you considered if they are a good fit with both the brand and the target audience? Sometimes although a daytime television or children's presenter is not well heard of, to a target audience of mum's and kids they are a perfect draw. The same can apply to local personalities. A local newsreader may not be well known nationally, but can often appeal to the local press and residents.
• Please also remember that celebrities are not always willing to be associated with corporate brands for free. When a celebrity knows that they could charge £20,000 to speak at a corporate event, and we are asking them to speak at a corporate partners event for free, but are only getting £10,000 from the partnership, the figures just don't add up.
• If you are approaching someone via an agent it may take a while to get a response. They get hundreds of requests every day. Try to make the approach at least six weeks in advance
• We do not pay fees to our high-profile supporters, but will always cover reasonable expenses, transport etc. Please make sure you also have the budget for a good photographer for any event. HQ may be able to help you with this.

Choosing your ambassador

In order to think about the sort of people you would like to approach we need to ask, 'what are ambassadors?'

Scouting ambassadors are:

• Scouting ambassadors are prominent individuals who support the work of the Scout Association in transforming the lives of young people.
• They are representatives for Scouting, and bring contacts, knowledge and experience in their particular fields as a way to benefit the Movement.
• They have a major role to open doors and make introductions. They speak on our behalf in their own networks.
• Through their high profiles they are able to promote Scouting to all, thereby enabling more people to volunteer, more young people to take up Scouting and a wider spread of the community to lend their support to Scouting in other ways. This is as well as showing their fellow peers and professionals the fun and excitement that Scouting can bring.

They don't have to:

• Have been a Scout themselves. This would remove a whole selection of women, and we feel that an appreciation of Scouting, along with some experience at a Scouting event or with our young people is enough to cover this.
• Be well known across the UK. There is often an assumption that only people like Richard Branson or David Beckham could be ambassadors. Often someone known only locally will still prove hugely popular, and can be of massive benefit to the Movement.
• Make large monetary donations. Although they may do this, what is more important can be the contacts that they share, the positive publicity they bring and the time that they give to Scouting.

There may be someone who fulfils all the criteria above who you are working with already and you'd like to honour them with the title of local ambassador.

There may also be someone you know who has links to the area who you think would make a good local ambassador, and you could approach them to get more involved in Scouting.

Both of these are good ways to make high-profile people more committed to their support of Scouting.