Setting up and building new teams

1: Understand teams-based volunteering

If you’re not sure about what teams-based volunteering means, read about what’s changing and what this means for you. 

Then think about how you’ll help your patch understand this, and what’s the best way to share information with them. For example, give updates at regular meetings, run a dedicated event or have one-to-one conversations.

  

2: Draft the structure of teams in your patch

Get together with your Leadership Team to discuss the teams in your patch. Make sure everyone understands the purpose of each team and the tasks they’re responsible for.  

The structure of the teams might vary depending on how many team members there are and how they want to split tasks. You have the choice to use accreditations and have sub-teams. 

Keep your teams flexible until you have a chance to have conversations with your team, and revisit this from time to time.

 

3: Work out who could be part of the team

Work out who could join and lead each team. Think about what skills and knowledge you’ll need, and the interests of the existing volunteers in your patch.

Some volunteers might be in a role that matches their skills and interests already, and their roles will continue in a similar way in a new team. For example, a Beaver Section Assistant who wishes to continue running Beavers will become a Beaver Section Team Member.  

Other volunteers might see this as an opportunity to change and do something different, or their roles won’t continue in the same way. Their current role might not directly match to a team.

During the transition process, we'll migrate our records for all volunteers from Compass to our new digital tools on scouts.org.uk. To help with your planning, there's a list that shows which volunteer roles will directly migrate our new teams, roles and accreditations when our digital systems go live, and which volunteer roles will need an individual decision about which team they'll join.

 

4: Have conversations with existing volunteers

Throughout setting up and building your teams, it's important to have conversations with all volunteers. This is a great opportunity for them to ask any questions, and to help you both find the team that is best for them.  

You can ask your Leadership Team and Team Leaders to help you with this.  

This might be the exciting beginning of a journey in a new team for some volunteers, and for others this might be the end of a role they’ve been doing for a while or the end of their volunteering with Scouts. Either way, make sure everyone feels appreciated, and thank them for all they’ve done.

 

5: Volunteer as a team and keep reviewing how you do this

Discuss with the team how you’ll volunteer together. You should agree with the team who is responsible for what tasks and how you'll do them. You might find it useful to list the tasks the team is responsible for as part of this.

Start embedding Our Volunteering Culture by getting together with the team and completing the three short Our Volunteering Culture activities.  You can then plan together what you might want to continue doing or improve on over the next 6 to 12 months.

It might take some time until your team finds what works best for them. It’s OK to feel unsure about how to approach this.

Keep things flexible and have check-in meetings from time to time, so you can have a chat about what’s working well and what needs changing.

This is a great opportunity to learn by doing and try new ways of volunteering.