Volunteer success strategies

[83Eagle]

Just wondering what type of methods have worked successfully for others who have had success with getting volunteers from among the Pack families. This is a point that's covered in the leader training but beyond those generalities I'm looking for specific methods/devices/etc that have gotten results.

[ScoutNut]

No tricks, or special devices. The BSA method of looking for the best person for the job, and then asking them - personally, face-to-face, and making sure they know that they will have any help from the other Pack leaders that they might need, has always worked for me.

 

 

[ScoutLass]

To expand on what Scoutnut says, what has worked well for us:

 

We pass out a "welcome" packet at the parent meeting (we have one before our first pack meeting of the year after roundup). One of the papers the parents are expected to turn in at the end of the meeting asks about special skills they have, hobbies and interests, and any capacity they would like to volunteer in. (we change it up from year to year to mirror our specific needs).

 

Copies go to the appropriate den(s) that the adult has boys in as well as to the CM. Once a week or two passes and we have a feel for the new parents, we start asking them for help. Unless the parent is pretty gung-ho or already coming to every den meeting, we usually start small. Den leader picks out a parent from their list and calls them a couple days before the meeting and asks them to help out with something small at the next den meeting. The parents who are always willing to help are good choices for volunteer roles and usually agree readily when asked face-to-face by the CM or DL.

 

By starting out asking for small tasks, we've found it eases the new adults into the pack at a pace they are comfortable with, so they don't feel put out by a bigger request down the line (like becoming a new DL or ADL). It's easy for a parent to say no to volunteering when they aren't emotionally invested in the pack yet, but it's harder once they know the boys and adults and want the pack to succeed like we do. It also gives the existing leadership a good feel for the adults who mesh well with the boys and existing leadership. We haven't had leader problems since we started doing this two years ago, so it's working out well.

 

Another benefit, is even the adults who will never enter into a volunteer position get into the habit of helping the pack "go." Chances are, if a dad has checked off woodworking as a favorite hobby on the form, he'll be more than willing to help the boys build birdhouses. That makes dad enjoy cub scouts more, which increases junior's chance of staying in the pack. My goal is to get every parent there and participating for at least one meeting or event a year. When we target their existing interests, they usually help out for more than one meeting/event.

[GKlose]

Last year, at our council's University of Scouting, I attended a session on getting parents to volunteer. Not that our unit has particular problems with volunteers, but I've seen the problem in prior units.

 

When the instructor entered the classroom, he asked someone if they would hand out the stack of papers he was holding, as he got set up. Then he asked someone else if they could circulate a piece of paper, so everyone could write their name and email address on it. Then he asked yet a third person, saying "I always have trouble keeping track of time, so could you keep an eye on the clock and let me know when we hit..." a certain time.

 

Later on, he asked if we'd caught on to what we were doing...I was kind of dopey and didn't catch on at first, because it seemed so ordinary for what might go on in a class setting. He asked us why what we'd done worked (ask particular people, don't ask them for too much, give them something specific, be effusive with praise, etc). It was a very interesting session...

 

At a district committee meeting, I mentioned the class to someone else. He said that he'd heard from someone to use the phrase "I have a problem with _____, and I need your help with ____", but not to a group of people. But to ask a specific duty of a specific person.

 

Guy

[83Eagle]

>>The BSA method of looking for the best person for the job, and then asking them - personally, face-to-face, and making sure they know that they will have any help from the other Pack leaders...

 

This has worked well for me at the Den level but I'm trying to find a way to apply it to the Pack level, hence the question. In other words (and the backdrop is, I'm a 2-year DL but recent CM), I got to know the adults in my 8-scout Den over two years and got a good sense of who could do what. Not so much with the 30+ other families in the Pack. How to identify the best person when I don't know who has what skills? This is in part what I'm asking.

 

So the surveys that are mentioned and that have been brought up in training...one idea. Asking other DLs perhaps, though we have two new DLs this year.

 

Maybe, let me pose a few scenarios to everyone and let's see what ideas there are:

 

1. Task-specific volunteer requests--building something, leading a skill session. Things that are going to be a one-time need. That seems to be the easiest; identifying who has experience in ABC. This looks like a good spot to use a survey.

 

2. Longer-term requests. For instance, we needed a new treasurer when our old one bailed. Since our COR and CC are hands-off, I asked someone from my old den who I knew was responsible and the CC and COR just signed off on the change. Well, what about other roles? You might have noticed from other threads that our pack has no advancement coordinator and this postion was highly recommended. So let's use that as a specific example. Do I go to the next Pack meeting and announce, "Who wants to be our advancement coordinator?" (Quite possibily followed by the sound of crickets...) Ask the leaders? This is something I really have no clue how to approach successfully.

 

3. Event volunteer requests. This is going to be a big one because our Pack needs to do more stuff. We had a very limited agenda in the past because our CM did everything himself. So, let's take another specific example: We're doing a pack overnighter in a few months. Now, my helpful BALOO book has this nice checklist and I'm up to step 4: "Event and Program Assistants Recruited." Well, our Pack leadership consists of me, a WDL2 who I am uncomfortable assigning responsibility to; a WDL1 leader who is brand new and trying to figure out the program; a newly-recruited Bear leader to take over the den from me; a good second-year Wolf leader; and a brand new Tiger leader who stepped in after the first two quit. Again, we have a pack committee in name only. So, how would you recruit the needed help to make this event a success?

[dmillar71]

Out pack uses the method of asking for help with little things early on, and then slowly build it up over time.

 

You can generally see the people who would be good candidates for future DL's or ADL's pretty early on.

 

That's how I was brought in, my son's first year I was asked to do little things, which i was more than happy to help out with...by March I volunteered to be the Webelos Den Leader for the next year.

[shortridge]

For the latter approach, break the event up into its component parts. You need someone to reserve a campground, someone to coordinate food, someone to plan activities, someone to track registrations, etc. Write those duties out, with an estimate of how much time each would take and a blank space beside each one for someone to put their name and contact info, and distribute them to all your parents. Explain that you need people to fill these roles, or the pack can't go on the overnight. Ask for volunteers to write down their info and pass the forms forward. You or the BALOO-trained person for the pack can be the coordinator, but coordinating is all you should have to do.

[ScoutNut]

You said that you know your den parents, but not the rest of the Pack families. What about the other den leaders? I am sure that they know the families in their dens too. Even the DL's who are brand new have had their son in the den, and had interaction with the other families. The Tiger DL sees his/her parents at every meeting, and by now should have at least some kind of impression of them.

 

You state you have a Pack Committee in name only. You are wrong.

 

You have a COR, a CC, a CM, a Treasurer, den leaders, and maybe assistant den leaders.

 

Get them all together in the same room, at the same time, and hold a Pack Leaders Meeting. Work together.

 

Get recommendations from everyone on who they feel would be a good fit for each job. Rank them according to how everyone feels from best fit to OK fit. Start with the best fit for each job and have the CM, and the leader who knows the person best, approach them and have a face-to-face talk. If that person declines, move on to the next in the list.

 

Camping help - First of all you need to know who will be attending. Then do the same as above. Ask your other Pack leaders if they can recommend any of their parents who might have a trailer they can bring to help haul stuff. A parent who can help purchase food supplies. How about a parent with a Boy Scout who can help plan, and run program. Or a parent with an older Girl Scout who would like to get some leadership time in. Etc, etc. Then have the leader ask the parents personally.

 

[83Eagle]

The COR and CC were invited but don't want to be involved. The treasurer was invited but chose to resign instead and we're in the process of replacing her. So our first-ever leader meeting was just me and the DLs. The next meetings will be opened to parents as well so that will give me an idea of who is willing to step up. Beyond that I do plan on working with the DLs as I indicated in my post, although the TD has not had any meetings. We're addressing one problem at a time and fixing the airplane while it's in flight.(This message has been edited by gotta run)

[ScoutNut]

You still have your den leaders, your new Treasurer, and you. That can work as a starting committee. Get input from those people on who they would recommend.

 

A general cattle call for help at a Pack, or parent meeting, does not generally work well.

 

 

[infoscouter]

>>The COR and CC were invited but don't want to be involved.

[83Eagle]

The CC is a 30(?)-year veteran of the program and asking the CO to appoint someone else is not likely to be met with a favorable outcome...but that's another topic. So for sake of argument we can assume that my choices are to work within the confines of this reality or to move to another Pack, which I do not want to do for many reasons--the most important of which is that this is my son's pack, and it is comprised of my son's friends, and he loves it. We do a lot of good, fun stuff, even compared to other Packs in the area and compared to examples I have read about here. I believe that's why our Wolf and Bear dens are both now double the size they were as Tiger dens.

 

But I believe we can do more in our program. More outings, more activities. Because when I ask my Scouts "Why did you join Cub Scouts," they talk about fun stuff. I want the boys to have the opportunity do more of that fun stuff and achieve the goals of scouting along the way. But to get more stuff done, I know I need to involve more people because there are limits to what one person can take on. We have 40 scouts and 6 leaders, which means there's more than 70 untapped adult resources out there...more if we can get grandparents, uncles, aunts, siblings, etc. involved. I mean, why not?

 

My question then--back to the original question--is how do I do this? What's worked for you? I don't give a darn about who's the COR or CC or IH or chief cook and bottle washer or whatever. There's far too much focus in these forums on the "adult" part of Scouting--who is supposed to do what, who's got what title, all the inside baseball. I just want people who are capable, competent, and committed to what they say they will do. Then we will be all right! So my question is simple:

 

What are ways that YOU have done this that have worked?

 

So what I'm hearing is--

 

1. Task-specific requests: Take a parent survey. Build a skills database. When a need comes up, ID the likely candidate, query the DL or someone who knows said candidate to confirm, then ask him/her directly.

 

2. Long-term requests, like new committee members or leaders. This one's going to be tougher and will take more time to "get to know" people. Maybe we'll have luck with a broadcast message--who knows, couldn't hurt. Also query the people who do come to future leader/parent meetings, if any.

 

3. Event volunteers. Go back to the database (step one) for any specific skills or gear related to said event. Ask the DLs. Perhaps make it clear on event signup that said event will not happen without sufficient volunteer involvement.

[bokris]

I work towards meeting each parent, greeting them and building rapport each meeting. As the parents get to know me, then I find it much easier to approach them about asking for help. Building and maintaining a solid relationship is key to receiving support.

 

I also realize that some parents may not want to do what I ask, but will volunteer in other ways. This can be frustrating, if you are looking for a specific task to be accomplished. However, instead of fighting with them over what you need to do instead of what they want to do, embrace their help. They will be motivated to do what they want more so then what you might want from them.

 

Also, realize, some parents just don't want to commit to a position... create committees... example, finance committee, or fund-raising committee for example. In any group, a leader will emerge, and it may not be the one you were expecting from the onset.