A Warmer Welcome

We’re going to make a better first impression for new or returning volunteers. It’ll be clear where to sign up, what to expect, and what stage they are at. They will also be in control of moving this forward as much as possible. 

Why are we making this change?

• So that we can attract new volunteers and keep the ones we have;
• So that we can grow our movement and reach new communities;
• So that we do less admin and have more time for the things that matter most;
• Because volunteers told us the current welcome process can be off-putting.

How we welcome people moving forwards

Historically our District Appointments Panels have welcomed new volunteers into their roles. Although these panels are an important step in our current appointment process and help us keep young people in scouting safe, it can be somewhat intimidating and unclear for new volunteers. It can also be really off-putting for potential volunteers, meaning that they don’t get involved.

With all of this taken into consideration, we are moving to a much warmer way of welcoming new adults, and this means changes to our appointment process. This will include a welcome conversation in place of the formal appointments panel meeting. Conversations will be group led and will happen where the new adult volunteers.

Action: Ahead of the move to the new membership system, we should attempt to get everyone from Pre-Provisional to Full where possible. This will ease any problems in early 2024.