Posts: 174
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 5:08 am
Fri May 21, 2010 12:12 pm
Recruiting former members
One of the largest resources we have is past members. I used MMS DataBeacon to generate a list of all volunteers in my area with a status of inactive. In the next little while I'll be doing a mail merge and sending out the letter below. I'm hoping to get a 5% response rate. I'm not too concerned whether I get people wanting to come back but I'm very interested in at least letting them know that I'm thinking about them.
I suggest all AC's do the same.
Garth
May 2010
Dear ,
My name is xxx and I’m the Area Commissioner for xxxs in the local Scouts Canada council. I’m writing because my records indicate that you were a registered member with Scouts Canada at some time in the past.
I often wonder what has happened to former Scouters and volunteers so I thought I’d take a minute to write, say hi, introduce myself and let you know that I was thinking about you. I hope that life has been well for you since you were last a part of the organization.
Much has happened over the last couple of years so I thought you might be interested to hear about the developments. First, membership has been going up! The council had an increase last year, its first in a long time, and though this year’s numbers aren’t finalized yet, it looks like we’re going to have another increase! This is an exciting time and I’m thrilled that my own area has also shown increased membership that mirrors that of the council.
Second, last fall the council hosted a visit from Steve Kent, the Chief Commissioner for Scouts Canada. He’s the senior most volunteer in the country and the youngest person to ever hold the position (you can read more about Steve here: http://www.scouts.ca/dnn/AboutSteve/tab ... fault.aspx). Steve, along with the Scouts Canada Board of Governors, has set a fantastically ambitious goal of doubling the membership by the end of the 2014-2015 year. A tremendous target to be sure, but one I’m excited to be striving towards. I would submit to you that more youth need Scouting and what is has to offer. Likewise, Scouting needs more youth to add to its vibrancy and diversity.
I’d like to invite you to be a part of Scouting again. We need people such as yourself who’ve had experience with the program. There are numerous opportunities to assist from being an actual youth leader, to behind the scenes support work, to helping run weekend camps. We can use your service in whatever capacity you feel willing to share and you can put in as much or as little time as you feel able to give.
I hope you have fond memories of your time in Scouting. While I have no personal knowledge of the circumstances that may have led to your departure, if your parting with the organization was on a bad note then allow me to sincerely apologize and say I’m sorry. I hope you can still support Scouts Canada’s mission to help build a better world.
In closing, I’d just like to say thank you for your past service. Without the commitment and dedication of our volunteers, both past and current, Scouting would not be possible for the thousands of youth in this area. So thank you for what you’ve done to bring Scouting to where it is now.
If you’d like to respond I’d love to hear from you but please don’t feel as if there is any obligation to do so. My e-mail address is: xxx
Yours in Scouting,
I suggest all AC's do the same.
Garth
May 2010
Dear ,
My name is xxx and I’m the Area Commissioner for xxxs in the local Scouts Canada council. I’m writing because my records indicate that you were a registered member with Scouts Canada at some time in the past.
I often wonder what has happened to former Scouters and volunteers so I thought I’d take a minute to write, say hi, introduce myself and let you know that I was thinking about you. I hope that life has been well for you since you were last a part of the organization.
Much has happened over the last couple of years so I thought you might be interested to hear about the developments. First, membership has been going up! The council had an increase last year, its first in a long time, and though this year’s numbers aren’t finalized yet, it looks like we’re going to have another increase! This is an exciting time and I’m thrilled that my own area has also shown increased membership that mirrors that of the council.
Second, last fall the council hosted a visit from Steve Kent, the Chief Commissioner for Scouts Canada. He’s the senior most volunteer in the country and the youngest person to ever hold the position (you can read more about Steve here: http://www.scouts.ca/dnn/AboutSteve/tab ... fault.aspx). Steve, along with the Scouts Canada Board of Governors, has set a fantastically ambitious goal of doubling the membership by the end of the 2014-2015 year. A tremendous target to be sure, but one I’m excited to be striving towards. I would submit to you that more youth need Scouting and what is has to offer. Likewise, Scouting needs more youth to add to its vibrancy and diversity.
I’d like to invite you to be a part of Scouting again. We need people such as yourself who’ve had experience with the program. There are numerous opportunities to assist from being an actual youth leader, to behind the scenes support work, to helping run weekend camps. We can use your service in whatever capacity you feel willing to share and you can put in as much or as little time as you feel able to give.
I hope you have fond memories of your time in Scouting. While I have no personal knowledge of the circumstances that may have led to your departure, if your parting with the organization was on a bad note then allow me to sincerely apologize and say I’m sorry. I hope you can still support Scouts Canada’s mission to help build a better world.
In closing, I’d just like to say thank you for your past service. Without the commitment and dedication of our volunteers, both past and current, Scouting would not be possible for the thousands of youth in this area. So thank you for what you’ve done to bring Scouting to where it is now.
If you’d like to respond I’d love to hear from you but please don’t feel as if there is any obligation to do so. My e-mail address is: xxx
Yours in Scouting,
