Open to a Challenge?
The Open To Challenge is focussed on building towards an Open Night in your Company – an opportunity to showcase what you do and what is on offer to new members. This could be aimed at Company-wide recruitment or you could focus on one age group.
Preparation
Ensure you are prepared for an Open Night by considering the following steps:
- Are you ready to recruit? Have you used our short Self-Assessment to ensure you have the foundations to recruit?
- Focus and targets – What areas of your Company will you focus on for growth, are you going to recruit in one particular age group?
- When will your Open Night take place and how will you promote it? (see our ideas below)
- Programme – What are you going to do on your Open Night, will you use Programme Resources from our Open Night Taster Programme or create your own programme? See our Programme Hub for activity ideas.
- Check out the Open Night Taster Programme, a structured programme which could be used for the Open Night and to support the first four weeks of your new session: Anchors / Juniors / Company / Seniors
- Leaders – Who is available on the night? Allocate roles, including who will be speaking to parents/carers.
- Welcoming – Is your meeting space friendly and welcoming? Do you have signage up and do you have information ready to hand out to new members and their parents/carers?
- Handling Enquiries – How will enquiries be handled? You can use the new OBM Joining Form.
Promoting your Open Night to your Local community
Invite a Friend Leaflets
Your Company’s best recruiters should be existing members. You can use our template Invite a Friend Leaflet.
- Cartoon version – With Bleed / No Bleed / 2 on Page
- Photo version – With Bleed / No Bleed / 2 on Page
Recruitment badges may also provide encouragement.
Parents/Carers Word-of-Mouth
Your next best recruiters should be parents and families of existing members.
Can they help spread the word with people on their street or hand out invitations to other parents/carers at the school gate? Check out our Parents/Carers Leaflet.
- Cartoon version – With Bleed / No Bleed / 2 on Page
- Photo version – With Bleed / No Bleed / 2 on Page
Social Media
Does your Company have an online presence? Do you have a plan for how you are going to use social media to your advantage during the session? Have you tried using Facebook advertising?
Find out more ideas on using social media.
Through your local schools
Could you talk at a School Assembly or have the chance to put together a goody bag for a class/year group?
Could parent/carers help build links with your local schools?
Check out our PowerPoint Presentation to use with Schools/Community Groups.
- BB version (PowerPoint)
- BB version (PDF)
- BB/GA version (PowerPoint)
- BB/GA version (PDF)
- Presentation Notes (PDF)
Wider Community
Are there opportunities to have stall at a community event fayre/fete, or a stand in a local shopping centre?
Are there other community organisations that could help promote what you do?
Check out our Gazette Get Involved article by the Together campaign.
Advertising
Do people know your Company is there?
Does your Church know about all the good work you’re doing? Could you have space in the Church magazine, website, information board or the opportunity to speak during a service?
Are you able to have banners outside your Church and put posters up in local shops? Find out more about the customisable resources we are offering.
Have you approached your local newspaper to see if they will highlight what you are doing? Check out our press release template.