It is important to recruit sensibly.  You need enough members to represent your membership, share work, make decisions and have sufficient skills e.g. finance, managing staff, childcare and play.

Why recruit

• Ensure community representation
• Add new skills
• Replace members due to retire

When to recruit

• Be proactive
• Read your constitution – there are rules on numbers and when members should retire
• Conduct a skills gap analysis to identify needs

How to Recruit

• Community events
• Club/community social media pages
• Letters to local businesses/organisations/charity groups/councillors
• Community newsletters/ notice boards
• Information evening

Think about what drives involvement. A social media video or poster by children appealing for members and quotes from existing committee members will be personal and powerful.

How to involve children in recruitment

Children could:

• Create a social media video/poster to advertise committee vacancies.
• Help with a person specification for the position.
• Provide 2/3 questions that you ask candidates or devise a role play of an issue or event and ask how they would respond.
• Older children could sit in on an interview panel (with guidance).

Who to recruit

• Charities and companies have specific rules about who can sit on committees.
• Representatives reflecting the diverse nature of your community.
• Local business/organisations/charities.
• Local professionals who may fill a skills’ need.
• Retired people.

Coming soon – 10 ways to recruit your Out of School Childcare Club Management Committee