Keeping units open
Guidance and tips for leaders to help keep their unit open
Keep your units open by identifying challenges and taking action.
The more units we have the more opportunities we can give to girls, so closing a unit should be a last resort.
However, if you don’t have enough leaders and volunteers to keep it running - or there aren’t enough girls to ensure a worthwhile unit experience - closing your unit can seem like a real possibility. But before you do, there are a number of things you and your commissioner can try together to keep it open.
What should you do?
The actions you take depend on the challenges you face. The most common challenges are:
- Not having enough volunteers.
- Not having enough girls.
Choose the section below that best fits your situation and find out the steps to keep your unit open.
Identify why
It can be difficult when volunteers are thinking about stepping away. Taking time to understand their reasons can help find the best way forward for everyone.
1. Talk to them
- Speak with volunteers to understand why they want to leave.
- Where possible, work together to address any concerns or challenges to see if things can be resolved.
2. Explore flexible options
If their concerns can't be resolved in their current role:
- Try offering them other roles that are available and might be more suitable.
- Offer the chance to reduce responsibility for the unit.
- Suggest taking a break while staying in touch.
If they decide to leave, thank them for everything they've contributed and support them with their transition.
3. Notify your commissioner
Once you’ve talked to the leaders or volunteers wishing to leave, speak to your commissioner to create an action plan.
4. Get short term help
You could:
- Send parents a letter asking for help or start a parent rota.
- Reach out to Trefoil Guild members if you have a local branch.
5. Hold a recruitment campaign in your local area
Work with your commissioner and nearby units to plan a local recruitment campaign.
After your recruitment campaign take time to reflect on what worked well and what you could improve. Then, try again, reaching out somewhere new each time.
If new volunteers join, continue to promote your unit to help keep it sustainable. Take a look at our guide for onboarding volunteers and welcoming them to your unit.
If you’re unable to recruit any new volunteers, start the process of closing the unit.
Find out if other units are struggling
Speak to your commissioner to find out whether other nearby units are also struggling with girl numbers.
No, other units aren’t struggling to recruit and retain girls
- Check whether you're meeting the 5 Essentials and consider all the fundamentals of good guiding to make sure you’re providing a quality programme for your unit.
- Re-evaluate your situation regularly, ideally every 6 months, and see if an improvement to your programme has attracted new girls to the unit.
If girl numbers don't improve, plan a local recruitment campaign.
Yes, other units are struggling
- Check the needs of the local area. If the unit is in the wrong place – for example, there aren't enough families nearby or the unit is difficult to get to – consider if there's a need for a unit in a different location nearby, and if there is, think about moving the location of your unit. If there isn’t, start the process of closing the unit.
If there's a clear need in your area – for example, there are lots of girls of the right age in the area – let your commissioner know your findings and start to plan to recruit more girls. Let parents know what's happening and how they can help.
Hold a recruitment campaign in your local area
Work with your commissioner and nearby units to plan a local recruitment campaign.
After your recruitment campaign, take time to reflect on what worked well and what you could improve. Then try again, reaching out somewhere new each time.
If new girls join, continue to promote your unit to help keep it sustainable.
Consider merging with another unit (or units)
Merging with another unit can be a helpful way to keep your unit open. Units can merge with other units, no matter what section. For example, a Brownies unit can merge with another Brownies unit, or with a Rainbows, Guides or Rangers unit.
When you merge units, you can decide what to call your new unit together. You might choose a new name, or use an existing one. For example, if 1st Brownie unit and 2nd Brownie unit merge together, they could call the unit '1st and 2nd Brownie unit', or '3rd Brownie unit', or they could keep '1st Brownie unit' or '2nd Brownie unit'.
If units merge, at least 1 unit will have to 'close' - but only on GO. We don’t consider a unit that has merged into another 1 “closed”, so the process of closing a unit doesn’t apply.
For more information, please see our finance policy or speak to your commissioner.
If you’re unable to recruit any new girls and you cannot merge units, start the process of closing the unit.
