Getting ready for The Big Help Out

The Big Help Out is the UK’s biggest ever volunteer recruitment drive since the London 2012 Olympics.

It’s an opportunity for you to shout about what Girlguiding does in your local area, and to be ready to welcome new volunteers to your unit, district, division or county.

To do so, you’ll need to create an account and register your unit, district, division or county on The Big Help Out website. Here are some easy steps for you to follow:

Creating an account

1. Visit The Big Help Out website
2. Click on the ‘Organise an event’ tab at the top of the page.
3. Scroll down and then click on the ‘Organise your event here’ button.
4. This will open up a registration page in a new tab. Fill in all the details on the page for example, your phone number, email address etc.
5. You’ll then be sent a confirmation code to your email address. Enter the confirmation code. If you can’t spot it in your inbox, be sure to check your spam. Please note it’s only valid for 10 minutes.

Registering your unit, district, division or county

9. Once you’ve created an account, you can click on ‘register an organisation’. In ‘organisation name’, you might write your unit, district, division or county - depending on the event you’re organising.
10. Where it says ‘Causes’ click on the drop-down arrow and select ‘young people and children’.
11. For ‘purpose’ – you can copy and paste the following text: We show girls from (enter the age range) a world of possibilities big and small. One where every girl can laugh and learn and be herself. Girlguiding is what each girl wants it to be. It might be the thrill of doing something for the first time. Songs around a campfire. The buzz of getting a new badge. Coming home exhausted and full of stories. It’s a space where she can be herself, get creative, explore, and most of all have fun.
12. For the question ‘Are you part of a larger organisation?’ use the drop-down and type in the name of your country or region. If it’s not there, you can just select Girlguiding.
13. Upload an image by clicking on ‘upload image’. You can then select an image from your device. Please make sure you have the right permissions for the image you’re going to use. If you’re not sure, use a generic image such as one of a camp, residential or unit meeting where the people in the photo can’t be identified, and you’re confident that you have the correct permissions. You can use one of these images if you’d prefer.
14. Under ‘website link’, copy and paste the URL for your unit or area if you have one. Don’t worry if you don’t have one - use either Girlguiding (girlguiding.org.uk) or your country or region website.
15. Under ‘description’, you can use the same text as in step 3.

Registering your event or activity

13. Once you’ve registered your unit, district, division or county you’ll then come to the ‘Activities’ webpage. Click on the ‘+ new activity’ green button in the top right-hand side of the webpage.
14. You can either click on ‘new event’ if it’s a one-off event with a fixed time and day, or ‘new action’ if it’s a small activity that’s going to be happening at a future time, for example a litter pick during the summer, or a regular volunteering opportunity.
15. Under ‘Title’, enter the name of the event or action.
16. For ‘cause’, select ‘children and young people’.
17. Under ’requirement’, describe what type of volunteers you’re looking for.
18. Select a cover image by using the same photo you selected before.
19. Under ’description’, enter the details of what the event or activity is about.
20. Then click ‘continue’ and enter the same details as before for ‘About the event’, and ‘When and where’.
21. Your event or activity is then registered!

Good luck with your recruitment. If you’re struggling to add your event, please email [email protected]. Put ‘The Big Help Out’ in the subject title, letting us know the date, time and details of your event, and we'll put it on the Big Help Out site and app for you.

Don’t forget you can download some social assets from the website to help promote what you’re doing.