Recruitment and retention resources

There are lots of people out there who want to learn how to ring and find bellringing fascinating. It’s your job to find them and get them hooked.

Unfortunately, there is no winning formula in recruitment. What seems to work for one tower might not work for another. The important thing is to try your hardest to get things right by using your band to their best effect, learning from others and going for it. If at first you don’t succeed, re-group and try a different approach.

Make your life easier

• Learn from what others have done.
• Piggy back other people's events. Find out what is happening locally and see if you can take part. Usually they are very grateful.
• Use people to their best effect. Some people will be more suited to meeting the public, some would prefer to stay in the background, making refreshments or demonstrating ringing.
• Use people’s non-ringing skills. If you have a Marketing Manager, a social media addict or Project Manager in your band, consider yourself very lucky!
• Personal contact will be your best recruiter. Use it.
• Be positive about bell ringing and your band.
• Check your plans out with a non-ringer, see what they think.

Experience days or gift

A great way of getting the occasional curious recruit launched onto an intensive teaching programme. It might not be a traditional route into ringing but feedback suggests that it’s a very good way of recruiting a new ringer.

Dedicated church service

Poster campaigns and notices read in services are good for setting the scene – but a personal appearance and appeal by one or more ringers in a service is really helpful; the side-effect is that you’re appealing to people likely to be available on a Sunday. It also establishes a personal connection – potential recruits know your face.

Tower visits

Invite groups to visit the tower, learn about ringing and have a go. Could be a “bring a friend” practice or a group such as the scouts and guides or a local history society.

Tower open day

Often the first event that people think of when they think recruitment. The open day takes a bit of organising but can definitely bring in the recruits and is great for increasing awareness and generating goodwill.

Hire a mini-ring

Ideal for when you want to “get out there” to recruit people in places, such as shopping centres, fetes and festivals. A mini-ring is a small, mobile belfry with 6 or 8 bells which can be erected anywhere so that members of the public can have a go and teams of experienced ringers can demonstrate.