Group Leader Academy
Recruiting Your Group
Now that you’ve made the decision to organize a trip with ACIS and have chosen your itinerary, it’s time to start recruiting your group.
Remember, the more people in your group, the more lives you’re changing through the power of travel and the more points you’re earning in our World Traveler Rewards loyalty program. It’s a win/win!
When recruiting a group there are a few things to remember.
- The snowball effect. It gets easier and easier the more groups you lead. Once word spreads about what inspiring, valuable and fun trips you take, next year’s group will already start forming.
- It’s a process. The first step is hosting a recruitment meeting, but that’s not the only step.
- We’re here to help! Your Program Consultant has a wealth of knowledge on best practices and is more than happy to advise and coach you until your group is its desired size. Plus, keep reading. We’ve got loads of tools to help you reach your numbers.
Schedule a Meeting
Where and When
Choose a meeting space that’s convenient, accessible and familiar to the people you’re inviting. If there’s a space in your school you can use, such as an auditorium or a classroom, this would be ideal. You could even use a computer lab so that people can use the computers to register for the trip at your meeting! If your trip isn’t school sponsored, you could look for meeting space in your local community, such as a library. Be aware of how people will be getting to the meeting and ensure that there is adequate parking and/or good public transport links. Also be sure the room can accommodate your PowerPoint presentation and has enough space for attendees.
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 6-7 pm are going to be your best bets for times. We’ve also frequently had teachers schedule two separate sessions to accommodate extracurricular activities, with the field hockey team members coming on Wednesday and the fall musical cast on Thursday, for example. Some teachers find it useful to host an initial, student-only meeting for a few minutes following class, just to get a sense of student interest. That is entirely up to you!
Promote your Recruitment Meeting
It’s time to get the word out and promote your tour and upcoming recruitment meeting. Take advantage of all of our tools and materials.
Free Destination Posters
Featuring stunning photography from all over the globe, our posters will add a splash of world color to your classroom walls! Choose a poster, and request your free printed poster of choice.
Request Here
Meeting Flyers
Customize your destination’s flyer with your trip and meeting information, and start hanging them up.
Download Here
Meeting Invitation with RSVP tear off
Send a letter home to parents and ask for them to RSVP to your meeting. Locking in those RSVPs helps ensure a fuller house.
DownloadInvitation Email
In addition to sending a paper invitation home, a couple of weeks before your meeting, email your students’ parents, inviting them to attend.
Thanks for RSVP-ing Email
Use our template to thank all interested students and parents for RSVPing to your meeting.
Tomorrow's Our Meeting Reminder Email
It’s always a good idea to send everyone who has RSVP-ed, or really just anyone who has shown interest in the trip or who you believe should have shown interest, a reminder of the meeting details.
How to Lead the Meeting
Hosting a successful recruitment meeting isn’t difficult, but it does require some preparation.
Your job here is to generate enthusiasm about your tour, reassure nervous parents that their child will be safe and explain the cost. By focusing on those first two items, the third becomes easy. And ACIS has loads of resources at your disposal.
Meeting and Recruitment Follow-Up
You just hosted a successful recruitment meeting. Time to sit back and let the registrations roll in? Not just yet. We’ve found, with a little follow-up, your chances for recruitment success shoot up dramatically. Here’s what to do.
Email Everyone who Attended the Meeting
This is your chance to thank everyone for taking the time to attend the meeting, provide them links to all relevant information and reiterate your registration deadline. Any personalization you can add, for example highlighting an inclusion that the student expressed interest in, or following up on a question that was asked, makes your email all the more compelling.
Email Everyone who Missed the Meeting
Schedules are busy. A missed meeting may not mean lack of interest. If someone RSVP-ed or initially expressed interest in the tour, but missed the meeting, it is worth reaching out to see if they would like to learn more.
Pick up the Phone
Taking the time to call prospective parents shows them you are taking the responsibility of leading their child seriously. It allows the parents to get to know you better and shows your high level of commitment. Start with the parents who you think just need a little nudge, parents that are well-connected or parents of students who are influential in the community.
Email when First Participant Registers
Congratulations! Your first traveler has registered. It’s time to start spreading that good news. Sharing your news will inspire others to register as well. It’s no longer just an idea; it’s happening, and people will want to jump on board.
Email Deadline Reminder
It’s a good idea to email out a reminder to potential participants and parents about one week before the registration deadline. We’d hate for an interested student to have to pay more simply because they lost track of the date.
Email to People who Expressed Interest, but Haven't Registered
Are there people who initially expressed interest, but time is ticking along and they have not taken any action? Remind them why they were interested in the first place and figure out if there’s information they need to make a decision.