Source: Eastern Canada Workshop of April 26th and 29th, 2022
- The importance of the having the Ambassador Coordinator launch the journey as soon as possible by sending a warm invitation to all club members and ensuring they are engaged from the very beginning of the planning process. Organize meetings and both indoor and outdoor social activities
- Deciding on the best time to advertise an undersubscribed journey; not too soon to discourage members of your club from applying and not too late so that there’s insufficient time for potential members from other clubs to submit their application.
- How to invite a member’s friend to join an undersubscribed journey; friend must become a member of the ambassador club and respect all FFI/club policies
- Some clubs use a point system to select ambassadors when a journey is oversubscribed or place members on a waiting list in the event an ambassador has to cancel after being confirmed
- Some clubs ask selected ambassador for a journey deposit to confirm they are committed to the journey; a non-refundable sizable deposit will reduce the likelihood of cancellations. Club policy may stipulate that the deposit can only be refunded if a suitable replacement ambassador is prepared to confirm and make the necessary deposit
- Some clubs reserve spaces for new members to ensure they live the experience soon enough after joining the club
- Some clubs encourage new members to help with an inbound journey before joining an outbound journey. Assigning a mentor to a new member can be very helpful
- Remember that members are “applying” to join an outbound journey; make sure they meet the health and mobility requirements of the host club and those of the ambassador club (i.e.: ability to carry/handle their own luggage on planes, trains, going up stairs, etc. Review their application form, have a one-on-one discussion with them, do references. Organizing outdoor activities during the planning process can be an effective assessment tool
- It is important to do a thorough vetting of “applicants” from other clubs
- It is essential to have a copy of the emergency information for each ambassador (passport, visa, provincial health insurance, travel insurance, emergency contact, etc)
- Organize a mandatory training session with selected ambassadors to ensure they have a clear understanding of the FFI code of conduct, their role and responsibilities during the journey and the importance of discretion when dealing with difficult situations – an ambassador must communicate directly with the ambassador coordinator to share concerns/issues
- Sometimes the host club can underestimate the difficulty of the journey either in terms of accommodations or the activities program. This can be for a number of reasons including cultural factors. Ask an ambassador to research the area and identify potential physical challenges
- Ask ambassadors to share their feedback/ideas on the activities program suggested by the host club to promote full engagement
- Discuss the issue of club-to-club gifts with the host ambassador. Some ideas are a charitable donation to an organization of their choice, a book on the ambassadors’ country/region, country flag, etc
- Ask the host club if there are fixed costs they need to pay in advance and the date on which they would like the hosting fees to be sent to them to cover these costs. Ensure both coordinators are clear on the hosting costs so there are no surprises (additional costs) upon your arrival to the host destination
- Confirm with the host coordinator their preferred method payment (i.e. bank transfer, cash on arrival, other). In the case of a bank transfer FFI is set up to act as an intermediary and fees are 3% on credit card payments.
- Ask an ambassador to research the cultural norms of the country/club being visited and to share this information with the group
- Sleeping arrangements: send a questionnaire to ambassadors to gather this information early in the process so that the information can be shared with the host coordinator
- COVID vaccination status: obtain vaccination certificate from each ambassador and confirm with host coordinator the vaccination status of their club members/hosts