Every Club wants to grow. But growth doesn't happen by chance: it happens when you open the doors and let a child see, touch, and experience what it means to be a Pathfinder. That's what an open day is, sometimes called "Come Be a Pathfinder." A single, well-planned event where the visitor ties their first knot, lights their first campfire, and leaves with a sparkle in their eyes.
This guide is practical. You'll define the goal, set up the stations, promote it in the three right places (church, school, and neighborhood), guide the visitor experience and, the step almost every Club forgets, do the follow-up that converts interest into enrollment. In the end, you won't just have a pretty afternoon in the photos. You'll have new names on the roll call.
Start with the goal, not the decoration
Before you choose the color of the balloons, answer one question: what do you want to happen by the end of the day? The answer changes everything. A small Club wanting to double in size needs a different event from a large Club that just wants to replace those who left. Concrete numbers help: 'I want 15 new children visiting and 8 enrollments within two weeks' is a goal. 'Promote the Club' is not.
Define the audience too. Pathfinders serves the 10 to 15 age range, so aim at that target. It changes the invitation, the timing, and the language. An 11-year-old decides together with their parents, so the event needs to speak to both at the same time: adventure for the child, safety and values for mom and dad.
Choose a date with room to plan. A Saturday afternoon works well, because the family is already together and the mood is relaxed. Reserve four to six weeks between the decision and the event. Any less and the promotion doesn't mature; much more and the team loses steam. Set up a board meeting just to distribute tasks: who handles the stations, who does the promotion, who welcomes visitors at the door.
Build stations the visitor touches with their own hands
The most common mistake is turning the open day into a presentation. The child sits, watches the drill march, claps, and goes home. They weren't touched. The golden rule is: the visitor does, not just watches. Each station needs to place something in their hands in under five minutes.
Four classic stations always work. At the knots and lashings station, the Counselor teaches the square knot and the child takes home a cord tied by their own hands. At the fire and outdoor life station, they stack the kindling and, under full adult supervision, watch the spark become a flame, something most have never done in their lives. At the first aid station, they learn to put a bandage on a friend's arm and understand that helping is caring. At the drill station, they get in line, learn 'attention' and 'at ease,' and feel, in their body, what it is to be part of a Unit.
Assign a current Club member to each station, not just an adult. The visitor identifies far more with an enthusiastic 13-year-old Pathfinder than with a speech from the Director. Keep the stations close together, with a clear route, and hand out a little card at the entrance to be 'stamped' at each station visited. It becomes a game. At the end, whoever completed everything wins a small prize, a photo, or a symbolic scarf. If your Club works with knots, go deeper on the knots and lashings page to prepare that station well.
First aid: delight without frightening (and without overpromising)
The first aid station is usually the favorite, because the child feels they're learning something grown-up. But mind the tone. The goal here is awareness and first contact, not training. Teach the basic and useful: how to clean a small cut, how to make a simple bandage, the importance of staying calm and calling an adult.
Make one thing crystal clear to everyone, children and parents: none of this replaces an official first aid course or professional care. In any real emergency, the right thing to do is call your local emergency number (in Brazil, SAMU 192) and follow the instructions. A demonstration at an open day is a seed of interest, not a first-responder certificate.
Set up the station with safe materials: clean bandages, gloves, a mannequin or a volunteer's arm. Don't stage dramatic or overly realistic scenes, which can frighten the younger ones. The message that sticks is simple and powerful: 'at the Club, you learn to help people.' That connects straight to the hearts of moms and dads, who want to see their child growing up with that kind of value.
Read alsoHow to set up a club honors fairPromote it in the three right places: church, school, and neighborhood
A well-built event with no promotion is a party with no guests. You need to reach the child where they are, and they're in three places. Each one calls for a different approach.
At church, you already have fertile ground. Ask for a moment during the service for a Pathfinder to give the invitation, put up a poster on the bulletin board, announce it in the family groups, and speak personally with the parents of the friends of children already in the Club. Word of mouth within the church is the channel that converts most. At school, respect the rules: approach the administration, explain that it's a free event of values and outdoor activities, and ask permission to hand out invitations at dismissal or put up a poster. Never go in without permission. In the neighborhood, use simple flyers at partner businesses, a well-made post on the Club's social media, and printed invitations in the members' hands to deliver to neighbors and classmates.
Whatever the channel, the invitation needs four pieces of information and nothing more: what it is ('come be a Pathfinder for a day'), when, where, and that it's free and open to all. A sentence that welcomes those who aren't Adventist makes a difference: make it clear that any child is welcome, with no religious requirement. Many families come in through the door of friendship and adventure.
Guide the visitor experience from the gate to the 'see you soon'
The first impression starts at the gate. Assign two or three people just to welcome: a smile, a 'welcome,' a name tag with the visitor's name written on the spot. The child who arrives shy needs to feel, within ten seconds, that this place is theirs too. A Club member of the same age can 'adopt' each visitor and guide them through the stations. No one is left alone and lost.
Mind the pace. An open day of two to three hours is ideal. Open with a short, lively welcome, spread the groups across the stations, take a break with a simple snack, and close with a collective moment: a group activity, the hymn, a quick word from the Director about what the Club is. Avoid long speeches. The child remembers what they did with their hands, not what they heard sitting down.
While the children move around, someone needs to welcome the parents. Set aside a corner with coffee, show photos of campouts and activities, explain how the Class, the Unit, and the Counselor work, and answer honestly about schedules, costs, and commitment. Reassured parents enroll. And take the chance to present the spiritual side with clarity and respect: the Club belongs to the Seventh-day Adventist Church and cultivates Christian values, but welcomes every child without imposing belief. That transparency builds trust; it doesn't push people away.
Follow-up: the list of interested families that turns into enrollment
Here is the step that separates the Club that grows from the Club that just throws nice events. Conversion doesn't happen on the day; it happens the following week. And it depends on something mundane: a well-made list. At the welcome desk, every visitor fills out a simple form with the child's name, age, and the guardian's name and phone number. Without it, you lose contact the moment they walk back out the gate.
Handle that data with care. It's information about minors and families, so collect only what's necessary, store it securely, and use it only for the Club's invitation. Ask the guardian's permission right on the form. Respect for the data is respect for the family.
Follow-up has rhythm. Within 48 hours, send a thank-you message for the visit, with a photo of the child in action if you have one. Within one week, call or talk with the guardian, answer questions, and give a direct invitation to the next meeting. On the first Saturday after, welcome the visitor back with a name already known and a spot reserved in the Unit. Enrollment usually comes on that second or third visit, when the child already feels part of it. An organized Club, with a warm welcome and an engaging meeting, closes the loop. If you want to fine-tune the meeting that welcomes the newcomer, see the meeting outline.
The greater purpose: why we open the doors
Recruiting isn't just about filling the roll call. Every child who joins the Club finds friendship, positive discipline, nature, service, and a path of faith. The open day is the moment the Club stops being a Saturday secret and becomes an invitation to the whole neighborhood.
The Bible sets the tone for this work. Jesus said: 'In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven' (Matthew 5:16, NIV). A well-done open day is exactly that: good deeds in sight, doors open, light on. And there's the mission of going out to meet people: 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation' (Mark 16:15, NIV). Going to the school, the neighbor, the child's friend, is living out that mission in a way a child understands.
So plan with care, but don't get stuck on perfectionism. A simple, warm first open day is worth more than a grand event that never leaves the drawing board. Start small, learn from each edition, guard the list of interested families like gold, and do the follow-up without fail. Your Club's growth is one Saturday away.