SFC Grassroots Network Lead Quickstart Guide

This is a quickstart guide for people who are up for leading across a whole region. 

Use it as a helpful overview of what’s involved in being a Grassroots Network Lead, particularly if you’re thinking of taking on the role.

The role in brief

Becoming a Grassroots Network Lead lets you lift the whole region, not just one part of it. You help the movement reach every corner, support Regional Leaders so they never feel stuck, and keep momentum flowing across the whole region. 

The role is less hands-on than being a School Organiser or Regional Leader - you’re coordinating, connecting people, and giving clarity and confidence where it’s needed. 

Some Grassroots Network Leads continue as a Regional Leader in their local area as well; others step back from being a Regional Leader over time. Both work. What matters is staying close to the grassroots while helping the whole region move faster, together. Grassroots Network Lead is a voluntary role.

What’s involved?

1. Get set up

Becoming a Grassroots Network Lead is straight forward:

Let us know you’re keen. Fill in this quick form.

We’ll give you the green light. We’ll check that you’ve got enough experience of SFC and that the region has enough activity for the role to make a real difference. Then, if the Regional Leaders in your area are happy, you’re good to go.

2. Understanding what’s there

Once you’re appointed you need to know what’s going on. 

• Talk with each Regional Leader in the region
• Get the list of schools in your region from the Notion Page
• Ask HQ for a School Organiser and Regional Leader list
• Collect any dashboards
• Ask advice from other Grassroots Network Leads in nearby regions

Make a simple overview. Create a shared sheet with hubs and schools on it. Use it to get a sense of where the energy is right now. It doesn’t have to be perfect but it’s good to have a view on what’s happening across the whole region.

3. Structuring your region

A region can be enormous. Breaking it down can make it feel much more manageable, creating local hubs that Regional Leaders are happy to take on.

Define hubs that feel real. Usually towns, parliamentary constituencies or a local grouping that makes sense to local parents (roughly 30–70 schools).

Share and refine. Post a draft map in the Whatsapp Community, invite feedback, tweak until it works.

Drive the WhatsApp Communities. Keep one community until you hit the limits; then split along your hub lines.

Create light dashboards per hub: for each school in a hub, track School Organisers, pact sign‑ups, events/talks, heads engaged, Breakthrough Point status (~25%), policy changes. See an example here.

4. Developing a plan for the region

In conversation with your Regional Leaders, choose two or three targets you’d like to achieve. Depending on the stage of your region, these could vary. They might focus on the number of School Organisers recruited, pact sign‑ups, heads engaged, schools near/over the Breakthrough Point or smartphone‑free policies adopted.

It can be helpful to have targets over two time horizons:

• Next term (10–12 weeks): the few things that move the dial now.
  
  
• Two‑year view: where the region could be if momentum compounds.

Prioritise momentum. Support hubs that are already moving. Use those wins to warm neighbouring hubs.

Keep it human. Everyone’s a volunteer. Fewer priorities, done well, beats many half‑started.

5. Building a Regional Team

Start with listening. Ask what support would help most.

Invite new Regional Leaders. Spot active School Organisers. DM them. “You’d be great at leading this hub.” Many are waiting to be asked.

The right meeting rhythm. Staying coordinated can be tricky, especially with busy evenings. Aim for enough contact to feel like a team, but not so much that it feels like a burden. For example, you might have a…

• Regional Leader round‑up each half‑term (6–8 weeks)
• Hub meet (Regional Leaders + School Organisers) monthly or every two months
  
  

Be the resource librarian. Know the core SFC Quickstart guides, playbooks and tools. Share links so no one stays stuck.

6. Pulling it all together

Cross‑pollinate. You’ll know more about what’s happening where so connect SFC volunteers who can help each other. “Speak to A in York - they cracked this last month.”

Uncover the blockers early. Ask, “What are you stuck on?” and make space to problem solve.

Lean in at key moments. Important talks, tricky school conversations, local authority/council meetings, hubs nearing Breakthrough, a timely intervention can go a long way.

Share the wins. Everyone in our community wants to know that SFC is working and moving forward. Share the wins. A monthly or quarterly progress update can help keep the community engaged.

7. Spreading the Movement Across the Region

You’ll have some areas in your region where no parents have yet stepped forward. You can play the role of being the initial spark in some of those areas.

Run small starter events. Town halls, libraries, churches, community centres, or schools with no School Organiser yet. Keep it simple; create the space.

Talk to headteachers. A single supportive head can host a talk, introduce parents, or signpost to a neighbouring event.

Find early School Organisers. Set up WhatsApp school groups for those that haven’t got them yet, invite parents from quiet areas to nearby talks, and post friendly, non‑judgemental invites.

What success looks like

• Hubs mapped, dashboards live, and a steady rhythm for Regional Leaders and hubs.
• A growing, confident team of Regional Leaders who feel equipped and connected and who are having fun.
• Multiple hubs nearing or crossing the Breakthrough Point (~25% pact sign‑ups).
• More heads engaged and smartphone‑free policies adopted.
• Stories and wins spreading to neighbouring hubs.

SFC principles to steer by

• Start where you are. You don’t need to wait for perfect conditions. A single conversation can start a ball rolling.
• Build trust. This is a relational role, not a managerial one. Support others to lead in their own way. 
• Spot energy. Look for people who are quietly fired up. Gently fan their flame.
• Connect the dots. When one school moves, help others nearby to follow. Clustered change is contagious.
• Be a force for momentum. When things slow, you’re the nudge. When they surge, you’re the amplifier.
• We learn from each other. Share what you’re learning as you try things. Whether something worked or didn’t, we all win when we share.

Stay connected

You’re part of a national network that wants you to thrive. If you feel stuck or overwhelmed, reach out - peers and HQ are ready to help.

90‑day starter list

If you’re just getting going in your region as a Grassroots Network Lead, here are some things you could think about to get up and running:

• HQ confirmed your Grassroots Network Lead role
• Showing up helpfully in regional WhatsApp
• Draft hub map shared and refined
• Region overview sheet live (schools, School Organisers/Regional Leaders, activity levels)
• Two priority hubs chosen with next‑term goals
• Regional Leader round‑up scheduled; hub meetings pencilled in
• Resource links posted in the community