Our community is built on dedicated volunteers who all have a common goal—to get children out into nature from birth to school age. Whether you are an experienced outdoors person or just getting started at hiking, becoming a Hike it Baby Ambassador in your community is an amazing way to build a strong outdoors foundation for your whole family.

As a local Ambassador, you are a role model in a growing organization that builds positive, supportive social groups to help get the whole family outside. You set the tone of the community branch and how others perceive Hike it Baby in the community, which is a very rewarding, positive experience. The more you put in, the more you get out, however we always try to be flexible and let you scale your participation as it fits your life. Hike it Baby has a Mentor program and each branch is given access to this program to act as a resource as needed.

What's a branch?
Hike it Baby branches are local communities. These are the limbs on our strong tree that spans nationwide. Branches can be either based on a city or a county depending on the density of the population. Each Branch has a Facebook page and hikes are submitted by ambassadors and the community and appear on a national calendar that helps encourage others to get outside.

As a Hike it Baby Branch Ambassador, your main responsibility is to help your community get excited to hike all year round. This means answering questions about how to host hikes, making people feel welcome on the Facebook page, hosting hikes in your area so others can learn how to be good Hike Hosts for Hike it Baby. Host events that work for your family with the core mission in mind: getting children and families outside and in nature.

Branch Ambassadors go through an online training program that explains responsibilities and requirements in more depth as well as additional suggestions to do as a Branch Ambassador (not mandatory but helpful).

What does "hike" mean?
We use the terms “hike” and “baby” in Hike it Baby very loosely. Hike can mean anything from a dirt path up a mountain, a trail through the woods, gathering to play at a city or neighborhood park, an urban stroll to grab some coffee, or seasonal indoor events. And baby refers to any child, no matter their age. We welcome anyone to join our team of Branch Ambassadors no matter what age their child is or how many “trails” there are in their community.

Branch Ambassador Responsibilities

• Moderate your Branch’s Facebook group
• Pass along information like great articles, fun downloadables and outdoor tips from our national communication to your local community
• Get one hike a week in the calendar (as a branch, not necessarily you personally)
• Participate in community outreach to grow your branch (online and in person)
• Encourage members to find new trails and support them in getting those shared with the community through our trail guide.
• Help write up information about great family-friendly trails in your area

Branch Ambassador Benefits

• Become a member of a tight, supportive community of parents that stretches from your local branch, across the US
• Become a member of a private support group on Facebook to share stories, receive advice, and support each other in getting out there during those hard months
• Special Discounts just for our Ambassadors
• Excellent reference for future jobs and volunteer positions you seek out in the world

Branch Ambassador Requirements

• Internet access so you are able to perform the above responsibilities
• Active Facebook account to manage your Hike it Baby Community
• Check your email on a regular basis – we send a weekly Branch Team Newsletter
• Online training to learn about policy and procedure to help with facilitating community development

Time Commitment
Expect to spend about 8-12 hours per month on Branch Ambassador responsibilities, which includes regular check-ins on Facebook and reading newsletter updates. You do have to be on Facebook to be a Branch Ambassador. These responsibilities are able to be divvied up among teammates. If you have any additional questions on what to expect as a Branch Ambassador, please email ambassadorsupport@hikeitbaby.com

Training

The training program is a go at your own pace program. We understand that everyone learns at a different pace. Go through training at a pace that fits your life. 

Getting to Know Hike it Baby Nationally
We encourage you to join your neighbor branches on Facebook to get to know the kinds of events others are hosting and become familiar with Hike it Baby in your region. Before you begin training, potential Branch Ambassadors should also join 2-3 other branches across the country to get an idea of what the workload is involved of various branch sizes.

 

IS THERE AN EXISTING BRANCH NEAR YOU?

There are two places to check to find out if a community exists already:
Find hikes in your area with our hike search to connect with a branch in the real world.
Find your local Facebook page to connect with your community online.

 

Branch Ambassador applications on hold for the winter - please check back in the spring for more information!