Recruiting New Cub Scouts ---Part I

[SeattlePioneer]

The usual Scout recommendations for almost anything usually begin with planning.

 

Recruiting new Cub Scouts is no different.

 

Right about now is when the Cub Pack Committee should be considering how many new Cub Scouts they wish to recruit in the fall, and what grade levels need to be empasized in recruiting.

 

This means you should have a number or numbers written down as a goal your expect to achieve.

 

Secondly, you need to identify the adults who would be the best people to conduct a recruiting campaign. You may need one person who is experienced at this task, and a couple of people who are new to recruiting and can be the experts next year. Again, you are planning how to do recruiting not just this fall, but for the next couple of years.

 

 

I'd be interested to hear from people on whether they have done these steps yet, or plan to do them soon. There seems to be a BIG gap between packs who are vastly succesful in recruiting new Scouts, and those who are struggling, often desperately. I'm guessing that many of the succesful packs do these things already, and many of those struggling would be much better off if than began this planning process now.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[cubbingcarol]

Seattle Pioneer, you asked about our sign up carnival on another post but I'll answer you here. First I'll give you a little background.

 

We are a town of about 6000. We have only one elementary school. Our newspaper comes out 3 times a week.

 

In the past we had simply held sign up at the school in the evening time. That was it, boys running around or sitting around bored, parents sat thru us trying to tell them specifics about the program and of course the dreaded cost, so on and so forth.

 

I had the idea that we needed to keep the boys entertained while the parents did the 'necesary' stuff. Keep the boys busy, keep the parents happy.

 

I found a site that sold bulk 'novelty' prizes and candy. Estimated the cost for enough prizes for roughly 50 kids (I know what you're thinking, but I figured there would be little brothers and sisters and you can't not let them participate). The commitee approved the price.

I came up with a simple homemade game for each den to run. We had games like beanbag toss, target throw, ping-pong ball toss, etc.

We also had our Pinewood Derby track set up with extra cars that the boys could race, this was our busiest 'booth'!

I made up flyers to send home with all the boys in school (it helps to have a teacher as one of our leaders).

Put it in the paper a week a head of time.

Had it announced on the local radio station.

Reminded all Cubs to invite their friends.

 

We had a good time. Had prizes left over that we can use with our July 4th booth. We also had Kool-aid for everyone.

 

Main thing is the boys were immediately active with something related to Scouting. Worked out better than them just sitting around being bored.

 

Hope this was what you were looking for,

Carol

 

[madkins007]

I am of the opinion that the committee should have a full-time standing sub-committee on recruitment, with recruiting ops all year long. Little things, like public activities (show the uniform) in good recruiting situations, neighborhood signage, school/church/neighborhood association blurbs, personal recruiter recognitions, etc.

 

I also feel that our one of our best recruiting opportunities was a few weeks ago when school was winding down and people were thinking about summer activities, but not so close to the end of the school year that most of that is already set. I LOVE giving out summer activity calendars/recruitment flyers to everyone and their sons!

 

As you plan your campaign, one big question I challenged our folks with is WHERE are the new Scouts going to come from? Our pack was surrounded by bigger elem. school-based packs and in the middle of a fairly childless neighborhood, sponsored by a private church/school that was having its own problems with recruitment.

 

 

[Eamonn]

I kinda think that this Fall we are in for a wild and wonderful ride when it comes to recruiting Cub Scouts.

The sponsorship with General Motors, will or could be a big help. The worlds biggest pine-wood derby car will be on tour.

National, Councils and Districts will all join this Race For Cub Scouts.

We are using the Lunch Box with the Pine Wood kit in as an incentive to join. We have patches for the recruiters as well as the Recruiter patch. Schools are signed up and I have a breakfast meeting planned with all the School Superintendents and Elementary School Principles. The Membership Committee has selected people to go in to the schools and do Boy Talks, bill boards have been bought, newspaper ads are coming, the local cable company is waiting for the new PSA's and have agreed to air them free of charge. Our District marketing team are working with packs to try and get a steady flow of news items into the local papers over the summer and our new Council Membership Chairman is a priest so hopefully he can put in a few extra words with the Great Cubmaster and bend his ear.

If only recruiting the Boy Scouts that we need would be as much fun.

We need 156 Cub Scouts for Quality District, the goal I have asked the Membership Committee to aim for is 225, I know that we can do it, in fact I'm sure of it.

Eamonn.

[resqman]

We prepare a page flyer and ask the surrounding elementary school principals in we can have them distributed in the "Friday Folders" that go home with each student. All the school has to do is place 25-30 in each teachers box to distribute to the kids. The flyer gets seen by the parents when they review the weekly work of their child.

 

We hold a roundup at our meeting place. We have examples of projects the Pack has done like PWD cars, crafts, photo ablums, etc.

 

Usually we open the meeting with a flag ceremony. We explain that those in uniform salute while those in civilian would hold their hands over their hearts. The CM introduces the leaders in attendance. We asks a few questions of the prospective boys what they have heard or know about scouting. He explains a bit that there are different levels. We then break out the kids and take them outside to play with each other and a few of the scouts. The parents stay behind to watch the video. We also explain the program and hold a Q&A. We help them fill out the paperwork and then bring the kids back in.

 

We found that by seperating the kids and adults, the adults can focus on the material. Two deep leadership is stressed along with background checks by BSA and our charter org before we send the kids out to play. The kids get to see the crafts and projects, talk with existing scouts, and have fun. The parents get to find about the program without being interupted.

 

We also but a msg in the churh bulletion about roundups and post a sign board out front of the church.