Targeted Recruiting For Cub Scout Packs

[SeattlePioneer]

I am District Membership Chair in my district, which means I'm responsible for encouraging the recruiting of new Cub Scouts.

 

A few weeks ago, the District Executive gave me a breakdown of packs in the district and the number of Tigers, Wolves, Bears and Webelos Scouts in each Pack. There were some obvious "holes" in those numbers, with several packs having zero, one or two boys as Tiger Cubs or Wolves in particular.

 

Having holes like that means a weak program, since you don't have the critical mass to have the best program. It means weaknesses in the pack in future years since you wont have the boys and aduly leaders you are going to need.

 

So we put together a "peer-to-peer" recruiting kit for Cub Packs. This consisted of ten (10) "Lance Armstrong" style wrist bands, ten postcard sized pieces of recruiting literature, five Cub Scout applications, a handout I wrote up on how to use your existing Scouts to recruit new boys, and out first announcement on our fall recruiting Kickoff scheduled for June 15th (got to get things promoted early!).

 

I called leaders in all the Cub Packs with holes in them to invite them to the upcoming Cub Roundtable where they could pick up their packets and hear our training on "Peer-to-Peer" recruiting.

 

At Roundtable, Packs signed that they received their packet, and I gave a ten minute presentation on using the recruiting cards as a Den activity: The existing boys in a Den would first be asked to identify a friend or classmate they would like to have in Cub Scouts. Second they will decorate one of the recruiting cards with that boy in mind, inviting them to an upcoming Pack activity or outing.

 

The Cub Scouts who attract a new boy to that event get one of the wristbands for themselves and the boy they invite. The Cub Scout membership applications are there to sign boys up at that activity.

 

I was pleasently surprised that most of the units came to the Roundtable and picked up and signed for their packets. Today I'm sending the remaining three Packs their packets in the mail.

 

 

I'll be interested to see if we get new applications back in the next few weeks indicating that this effort paid off in new Cub Scouts.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[cajuncody]

Can I have a packet? Sounds like a great idea.

Kristi

[bbng]

I'd love to hear how this progresses. Way to go on getting material into unit leaders' hands!

 

Are you familiar with the "My Best Friend Is A Cub Scout" peer-to-peer recruiting program? It sounds similar to what you've worked up, but only the recruiter gets a patch. I like the idea of both the recruiter and the new boy receiving something, and those wrist bands are extremely popular.

[Cubmaster Jerry]

SP, I think this is a great idea as well. However, not to put a damper on your enthusiasm and initiative, I hope that this produces much better results than I have witnessed.

 

My council does some similar mid-year recruiting techniques. Like bbng's experience, usually only the recruiter got something. They usually got a patch but sometimes they got a pair of tickets to a local professional sporting event or other 'big' item. One year all who recruited were put into a drawing to win one of a number of bicycles. I don't know how successful those have been.

 

But the problems I have witnessed aren't with the program itself but with the implementation at the unit level. Unless the unit has someone dedicated to recruiting, the CC usually puts the info "on the table" at the Committee meeting. It would then be up to the DLs to pass it on to the boys. This usually turns another great recruiting tool into one that just goes by the wayside because the implementation is placed on the shoulders of the Unit and those at the Unit don't normally have the same enthusiasm for recruiting as those at the District level. I realize that you, as the District Membership Chair, can't go to every unit to promote and implement but I would tend to believe that few at the unit would want to put much effort into a mid-year recruitment drive. For one thing it would put much more burden on the DL to add a boy mid-year and work to catch them up. Maybe mid-year visits to school by District-level folks as they do for School Night For Scouting preparation in Sep.

 

There are, of course, a slew of opportunities for the Pack to implement such fine mid-year recruiting programs as yours, but they usually get put on the back burner behind other Pack event/agenda items that need attention. Promoting it at Committee meeting would just add another (to the 344,452) items already on our agenda. Taking time at the Pack meeting would add on to my already 1+ hr program. I realize that, in the end, these are excuses but it is probably close to reality.

 

I really do hope this is successful. Please keep us updated. Recruiting (along with Training) is one of my keen interests as a leader. I am always looking for new ways to get boys into the program and keep them there.

 

Jerry

[briantshore]

I have been in Cub Scouts just 2 years, but I find that recruiting boys is a lot easier than recruiting the adults to run the program. It seems that most of the leaders stay with the program till there boys pass through, and then they are gone. The packs need to build the fondation first, and the rest will follow.

[MarkS]

I don't know if I agree that having a hole at a particular grade level constitutes a weak program. This is an assumption based on limited facts. The case for the hole and the solution can be different for each unit.

 

Our pack has a hole at Bear den, but the other dens and pack are running well. The problem with the Bear den is the lack of parents stepping forward to lead their den program. Since none of the parents want to lead the den, we're working on putting them in touch with other units with established leadership.

 

As far as packs are concerned... they are parent run/parent led programs. Cub Scout packs with the "semi-professional" Cubmaster are mostly a thing of Fred MacMurray movies. If the vast majority of the leadership of a pack isn't parents with a vested interest in developing the character of their son and his friends, then the pack has little chance of success.

 

Pack and District leaders need to understand that recruiting new boys to the program is a cooperative effort. Not the job of one or the other. Taking that approach, my unit more than doubled it's size this year and made it's Tiger and Wolf dens very viable programs. We just struck out on getting Bears. I don't know why, but this class of boys has been a struggle since first grade.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello, Cubmaster Jerry---

 

 

Good comments in your post.

 

As District Mewmbership Chair, I've been working to develope a working relationship with at least one adult leader in each Pack who takes responsibility for recruiting ---usually the Cubmaster.

 

We had a good training meeting for how to do fall recruiting in August, with the next one scheduled for June 15th. The June 15 th effort will have multiple efforts to promote it, and we are encouraging Pack leaders to find adults who don't have a role in Troop leadership to thatr training so they might become trained in the arts of recruiting, and take the load off the existing leadership.

 

So one of my aims is to anticipate problems that Pack leaders have, and find ways to help them. Rather than adding to the burden of Pack leaders, my aim is to reduce them.

 

Of course, that's just theory and/or good intentions so far. Over time, perhaps Pack leaders will start paying attention to Membership programs if they see value and good ideas they can use.

 

I see plenty of promotional literature and ideas wasted, just as you suggest. That's reduced when there is a training program that shows how the material can be used and how it will benefit the Pack/Troop.

 

Also, I take comfort that in Scouting we are only expected to Do Our Best.

 

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

 

[ScoutNut]

Ok, first you say that if a Pack has a "hole" at a particular level it means the Pack has a "weak" program. Then you state that Pack leaders don't pay attention to membership programs.

 

Wow, you really know how to leap to assumptions based on a little knowledge and generalized facts. I take exception to your assumptions & your tone & I am very glad our District Membership Chair is not like that.

 

As MarkS stated, "holes" at a particular level can be from a variety of reasons. A "weak" program is only 1, and not the most common. As for structured membership programs, sometimes they just do NOT work for a particular area, Pack, or classroom. It is no ones fault, the program is being implemented properly, it just does NOT click for whatever reason.

 

The answer is not short term or one time only promotions, or even glitzy marketing materials. The answer is an ongoing push to keep the Scouts highly visible in the community doing service & having FUN! You also need to target the parent & not just the boy. We have done classroom talks where every child in the room, including the girls, were jumping up & down to join & then only 1 or 2 families actually sign up. The boys can be chomping at the bit to become a Scout, but if the parents will not consider it, for whatever reason, you are stuck.

 

We have 40 boys registered this year. We added new boys at every level & have what I believe is a very good, active, quality program. Unfortunately, we can't seem to connect with our 1st grade families this year. We currently have 4 Tigers (who are GREAT!), but nothing we do seems to work with this class to attract more. We have a few more ideas we are going to try. Maybe they are more of a drop & run bunch & we will get more to sign up next year, we will have to see.

 

So, please do not approach your District's Packs with an attitude & preconceived ideas of what kind of program & people they have. That is not the way to help anyone.

 

[MarkS]

ScoutNut... you're giving me a bad case of deja-vu (sp?) by describing your experiences with classroom talks. I did the classroom talks with our district rep this year. Having a couple strong Webelos dens and knowing that as the boys get older it's harder to get them interested in Cub Scouting, our goal was to focus on first thru third grades.

 

We went to school the day before School Night to Join Scouting (SNJS) and visited every first and second grade classroom. We had every kid hooting and hollering and every hand would go in the air when we'd ask the boys if they were going to ask their parents to sign them up. Twenty first and second graders joined at SNJS.

 

We missed third grade because they were at recess when we got there and the school day ended before we could get to them. We only had one boy come for SNJS and his brother was a 1st grader.

 

So we went back and recruited third graders the week of our first pack meeting and invited them to come. Again, we had the boys hooting and hollering and every hand went in the air when we asked who was going to ask their parents to sign them up. However, only two more boys came to the pack meeting. Not the nine or ten we got from the other two grades.

 

Still with five third graders including the two that were still active from last year, enough for a den. I ran their first den meeting for them, showed them the Program Helps! and explained how to use it, I had a den chief there to show how he could help out, I explained how to apply shared leadership and the importance of how everyone should share the load to keep it fun not only for the boys but for themselves, the boys had fun, everyone was energized, I collected dues and applications from everyone who hadn't signed up yet, and got a commitment from one parent to become the den leader.

 

Two months later and the den has folded. The den leader didn't want to attend Roundtable or Committee meetings or go to basic training. He eventually quit when he started having attendance problems. Seeing that he failed and was likely complaining about the "extra" meetings, no one wanted to take over. Without established leadership at that grade, all we can do is help those who are still interested in the program to find a unit with established leadership.

 

Fortunately, our first year Webelos and Wolf dens are pretty large so the Troop shouldn't suffer too much with the hole in our program as long as we can keep those boys.(This message has been edited by MarkS)

[dlw73078]

I'd like to get a packet too!

Seems the entire district I belong in had a bad receruitment year. I have 0 Tiger Cubs this year (I'm also a 1st year CM) and feel awful about having a hole.

I am hoping when summer camp comes around that I can do recruitment again to get the boys intrested in a time where our pack does really neat activities (in addition to Day Camps).

I see nothing wrong with recruiting mid-year, I picked up some really neat software for the boys to work on at my next recruitment night. I m hoping it pays off.

[jens3sons]

I wasn't going to post anything, because I thought there had already been some great comments on this post, until I read about "assumptions"...I'm sorry, but my opinion is, the man (Seattle) IS the DISTRICT MEMBERSHIP CHAIR...holding a district position, and KNOWING what is going on in his district! If he chooses to use the words "holes" and "weak" it is most likely a trend he is eye-witness to in his district and is most likely the proper words to be using!

 

I am currently the CC for my sons pack, and always thought eventually I would get to a district position after I was done as CC (I still have 4 yrs left), but I saw a need in district and stepped up to the plate because I know that I am not only touching the lives of every boy in our pack, but what I do on a district level also touches the lives of every other boy in the district! I am now a Cub Roundtable Commisioner, and am LOVING it. Applause to you Seattle for seeing a need and filling it, and then coming up with an awesome idea to hopefully fix it! Applause for caring for each boy in the district and wanting to provide a quality program! Applause for getting on "fire" about scouting and wanting to spread that fire!

 

Seattle, please don't forget (because it is easy to do, when it is the "trickle down" effect) that you ARE touching each and every one of those boys lives and making a difference!

 

I hope your district realizes how lucky they are to have YOU in their district! I think you have a great idea, and like some of the others, will be interested in hearing how it goes.

 

Yours in Scouts,

jens3sons