My Fall Cub Scout Recruiting Campaign

[SeattlePioneer]

As district membership chair, I will be encouraging packs to adopt my simplified Raingutter Regatta as a recruiting night theme and activity. I will be using that as the opening fall meeting for my pack recruiting night as well, September 12th.

 

The key will be a simple Raingutter Regatta boat that can be purchased for 25 cents apiece and assembled and decorated in a few minutes. ( http://soltbox.com/index.php?p=1_5_FUN ).

 

The boat comes with a mast (which I cut short) and I provide a sail cut from corrugated plastic sheet of the kind found on plastic signs.

 

This gives me something exciting to boys to promote when I visit schools. I can show boys a painted and decorated boat and say "How would you like to make a boat like this and race it against all your buddies to see who has the FASTEST boat?"

 

It's hard to beat that kind of appeal.

 

Since crowds tend to be attracted by this activity, I have forty boats, which I've spray painted in various colors.

 

Each family that checks in signs in with their name, address, phone number e-mail address and grade level of the boy. In return, each family gets a boat kit a a boat racing license for each interested child to fill out with their name.

 

The families then take whatever time they wish to assemble and decorate their boat, and to fill out the boat racing licenses with the name of their children.

 

Three pairs of raingutter regatta trays will be set out on tables. These will be raced by (1) 1st grade and younger children (2) 2nd and 3rd graders (3) 4th grade and older children --- or whatever arrangement you wish.

 

 

Children arrange their own races from among those in their line. The winner of each heat receives a colorful sticker for their boat racing license and is free to get back in line and race as many times as they wish.

 

Children in a family can share a boat, racing one boat while others wait to race.

 

Supervision is provided by Cub Scout parents.

 

Parents are given a chance to observe the racing and satisfy themselves that the children are properly supervised. Those who are interested in joining Cub Scouts are invited into a separate area and given an application to complete and a short description of the pack Cub Scout program.

 

 

If someone has a tablesaw, the boats can easily be cut from 3" x 6" pieces of 3/4" wood. Masts can be cut from wood dowels or from steel wire.

 

 

I will be using our September Cub Scout Roundtable as a model recruiting night to show pack leaders how this recruiting night method works. After observing it, pack leaders should be able to replicate this recruiting night for themselves if they wish to do so.

 

The basic method of the Roundtable will be to put leaders in the position of being parents and Cub Scouts, so they will FEEL the excitement and fun this method generates. Unit leaders will have a chance to build and race their boats.

 

Similarly, we don't have to talk much about Cub Scouts being a family activity at our recruiting night, because parents will have just experienced the fun of a quality Cub Scout activity for themselves. Mostly it's a sign up night at that point.

 

 

[saschuster]

That is such an awesome idea! I have thought about doing something similar but my problem with doing anything other than taking applications and money as fast as I can is time. Our schools here give us 1 hour and not a minute more and they are tapping their feet and looking at the clock about 15 minutes before our hour is up!

 

Last year at one of the schools i had a craft and the older scouts were working with the new boys and we ran over and you better believe the school was on the phone with council the next day letting them know!!

 

[shortridge]

The basic method of the Roundtable will be to put leaders in the position of being parents and Cub Scouts, so they will FEEL the excitement and fun this method generates.

 

I know this is a teaching method in vogue - "Let's pretend to be Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts so we can know what they want/need/do!" - but I think it can easily get to the point of silliness.

 

Role-playing as a training method is fine, when it's structured - illustrating how to help a homesick camper, or ways to get a patrol's attention, etc. But just telling 30 adults "Time to play Cub Scouts!" can quickly devolve into ridiculousness.

[SeattlePioneer]

Well, it's not really role playing. My intention is to have boats avaialble for adults to assemble and decorate, and raingutter trays so that those interested can try out the boats for stability and such.

 

I'll have copies of the boat racing license and stickers. I imagine that some people will try out their own races and earn a sticker or two.

 

But the main idea here is to train pack leaders in how to carry this off as an activity. While the boats are pretty simple to construct, practicing in advance is worthwhile, as is understanding the stability of the boats--- they can be capsized easily enough, especially if people are cutting them themselves.

 

I think people will have a chance to understand the fun of the activity, and have a chance to understand how to present the promotion and activity so it will work effectively.

 

In any case, it's usually desirable to make Cub Scouts fun for adults, too, and Cub Scout Roundtables in particular should be fun.

 

The ice cream social should add to that as well.

[Tampa Turtle]

I am confused as to the purpose of this. I am all for a big "splash" event for recruiting cubbies .

 

But is for recruiting cubs or parents or training or what?

 

I have seen better luck with the going outdoors approach. But I could be wrong, good luck.

[K1986]

This is a great idea, we are hoping to have a big fall round-up at our school and I think this idea will really satisfy a large crowd. It is a great and easy way to keep the cubs busy and under the care of existing cub parents so that us leaders get a chance to meet and greet with new parents. Thank you for sharing!

[ScoutNut]

We just invite all prospective new families to our late August Pack Picnic. We usually combine it with our Rocket Shoot, but sometimes we will do a Raingutter instead.

 

We have decided that there is enough drama, and complecated stuff, to go around with the Pinewood Derby. We keep Raingutters fun and simple. We don't bother with the kits. We get foam trays donated by our local deli/meat market, cut out paper sails, and use straws for masts. The foam and the sails are easily decorated. Then we just race, and have good old unorganized fun.

 

I know of other Packs that have used empty juice boxes, and even vegetables, for boats.

 

Everyone gets to know each other, and all of the kids (scouts, prospective scouts, siblings, friends, etc) have fun.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Tampa,

 

 

The purpose is to have an activity that provides a powerful appeal to boys to bring their parents to a recruiting night, and for boys and parents to have a fun experience at the recruiting night to maximize the likelihood that families will sign up for Cub Scouts.

 

In addition, I am encouraging Cub Packs to choose this as their recruiting night activity if they don't have another they wish to use.

 

Too many packs do nothing or little as an activity, making it tough to attract families and persuade them to sign up.

 

With this method, the district is offering an effective method packs may choose to use. The hope is to improve the results of recruiting nights around the district.