What does your council/district do to help your unit recruit?

[CNYScouter]

Does your council or district do anything (hold events, advertise, flyers, etc.) to help your unit recruit new members?

 

What do they do to help recruit Cub Scouts?

 

Do they do anything for Troops or Crews?

 

Does your District have a written membership plan? Do they share it with you?

 

From our district/council every unit gets a packet with recruitment tips and the council supplies yard signs. All of this is geared towards Cub Scout recruiting.

Troops and crews are pretty much on their own to recruit.

 

Our District is looking for ideas for recruiting.

 

[Austinole]

They print flyers, make packets to hand out. Go to schools. They have signs you can check out. They have been running a Fall Festival for the past few years.

 

They don't help with Boy Scouts. Our BS Unit just relies on crossovers and doesn't recruit other than have Webelos camp out.

[Stosh]

I started a new unit and got a lot of help from the Council. They provided lists of names of Cub Scouts in the target area for the unit that would otherwise have to travel further to another troop.

 

The give out a heads up to boys that have inquired about scouting in the area.

 

They notify the packs in the area that a new unit is forming and it gives parents another option for their boy when he goes into Scouts.

 

As far as new unit start-up, I felt they did a really nice job for the unit. I picked up Webelos cross-overs as well as off the street walk-ins at the council office.

 

Of course one must remember they only gave out leads, I had to get off my butt and go out and do the actual recruiting.

 

Stosh

[CNYScouter]

Austinole - What are the signs that you can check out like? What do they do for Fall Fest?

[SSScout]

It is recognized the "Join Scouting Night " in September is a Cub thing. At recent BSRT this was passed out and discussed:

 

Stuff To Do To Spread The Scout Gospel,

 

And Invite Boys (and parents!) To Your Troop

 

It’s not JUST for September!

If Scouting is such a good thing, why are you keeping it a secret?

And don’t do it (recruit!) just once a year! Boys can join any time! Get your Committee to work!

They can’t (and won’t) join if they don’t know you’re there. Suggestions we have collected:

 

1. Article in local community newspaper. Did you go to Philmont? The Summit? AT hike? Call the Gazette or the Sentinel! Don’t forget the photo and contact number!

2. Let Church members know about the Troop. Church Bulletin? YOUR House of Worship, not only the CO!

3. Flyer/ table at local middle school's Back to School Night. (Coordinate with Cub Scouts!) Check for Public School Disclaimer paragraph!

4. Letter sent to all graduating 5th graders inviting them to join Boy Scouts (check with the Principal, see above)

5. Boy-to-boy recruiting - most successful method for us. Create a card to pass out to friends.

6. Web site that people can find by Googling ( Is your www.BeAScout.org account accurate? If not, inquiries go to the Council office.)

7. Pass out cards @ sporting events, parades.

8. Flag ceremony for PTA. Presentation to PTA.

9. Sign outside your CO: “Home of Troop , Crew, Ship XYZâ€Â

10. Make contact with the Middle School Counseling Office.

11. Demonstration/exhibit at Library. Check with Head Librarian/ Media Specialist.

12 Sponsor /Donate a Boys’ Life subscription to the Library.

13. Speak to Scouts about their “angst†at wearing uniform “in publicâ€Â.

14. Make sure everybody has “Class B “ T-shirts or sweaters. They can be worn anytime, not just to Scout events.

15. Listen to Scoutcast podcast. See Brians Blog: http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/201...rs/#more-28161

16. Make sure you have a “Boy Led “ Troop, and a quality, high energy program. The successful, large Troops are active, going places and doing stuff every month. If a boy joins your Troop, why should he stay? Your Patrols should be encouraged to do stuff AS A PATROL, don’t wait for the Troop to go out.

17. The Adults can wear their Scout belt, cap, jacket outside of “campâ€Â. Conversation starter.

18. Den Chiefs. Appoint to local Pack. Make that connection. Cubs watching and looking up to “big brother†Scouts in their Cub Dens.

19. Offer to do a “Whittlin’ Chit†class for the Pack’s Webelos and Bears.

[TAHAWK]

The council for my present troop is in dire condition due to lack of funds in this economically-devistated area. The volunteers are starting to understand that they are on their own. They are putting on a Wood Badge program. The only activities we see driven by council are for fund-raising.

 

The district has a decent Klondike Derby largely becasue one of the troop's SA's, disgusted because he is given no work at the troop (one man band) took it on as a personal project.

 

The district roundtables are OK

 

We have an excellent and very active district training team. One of the other three districts also has lots of training going on.

 

When our troop had had no PLC's in twelve years and even the "Patrol Leaders" didn't all know what patrol they were in, the district named our adult SPL "Scoutmaster of the Year" for 2011.

 

Have only seen Unit Commissioner at Eagle Courts of Honor. He does not have a clue - in any sense.

 

 

In my old council, where I still help, they changed out all the top leadership in the course of combining eight districts into three (east, west, inner city) two years ago. No Training Chair over all or for Scouts in east district. Brand new District Cub Training Chair had never staffed training before. Since then, there has been almost no training (One indoor [?!} Baloo with two staff. I was recruited 72 hrs in advance as one of the two.) We have had two District Klondikes the first Winter because they could not get together to put on a single district event. Awful roundtables since there are no Roundtables Chairs - overall, Cub or Scout. A couple of us on the "Steering Committee" tried to warn them how easy it is to say "No" to strangers, but all the old leadership had to go, in the opinion of the paid personnel.. Of the orginal five DE's, lead was fired and the other four quit. Sorta messed up. But at least we got ride of the old district leaders, one team of which perenially led the council in all metrics. I am told the west district is better off, if worse than before the changes. The inner-city district exists on paper.