2023 Recruiting Update

[yknot]

1 hour ago, Ojoman said:

This may be the last year that we really can get any sort of an accurate year to year membership picture as you point out with individual registrations spread through the year instead of at recharter time. I suspect that one reason for new members paying the whole 12 months up front is to guarantee that National collects a 12 month fee from those that would join in the fall and drop out prior to recharter after only paying for 3 or 4 months. 

 

It will be the last year for at least a full two maybe three year cycle depending on how long they now keep lapsed memberships on the books before there is any stability in the year to year numbers.  

[PACAN]

Numbers from a Commissioner

 

End of December 2023 was a little over 1M.

 

Nationally we dropped from 923,399 in January 2023 to 893,117 in January 2024, a -3.28 % loss.

[Eagle94-A1]

1 hour ago, PACAN said:

Nationally we dropped from 923,399 in January 2023 to 893,117 in January 2024, a -3.28 % loss.

I bet the loss is greater than that. I just checked my Charter last night, and one of my Scouts who aged out last year is still listed, despite us dropping him and not paying for him. He has already stated he will not stay on as an ASM because he refuses to give up his friends, and he is in college.

[Ojoman]

3 hours ago, PACAN said:

Nationally we dropped from 923,399 in January 2023 to 893,117 in January 2024, a -3.28 % loss.

It would be helpful to see where those losses are in the program. Is there growth in cubbing? Are the losses still due to covid and a lack of older cubs to cross over? How is retention compared to the past and is recruiting down? The massive advertising campaign along with the documentary that aired last fall that made BSA look like a movement that does not care about the safety of their membership. There is still hope for a turn around if National gives good direction and support and if local councils really service the grass roots volunteers as they should. If.....

 

[Eagle1993]

My district dropped 9% from end 2022 to end 2023, we only post 2.5% end 2021 to end 2022.  

In the past 2 years we lost 16% of our Troops and more are near the end.  Packs and crews are roughly steady.

 

[OaklandAndy]

Our District has 4 packs and 3 troops left...barely holding on. We used to have double digits in both before the VID. 

[InquisitiveScouter]

My Council Commissioner contact gave me our council stats; we lost units (this month last year to this month this year).  I am not revealing the exact numbers, to protect my source and myself 😜 

Unit growth rate is almost negative 5% (I altered this number to protect the innocent...), so we lost about one out of every 20 units.

Membership growth rate overall same period almost negative 6% (exact number hidden to protect the innocent.)

It is sad that both he and I believe if we could be specifically identified through this forum, there would be reprisals from our council.

What were the target growth rates for this past year?  What was the baseline year?

It would be nice if our council would release the strategic plan (if they have one).  Here is Coastal Carolina Council's plan revised in Jun 2022.

https://scoutingevent.com/Download/099108572/SM/Strategic_Plan_Booklet_Final__revised_6_23_22.pdf

[Tron]

My district was up roughly 3% y-o-y; however, that was all cub growth and I just heard that we finally had a dead troop turn in its charter. 

[InquisitiveScouter]

3 minutes ago, Tron said:

I just heard that we finally had a dead troop turn in its charter. 

Do you mean that a disbanded Troop did not re-charter, or that a previously-believed disbanded Troop surprised everyone and submitted for a charter??

Hoping for the latter, but suspect you meant former...

[Ojoman]

Sadly, membership losses have been going on for half a century and mostly due to mismanagement. There are still strong units, perhaps even a few strong districts but they are rare. Here at the Longhouse Council in Syracuse the membership is down by at least 85 to 90% over the past 2 dozen years. The district that I ran back then had more membership and units in it than the entire council does today. We have a new SE and I hope he is up to the task but I don't know if the council and districts have the manpower (professional and volunteer) to do the job. (Frankly, I doubt it). Time will tell... 

 

[PACAN]

Cub scout retention is always higher than Scouts BSA.  I understand National's goal is 62% which is for both youth and adults registered.  I'm guessing they know the number for each.

So if you have a net loss in membership, retention is less than recruiting.   

 

JMHO

[DannyG]

On 2/28/2024 at 12:32 PM, Eagle94-A1 said:

I just checked my Charter last night, and one of my Scouts who aged out last year is still listed, despite us dropping him and not paying for him. He has already stated he will not stay on as an ASM because he refuses to give up his friends, and he is in college.

We have several college-aged scouts registered as Unit College Scouter Reserve instead of ASM. Less commitment. It keeps them on the charter so they can attend 1 or 2 events per year they are available. But they spend most of their time at college.

[Eagle94-A1]

29 minutes ago, DannyG said:

We have several college-aged scouts registered as Unit College Scouter Reserve instead of ASM. Less commitment. It keeps them on the charter so they can attend 1 or 2 events per year they are available. But they spend most of their time at college.

Yes, but they have to give up their under 18 friends in Scouting per GTSS YP rules, which many refuse to do in this area.

 

Edited March 1 by Eagle94-A1

[Ojoman]

2 hours ago, Eagle94-A1 said:

Yes, but they have to give up their under 18 friends in Scouting per GTSS YP rules, which many refuse to do in this area.

This is an interesting conundrum. I suspect it could be rectified if the troop associates with a Venture Crew and the 18-20 year old's transfer into the crew and then are still youth members???? 

[Armymutt]

On 2/28/2024 at 12:32 PM, Eagle94-A1 said:

 He has already stated he will not stay on as an ASM because he refuses to give up his friends, and he is in college.

That right there is a shame.  This is where the lawyers drive out potentially excellent volunteers.  We probably were violating what passed for YPT when I was a senior in HS.  I was an ASM but I was also on the school sports teams, so I was changing in the locker room with Scouts.  I was even assigned to share a hotel room with a Scout on a school trip.  He was a junior.