recruitment letter

[sst3rd]

 

Our associated Pack, and several others in the immediate community, have Scouts that have become inactive in the last 6 months or so, and have turned 11 years of age. I'm gathering this info, and wish to send a "short" and "to the point" recruitment letter to see if we can get them back involved in Scouting on the Troop level (this is a PLC idea).

My question is, do we address the letter to the potential Scout, or to the parent(s)? If it should go to the parent(s), then we can be a bit more detailed about the Scout Troop and its activities. If we should address the letter to the potential Scout, I would want a more direct and short letter. Possibly we could address the envelope to the "parents of," and then include a short letter to both the parent(s) and the potential Scout?

 

Your thoughts, please.

 

sst3rd (SM)

[scoutldr]

No offense, but one more piece of "junk mail" is likely to just get tossed without the scout and/or parents ever seeing it. In my house, all the bills get pulled out and everything else goes in the trash without opening. I lose a lot of rebate checks that way, but nothing I say seems to make a difference.

 

I know it's more work, but how about "peer to peer" recruiting...if the scouts are in the same neighborhood or school, assign each scout a name to contact personally and invite to a meeting. As an alternative, have a troop "open house" on a Saturday ... have hands on activities and feed them.

[Mike F]

sst,

Like scoutldr said, peer-to-peer is usually most effective, but the mailer is certainly worth a try. I'd probably put some things in there for both parents and boys.

 

For the boys, stress adventure. They might not think scouts is cool, but most red-blooded American boys yearn for adventure. Include some pictures of local scouts in action (canoeing, rappelling, backpacking in mountains) and be sure to point out that these boys all live in the local area - they're guys right here in your neighborhood - just like you.

 

Maybe include a paragraph like "Information for Parents."

In addition to hitting biggies like learning self-reliance and leadership (important qualities for their future), be sure the parents understand that, while parents are welcomed and some are needed to make the program work, parents do not have to attend all activities with their son.

 

Again - hook them with adventure and fun. Paint a picture of sharing lunch with buddies at the top of the mountain they'd just climbed. Or waking up on a crisp, clear morning with loons calling across the Canadian wilderness lake with a glimpse of a moose foraging on the distant shore.

 

I have a handout that we've used at Webelos Woods with some success. Send me PM if you'd like to see it.

 

Good luck - Let us know how it goes!!

 

-mike

[sst3rd]

scoutldr,

No offense taken. This is strictly a shot in the dark. We've done this in the past to try to reconnect with Webolos who've never tried the Troop. We've had some success. No, our Scouts don't know these young men. We've asked.

 

Mike F. and scoutldr,

Peer to peer is the best way to go (and we continue to have success with that method, but we're trying to bring Scouting to those that have no peers in Scouting. You've got to break through somehow. And since they at least tried the Cub Scouts......

More thoughts are still welcome.

 

Thanks,

 

sst3rd

[Mike F]

sst,

Right on! I wasn't dismissing idea - I think it's great - we've talked about it, too. Still trying to get list of guys that didn't bridge over and can't believe the Cub side hasn't been willing to release names/addresses. (Sad truth is probably that they don't know....) Sounds like you're moving beyond talking to action. I'm hoping for your success. Maybe that will get us beyond talk.

-mike

[SemperParatus]

I think a phone call with a personal invitation to your next meeting or open house could be a lot more effective then a letter. A form letter is easily ignored or forgotten. A Scoutmaster taking the time to make personal contact with a former scout and his family speaks volumes.

[EagleInKY]

Not sure of the dynamics of your neighborhood, maybe this will work. You can put together a pretty slick brochure that highlights the adventure of Boy Scouting. Include a schedule of activities they can attend. Then stop by the house with a couple scouts and invite them in person.

[eagle97_78]

Time and time again we wonder what has happened to these young men when they don't move on to Boy Scouts. I know this because I deal with my Districts Webelos to Scout Transition. Most of the time the boys don't move on because there parents tell them that they have to make a choice between scouts and sports of course they will chose sports all the time, some times it is that they didn't like any of the troops that they visited and the way around this is to let the district send out a bulk mail to all the boys from the District Executive and the District Webelos to Scout Transition Chairperson, that will encourage the families about scouting and the good that it shall do for their son., but along with this the family needs to know taht if they visited a unit that they didn't like it that they are welcome to visit any unit in the district that they would like to visit to find a troop that suits them. You will need to include the list of troops in the district and someone to contact.