Recruitment

[hikeoholic]

I am an eagle scout from a troop I have recently come back to assists as an adult leader after graduating college and been gone a lot other then returning during the summers and semester breaks. The troop has had a drastic fall in numbers due to a weak meeting program where it was just a social hour where the boys got tired of it and left. We have now and continue to improve the program and I think it is time to do some proactive recruiting instead of using our low numbers as an excuse not to do our annual fundraiser. I was wondering what methods of recruitment have you used and what has worked or not worked. The other adults in the troop seem to automatically think just of webloos crossover when it comes to recruitment.

[gwd-scouter]

Hikeaholic. Welcome to the Forum and congratulations on your Eagle! It is wonderful that you are coming back to your Troop to help.

 

We are a very small troop with difficulty in recruiting. We helped a equally small struggling Pack with their Webelos crossover last year and got one Scout. We expect two more next month.

 

Some other methods we've used:

 

Last year, one of our Eagle Scouts made a video tape which was shown during Sunday service at our Chartered Org talking about our Troop and inviting boys to come to our open house. This resulted in 2 new Scouts.

 

We recently recruited from a local private school and spoke directly to 5th and 6th grade classes. Handed out flyers with upcoming events and other Troop information. This has resulted in 3 new Scouts.

 

Of course, there is also the peer-to-peer recruiting which is actually a new requirement for 1st class starting this year. We have had one new Scout join as a result of being invited by a friend.

 

Good luck with your efforts to rebuild your Troop.

 

[CNYScouter]

hikeoholic-

Congrats on making the choice to bring back your experience into Scouting.

 

I have found that the units that seem to have no problem in recruiting new members do no recruiting at all. They run a Scouting program that draws youth and leaders. So, start thinking about how to improve your Troop's overall program.

 

The best way to grow in numbers is to keep the Scouts you have interested

 

Does the Troop use an NSP? This seems to be the best way to keep your new scouts in the program.

 

Your scouts do the best recruiting. Have them bring a friend.

Hold a Troop Open house and offer some type of incentive, some on this forum say that something as simple as a candy bar will work, to anyone who brings in a new member. Do this for any scout that brings a friend to a meeting.

You may be able to find a local sporting goods store that will give you small items (fishing tackle, small camp tools, EMS gave my sons Troop $10 gift cards) to use as an incentive.

Perhaps offering a reward to the first patrol that has 8 members by recruiting new scouts. Offer a pizza party or some thing non-monetary like the adults have to do the patrols dishes on the next camping trip.

 

On Kudos web site (great place for information)you will find School Presentation for Recruiting Sixth-Graders By Rick Seymour

 

http://www.inquiry.net/adult/recruiting.htm

 

This is a presentation for sixth graders that the author says will consistently recruit 12-20 sixth graders every year.

 

Ive never tried this myself but I would like to try this someday if I get the time.

 

Try to find other leaders who are willing to help in this and feel the same way you do. Trying to do this alone will make it nothing but an uphill battle.

 

Good Luck

[Beavah]

Hi Hikoholic. A Scout Salute to you for stayin' involved in your troop and comin' back to help 'em on a regular basis.

 

In addition to the other great ideas, I'd suggest you look around at what other things in your area attract a lot of sixth/seventh graders, or attract kids who have an individual sports/outdoors interest more than "organized" sports. There can be a lot of benefits to cross-marketing, eh?

 

Think:

*Poster/fliers at the local outdoor shop, local bike shops, local climbing gym, etc.

*Presentation to local "kids" martial arts school (and let them present to your boys).

*I honestly think at least a third of da boys in our district are band members, judgin' by ECOHs. Find a way to invite band kids to a fun event and give them the speil.

YMCA swim classes are another good cross-market.

*Rec. soccer leagues.

*Where do all the rollerbladers/skateboarders hang out in your area? They're often great recruits.

*A lot of scouts are kind of techie. What events around appeal to that sort of kid? Model rocket contests? School Science Olympiad? Chess club? Computer club? Find ways to reach these kids & share markets.

*Do you live in a small town? Does the newspaper occasionally publish youth awards (honor rolls, youth service awards, etc.)? When one gets announced, send the boy a congratulations note from your troop, along with a flier with pics of the cool stuff you do and contact information. Very soft-sell, the emphasis should be on congratulations from other guys who do hard/cool/service things.

 

You get the picture. Think about what things you and your friends were involved in when you were in scouts, and what your current scouts are interested in, and look for kids there. And don't give up. Remember that it usually takes at least three independent (and different!) "contacts" before someone nibbles and gets hooked.

 

Good luck with it!

[Kudu]

hikeoholic,

 

The best way to recruit sixth-graders is in their school during school hours. As CNYScouter mentions, our in-school presentation can be found at The Inquiry Net:

 

http://www.inquiry.net/adult/recruiting.htm

 

Our local public school lets us put on a presentation to the sixth grade boys in the auditorium during their gym class periods, which means two presentations to about 40 boys per period. Of the total 80, usually more than 40 sign the "YES! I Want to Go Camping! sign-up sheets that we pass around before the end of the presentation.

 

You must sell the program three times: once to the boys at their school, once to their parents on the phone, and once at the first meeting. At the school only half will sign up. On the phone, only half of the parents will say yes. At the first meeting as few as half may actually show up, sign the application, and pay the registration fee.

 

You can improve this by calling back the parents who said "yes" on the phone, but sometimes these are the most dysfunctional families who create the most problems later on. I usually let the Scouts in the new Patrol decide which of these boys they me to call back.

 

Sometimes 100% of the Scouts who show up to the first meeting will sign up, it is a matter of how well you can influence peer pressure. Parents won't let their sons join if they think it will be too expensive, so this is not the place to show off all of those cool personal equipment toys that you used at the school auditorium presentation :-)

 

The BSA distributes a free recruiting DVD which might help you improve your percentages on the second and third steps, see:

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=106122#id_107097

 

Your will have greater success if you recruit as early in September as possible, before the boys' grades begin to slip :-)

 

Another good time is in May if you sell it as a summer program that won't interfere with school work that summer.

 

Late spring may be too late for them to attend summer camp but our experience is that unlike WEBLOS, almost all of the boys that you recruit from their school will stick with the Troop even if they do not attend summer camp (provided that you run a full Scouting program during the summer).

 

Kudu

 

[DugNevius]

On top of all that was already said, build a troop identity. Yu may be already competing with other troops as well as other programs like youth groups and sports. What is yur troop known for? Do yu do a lot of high adventure trips? Do yu have annual activities (Our troop has a Troop Olympics each April where the scouts comepete as individuals as well as patrols) do yu play sports as a troop? Do yu have your own meeting place where yu can display past achievements, history of Eagles photographs and things from places yu have been? Make them want to be a part of something unique and part of a heritage and that will bill bonding that new guys will want to be a part of.

[MarkS]

Don't just recruit, have a year-round, 24/7 recruiting plan. For example...

 

Have an adult be an ASM for Pack Liaison/New Patrols. Get a couple boys trained as Den Chiefs.

 

The ASM should find out what Packs are near you (especially those whose CO does not charter a Troop), contact the adult leaders, and establish a working relationship with them. The ASM should ask to attend their committee meetings on a regular basis to keep the packs aware of joint activities you are planning or are available through your District and Council.

 

Remember Packs are adult led. Let your ASM make the initial contact and introduce the boys of your Troop.

 

Have the Den Chiefs help out at their Pack meetings and work your way into helping out their Dens. Start with the older Webelos and expand to the younger boys as possible.

 

Offer to support their B&G banquets by helping setup, decorate, and serve food.

 

Get involved in the COs of the Packs. Target your service projects to helping them. If the CO is a school, set up a booth at their open house (help the Pack do the same and recruit together), ask for permission to have walk-throughs in the classrooms (assuming they have grade levels that meet age requirements) and recruit. Do stuff that makes your unit visible at the CO.

 

Just because the Pack's CO is not the same as yours doesn't mean you can't establish a relationship with the CO. Just make sure the CO doesn't already charter another Troop. You don't need territory squabbles. Do the same thing with Churches and Schools even if they don't charter any scouting unit (Pack or Troop).

 

Going out and getting them is more effective than waiting for them to contact you.

 

Of course, after you get them. Make sure you have a quality program to keep them but that's a topic for another thread.(This message has been edited by MarkS)