Good Recruiting Tactics

[Mr. Boyce]

I'm interested in hearing ideas, suggestions, that you've found producing results.

[SeattlePioneer]

So what kind of unit do you have --- pack, troop?

 

What kinds of recruiting success have you had and what would you like to do and accomplish?

 

A good recruiting plan is usually tailored to the needs and situation of a particular unit.

 

There are lots of off the shelf ideas that can be used, but the best thing is to choose from among the variety of possibilities the ones that best fit the unit and it's community.

[Sentinel947]

With Boy Scout troop recruiting the best tactics IMO are:

 

Den Chiefs

Invite Webelos 1/2 to go camping with the troop in the fall before they cross over.

Den Chiefs

Send an adult leader to some cub meetings during the winter.

Den Chiefs

Did I mention, Den Chiefs?

[howarthe]

How are den chiefs a recruiting tactic? What worked for my pack last year was to run an announcement in the elementary school newsletter every month inviting families to the pack meeting. A lot of people just didn't know that there was a cub scout pack operating in the school.

[Sentinel947]

Howarthe: in the Boy Scouts, trying to bring Cub Scouts to your troop, nothing helps better to bring Cub Scouts to your troop then having a Den Chief in the Webelos den.

 

Your comment seems in line with recruiting new boys to Cubs, and from that angle, non of my advice would be very helpful, since I havn't been involved with Cubs for about 7 years now.

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Sentinel,

 

 

A couple of issues I'll point out which you might want to consider:

 

 

1) Your recruiting methods appear to rely entirely on recruiting Webelos Scouts. That's quite common, but have you considered reaching out to non Cub Scout youths and inviting them to join Boy Scouts too?

 

 

2) Again, your methods rely of recruiting Webelos Scouts, so you are wholly dependent on having a Cub Scout Pack that continues to function effectively to supply you with what you want. But you aren't making any apparent effort to support that Cub Pack or packs.

 

It's quite common for Cub packs to run into rough patches and leadership problems and issues that can damage them or impair their functioning. If that happens, what happens to your recruiting methods and your troop?

 

My suggestion is for Scout Troops to keep an eye on what the Cub Packs they recruit from are doing and to find waysw to support those Cub Packs and keep them on track.

 

That might include providing Den Chiefs for dens other than Webelos, for example. It might include providing an Assistant Scoutmaster or other troop leader to help guide and support the pack program and leadership ---- I wont say to spy on the pack program, but that might be a part of it too!

 

 

[Sentinel947]

Haha. All valid points you raise. We have a few adult leaders who have sons in our Troop and some of the local cub packs who spend a majority of their time with the cubs.

 

Certainly that Troop to Pack support dynamic would be very helpful.

 

As for recruiting non Cubs, how would you recommend going about that?

[Kudu]

 

I always registered about 15 non-Cubs a year using the following recruiting presentation, but it requires access to a public school during school hours:

 

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

 

[Tampa Turtle]

I have cribbed much of Kudu's presentation for my old Pack and it was highly effective. A couple mom's blanched but the boys were always go-go. Then the pressure is on the adults to walk the talk and make sure there is adventure!

 

We could not do at School Hours but at a PTA sponsored Movie and Pizza night. My old Pack was sponsored by the PTA and used the school for pack and some den meetings.

[SeattlePioneer]

I hope Mr. Boyce hasn't been lost on a Scout outing....

[allangr1024]

I have not had good results at all from packs or from den chiefs. I would go visit Webelos dens to speak, inviting the Webelos camping. Never very much response. I would send den chiefs who would be used either at pack meetings or at tiger cub dens. Not much contact with Webelos, and the den chiefs would be there for a month or two before quitting and saying that their mom could not take them to after school den meetings any more.

 

The schools here will not really let us come in and recruit the fifth and sixth graders. Some schools will let the district director put up a booth at the door to the lunch room, where he will have kids fill out an information card. He then hands me the cards and lets me call the kids who responded. I got one scout in our troop doing this.

 

Our troop dwindled down to 4 scouts last year. What saved us was a dad who wanted his 13 year old in scouting. The son had no scouting background, and they were from a church different than the one that sponsors us. They heard about our troop from a scout in our troop who goes to church with them. Both the dad and the son joined up, liked the camping, and told others from their church about us. We are now a troop of eleven. We have prospective new members from this same source who will probably come join in the fall.

 

So it is: word of mouth, word of mouth, word of mouth.

 

[SeattlePioneer]

 

 

 

 

I would say it's a matter of continuing to work at recruiting until you find things that work. If you give up, you're dying, probably.

[Fehler]

Program produces recruits. If you fail in program, no amount of flyers/school visits/boy talks will grow your Pack/Troop.

[SeattlePioneer]

Good program is an essential element for recruiting and retaining Scouts. But it's often not a sufficient thing by itself.

[guidingtroop25]

kudu no pressure but im gonna suggest this to our sm and see what happens