recruiting

[rldavis]

I am a member of a new chartered troop in a community of about 3,000. There is another troop in our community with a 30+ year history. I was wanting some suggestions on some effective recruiting methods. The troop has about 7 scouts now. I am interested in putting my all into growing this small troop into a great troop with a strong committee, PLC, community involvement, and of course, a strong committment to the scout oath and law. I am also interested in getting involved with OA. Our troop is sponsered by the American Legion - and since I am a veteran I look forward to serving these men and women who gave so much for our country.

Thanks for your help,

Robert Davis

[Lisabob]

Hi Robert,

 

Congrats on getting the new troop started. It might help to know a couple of other things.

 

1. How did you get the 7 boys who are current members of the new troop?

2. What sorts of things does the other troop in town do already, in terms of recruiting? (if there are "territory" issues, might be better to take different approaches)

3. How many cub packs are there in town/nearby? Does your CO charter a pack, too?

[qwazse]

Camp and hike. Camp and hike. Camp and hike.

 

You have one patrol, so get them skilled to the point that they function independently. (E.g., they plan and execute a day hikes without direct adult supervision, they can camp 100 yards away from you no problem.) No need for an SPL. Your PLC is the PL, ASPL, and any older boy who wants to put his two cents in.

 

In between, have your boys ask the chartered org rep about how they can serve them (clean-up day, parades, memorial service, etc. ...). During one of your town hikes, have your boys visit a local paper -- maybe get their pictures taken in it.

 

Talk to your Legionnaires about their sons and grandsons. Find out if any of them are in the area and of scouting age. Even if they don't have boys of their own, ask if any would like to help on the troop committee or serve as merit badge counselors. (This may require you to occasionally stop at the bar after a meeting to say, "Hello!") At one of their meetings have the your most outgoing boy tell a few stories or share a slide show of what the troop's been doing. (Many of us who are chartered by churches do this on Scout Sunday.)

 

In other words, build from your base. Then branch out.

[Sentinel947]

I second the poster above me.

[GKlose]

Third. Camp and hike. Word of mouth. So get the word out.

 

If you build it, he will come. "It" being program, and "he" being the Scout.

 

It doesn't happen immediately, though. Takes some time.

 

Guy

[Stosh]

Occasionally someone will recruit their friends to come and find out what's going on. That's always ify.

 

Sometimes some big recruitment push will pick up one or two.

 

However, if you have a program that the boys want, they will seek you out.

 

Too many troops spend all their time recruiting that they have not time to have fun themselves. Just do program, get the boys there fired up with what's going on and the word will get around quickly. Of course the opposite will happen too. Start running a poor program and they will head for the exits.

 

Stosh

[Eagledad]

>>While a quality program is a necessary precondition for a successful troop, I don't think recruiting is something that should be neglected.

[Eagledad]

The troop is the second largest in the district. All attributed to their recruiting weekend.

 

I don't know if their program gets boys who would not have otherwise crossed over.

 

I don't know if some of the scouts we get participated with their weekend.

 

I have not been involved lately, but that troop of over 110 scout averaged about 35 new scouts a year, but didn't grow because they also typically loose over half of their new scouts.

 

I approached them when I was District membership Chair because I felt they we loosing scouts that would have stayed if they joined a different troop.

 

They listened to my concerns and reacted to them to some degree. But I don't know how they are doing now.

 

In my opinion, a three month focus on one recruiting weekend is not a good program.

 

Barry

 

[frank10]

Step 1: never again call your unit a small troop, it is a large troop with several openings.

I know it sounds silly, but if you believe it it is true. Plan trips a large trip would plan, hold activities a large troop would hold. Deliver the full program even if only 2 scouts sign up. Plan 10 weekend trips and a week at summer camp. Do this and you will be a large troop with a waiting list.

 

If you cancel a weekender due to lack of boys and skip the winter cabin because you can't fill it you will be a small troop.

 

 

Step 2: start traditions now! Ashes from the first camp fire. A song before leaving for camp. Wednesday night cookies at camp. A log book of highlights of each outing... what ever, but get your first so you can do it again. only take doing something twice to make it a tradition. Gives the boys something to own.

 

Step 3: Ask for help. No, don't stand in the front of the room asking for some one to do something, ask each person face to face to help with one thing. (No one would stand up in a singles bar and ask who will go out with me and expect good results, why do they think asking a room full of parents for help would do any better?)

 

Step 4: keep all list to 3 or fewer items.

 

 

[Stosh]

Wingnut and Barry have it correct.

 

I didn't mean to imply that recruiting is ignored, just not the focus of the program.

 

Many moons ago I had a major trip planned (not scouting,... church related). The parents of the kids put the kybosh on it saying it was too far to go for their kids. However, I said I was going anyway by myself. After the meeting one parent called me and said that her son wanted to go. He and I went (Many moons means way before YPT). We had a great time. I didn't say anything about it until 9 months later when I said I would be going again this year. I rented a 66 passenger school bus to haul all the kids...(from 5 different churches).

 

A little planning is good for the Webelos visitors. It was standard operating procedure that if a group of Webelos walked through the door one of the patrols was geared up for a "pre-planned" activity just for them. It was usually knots and rope making. Each Webelos walked away with a knot tying "kit" and a 6' piece of rope they made. The scouts then take a bit of time to replenish the visitor inventory.

 

What I see far too often is the "Woe is me, we have a troop that's too small!" attitude that somehow seems to affect just about everything the troop does. I have had as many as 2 adults and 3 scouts on a high adventure in the BWCA. The trip almost got cancelled, but those five wanted to go and they did.

 

There was inner incentive to recruit in my old troop. Patrol sizes were 6-8 boys each. The boys decided who was in their patrols. If they did not have 6, they were disbanded and moved to other patrols where there were openings. That option was not liked by many of the patrols, and they worked hard at keeping their numbers up for their patrol.

 

I had one boy wanted to be a PL. I said, good, go find a patrol. He did....

 

When I took over the troop it had 4 boys and was on the verge of disbanding. After 3 years their number was 25 with 4 patrols. They visited Blue/Golds (three feeder packs in the area) and had visitor plans for when the Webelos came, and one boy wanted a patrol to lead, and twice one of the Webelos dens invited the troop to come in and demonstrate something for the cubbies. One patrol volunteered and did a nice job, And for the most part, that was the sum total of our recruiting,

 

With outings, leadership training, advancement, MB's we just didn't have much time to recruit.

 

Stosh

[SeattlePioneer]

>

 

 

 

Congratulations on doing a good job of working with Webelos dens. Too few troops do that.

 

Still I would encourage troops to do recruiting in the community. Spring recruiting among 5th graders who haven't been Cub Scouts is a fruitful place for troops to start. It's the first time boys that age can be recruited into a Boy Scout troop and you have the opportunity to sell summer camp and summer outings.

 

 

 

 

 

[jc2008]

Speaking from the other side of the coin (Cub scouts), can your troop offer their help to Cub Scout packs in the area? We ask troops to come in and help us with certain events and it lets the Webelos 1 and 2 get to know the older boys and helps them decide where they want to go when they cross over to boy scouts.

 

We actually have a troop coming in this fall to help us with a 4 hour day camp we are doing for the cubs. They will come in and help run events and I love having the boy scouts there as it shows our cubs that its still cool and fun to be a boy scout after cub scouting

[advancement lady]

My son bridge to a troop that had 10 scouts ..... with the 10 that crossed over it doubled the troop!

 

Two things were the key (in my mind)

 

1. One of the boy scouts was a "den chief" and attended cub scout meetings ~ this gave the cubs a familiar face (he mostly worked with the second year webelos)

2. During Webelo visitation the scouts worked with the cubs, so the adults could ask questions

 

Hope this helps