any ideas or presentations about recruiting/retaining adult leaders?

Recruit from the parents of the boys in the Troop & the new WEBELOS joining the Troop. Once you get them, get them trained!

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

Similar to scouting: if you make them feel needed and useful, that they are providing a service that is beneficial to the troop, and there is fun in doing so - then they will want to be involved, will want the training, and are less likely to quit.

 

As Ed said, recruit parents from the troop and the upcoming Webelos. Also, recruit from the charter organization and the community at large, if you can. Be positive and enthusiastic. You and your troop are the best advertisements for recruiting.

In the troop I work with , a common comment of new parents is they look at he current leaders and they say they are intimidated by us. Uniforms, confidence etc, etc. My response to them is that they do not have to know more than the boys just stay ahead of them, easy. As for the current leadership, we look good only becaure of repitition. Sell the on an experience they will get no where else. Also the good quality of leaders they will get to know.

For some reason, we don't have a problem recruiting ASMs or committtee members. We have at least six trained ASMs and three more are going to training this fall. Maybe our District's BSLE course is so much fun that everyone wants to go. :-)

We too find no problem recruiting active formal leadership. Where we often struggle is finding people to handle the "odd jobs", like Pocorn Kernel, etc.

Our Scoutmaster and Committe Chair both fall victim to a lot of blank stares when they broadcast an invitation to assist. I have found that these open invitations rarely work. People seem to respond better if asked directly to handle a task, and the task is explained to them. Even if someone says no, it helps to know that a specific person couldn't (or wouldn't in some cases) take on a task. I've learned that lesson over the years, and it is particularly helpful when trying to schedule Boards of Review. "Please come help at next week's BOR" doesn't always get the requisite 3 people to come. If I directly ask people, it NEVER has taken more than four people before I get at least three.

props to mk9750,

He really nailed the secret. Don't do shotgun recruiting, do individual selection. identify the job, the skills needed to be successful, the people with those skills, the person you most want to have, and then go ask them to do the job.

 

The way to keep them is keep your word. Don't change the job on them after they say yes. Tell them you appreciate their work, give them a reward when they finish.

 

Have fun,

Bob White