Recruitment Strategies

[OldGreyEagle]

I almost posted this in response to Twocubdad's post in the Unit Commisioning thread, but to keep what is a good thread untainted by asides, lets try this. The comment concerns recruitment, I think Twocubdad references its easier to have bigger units attend multiple school nights than it is for some smaller units to attend one school and so the bigger ones flourish while the smaller ones continue to struggle. And that families should be directed to smaller units, I disagree (I may have misunderstood what was said, if so I apologize)

 

I think the best recruitment strategy, and along with that I guess retention strategy starts with an active and varied program. Our troop went skiing this weekend and I got a chance to talk to a new parent. Her son is a recent transfer, her original troop was very outdoors minded, their first scheduled activity was a ten mile hike, and two weeks later a 25 mile bike hike and two weeks later a back backing along the Applachian Trail. All great outings, but a little daunting to the new 11 year old scouts. When the Scoutmaster was approached by the new scout parents who were requesting some less extreme events so the new scouts could build up to the troop's schedule, the answer was, "absolutley not, this is the way I've done it for 18 years". Well, we got 3 scout transfers from that troop. (I guess the concept of a First Year Program was to foriegn to even talk about) Their original troop has been a traditionally smaller troop and it appears with continue to be for quite awhile regardless of how many scouts are referred to them

 

We ski, we have swim nights at the local high school, we have 10 mile hikes, we have back packing trips, we do white water rafting, we have a group going to the Boundry Waters this summer, we have winter cabin campouts where we (I use the term loosely) sled/tobbagan all week end. We schedule at least one overnight a month with some other day activity during the month. We have an eclectic schedule. We dont require a certain percentage of attendance at meeting or events, but continually affirm that the way to advance is to attend events.

 

When I started with the troop with my son the troop had 18 scouts, its now at 76 (was up to 90).

 

What has worked for other troops? What are your strategies for recruitment and retention?(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[packsaddle]

OGE and others, I am also interested in this topic. Our troop has had to compete fiercely with other troops to stay alive. For many years the DE did nothing to help and actually recruited boys away from us to larger and stronger troops. We have turned the corner on this now. One reason is our chartering organization has taken new interest.

 

Our troop now plans to hold a Scouting Exposition and to invite the entire community to visit. It will be a full-blown campout on vacant property in the middle of our town and we will pull out all the stops to demonstrate the activities and leadership our troop has. I would like to know if anyone else has tried something like this. Any suggestions?

[ASM514]

Hello everyone, Well, this is a plan we have been working on for over a year now and we plan to put it into action this year. This somewhat rewrites the troop structure and especially the leadership patrol. We have put this idea to our DE with encouraging response so far. I beleive he wants to see a working model. Here it is. Up until now the leadership patrol has an appointed position of Den Cheif that may or may not change at every election. Sometimes the Den Cheif is an unwilling appointee and does little to fulfill his duties. Our idea is to remove the Den Cheif position from the leadership patrol and make an entire patrol of just Den Cheif's. This would be an elite patrol with special privledges and special activities that would make it a very desired position within the troop. The membership of this patrol would last for as long as the scout wished to remain in the patrol. Each patrol member would be assigned a Cub Pack to assist and each month we would invite Webelos from a different pack to camp with our troop. We would also of course invite their parents to join our troop for the outing. That would mean that on most camping trips we would be hosting Webelos. A constant recruitment program year round. Also, this Den Cheif patrol would have special duties as troop honor guard at flag ceremonies. In short, we make the Den Chief patrol THE place to be for Scouts fist class and above. Of course if this plan works the way we think it might, we may have to cut back in a short time because we should be overrun with new scouts. We are hoping anyway. I would love feedback on this plan.

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Packsaddle,

 

In the old days, (not quite Brownsea island, but before cable TV and the uber prescence of TV remotes)

when I was a scout, what you are planning was called a "Sidewalk Campout". Our Council did it annually, I have a few patches from the ones I attended. We camped on the little league field in the center of town and used the facilities of the gas station across the street. We set up camp, would make a monkey bridge and tower and cook and let the public watch us. Wouldnt be bad if a Council or District could co-ordinate that in fall, at back to school time with school night the following week. I suppose a naitonal event would be too unwieldy, wouldnt it?

[imascouter]

It seems there is a lack of recruitment efforts made by troops. I suspect that many small troops could easily lure Webelos families away from the better known super-troops with a little bit of marketing. (Assign several troop parents individually to local packs to keep contact, make sure local Webelos dens have one of your Den Chiefs, make sure each Webelos den is invited to two events hosted by you, hold a Troop Open House, Scoutmaster get to know each local Webelos leader, etc.)

 

As a Webelos II parent and experienced leader I expected a bit of courting by troops, instead I really had to get out and find out where the troops are. Pitifully, I suspect there are troops I don't even know about.

 

I will recommend to the district a "Webelos Transition Fair" for next year. This will address the problem of dropouts who never make the crossover and will further address first year dropouts who didn't think of changing troops when they were unhappy with their current troop.

 

Just off the top of my head; it would be a one day event for Webelos FAMILIES featuring a hour long opening in an auditorium where the District/Council would welcome Webelos PARENTS to the event. They would tell them about how the Boy Scout Program is different from Cub Scouts; have a handout with a list of all troops, their geographic location, and contact names and numbers; the district can tell parents what to look for in a troop (boy ran, patrol method, new boy patrol, uniforms, variety of programs, etc.) This would be a great place for a slide show about all the exciting things that lie ahead. Also a good time for the district/council to talk about how troops differ (larger/smaller, focus of activities, influence of charter organization) and maybe cause consideration to be given to all troops.

 

After the opening dismiss participants into a concourse setting where each troop has a booth area. The booth will promote the troop, provide handouts with troop info, planned calendar with dates (does your troop meet on Band rehearsal dates? Do you have a lot of activities going on, or very few? Will your troop be doing [activity] that we are interested in?) and most importantly have adults and boys on hand to discuss with Webelos families what they have to offer and what makes them unique. I think MY troop should have several small caf tables to the side, to sit leaders with families, and a table top to fill out applications! (Knowing that I am going to be closing the deal with families, I would have some special thing for my boys, like the troop neckerchief, or handbook, or class B shirt. Kinda like the toy with the Happy Meal.) I am thinking each booth should have tons of pictures, displays, computer slide/data show, spirit on display.

 

[packsaddle]

OGE, That is almost exactly what we plan. Wow! Actually we are in pretty good shape for activities as it is. I have a couple miles of heavy rope and abundant timber so we do monkey bridges and stuff for regular meetings. But we weren't just going to let visitors watch...we were going to do a big cooking demo and let them share in the feast while the boys test the loading factors on the bridges. Food figures large in all our outings...I thought it probably would for the rest of the public too. Nice to know this is a tried-and-true approach. P.S. I was 5 when my family got their first 12" B&W Motorola. Probably scarred me for life.

As for district or council involvement, our experience with them has been so miserable that we will just go it alone. Then we will be in control and can take all the credit. But we plan to do it this spring to pre-empt the normal roundup in the fall. As I said, the competition is fierce.

[OldGreyEagle]

The South Mountain District of the Minsi Trails Council did a Webelos night. There wasnt an overall presentation, it was billed as an open house. The Council sent a post card with date, time and location to all Webelos in the District. It was held on a Rountable night and location and every troop got a banguet table in a large hall. Troops brought information sheets on troop meetings and schedules, the historians had their picture albums and posters of trips. A few troops had laptop computers with slide programs. The troops are arranged by township/geographical location and the Families are free to wander where they will. Its been done two years in a row and we are planning a third.(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[scoutldr]

Does anyone still do Scout Shows or Scout-O-Rama? Our Council hasn't done one in about 10 or more years. I thought this was an excellent way to display Scouting to the public.

[sctmom]

Our district has an annual scout show. I don't know how many people show up that are not already in scouting. At least the Cubs can see the Troops and the Troops can see the Crews.

 

 

[Twocubdad]

Good thread here, and not the interrupt things, but as a point of clarification, my post on the commissioners' thread was regarding Cub Scout recruitment, not Boy Scouts.

 

[SR540Beaver]

ASM514,

 

I love your idea for a den chief patrol. My son joined Cubs last September as a Webelos 1. We've made every single den meeting since he joined. We "have" a den chief. I think I've seen him at maybe 3 meetings since last September. He is neven in uniform. The best description I could give of him is "den clown" somewhat like a class clown in school. Our den leader spent as much time trying to get him to pay attention as she did our boys. He has never attended any of our campouts. The one responsibility I've seen that he had was to pass out the snack at the end of the meeting. I'd guess him to be about 14, but not sure. I have a feeling that his troop handed him off to us as a means to help him mature and gain some leadership experience at our expense. He isn't exactly a walking advertisement for joining the Boy Scouts. I hope your program works, good den chiefs can play an important part in recruitment.

[ASM514]

kwc57, my point exactly. You have to make them want it. Your post makes me know that we are on the right track. Thank you.