Recruiting New Scouts

[optimist]

Does anyone do any recruiting other than School Nights and working with the local pack?

How do you get the average boy (or their parents) to buy in to the Scouting program if they've never been involved before?

Instead of schools, has anyone approached churches or other organizations with a lot of youth as a possible source for new Scouts?

Does anyone know of any good resources for information on this subject?

[Guneukitschik]

Our Troop is Chartered through a local church for the past 43 years. For most of the 40+ years members of the church didn't participate in the scout troop/pack. Sure there were one or two but not a great percentage. Only recently...the church for the past two years has held an activity day on a Sunday. They set up a large tent and all the activities within the church (choir, softball, etc...including scouts) are given table space to show off their activity and answer questions....

This has resulted in a few new scouts and much more involvement from other church members. Hang flags, set up a display board with photos and this year brought a laptop and had our troop website up for people to look at.

Another idea:

Our district has rented the local roller skating rink and invited all kids of scout age and recruited from that as well....it seems to work well too.

Another idea:

When our troop has car washes or other fund raisers we usually do a little recruiting....asking kids that may be in the car with their parents if they are in scouts or would like to attend a meeting?

[wagionvigil]

A Lot of Venture Crews are being estabilshed in CHurches to be their Youth Program.
I have had only a couple of SCouts that were not Cubs Stay in the program. One is about to complete his Eagle ( a week befoire his 18th Birthday. That is not flying through the ranks.) But Most drop out after a year or so. Can't give an explanation but it just happens

[commish3]

We have had units in our area have success with recruiting new mwbers by inviting them on trips to go hiking camping, canoeing, caving, etc.. All the things good scout units do, but never mention that it is scouting. Hook them on the activities and then let them know that this is scouting.

Most the time, the reason boys who are scout age aren't scouts is that nobody ever asked them to join.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

Great topic - I will be obsorbing all the advice but have none to offer, sorry.

[Guneukitschik]

Our Troop is sponsoring a Campfire and have invited our Cub Pack, Webelos, Friends, Parents, etc. Were not doing this specifically for recruiting but you never know?

[OldGreyBear]

The single greatest recruiting tool is :: looking sidewise, wouldnt want the wrong person to hear this:: is (are you ready?) having a great PROGRAM!

Anybody really surprised? When my son and I joined the troop it had 18 scouts, the crossovers that year brought in a lot of active scouts and active parents, in a few short years we had over 40 and eventually over 90, we have sinces leveled off at about 70. We developed a very busy chockfull scheule and did it. One year we had activties scheduled on every weekend from the middle of april until the end of June, except for one and we werent sure how we missed that one. Word get out if you are an active troop. Got to the point the Scoutmaster would go to Packs to talk about the troop we had so many crossovers.

If you want to attract and retain (the critical issue) members, dont concentrate on flashy recruiting ideas, just implement the promise as found in the scoutbook and deliver an active program, membership will take care of itself,

[Guneukitschik]

I think a great program is definately needed....but it helps to have a little exposure once and a while to help recruit the kids that might not normally be invited or even exposed to scouting.

[OldGreyBear]

BOB: Hey Charlie, what did you do this week-end, I was bored
CHARLIE: Nothing Bob, sat around the house, watched Notre Dame
with my dad and played X-Box, what did you do Wally?
WALLY: I went whitewater rafting with the boy scout troop I am in,
the water was really fast because of all the rain, it was
scary at
times and I almost fell out of the boat, but my buddies
hung on me, it was awesome
BOB: Didnt you guys go Rock climbing last month and during the
summer went canoeing in Canada?
WALLY: Yeah, it was fun!
CHARLIE: And didnt you say you were going to go winter camping and
make igloos as soon as it snows?
WALLY: Yeah, it was the troops idea and the adults said if we
planned the whole thing and built them, we could stay over
night in them as long as we have the right equipment
BOB And I thought scouting was lame, do you think I could join?
WALLY: Sure you can join, Charlie you can join as well

[Guneukitschik]

I think where you are coming from is exactly correct...but I still think a little recruiting every now and then never hurts.


By the way...that story would make a great BSA TV Commercial!

[optimist]

Undoubtedly, having a great program can be an excellent tool for recruiting. But you're putting the cart before the horse if you have no Scouts. So lets get the boys into Scouts so we can give them a great program and get this perpetual recruiting machine going!

More recruiting tips please

[saji1986]

Hello fellow scouters - great message board here. I dug up this thread because this is an issue I would like to address with our troop. I'm a new Scoutmaster, inherited a pretty small troop - seven boys total, and would like to increase the size of the troop. One unfortunate position we are in is we don't have a"feeder pack", as I have seen it called on these boards. Some steps I have tried over the last year -

1. Volunteered to staff the District Pinewood Derby - pretty good collection of Cub Scouts - didn't get one nibble! All 2nd year Webelos were pretty much committed to other troops at that point. We raised over $400.00 in profits for the council by selling hot dogs and chips there.

2. Tried increasing our exposure by doing Community Service Projects - there are two big community events here - we helped at both, our scouts got the recognition they deserved - but no new scouts!

3. Tried making the program more proactive - we participated in several Council activities such as Campmasters and Camporee's. Instituted a Scout bowling night, tried more field trips as related to merit badges getting out and talking to professionals in their fields as it related to the merit badge - instead of being "stuck" in the gym every week for the meetings.

I have an idea I would like to try this year, but before implementing it would like to get people's opinions on it. I want our troop to try and recruit from within - have an open house in September where we have all kinds of games and activities for the boys to enjoy. My son has the "Recruiter" patch he earned this year by getting his best friend and his cousin to join our troop - I would like to challenge the other boys in our troop by having them attempt to do the same. If they get a boy to come to the meeting and fill out a Boy Scout application, they get the recruiter patch. If the boy attends say 6 or more meetings - throw a pizza party for the boys who are successful. I don't know if this is feasible or not, but any input from anyone would be extremely helpful! Thanks - Jim.

[wagionvigil]

just and IdeaBut Set some type of super activity for a weekend and invite prospective members and "A" parent to go. This is allowed under BSA policy. Boys like doing exciting things.

[Chief J]

At the Boy Scout Level, I would think most of your new Scouts are coming out of the Cub Scout program. Beyond that, I have found the best recruiting of non-Cub Scout scouts comes from word of mouth. If a Scout in the unit tells his buddies about the fun he is having, his buddy just may want to join and help out. In order to get the Scout to "talk it up" you have to have a great program put together.

On the other side of the coin, if a Scout goes to a Troop Meeting or a Camping Trip, or other event and has a lousy time, his "advertising" will destroy any hopes of recruiting new boys.

Chief J

[Mrw]

We picked up a few new boys a couple years ago by visiting at the 5-6 grade school open house. These are always in the first few weeks of school in our city. We had an ASM and a couple older boys with a sash full of merit badges. They had a table with the troop scrapbook to show some of the things we do and were just there to talk to people.

My older son was one of the boys and he actually spent more time selling the band community discount cards than selling scouts, but this gives the troop exposure to boys who may be interested, but wouldn't necessarily show up for a "School Night" recruiting event.

It also lets parents know there are options and they might not have realized that was something available for their boys. One of the kids we picked up had been in Cubs and decided not to continue. This helped change his mind.

Once you get a few boys to join, the boys following behind in the pack may follow him.

Another good recruitment is to invite the Webelos (both years) to come to a fall campout with the troop. The Scouts can help them do outdoor things towards their pins and it gives the younger ones a chance to get to know the older ones.

Having your boys volunteer as den chiefs in the area packs will also give you exposure with the younger boys.

Our troop had a year of 6-7 active boys and we now have 36 on the roster 3-4 years later.

[saji1986]

Some very good ideas here - thanks to everyone who responded.

MRW - At our last service project we had some Webelos who helped us. I had a chance to schmooze with their Cubmaster and told her we were going to our Fall Camporee and invited their scouts to attend with us - she seemed pretty interested - I will definitely call her and invite them to our "new scout" open house in September. Also in September I have 3 boys who will make Life - all three are good candidates for Den Chief - I will have to challenge them to take on the responsibility. Also like the scrap bood idea - We just got back from Summer Camp and I have some great photos of some of our scouts on the climbing tower, canoeing, and making stuff at the Scoutcraft building - they would be excellent choices.

Chief - your word of mouth method is kind of what I am trying to implement. Getting the boys to talk up scouts is another story, hence the incentives of the badge and pizza party to get some new boys to join. Plus I feel you have a better chance of retaining new scouts if they are already familiar/comfortable with someone they know.