Spring Recruitment Made Easy
Summer is just around the corner…a great time for new families to join your Unit
A steady flow of youth into your Scouting program is essential to maintain your unit’s health. New Scouts bring energy and enthusiasm to the program. Scouts who join in the Spring & get to participate in Spring and Summer activities stay in Scouting longer. There are a few simple things you can do this Spring to recruit new Scouts. Baltimore Area Council is excited to share resources to help!
Developing Your Unit Membership Plan
“A good plan is like a road map: it shows the final destination and usually the best way to get there.”
– H. Stanley Judd
Has your unit developed a year-round membership plan? There are certainly many units out there who have been successful because they have created a plan, continually refined it, and are enjoying the fruits of that labor.
If you’re not sure where to begin or want some more ideas, there are lots of resources to help! Visit our website at http://www.baltimorebsa.org/membership and keep coming back. New resources are added often! Your District’s Membership Chair and committee are a great place to start. Your District Executive has lots of experience and available resources to assist you as well.
Please, please, please don’t wait until September to start thinking about recruiting. With a small amount of work on the front end, you’re almost assured to be successful when your Join Scouting Night comes around.
Focus on Recruiting Separated Youth
What do you mean by “separated youth”?
A separated youth is a former member of Scouting who did not renew his or her membership. As we know, young people choose to leave Scouting for a variety of reasons. Some may lose interest, and others may have too many other activities. However, there are many who depart our program because their unit wasn’t a good fit, or the meeting night wasn’t convenient. For those former Scouts, a phone call may be all it takes to get them excited and re-interested in the Scouting program.
We all want to grow our programs, and retention of Scouts is one of the best ways to do it! Here’s how to make this happen:
1) Call your District Executive and request a list of separated youth in your area – Who’s my “DE”? Find your DE
2) Call the parents of those Scouts on the list (phone numbers are provided), and ask them to give Scouting another try
3) Invite them to a Pack meeting or activity that will immediately grab their interest
4) Sign them back up!
It’s just that easy, and a lot of families out there will be very appreciative of the personal phone call and invitation.
Beascout.org Updates
Beascout.org has become a great membership recruitment tool, allowing easy access for parents to find programs local to them. Please make sure that your unit periodically updates your “Pin” so that interested families are contacting the appropriate person from your unit. Unit leaders and Committee Chairs can update this information through www.my.scouting.org. Watch at your district’s roundtable for BeAScout booklets, or download the BeAScout Preparation Presentation to learn how to make these changes.
Summertime Passport
Want to enhance your Cub Scouts’ summer program opportunities. How about a self-paced, family-friendly, summer long activity? Look no further – we have our annual Super Cub Summer Passport available again this year. This small booklet has Scouts and their families visiting a variety of locations throughout their area during the summer months to keep them excited and having fun!
This is a great program, and it’s fun, easy, and FREE!
All Scouts who complete the full passport and mail in their completed sheet will receive a commemorative patch in the mail!
Download the Super Cub Passport