Boy Scout Troop RecruitmentHuron Trails August 2016 Round Table

Boy Scout Troop Recruitment

Meaning of Recruitment

Recruitment Types

Troop Open House

Webelos-to-Scout

Youth Talks

Peer-to-Peer

Mnbmnb mn m,

Recruitment

Death to a Troop

Recruitment is paramount for the health of your troop!

How does your troop recuit new members?

Recruitment ideas...

Recruitment Types: Troop Open House

Spring new life into your troop!

Fill membership gaps

Build your calendar

February: Set a date and plan a troop open house for March.

March: Conduct a school rally introducing fifth- and sixth-grade boys to Scouting. Extend a

personal invitation to the troop open house. Hold the open house. Be sure to have a plan for

a troop activity for new scouts.

April: Sponsor a troop activity for new Scouts. Encourage summer camp attendance.

May: Work closely with new Scouts. Work on rank advancement with new Scouts.

Recruitment Types: Webelos-to-Scout

A tale of three troops

Is your troop associated with a specific Cub Scout Pack?

Know key adult leadership

Do you have a Den Chief or Den Chiefs?

Offer targeted Webelos events, activities, camp-outs

Webelos Meet-n-Greet (Yearly in October)

Year Round Recruitment

Service to District Cub Scout Events!

Recruitment Types: Youth Talks

How can a Troop recruit new non Boy Scout sixth graders every year?

Can you offer a “youth talk” in the middle school? Get the principal involved!

For the BOYS:

Schedule EARLY in the year or if not, just before summer vacation

Be sure to mention the "Three Aims" of Scouting

"May it not be that our toys are the various media adapted to individual tastes through which men

may know their God?” Use your PROPS

Set the STAGE

Remember to mention the 3 B’s - boys like anything that BITES, BURNS, or BREAKS.

Recruitment Types: Events

Does the troop host a signature event each year that might be of interest to

Webelos AND non-scouts?

There are many simple activities that can be done to encourage new families to

join Scouting, to increase involvement, and to spread the word that Scouting

is in the area.

Bike Rodeo, Rocket Assembly/launch, Webelos advancement days

Chess, euchre or card tournament

Field sports, Capture the Flag

Search & Rescue Day, Survival Day or Zobie Apocolypse Survival

Are you tougher than a Boy Scout?

Recruitment Types: Peer-to-Peer

This is by FAR the easiest and most effective way to recuit!

LEADERSHIP: “Tell someone who is eligible to join Boy Scouts, or an inactive

Boy Scout, about your Scouting activities. Invite him to an outing, activity,

service project, or meeting. Tell him how to join, or encourage the inactive

Boy Scout to become active.”

Incentivizing recruitment

Recruiter patch

Pizza party for top recruiting patrol

Marketing

Boy Scout peer-to-peer cards

Recruitment

Has your troop had any particular challenges?

Does your troop have any recruitment success stories?

Resources

http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2016/05/17/boy-scout-recruiting-secrets/

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/membership/pdf/523-748.pdf

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Membership/Youth_Recruitment/Events.aspx

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/YearRoundGuide/open_house.aspx

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/YearRoundGuide.aspx

http://www.scouting.org/Home/Marketing/Recruiting_build.aspx

http://www.inquiry.net/adult/recruiting.htm

http://www.scouting.org/Home/Marketing.aspx

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/Membership/Youth_Recruitment/BestPractices.asp