launch into scouting...2014/04/01 · 1 blast off into scouting…build your adventure!! 2015 cub...

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ADVENTURE IS WAITING

LAUNCH INTO SCOUTING

2015 Cub Scout Fall Recruitment Guide Black Hills Area Council, Boy Scouts of America

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Blast Off Into Scouting…Build Your Adventure!!

2015 Cub Scout Fall Recruitment Overview

Black Hills Area Council is preparing to launch into an exciting fall Cub Scout recruitment in 2015.

This year, all packs will host a Join Scouting Night the week of September 8th through September

10th, at every elementary school in the council service area. The revitalized campaign will also

include an incentive for new Scouts and packs.

REASON FOR CHANGE:

A 10 year decline in Cub Scout recruiting & membership

To SIMPLIFY, provide CONSISTENCY, and develop EXCITEMENT in HEALTHY UNITS to

drive RETENTION

PLAN OVERVIEW:

Plan a Join Scouting Night at every Elementary School in the Black Hills Area Council on

one night during the week of September 8th through September 10th.

Connect recruitment to incentive to exciting program: Recruitment is supported with an

incentive item (rocket) and program elements (den, pack, and council events for all Cubs).

Develop council-level marketing resources to flood the market with this one consistent

message: “Go to your local elementary school during Join Scouting Week to Build Your

Adventure”

Expanded flyer/promotion of Scouting.

CAMPAIGN TIMELINE:

May – Training at District Roundtables

June – August: Promote Scouting in the local communities (festivals, fairs, etc.) & council-wide

media blitz

July 30th and August Roundtable- Boy Talk and Recruitment Night Training

August – School Open Houses/Meet the Teacher events

Boy talks and fliers distributed the week of August 31st-September 4th

September 5th- Join Scouting Kickoff at Main Street Square 9am-12pm

SIGN UP NIGHT on September 8th or 9th or 10th, 6:30 to 8:00 PM:

o Distribute calendar, contact lists & rockets. Collect applications and fees.

o Turn in applications and fees to council office no later than September 11th.

September – October:

o Pack Parent Orientation & Popcorn Kickoffs, Rocket launch, Den meetings

2015 Cub Scout Fall Recruitment Guide - 2 -

Fall Recruitment & Program Related Events

Providing a structured and well-organized program for boys and parents within the first two months

of joining Scouting is critical to retention. The following items will be a part of the “structured and

well organized” program in 2015:

Join Scouting Kickoff- September 5th @ Main Street Square

Join Scouting Night – September 8th, 9th or 10th!!

2015 Pilgrimage- (September 11th and 12th)

New Cub Scouts can attend Pilgrimage for 50% off!

Parent Orientation & Popcorn Kickoff (to be held in the two weeks following your Join Scouting

Night)

The purpose of this meeting is to share detailed information about Cub Scouting with new parents.

Review the program calendar for the year

Explain the budget and pack fees

o Explain the importance of the popcorn sale in meeting the budget needs of the pack

Assign boys to dens and introduce den leaders

Reach out to parents to get them involved

Get boys excited about the popcorn sale and upcoming fun events

District Roundtable (September 17th)

Rocket engines will be distributed to each pack based upon the number of completed

applications and pro-rated fees that have turned in.

o Rockets will also be available for packs to purchase for current Cub Scouts.

Deliver the Promise/ Rocket Launch

Boys (along with an adult) can bring the completed rocket to the location selected to launch it!

There will be several council coordinated day camp type events held at locations around the council–

families can go to any location that they want. They will have the opportunity to shoot of their rocket

and participate in day camp activities such as BB guns, archery, and games.

Rocket engines will be distributed by the pack to their Scouts prior to this event or at the

event

A limited number of extra engines will be available for sale if boys want to launch their rocket

a second time

Den Meetings (should start the week of September 14 – 18)

Den meeting plans featuring the new Cub Scout “Adventures” programs are now available to help

den leaders plan.


Pack Recruiting Coordinator

Position Description

Vision

Ensure the pack is prepared to recruit new Cub Scouts. Focus is on conducting Join Scouting Night in

the fall to achieve the packs recruiting goals.

Responsibilities

Attend orientation about Cub Scout recruiting

Encourage the pack to prepare a program calendar, budget and pack newsletter

Coordinate the pack’s grassroots marketing program

Coordinate the boy talk and flyer distribution with the school.

Coordinate the pack’s Join Scouting Night on September 8th, 9th or 10th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm

o Ensure the completion of Cub Scout applications by the parents and collect the

correct amount of fees

o Turn in the completed applications and fees to the scout service center

Attends the district recruiting headquarters no later than September 11th (after the pack Join

Scouting Night) to turn in new youth applications and fees

Arranges the location for the pack’s Parent Orientation meeting

Leads the Parent Orientation meeting

Skills Required

Good organizational skills

Good communication skills

Knowledge of the Cub Scout program is a plus

District & Council Meetings

May – Attend the district Cub Scout Recruiting orientation (at the May Roundtable)

July/August- Attend meeting on July 30th or August Roundtable to pick up recruitment

materials and review boy talk and recruitment night materials.

Available Resources & Assistance

Professional Staff

o Helps packs print recruiting fliers, door hangers, and yard signs

Council Website - Ideas and materials to assist with recruiting at www.blackhillsbsa.org.


- Prepare Your Flight Plan - Preparing to Recruit New Cub Scouts and Leaders

May – August Checklist:

May – recruit a Pack Recruiting Coordinator to represent the pack at district/council

planning and training meetings.

May/June – determine den leader vacancies in the pack and recruit new den leaders during

the summer months if possible.

June/July – create a program calendar for the next year.

June/July – create a unit budget and be prepared to explain to parents how much Scouting

costs and how they can help pay for the program through fundraising programs.

June/July – create a pack fact sheet or newsletter that includes contact information for

existing leaders and other general information that parents would need to know about the

pack.

July– schedule the Parent Orientation meeting in the two weeks following your Join Scouting

Night.

July – schedule den meetings to start the week of September 14-18.

August – attend the meeting July 30th or at August Roundtable to pick up yard signs, door

hangers and review boy talk/recruitment night materials.

Yard signs should be displayed beginning the week of August 17th

Door hangers should be distributed the week of August 24th

September 8th, 9th, or 10th – conduct Join Scouting Night and collect parent surveys.

Between Join Scouting Night and the Parent Orientation meeting, review the surveys to

identify parents that could help at the den meetings or be on the pack committee.

BeAScout.org

Marketing materials will direct parents to BSA’s Be A Scout website (www.beascout.org) where

they can learn more information about Scouting and locate a pack in their neighborhood. It is

important for packs to update their unit pin on the site to ensure parents have the most updated

information.

BeAScout.org Process

Parents select packs they are interested in

Packs receive an email stating they have a new member lead

Pack leader logs in to get the contact info for the parent

Pack leader contacts the parent

Pack leader logs back in to change the lead from “not contacted” to “contacted”


- Prepare for Take Off -

Promoting the Join Scouting Night

How much school access does your pack have?

No School Access: No fliers or boy talks.

Limited School Access: Fliers only, no boy talks.

Full School Access: Boy talks & fliers are allowed.

Packs that recruit boys in areas where limited or no school access is available will need to use different methods

to promote the recruiting meetings. Below are some suggested ways to let families know your pack is recruiting:

No School Access- Grassroots Promotion in the Community

Door hangers (beginning August 24th)

o Distribute door hangers in targeted neighborhoods and/or apartment

communities with your pack information. Door hangers are available through your

local Scout office.

Community Events

Depending on the type of community event, you may have a booth, activity or have

volunteers walking around passing out information.

o County Fair

o Farmers markets

o March in parades

Libraries

Set up a display at the local library

Participate in Library events

Churches

Vacation Bible School – Talk to boys and have information available for parents.

Church festivals – Set up an information booth

Sunday school – Do “boy talks” and have a booth set up after service with joining

information.

Church Bulletins – Announcements can be sent to area churches notifying them that the

pack will be recruiting members. Ask the church to publish the announcement in the

church bulletin the Sunday before the September Join Scouting Night.


Limited School Access- Promotion at Schools During Non-Instruction Time

Information Table (or Scout leaders in uniform) to distribute Cub Scouting information or

to register new Cub Scouts at the:

o Meet the Teacher night

o School Open House

o Ice Cream Social

Kindergarten registration – Have information available or a booth set up.

“Cub Scout” themed party – Have a classroom parent who is part of Cub Scouts pass

out invitations to the party. The party can serve as an additional opportunity for families

to join and learn about Scouting.

Adopt a School Program (a BSA initiative)

o This program encourages packs to create a formal partnership with the school

and do service projects for the school through the year.

o Designed to make the pack visible and bring attention to the positive influence

Scouting has on boys.

Full School Access

Boy talks

o Pack Recruitment Coordinator will arrange with the school

o Will talk to boys during lunch period or classrooms (as allowed by the school)

o Fliers and wristbands given to the boys during the visit

Wristbands

o Wristbands will be available for distribution during boy talks.

o Available by request on promotional material distribution form

Information Table (or Scout leaders in uniform to distribute Cub Scouting information or

to register new Cub Scouts at the:

o School Open House

o Meet the Teacher Night

o School Registration Days

Additional Resources & Assistance

Council Website- blackhillsbsa.org

Council Staff- Contact Garrett Sausen at [email protected] for help with your unit’s

recruiting efforts.

mailto:[email protected]


- Blast Off! -

September 8th, 9th or 10th Join Scouting Night

(Open House 6:30 pm – 8 pm)

The purpose of this open house is to register new boys and give parents the basic information

they need about Cub Scouting.

Make sure everyone is greeted when they arrive.

Have the parents put their information on the attendance sheet.

Distribute handouts:

o Application form

o Parent information booklet

o Pack calendar

o Pack Newsletter (with basic information and contact list)

o Parent talent sheet (to be collected with the application)

o Mini Boys’ Life magazine

Explain when and where the first meeting will be held (this may be a den meeting or

pack meeting).

Explain how much it costs to join & what they will need to purchase (book, uniform, etc.).

o Explain that the pack conducts fund raising projects to help families with some of

the costs (but save all the details for the pack meeting).

Collect the completed applications and fees.

These are some common mistakes that you should keep in mind about the Join Scouting Night:

Don’t spend too much time explaining every detail of the Cub Scouting program.

Parents want to know how much it will cost, when the meetings are and who the leader

will be. They want to sign up their son as quickly as possible and go home. Additional

information should be shared at the follow up meeting (either a “Parent Orientation

meeting” or the next pack meeting.)


Don’t ask the parents to raise their hand to

volunteer to be a leader. This method very

rarely works and if someone does raise their

hand, they are often not the best person for the

job. If you do need to recruit a volunteer, use

this time to get to know the parents. Use the

Parent Talent Survey to identify the best prospects. Then set up a meeting with them

personally to ask them to volunteer.

Don’t let parents take the applications home with them. If a parent didn’t bring money

to pay that evening, keep the application and ask them to bring payment to the next

meeting. If they say that they “are still thinking about it, or need to talk to their spouse

first”, collect the application anyway. They don’t need the application to “think about it”,

that’s what the Parent Orientation Guide and other materials are for. If you collect the

application, you will have their contact information so you can follow up with them

(because you probably won’t be able to read the attendance sheets in many cases). Also,

when parents take the applications home with them, they tend to get lost and you will

end up needing to give them another application.

- Coming in for Landing -

Post Join Scouting Night

In the time between the Join Scouting Night and the Pack Orientation meeting, do the following:

When recruiting a volunteer, do some research first, then meet face to face with your

prospect to actually recruit them.

Have all of den leaders contact the new parents to remind them about the next meeting.

Tips for Recruiting Parents to be Scout Leaders

Provide a calendar of upcoming events and activities. Everyone is busy, and scheduling is of

the utmost importance.

Provide very short expectations for the volunteer role. It should include the name of the

position, the tasks needed, the time frame, and whom they should be able to go to for help

or guidance.

Collect the applications that night!

Even if a parent forgets to bring

money, do not allow them to take

application form with them!


Provide a date, time and location for any training sessions that would help them become

successful.

It needs to be a personal ask – standing up in front of a large group of people and stating:

“we need help, if you are interested please call me or see me after the meeting” will not

work!

People do not respond to this because the expectations are not clear, and everyone is

always rushing around. Also, many volunteers look around and believe that “I am only

one person, there are so many others – it will be fine”. Before you know it – that

becomes a group mentality, and the pack is running very shorthanded and the program

suffers, or people become overwhelmed and burn out.

Share why they have been chosen, what particular skills or abilities they have that are needed.

People are more willing to help with things they know, enjoy or are good at. There is a very

real fear of the unknown.

Create an environment that Scouting is a family program and parents are involved in

something throughout the year. Provide a list of activities, roles, and committees to become a

part of. Get the information back from them, and be sure to follow up with them in a timely

manner. Make sure that Scouting is not a “spectator sport” – everyone is involved at some

level.

Have them be a part of planning the program, by asking them what they would like to see

the pack do throughout the year. Write their name down beside the idea. They are a prospect

to be the chair for this activity, or at least on the committee.


Common Defects on Youth Applications

The following items must be completed - if any of these are missed, the application can’t be

processed:

Youth members date of birth

Youth members grade

Signature of Unit Leader

Signature of Parent/Guardian

Youth date of birth and

grade

Required signatures If the youth is in the 1st

grade, the parent section

must be completed


Incentive Items Available for ALL Packs

Rocket & Rocket Engine for NEW Cub Scouts

The council will provide your pack with a supply of model rockets that you can give to your new Cub

Scouts at the Join Scouting Night during the week of September 8th-10th (after they have turned in a

completed and paid application).

Extra model rockets should be returned after the Join Scouting Night. Packs will be

charged for models not returned by September 18th.

Rocket engines will be distributed at the September roundtable meetings (one engine for

each new & paid youth application turned in between April 1st – September 11th).

A limited supply of rockets will be available for purchase for registered Cub Scouts that did

not qualify for a free rocket. The council will be selling these for $6.00 each.

Polo Shirt for Pack Recruiting Coordinators

As a “thank you” for coordinating the successful recruiting efforts of the pack, the council will present

a Black Hills Area polo shirt to the Pack Recruiting Coordinator when:

Notifies the District Executive of who the pack coordinator is by June 15th. Please send to

[email protected].

Attends the recruiting orientation on July 30th at the Scout Service Center at 6pm.

-or-

Attends the August Roundtable on August 13th for boy talk and recruitment orientation.

Submits the Scheduling and Promotional Material Request Form by August 21st


Incentive Items Available for QUALIFYING Packs

To be qualified for this incentive program, the pack must have:

Notifies the District Executive of who the pack coordinator is by June 15th. Please send to

[email protected].


-or-



Submits their recharter by November 30th including a completed JTE Scorecard.

Packs that meet the requirements above, will then be eligible for:

Pinewood Derby Cars for Your Cub Scouts

When your pack does a great job in recruiting new youth members, the council will recognize your

efforts by offering a significant savings on Pinewood Derby Cars.

Attain the pack goal for recruiting new Cub Scouts and your pack will receive a 50%

discount on Pinewood Derby cars for all the members in your pack.

Attain the pack “stretch” goal for recruiting new Cub Scouts and your pack will receive

Free Pinewood Derby cars for all the members in your pack.

The goal and “stretch” goal for the pack will be based on increasing the pack’s youth membership

over the year-end (December 31st, 2014) membership with a minimum of 5 new youth recruited.. .

Below are examples of how the goals are determined:

Pack 555 had 36 registered Cub Scouts on December 31st, 2014.

To attain the pack goal and receive a 25% discount on Pinewood Derby cars, Pack

555 would need to increase their membership by 10% (minimum of 5 youth).

Calculations: 36 x 10%= 3.6 youth

A minimum of 5 youth must be recruited to meet this goal.

To attain the pack “stretch” goal and receive FREE Pinewood Derby cars, Pack 555

would need to increase their membership by 25% over 2014 year-end in addition to the 5

youth minimum. Calculations: 36 x 25%= 9 youth + 5 youth minimum= 14 new

youth



Cub Scout Recruitment – Quick Check List Attend recruiting orientation at the May roundtable.

Meet with your District Executive to discuss your plans for recruitment.

Schedule your Parent Orientation meeting. See your district’s Cub Scout Recruiting Chair or

District Executive to get a date scheduled.

Late Spring/Early Summer – Plan your Cub Scout year. Determine your leadership needs;

develop a budget, calendar and pack contact information page (or newsletter). The website

has materials that will help you complete these items:

Request yard signs and door hangers from the district executive to promote your Sign Up

meeting

o Fliers will be prepared, printed and distributed typically one week prior to your

recruitment date by your District Executive. (Not all schools allow flyers)

Secure and assign the volunteers/adults you need to do a successful Sign Up meeting

o This should be an “Open House” format where parents can show up any time

between 6:30 pm and 8 pm

o Ask a Boy Scout troop to run a fun activity for the new boys, while parents do

paperwork

o Make sure that the pack checkbook will be at your Join Scouting Night.

o Review list of supply items provided by the council (see below) and determine what

other items you will need to bring

The following supplies will be available to pick up at the August Roundtable:

Youth application forms

Mini Boys’ Life magazines

Handbook information sheets

Parent Information sheets

Parent orientation guidebooks

Receipts

Door signs

Rocket kits

Arrive at least 30 minutes early to set up

Make sure each family signs in on the attendance roster

Collect parent surveys that night!

Collect ALL applications (even if a family is unsure about joining or doesn’t pay)

Mark each family as paid or unpaid on their application and on the attendance roster

Turn in all paid applications to the scout service center no later than September 11th.


2015 Pinewood Derby Incentive Form

(For Qualifying Packs)

Pack #___________

Committee Chair or Cubmaster

name:

Email Address:

Our Pack:

Notified the District Executive of who the pack coordinator is by June 15th. Please send to

[email protected].


-or-



.By August 21st, scheduled our Parent Orientation meeting for:

Date:

Time:

Location:

Submits their recharter by November 30th including a completed JTE Scorecard

All items above must be “yes” to be eligible for one of the two discounts listed below.

Attained the pack goal for recruiting new Cub Scouts. Is eligible to receive a 25%

discount on Pinewood Derby cars for all youth members in the pack.

Attained the pack “stretch” goal for recruiting new Cub Scouts. Is eligible to Free

Pinewood Derby cars for all youth members in the pack.

The number of Pinewood Derby cars your pack can receive is based on the number of

registered Cub Scouts in the pack on November 1, 2015.

Return this form to Garrett Sausen by email at [email protected] or by mail to 144 North

Street Rapid City, SD 57701. The council will email a coupon or letter to the pack leader listed above

in December if the pack qualifies for either of the two discounts.




Scheduling and Promotional Material Request Form Pack #___ How much school access does your pack have?

No School Access: No fliers or boy talks.

Limited School Access: Fliers only, no boy talks.

Full School Access: Boy talks & fliers are allowed.

Cub Scout Recruiting Information (Contact’s Name, Phone Number and Email will be published on Flyers):

Pack Contact Name:

Phone Email

Address:

City: State: Zip:

# of Flyers Needed___________ # of Wristbands Needed___________

Sign Up Night: September 8th 9th 10th (Circle One)

Our pack will be at these schools from 6:30 pm – 8 pm:

Parent Orientation (or Pack) Meeting:

Date:

Time:

Location:

The information for the meeting above is: Confirmed or Tentative

Email, mail or fax to your district professional. Please allow 4-5 business days for production.

Black Hills Area Council

144 North Street

Rapid City, SD 57701

P:605-342-2824 F:605-342-2826 [email protected]

launch into scouting...2014/04/01 · 1 blast off into scouting…build your adventure!! 2015 cub...

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