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2017 Spring/ Fall Recruitment Training Knox Trail Council Boy Scouts of America March 9, 2017

Welcome Sean Riley, Council VP for Membership Patrick Howarth, JP Becker District Membership Chair Stephen Lavoie, Senior District Executive Kaitlin McCarthy, District Executive This webinar is a tool for communicating our strategy, so please be patient tonight.

What you will get out of this webinar? 2017 Spring/Fall Recruitment Strategy Recruitment resources Promotion methods Conducting a successful roundup Follow up Parent Orientation

2016 Results How did we do last year? What’s new this year? 4,672 Scouts Saw council membership growth (First time in 5 years) What’s new this year? Growth Goals: Build an Adventure, Exploring Explosion, Units, and Pilots What does it mean? Focus on recruitment, retention, Webelos to Scout transition, new units formation.

Recruitment Purpose Bring Scouting into the lives of more youth and their families! ENROLL boys in Cub Scouting ENLIST parental participation in Cub Scouting New Leaders New Committee Members Millennial Moms ENERGIZE Cub Scout Packs to be ready to provide quality Scouting programs for the next school year!

2017 Recruitment Approach We received great feedback regarding the single “Round Up” night last year Should we follow the same approach? Easiest way to put it: It Depends. Open to your district proceeding one of two ways Round Up Night – single “big” recruiting evening Targeted, multiple Round Up night approach Do what works best for your unit.

Goal of Single District-wide Round Up Night Conducting a single night in your district during the month of June and September for families to sign up for the Cub Scouts Conduct additional promotion events at all other school functions

Goal of Multiple Round Up Nights Conducting targeted events throughout the spring and fall for families to sign up for the Cub Scouts. Conduct additional promotion events at all other school functions. Allows for flexibility and adequate resources for events.

Lions

What is Lions? The Lion pilot program offers kindergarten-age boys and their adult partners an experience that includes: Active and fast-paced excitement Hands-on exploration Focused time together as a family Shared leadership concept Limited exposure to Pack meetings Instant recognition (stickers)

Lions Training webinars held earlier this month. 10/8/2017 Lions Training webinars held earlier this month. Recording posted on website Excited as our Council begins this Pilot – we look forward to: Engaging more Youth High transition to Tigers (average of nearly 90% for initial Pilot Council) Hearing your feedback so we can make improvements Key takeaway for today – find a district level volunteer to focus on Lion Program support! 27 lions in 2016 6 units

Lion vs. Tiger: Differences Earns Bobcat 3-4 times per month Attends all Participates in fundraising Tiger/Cub Scout day camp BOBCAT: Does not earn Bobcat DEN MEETINGS: 1–2 times per month PACK MEETINGS: Attends a few (2–3) FUNDRAISING: Does not fundraise DAY CAMP: No day camp (until Tiger)

Pack & District Timeline

Pack & District Timeline March/June Pack (P)/District (D): Identify a District & Unit Recruitment Chair at Pack & District levels D: Identify “Round Up” night(s) P: Attend Recruitment training P: Recruit Round Up night team (4-5 minimum) P: Conduct Leader inventory of leaders for fall of 2017, recruit to fill vacancies D: If you haven’t visited principals, make plans now!

Pack & District Timeline, cont. April/July D: Contact school principals if not done yet D: Ensure materials are ready for Unit Training D: Conduct Unit Training P: Determine materials needed, gather materials Materials include flyers, yard signs, and banners P: Continue recruiting leaders to fill vacancies P: Identify a recruitment chair if not done

Pack & District Timeline, cont. May/ August D: Finish unit training if not done D: Ensure units reconnect with school principals D: Support Pack promotional efforts D: Support Registration Days/Open Houses D: Finalize and distribute orientation materials P: Identify a recruitment chair if not done already

Pack & District Timeline, cont. May/August (Continued) P: Follow up with school principals P: Arrange pack promotional efforts P: Place yard signs and banners P: Promote at Back to School Events and Open Houses P: Deliver Flyers P: Ensure adequate orientation materials on hand

Pack & District Timeline, cont. June/September P: Conduct/Support Round Up night or nights P: Conduct/Support Parent Orientation Meetings as needed

Recruitment Methods

Best Recruitment Methods Traditional in-school recruiting E-Blasts – BeAScout.org (update pins) Parent to Parent & Boy to Boy Facebook and Social Media Church Bulletins / Sunday school boy talks Posters / Fliers in the Community Local Newspaper/TV/Radio spots

Best Recruitment Methods, cont. Moms are saying a 20 minute roundup is appealing. National is encouraging a “sign-up” night like you sign up for a sports team with a few info stations. Direct mail / postcard to families in your school Cub Scouts wear uniform to school the day of a Den or Pack meeting. Push for 7 points of contact for success! Ask the whole Pack to help!

School Relationships

Visiting the Principal Schedule a time to meet with the principal Or just show up – bring Popcorn! Build the relationship – Packs can provide service to the school! Thank him/her for supporting Scouting Review Round Up Night Plan Confirm your District’s Round Up Night Date(s) Permission for table at Back to School Event

Registration Days Registration Days School Open Houses Usually one or more days in late August that families sign up for school, meet the teacher, get their books, etc Packs should have a table staffed to promote Scouting and answer questions School Open Houses Usually an evening at the beginning of September where Parents hear from the Principal and find out information about the school year Usually more hectic than Registration Days

Conducting a Successful Roundup

Roundup Night Collect all fees and applications -youth & adult Get there early to set-up (covered by a District rep) Have materials prepared Have everyone sign in Have families sit by grade Collect all fees and applications -youth & adult Keep it short (about 20 minutes) Have fun! (Skits, interactive, explain “why”) Go through contents of orientation packet Get next meetings on everyone’s calendar

Roundup Materials Round Up agenda Round Up Folder for Packs Family Packet Posters, Yard Signs, Fliers, Mini-Fliers, Stickers, and Postcards (alternative to Fliers) Council Website New – Youth recruiter patch (invite a friend!) New – Online registration (Pilot Council)

Parent Orientation (After the Round Up)

Parent Orientation A must for every Pack. A separate event than the roundup or Pack meeting. Focus on Leader recruitment. Conduct brief training to orient Parents. Review agenda & PowerPoint.

Resources

Volunteers Volunteers are critical to be successful in all of our efforts. Don’t do it alone! Key needs at Unit/ District level: Lion Program Coordinator New Unit/Leader welcome Fall Recruiting Lead Spring Recruiting Lead Webelos – Boy Scout Transition Coordinator Try to have volunteers identified for the same key roles at pack level for best results.

Recruitment Links Cub Scouts Learning Library https://cubscouts.org/ Knox Trail Council Recruitment Page http://www.ktc-bsa.org/recruitment/ Recruiting Ideas for Cub Scout Leaders http://www.scouting.org/filestore/membership/pdf/RecruitingIdeas.pdf Scoutingwire Marketing & Membership Hub http://scoutingwire.org/marketing-and-membership-hub/

Delivering the Promise

Delivering the Promise First 3 meetings key! Make them fun & informative. Don’t overwhelm parents; keep pushing Popcorn to a minimum. Taste of Scouting in the Spring and Fall. Fun Unit Activity within first 30 days.

Take Aways Recruiting goes on every day. Families commit to a “family schedule” before school even begins. Follow-Up is SUPER important. Focus on flexibility. Focus on upcoming events – Make it FUN! Scouting is a life long tool to mold successful youth into men.

Ongoing Support Please let us know how you are doing and where we can help! Sean Riley Council Vice President Membership Email: seanriley05@gmail.com Stephen Lavoie Council Membership Staff Advisor Email: stephen.lavoie@scouting.org