1. Connecticut Rivers Council 2013 Join Scouting Night Training

2. Join Scouting Night 9-12-13: The Purpose
The Join Scouting Night is our opportunity to show people what Scouting is all about, and to highlight the benefits our program has for boys and their families.
The Cub Scout “Join Scouting Night” (JSN) is the single largest youth recruiting drive done during the year in the Connecticut Rivers Council.
The focus of this recruiting effort is to enroll first- through fifth-grade boys into Cub Scouting and also to recruit new adult Leaders for the Pack.
Nearly all Boy Scouts (over 95%) come from Cub Scouts.

3. Join Scouting Night 9-12-13: The Plan
Designate a “Joining Night” for each elementary school in the Connecticut Rivers Council on
Invite prospective youth and their parents to attend.
Utilize multiple recruitment methods and marketing to generate interest in joining.
Designate a Pack Join Scouting Night Chairperson.
Utilize “Best Practices” at your unit’s Join Scouting Night.
PLAN TO BE SUCCESSFUL! 3

4. Join Scouting Night 9-12-13: Keys to Success
Have a dedicated JSN event on
Top Pack leadership should be present.
Secure support of school leadership.
Use a proven plan tailored for YOUR Pack.
Create excellent publicity.
The event should be exciting and upbeat.
Establish and then meet all deadlines.
Recognize volunteer efforts.
Follow-up with all who attended the event. 4

5. Join Scouting Night 9-12-13: Measures of Success
Units attend JSN training.
Units identify and fill key leadership positions.
Each unit in the District has a successful JSN.
All registrations and fees turned in on-time.
Membership growth experienced by each unit.
New adult Leaders recruited in each unit and trained before December.
At least one new Tiger Den for each unit.
New families joint the Scouting family 5

6. Recruiting: Who Does What?
Each Pack is responsible for and runs its own JSN.
The Council provides printing flyers (for free), lawn signs, recruiting materials, stickers and handouts.
Each Pack is responsible for collecting registrations and fees and reporting results on to their District Executive.
Each Pack is responsible for forwarding the applications and fees to the Council in a timely manner. 6

7. Roles & Responsibilities: Unit JSN Chairperson
Helps unit with:
Securing JSN location for
Publicity, including flyers, yard signs, posters.
Conducting “Boy Talks” or other in-school appearances.
Sharing JSN information with DE and District JSN Chairperson.
Collecting registrations and fees and forwarding them to the DE.
Setup and logistics for a successful JSN, which frees the Cubmaster to “work the room”. 7

8. First Things First: Over The Summer
Units should do the following during the summer to maximize the success of their fall recruiting efforts:
Get to know their school superintendent, principal, support staff and key PTA members at their local schools.
Have the JSN date secured and details communicated to DE or District JSN Chair by August 31st. Securing the date earlier is always recommended.
Complete school facility use forms and obtain all necessary approvals.
Get approval for flyers, posters and other methods of communicating the JSN date within the schools.
Schedule “Boy Talks” or assemblies in the school for the week before or the week of the JSN date.

9. Join Scouting Night Promotion: Setting the Stage
The marketing “Rule of 7” says that an individual must be exposed to an advertisement 7-times before they decide to act on it.
Packs should use a multi-tiered approach to reach prospective Scouts and their families.
Traditional media
The Council is working on a State-wide media plan with CT Yankee.
Units should focus on local papers and outlets like Patch.com
Press release in newspapers, other community publications.
TV/radio coverage of Pack event.
Electronic media
Unit Facebook page and other social media. Easy to forward and network.
Unit website. A good repository of information, forms and Pack calendar.
Update unit’s BeAScout.org pin and contact information on CRC site.
What other methods does your unit use to promote your JSN?

10. Join Scouting Night Promotion: Tools In JSN Planning Guide
In your JSN Planning Guide (available online or via ) you have the following tools:
Sample Press Release.
Sample Radio/PSA Spots.
Blank Den Rosters.
Floor Plans.
Many more tools available on line at
Sample Facebook post.
And everything you learn from this presentation.

11. Join Scouting Night Promotion: Flyers
Flyers are the primary way to communicate through schools. Remember the following:
Flyers are available FOR FREE from the Council!
Fliers must be ordered by 8/15/13.
You can pick them up or your DE can deliver them.
Bundle flyers for each class. Include a cover sheet with distribution instructions and brief information about your Pack.
Must be in the school for distribution 1-week in advance of JSN.
Many schools have a “Weekly Folder”.
Thank you note/gift for school secretarial staff.
Remember…once they go out the event MUST happen!

12. Join Scouting Night Promotion: Peer-to-Peer Recruiting
Your most powerful recruiting resource is your Pack.
Peer-to-peer recruiting can be very successful.
Tools to support peer-to-peer recruiting:
Print business cards for your current Scouts to use to invite their friends to your Joining Night.
Business cards should have basic information and a place for the Scout to write his name. A template is available on-line.
Boys who are successful in recruiting a friend to join receive the “Recruiter” patch and recognition at the next Pack meeting.
Have Scouts wear their Class-B shirts to school the day of the Join Scouting Night.

13. Join Scouting Night Promotion: What’s a “Boy Talk?”
A “Boy Talk” is BSA’s term for an in-school presentation to youth about Scouting.
Done during the school day, the same week as the JSN.
Many schools permit an adult visit the school & explain what Scouting is and distribute information.
It is highly recommended that your unit do a boy talk. Experience tells us that it can triple your recruitment.
Types of “Boy Talks”: Class to class, assembly, lunch.
A good example can be found at:

14. Join Scouting Night Promotion: Preparation for the “Boy Talk”
Clear all handouts or flyers ahead of time with the Principal and school Superintendant (if necessary).
Wear your full Class-A Scout uniform.
Be sure to have all needed supplies: permanent marker, tape, posters, yard signs, flyers, stickers.
Call the morning of the talk and remind the Principal that you’re visiting.
All schools require check in at the Main Office.

15. Join Scouting Night 9-12-13 Preparation
Bring the following to support the event:
Cost summary sheet with all prices determined, including youth & adult registration fees, Boys’ Life fees and unit dues.
Sign-in sheet (include name, address, phone, , age, school).
Applications (Youth and Leader) and Den Roster Forms.
Books: Tiger, Wolf, Bear, Webelos, Boy Scout Handbook.
Receipt book & calculator.
Pens, paper clips, rubber bands, tape, stapler & magic markers.
Mini Boys Life magazines, Popcorn flyers and other handouts.
Display items, including photos, Pinewood Derby cars, slide show, etc.
Name tags for Pack leaders with name & position.
Table signs, posters, lawn signs, direction signs.

16. Join Scouting Night Preparation
Bring the following for new families:
Welcome to Scouting folders. Use it to hold everything.
Summary sheet of what they need to purchase. (Example available on-line)
Pack calendar and Leader contact information.
Pack parent guide. (Examples available on-line)
Parent Talent Surveys, Participation Forms (100-points), etc.
Bring the following for new Leaders:
Suggested Den meeting plans and orientation materials.
Sheet with links to additional Leader resources.
Calendar showing District and Council events and training opportunities.
Leader committee meeting schedule.

17. Join Scouting Night Set-up
Outside
Place lawn signs and directional signs.
Directional signs should clear and bring people right to the entrance.
Consider placing a tent with camping items outside, staffed by a Boy Scout.
Inside
Welcome table with sign-in sheet and general materials (no applications)
Set up tables by rank, with more for Tigers. Mark with tent signs, Den flags.
Set up display tables with interesting materials that tell your Pack’s story.
Consider having a continuous slide show of the past year’s highlights.
Lot’s of “hands-on” displays, like Pinewood Derby cars, regatta boats, etc.
American and Pack flags prominently (and correctly) displayed.
The room should be exciting and make boys and their families want to join!

18. Join Scouting Night Set-up
Activities
Simple activities/crafts for boys (and siblings) to do.
Activities will help control the event, keep the boys busy and minimize opportunities for horseplay.
Activities also give you time to talk to parents without interruption.
A simple “take-away” craft will remind them of the event.
Set up another room or go outside to keep noise at a minimum.
Consider using Boy Scouts (Den Chiefs) to run activities.
Also have a supervising adult Leader.
Remember 2-deep leadership!

19. Join Scouting Night Working the Room
Someone at the door greets each family and makes sure that they sign in.
Hand out general materials at front table, but not applications. (People will take them and leave)
Direct families to appropriate table by grade/rank.
Encourage families to see all of the displays.
Everyone meets the Cubmaster!
Provide a more private area for financial discussions.
Consider having your companion Troop’s Scoutmaster attend.

20. Join Scouting Night Registration Process
Review all applications for completeness before parents leave the table.
Leader applications need Committee Chair and Charter Organization Rep. signatures.
Make sure new Leaders sign disclosure authorization and complete reference and background portion.
Keep copies of all applications for the Pack.
Give Council-designated copies of applications and a Pack check to the District rep. at the end of the event.
Make sure that there is someone at the event that can issue a Pack check.

21. Join Scouting Night Registration Process
Some helpful hints and “what ifs”:
Write the check number or “cash” on the Pack copy of the application.
If you run out of applications, record information on summary sheet, collect fees and follow-up at Den meetings with applications. You can also print them from the BSA website and make copies.
If parents forget to bring money, complete the application and collect money at a later time.
For parents with different addresses, the parent with whom the boy lives completes one “official” application (which is submitted to the Council). The second parent completes the parent portion of another application, which is stapled to the Pack copy of the “official” application for Pack records.

22. Join Scouting Night Registration Fees
Current Month
Registration Fee
Boy’s Life
Insurance
Total
Total including Recharter
September
$5.00
$4.00
$1.00
$10.00
$49.00
Best Practice is for new families to pay once for the entire amount to register their Scout until the following year. ($10 for 3-months PLUS $39 for the following year ($40 total). This includes membership fee of $24.
The Pack check issued to the Council at the end of the JSN is ONLY for the 3-month prorated fees ($10) for each new Scout.

23. Join Scouting Night Recruiting Adult Leaders
Recruiting, training and maintaining Pack leadership is just as important as recruiting new Cub Scouts.
Who to look for:
Parents who were former Scouts.
Parents who seem to lead the group and take a much greater interest in the program.
Parents with a child already in the Pack that have a younger child joining.
Seasoned parents or Leaders that would be willing to take on a new opportunity.
Who to avoid:
Anyone you feel will not pass a background examination.
Having a couple as Den Leaders. If the family moves or has a crisis the entire Den can suffer. Spread the leadership among two families.

24. Join Scouting Night Recruiting Adult Leaders
Use job descriptions, not job titles.
People may be put off by the term “Den Leader”, but might respond better to the request, “We need a parent to work with the boys for about 2 hours every other week”.
Strong emphasis should be placed on the following:
Training and support are available from multiple sources and on-line.
Scouting is unique in that Leaders and parents get to participate with their children, rather than just cheering from the sidelines.
Cub Scouting is family-oriented. Families are welcome at all events.
They will get to know their son’s friends and their families.
As a Leader they will have a say in what the Pack does and be able to bring their own talents to Cub Scouting.
The core values of Scouting, which they will help to deliver.

25. Join Scouting Night Recruiting Adult Leaders
Point out what new Leaders receive in return:
The distinct privilege of helping to enrich and strengthen boys and their families and watch them grow into responsible young men.
A sense of pride as you watch the Cub Scouts in your Den receive recognition for their accomplishments.
The good fortune to view the world through the eyes of boys, and to occasionally be a “big kid” yourself.
An opportunity to meet and share your ideas and experiences with other adults who share common interests and goals for their sons.
The satisfaction of being a member of a worldwide movement, and pride in being publicly identified as a part of this organization.

26. Join Scouting Night Recruiting Adult Leaders
How to counter the main excuse: “I don’t have time”.
For a Den Leader the time commitment is just an hour or two a week on average. Be honest!
Other Den families should also help. You don’t have to do everything.
This is the time of when your son really needs and wants you to be involved in his life.
The rewards of being a Den Leader far outweigh the time commitment.
“A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of clothes I wore. But the world may be much different because I was important in the life of a child.”
The most successful Packs identify leadership for new Dens prior to the Joining night. (This is one reason to do Spring recruiting of Tigers!)

27. Join Scouting Night Clean Up & Follow Up
Scouts always practice “Leave No Trace”, and leave the JSN site better than they found it.
Within 48-hours of your JSN:
Review your sign-in sheet. Cubmaster or JSN Chair should call anyone who signed in but did not fill out an application.
Cubmaster or JSN Chair should all Den Leaders with a summary of all new Cub Scouts who have joined the Pack.
Den Leaders should contact each of their new families to welcome them to the Den and outline events for the next month.
Cubmaster should or contact new families and welcome them on behalf of the Pack. Special welcome to any new Leaders.
Cubmaster should send a thank-you note to the facility where the JSN was held.

28. Timeline: July and August
Pack Committee holds planning meeting for the 2013 year and submits calendar by August 31st. Be sure to schedule a Spring Recruitment event, a “Bring-a-Buddy” event and a high-visibility community event to occur over the summer.
Attend Joining Scouting Night Training during the summer.
Identify Tiger Den Coach and Cub Camping Chair to the Council by August 31st. Also, recruit and train any Tiger Den Leaders from spring recruiting.
Update your Pack’s BeAscout.org pin by August 15th.
Secure location for Joining night on , provide your district with your September, October and November Pack meeting dates and location.
Order Flyers for FREE from the Council.
Contact school to get permission to do a “Boy Talk”.

29. Timeline: September
Distribute Flyers at least one week before 9/12/13 Joining Scouting Night
Hold “Boy Talk” a few days before Joining Scouting Night.
Hold Joining Scouting Night on September 12th.
Report to your District Membership Team the number of new youth recruited at Joining Scouting Night on 9/12/13.
Submit all new youth applications with correct fees as soon as possible, and no later than Friday, 10/4/2013.
Submit Very Important Tiger Passports to the Council office for all new Tigers recruited during the Spring. VIT patches should be awarded at the first Pack meeting of the year.

30. District JSN Training Thank-you for attending
Make sure you sign the attendance sheet.
Pick up our unit’s publicity materials and parent envelopes.
Detailed instructions for updating the BeAScout.org pin follow. You can review it when you receive the presentation.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR 9/12/13 JOIN SCOUTING NIGHT!

31. Appendix: Updating Your BeAScout.org pin

32. The first “to do item “is for unit leaders to set up their unit pin
The unit leader, which is the (Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, crew advisor along with the unit committee chair and the chartered organization rep) enters the Be A Scout Pin and Leads Management Database by logging into their myscouting account. 32

33. Once myscouting opens, a Unit Leader will see the BeAScout link on the left in the menu. Again, for first time set up we are defining Unit Leaders as Cubmasters or Scoutmasters or Crew Advisors, along with Unit Committee Chairs and Chartered Organization Representatives. 33

34. There are two options.
First, Unit Pin Management: Unit Leaders use this to edit PIN information.
Next, Unit Lead Management: Unit Leaders use this to manage incoming requests for information from parents interested in Scouting.
We begin our review of BeAScout with Unit Pin Management 34

35. When you click on unit pin management gadget at the top right, up pops this page
The Unit PIN management is used to set what the parent sees on the Google map when hovered over or clicked on. Filling out this information correctly is imperative to successful leads generation.
There are two important areas we would like to call to your attention.
At the bottom right in the solid red box is a preview of the Google PIN
Pay close attention to this box as we review the next several pages. It will become evident to you how this information is generated and what will be seen by the parent on Google.
At the bottom left is the “Fields Displayed on Goggle Pin” area. The Pin preview box will only display the information that has the box(s) checked. 35

36. Step one in Unit PIN Management is to select the correct unit
Step one in Unit PIN Management is to select the correct unit. Unit leaders may be registered to more than one unit. Leads are grouped by unit. 36

37. All PINS will show an active status at first
All PINS will show an active status at first. A unit leader can deactivate the PIN by changing the PIN status to inactive—by doing this the pin will not appear on the Google map. Another option, however, is to leave it active and choose to use Council information for leads generation. That way someone at the Council will continue to get and work leads while a unit leader may be away.
The Unit logo can be selected in the box in the top right side. 37

38. Unit logo .jpg format 2 mb max file size
The unit logo is defaulted to the logo for the traditional program it correlates to.
For example,
All packs will have the Cub Scouts logo.
All troops will have the Boy Scouts of America logo.
All crews will have the Venturing logo.
A units personalized logo can be used.
The Unit logos should be a .jpg format.
And the Unit logos’ maximum file size is 2mb.
Unit logo
.jpg format
2 mb max file size 38

39. The “Primary contact information” refers to whom the unit has chosen to be the lead in managing the PIN information and the parent requests. This does not have to be the Unit Leaders, but must be a registered adult from that unit. BeAScout “talks” to our Scoutnet or PAS system and updates the information of registered adults
This person will also have access to the Unit Pin Management and the Unit Lead management page by signing onto MyScouting. It is also the person receiving s generated from the Google Map PIN. So a Unit Leader can assign another registered adult to work the leads. 39

40. The unit meeting address can be changed at any time
The unit meeting address can be changed at any time. The address displayed is pulled from ScoutNET or PAS. This address will be used to locate the Goggle Pin on the map, and can be used to be displayed on the pin. If a unit is having a special meeting location or does not meet at their Chartered Organization, the address can be changed. 40

41. The Alternate Contact Information fields are mandatory. These fields are named, respectively, Alternate Contact 1 and Alternate Contact 2. For all three contacts (the primary and two alternates) the on file in the contacts PAS record will auto-populate the field once the name is chosen. Should that address need to be changed or phone number need to change it can be manually done on this page (but it does not update any PAS or ScoutNET record.
The primary and both alternate contacts must have different addresses or an error will occur. All three addresses will receive an when a lead is generated. The parent will only have information on the primary contact in the Google PIN.
Once completed, there will be six individuals who have access to Unit Pin Management (as well as unit lead management) via MyScouting.org:
1. the Primary unit leader (Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, or crew advisor)
2. Unit committee chair
3. Chartered Organization Rep
4. Primary contact
5. Alternate contact #1
6. Alternate contact #2 41

42. An alternate unit description may be used but it is not mandatory
An alternate unit description may be used but it is not mandatory. This unit description could be something as simple as a slogan. Remember the Unit description box is reading from PAS or Scoutnet. In our example the unit description reads Pack 0033, perhaps the unit locally is know as Pack 33, that could be written in the alternate unit description box.
Following the diagram: at the top of the page we inputted an alternate description. We must check the box in the “Fields Displayed on the Goggle Pin” in the lower left side.
And that enables the alternate description to appear in the Goggle Pin Preview. 42

43. If a unit leader chooses, he or she may make the Council information display in the Google PIN. By selecting Council information, all Unit information goes away with exception of the Unit Description, here – Pack 0033.
In order for the “contact person” to display in the PIN, the “contact person” check box must be checked. 43

44. Once switched, the Council’s information automatically is displayed in the preview and on the Google Map, once saved. 44

45. If the unit meeting address is the desired information to display, this box must be checked. Checking this box, displays the address in the preview. This can be changed as the unit sees fit for where the unit is meeting. If the unit does not wish the location to appear on the pin, uncheck the box in the “Fields Displayed on the Google Pin”, but an address must be in the Unit Meeting Address box at the top right so the pin can be on the map. 45

46. The Unit Leader phone number is only displayed if checked in the fields to be displayed box. This number is pre-populated from the adult leaders’ PAS record. Remember by doing this the phone number will be on the web for all to see. If a telephone number is not desired in the PIN, be sure to uncheck this box. 46

47. This example shows how the telephone number displays.47

48. Special Announcements can be used for any purpose to display an announcement on the Unit PIN.
What you type in the box will appear in the PIN info and once again remember to check that box in “Fields Displayed on Google Pin”. 48

49. This is an example of the Special Announcement once showing in the preview box. Review all information here and make updates or changes. Be sure to “save” your information. 49

50. Once you have saved your information, a window will pop up stating that the Unit saved successfully.50