One of the trademarks of a good Scout or Scouter is knowing your resources. From Internet links, forms and applications, to program and training materials, look to this section for your Scouting needs.
Recruiting new Scouts is a very important part of the yearly program. As our youth grow up and bring their knowledge and skills learned in Scouting into their adult lives, we look to the next generation of Scouts. Use these recruiting tools to help ensure you have a strong recruitment and welcome an amazing new group of Scouts into your unit!
When planning for a recruitment night, here are the main steps to follow.
Check with your local school 2-3 months prior to see if they will allow you to send home flyers a week prior to the event and come into the school to give a Scout Talk 2-3 days before the event.
Work with your unit leaders and parents to assign duties for the day of the Recruitment Event. Check out the Recruitment Night Example Video below to see an effective event set up. You can also see a layout of an efficient Recruitment Night under the "Day of Recruitment Event" tab. If you follow this Recruitment Night plan here are a few of the duties you will need to get covered.
At Door: WELCOMING AND SEND OFF PARTY, These positions could be held by Cub Scouts, older Scouts in your local Scouts BSA Troop, Pack Parents etc. This position is there to be the first and last happy face new families see and will be a friendly guide to table 1. If you will use this position in the parking area of your event, we recommend only asking older Scouts and adults to fill this role.
Table 1 - This is the GREETING table where new families will sign in, shake hands with leadership and be told how much they will enjoy the event. Explain the stations and that their child will be led by Scouts on an adventure! Helpers at this table will guide the family to the next table. Ideally, two people will be stationed here.
Table 2 - The SCOUT ME IN table is where the fun really begins! Here your unit will have the New Parent Packets ready to go over with parents. While parents learn about the program, Pack schedule, etc. from the leaders, older Scouts will guide potential new Scouts on their first adventure: the provided Scavenger Hunt and later on to any other activity the Pack has ready for new Cub Scouts!
Table 3 - PAPERWORK, here the parents will be able to sit down with leadership and complete their applications and ask any more questions they may have. This is a good place to have pens, chairs, clipboards, and other supplies. You can use the provided Fee Schedule on page 8 to help! This table could be run by your Pack’s Committee Members, Treasurer etc.
Table 4 - APPLICATION TURN IN AND NEXT STEPS, after parents have finished their paperwork, they will turn in their applications and payment here. The adults at this station will give the families their Akela’s Map with the next Pack Meeting and instructions. Remind new families to go to one of our two Scout Shops to get their uniforms.
TIPS:
• You don’t get a second chance at a first impression, make sure all adults and Scouts are in full uniform, excited and ready to answer all questions
• Make sure everyone knows their role and is willing to perform their duties for the entire event
• Choose leaders, volunteers and Scouts for roles they’d be great at!
• Have Pack and Den leaders ready at multiple stations to greet new families, answer questions, and keep the energy up!
• Be invested and engaged, parents and kids know when you’re not!
• Make sure the space is bright, colorful, inviting and has important information everywhere it should be: logos, branding and smiling faces!
• Try to keep families up and moving with your Scout helpers and adults
Scouts BSA Youth: You will want to have 1-3 older Scouts in the Scouts BSA program to help facilitate the scavenger hunt or activity with the potential new Scouts. This is designed to get the kids excited and engaged while their parent is going through the other stations. These older Scouts should be excited, engaging and invested in the Scouting Program. Some activity examples that can be good for this station are...
Making Slime
Origami Cats
Paper Crafts
Coloring Page
Stress Ball
A themed activity if you wish to theme your recruitment event
Work with your District Executive from the Council to get wristbands and flyers made. The earlier you can get this done the better. This will allow for any changes or delays to be resolved with plenty of time.
Once you get the flyers and wristbands, send in the flyers to the school. You want to do this ahead of time so that they have time to be approved and passed out to the teacher.
This is the time to send home a flyer in the students' folders so that parents can see the information for the first time and be familiar with the date and time.
If you are doing a Virtual Recruitment Video, you will want to get the wristbands to the school during this time frame so that the administrative team can get them passed out to the teachers.
2-3 Days before the Recruitment Event you will need to go into the School and present a Scout Talk. If the school will not let you in to do a Scout Talk in person, talk with the School about doing a Virtual Scout Talk through Zoom or using the "Virtual Scout Talk" video listed below.
When you do a Virtual Scout Talk make sure to get flyers and wristbands to the school prior to the talk so that the students have something to talk home to their parents or guardians.
In Person Scout Talks can be down classroom-to-classroom, during lunch, or you can bring the whole school together for a short presentation. These Scout Talks should be no more than 2-3 minutes.
Scout Talks can look very different and can be unique to each presenter, but it is important to cover and do a few things.
Start off with a game or interactive activity. An easy one is asking the students to raise their hand as fast as they can when you mention something that they like to do. Then ask them things like "Who likes to go swimming? What about meet new friends? Who likes to shoot bow and arrows? Anyone like to go camping?" This is a great way to understand the group you are talking to and play on the information you collect.
Once you have done this and the students are engaged with you, say something along the lines of "If you raised your hand then you should join Cub Scouts!"
Always remember to mention that Scouts is for both BOYS and GIRLS! This is extremely important!
Always make sure to have the student repeat back to you the time, date and location of the event. Make them do this a few times so that way it sticks with them.
If you have flyers make sure that the flyers get home to the parents. Make a fun game out of it somehow. If you get wristbands from the Council ask the kids to raise their hands as high as they can so you can give them a mega awesome wristband with all the information on it! Then remind them to show the wristband to their parents or guardians when they get home.
Take a look at a few of the videos below to check out other creative ways to do a Scout Talk so that you can master YOUR WAY of doing a Scout Talk. If you have questions or want help mastering yours, contact your District Executive.
Scout Talk Examples:
Virtual Scout Talk: (make sure to get wristbands from the Council)
First you will want to make sure that your adults are prepared and know what they need to do. For print outs and examples of the documents that each adult will need, look below.
At Door: WELCOMING AND SEND OFF PARTY, These positions could be held by Cub Scouts, older Scouts in your local Scouts BSA Troop, Pack Parents etc. This position is there to be the first and last happy face new families see and will be a friendly guide to table 1. If you will use this position in the parking area of your event, we recommend only asking older Scouts and adults to fill this role.
Table 1 - This is the GREETING table where new families will sign in, shake hands with leadership and be told how much they will enjoy the event. Explain the stations and that their child will be led by Scouts on an adventure! Helpers at this table will guide the family to the next table. Ideally, two people will be stationed here.
Table 2 - The SCOUT ME IN table is where the fun really begins! Here your unit will have the New Parent Packets ready to go over with parents. While parents learn about the program, Pack schedule, etc. from the leaders, older Scouts will guide potential new Scouts on their first adventure: the provided Scavenger Hunt and later on to any other activity the Pack has ready for new Cub Scouts!
Table 3 - PAPERWORK, here the parents will be able to sit down with leadership and complete their applications and ask any more questions they may have. This is a good place to have pens, chairs, clipboards, and other supplies. You can use the provided Fee Schedule on page 8 to help! This table could be run by your Pack’s Committee Members, Treasurer etc.
Table 4 - APPLICATION TURN IN AND NEXT STEPS, after parents have finished their paperwork, they will turn in their applications and payment here. The adults at this station will give the families their Akela’s Map with the next Pack Meeting and instructions. Remind new families to go to one of our two Scout Shops to get their uniforms.
TIPS:
• You don’t get a second chance at a first impression, make sure all adults and Scouts are in full uniform, excited and ready to answer all questions
• Make sure everyone knows their role and is willing to perform their duties for the entire event
• Choose leaders, volunteers and Scouts for roles they’d be great at!
• Have Pack and Den leaders ready at multiple stations to greet new families, answer questions, and keep the energy up!
• Be invested and engaged, parents and kids know when you’re not!
• Make sure the space is bright, colorful, inviting and has important information everywhere it should be: logos, branding and smiling faces!
• Try to keep families up and moving with your Scout helpers and adults
Scouts BSA Youth: You will want to have 1-3 older Scouts in the Scouts BSA program to help facilitate the scavenger hunt or activity with the potential new Scouts. This is designed to get the kids excited and engaged while their parent is going through the other stations. These older Scouts should be excited, engaging and invested in the Scouting Program. Some activity examples that can be good for this station are...
Making Slime
Origami Cats
Paper Crafts
Coloring Page
Stress Ball
A themed activity if you wish to theme your recruitment event
Once each adult is prepared and knows the process, make sure the stations are set up in a way that flows. Check out this video and photo to get a feeling of what works best.
After a successful recruitment night, make sure to:
• Thank your amazing volunteers, leaders, parents and Scouts for participating!
• In true Scout fashion, leave your venue nicer than you found it
• Collect all completed and signed, new parent and Scout applications and turn them into your District Executive or the Winnebago Council Service Center at your earliest convenience to ensure that new Cub Scouts can earn their Bobcat badge right away!
• Share photos from your event online and welcome your new Scouts, with parent permission, on social media
• Make welcome phone calls within the week to touch base with new parents, remind them of the upcoming meeting dates,
