Recruiting Boys Who are not in Scouting Boys Who are not in Scouting David Mitchko Mercer Area District Commissioner

Why is it Important? All Troops lose scouts due to dropping or aging out A Troop may pick up some crossed over Webelos early in the year, but this may not be enough to make up for the loss. Some troops have lean years, where they don’t pick up any crossed-over Webelos. A Troop should always be looking to grow its numbers, not just maintain a level membership There may be eligible boys interested in joining a troop in the area – recruiting is a way of reaching out to these potential scouts. Recruiting is a First Class requirement

Easy Year-Long Recruiting The easiest way to recruit year-long is to post signs or put out notices in and around your meeting place. Adult members of your Chartering Organization who are not in scouting should know that your Troop meets there. Include the day of the week you meet, the time and the boy scout eligibility requirements in these signs or notices. If at all possible, the room where your troop meets should have permanent displays that are scouting related. Bulletin Board with posted information/photos Eagle Scout Plaque Maintain a good relationship with your Chartering Organization and have an active COR in your committee If your CO is a religious organization, participate in Scout Sunday

Promote Scouting Locally Articles in Local Newspapers –Eagle Scouts –Other Scout awards or accomplishments –Service to the community –Notable outings or visits –Submit photo with caption Service to the Community Wear uniforms on local outings Maintain a web site with a public front page Put up Scouting displays in public building

First Class Requirement #10 “Tell someone who is eligible to join Boy Scouts, or an inactive Boy Scout, about your troop's activities. Invite him to a troop outing, activity, service project, or meeting. Tell him how to join, or encourage the inactive Boy Scout to become active.” The intention of this requirement is to recruit boys who are not in scouting Recruitment should be peer-to-peer – participation in a Webelos “open house” should not count towards the requirement A printout of an from a scout to his friend, which includes the needed details, would meet this requirement Don’t treat this requirement as a paperwork drill

Peer to Peer Recruiting More effective than blanket recruitment Pick a time period for the recruitment drive – make it last more than one meeting While it is ongoing, announce the drive at every meeting Incentive awards for each scout that brings a friend to a meeting – with your committee’s approval Give immediate recognition. Have a grand prize drawing for all the scouts who brought in a friend who joined the troop Make up a flier to promote the recruitment drive

Example of flyer from Troop 63

Hold Onto the Boys that Join! Getting boys to join and keeping them depends on the quality of your program –Boy Run –Patrol Method –An active calendar with monthly camping trips –Fun, Hands-On Activities Troop leadership may have to adapt to getting a group of new scouts more than once a year Your Unit Commissioner can assist you and even arrange a visit for your leadership to a larger troop to see how they run things