On-line presentation in the TRAINING LEADERS of CADETS curriculum “Strategic Perspective” Block Lesson S2 Electronic Almanac Demographics About Cadets & The Cadet Program

Overview & objectives Summarize key demographics about cadets and the Cadet Program. Compare your squadron’s statistics with national averages to gain a more complete perspective about your unit. Statistics are current as of June Some data have been rounded.

Cadet demographics at a glance Cadets Median age14.8 Gender ratio80% male; 20% female The Cadet Program Total cadet membership21,193 Retention rate31% first year; 47% overall Number of cadet units844 nation-wide, including 5 overseas units School Program units47 Average unit size20 cadets

Recruiting As illustrated by this graph, as senior member recruiting ebbs and flows, so do the cadets. Having a number of dedicated senior members to mentor cadets is an essential ingredient to a healthy squadron. Historically, the best time to recruit cadets is in fall, as students go back to school.

Retention The retention rate – the percentage of cadets and seniors who renew their membership each year – is a key factor in CAP’s overall membership strength. As you will learn in other TLC seminars, the two most important keys to cadet retention are strong adult leadership and challenging activities.

Total CAP membership Although CAP’s total membership has seen some peaks and troughs over the years, when viewed from a 30-year perspective, membership has remained relatively constant, with approximately 25,000 cadets and 60,000 total members.

Cadet ages The median age for cadets is 14.5 years, and the bulk of CAP’s cadets are between the 7 th and 11 th grades at school. Nevertheless, it is very common for squadrons to have a “one room schoolhouse” consisting of early-adolescents and college-age cadets.

Cadet milestone awards Since the Wright Brothers Award was created in 2003, 25% of cadets have qualified for it by completing Phase I. That statistic underlines the importance of getting new cadets off to a good start in CAP, and the importance of squadrons having strong adult leaders and mentoring programs.

Ten largest cadet units sSheldon Cadet Texas245 cadets s Stoddert Middle School Cadet National Capital113 s Rome City School District CadetNew York 96 Bethesda-Chevy Chase CompositeMaryland 80 Southside CompositeVirginia 77 Rochester CadetNew York 67 Sugarland CompositeTexas 67 s Creighton CadetPennsylvania 66 Peachtree City Falcon FieldGeorgia 65 Concord CadetNew Hampshire 62 The CAP School Program is growing. Some of the largest cadet units are School Program Squadrons. 98% of cadet units have fewer than 50 cadets. s Denotes CAP School Program squadron

FY 08 corporate budget IncomeExpenses Senior Dues $1,299, ¢ Cadet Dues $955, ¢ Other $196,101 8 ¢ Cadets $808,917 33¢ ES $73,538 3¢ Development $196,101 8¢ Support $612,816 25¢ $2,451,265 Total annual budget “Corporate” funds are derived from member dues & donations, not tax dollars. PD $196,101 8¢ PA $318,664 13¢ Cash Reserve $73,538 4¢ Special Events $73,538 5¢ Contingency $73,538 1¢

FY 08 appropriated budget IncomeExpenses Support $21,090,200 80¢ $26,553,000 Total annual budget “Appropriated” funds are derived from tax dollars, not member dues. Other $694,042 3% Procurement $4,086,800 15% O & M $21,722,000 82% CP $3,451,890 13¢ Missions $14,338,620 54¢ AE $2,920,830 11¢ Admin/Other $2,653,300 10¢ Wing Administrators $2,387,970 9¢ PD $796,590 3¢

Other funds Grants $0 last year State Funding $3,952,349 last year Partnerships $10,000 last year Partnerships State Funding Grants

Conclusions Recruiting seniors is just as important as recruiting cadets. Cadets need leaders, and as more adults join, more cadets do as well. Every squadron can grow by improving cadet retention. The Cadet Program strongly appeals to the year old age group. Squadrons should target students in the 8 th and 9 th grades during recruiting drives. CAP needs to do a better job at getting new cadets off to a good start and through Phase I. Strong adult leadership and effective mentoring programs are key. CAP is a non-profit that draws its financial resources from members, governments, and the aerospace community. Squadrons should look for partners in their community to help support local projects. What other conclusions can you draw from the data? Discuss your ideas at TLC.