Recruit or die. Any unit which is not recruiting new members is going to fade away. You always have members aging out. So recruiting it key to building membership.
But you also must retain those members. What is the key to keeping youth around? Program, program, program. This is also a good way to recruit members. If your program is fun, then your current members will invite their friends.
And then there is the job of recruiting adult leaders. How do you you engage the adults associated with your unit to get more involved?
Some additional articles about recruiting and retention are listed below. What are your ideas? Add them to the comments at the bottom.
Welcoming Webelos to Scouts BSA Troop
Aaron sent in this question “I am looking for ways to welcome Webelos into Scouts BSA at Pack Meetings, any ideas? Like a cross over, but not as formal.”
What Do You Do If You Can’t Find a New Scoutmaster?
A reader asks about what to do if the current leadership is burned out but nobody is willing to step up to take their place.
Maybe you’ve heard about this coed Scouting program for young men and women and you’re ready to try to organize a Venturing Crew. You might even have a specific group of young people in mind. It could be you know of a group who want to go out hiking or work on model trains together or maybe you just want to get a church youth group going. So where do you start?
Mom to Mom Cub Scout Recruiting
Mike wrote to me with this question about Cub Scout recruiting. Could a local mom-to-mom Cub Scout recruiting program get more families into Cub Scouting?
What steps can a parent take in encouraging a new Boy Scout who has just joined a troop with little or no previous Scouting experience?
Our pack was in need of a Cubmaster. I waited because I didn’t want to take the position from one of the parents if they wanted it,. But since school is right around the corner and nobody had volunteered yet, I said that I would love to be Cubmaster. And just like that, I’m an empty nester who is back in Cub Scouting.
A reader asks “The fun is gone. I know Scouts BSA is different than Cubs, but is it supposed to be no fun? Is there a suggestion I can take to the Scoutmaster that might help him keep these boys interested?”
Scouts BSA Troops are so different from Cub Scout packs. Every February we get a new batch of scouts into the troop, along with their parents. Suddenly they find themselves in a program which is completely alien to them. And it usually comes as a surprise, since most have been involved in the Cub Scout program for years.
Working With Large Cub Scout Packs
Barbara asked this question recently on the Facebook page: Just found your page and I’m anxious to poke through it. Anything on how to handle huge Packs? We currently have 88 registered Cubs and we’ll probably hit 100+ by the fall. I’ve just signed on as the committee chair and I want to help continue our legacy of crossing over enthusiastic Cubs into Scouts BSA. How do we keep boys from feeling lost in the shuffle?
Recruiting Cub Scouts and Retention
Recruiting Cub Scouts and retention are hot topics in Scouting. How do we get them and how do we keep them?
Getting Parents to Sign Kids Up for Cub Scouts
A reader writes in looking for advice about convincing parents to sign their children up for the Cub Scouts. What ideas can you share with her about getting kids to join Cub Scouts?
We know of a number of middle school students who are not currently involved in Scouting. So this is a good time of year to try to recruit them into the Troop.
How to Revive a Venturing Crew
Karah sent in this dilemma about how to revive a Venturing Crew: “My crew has never been extremely active. Meetings were dull and half of the activities were canceled before we even did them. But this fall I was in for a shock. Almost all the members left, either for college, or because they were simply bored with crew.”
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