Recruiting and Retaining

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.

Starting a Venturing Crew

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?

Den Meetings in a Very Small Pack

How do you run den meetings in a very small pack where there are only one or two Cub Scouts in each den?

Losing Interest in Scouts BSA

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?"

Encouraging a New Scout

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?

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?

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."

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?

Getting Parents to Sign Boys Up for Cub Scouting

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?

Recruiting and Retention for Cub Scouts

Recruiting and retention is a hot topic in Scouting. Today we'll focus on Cub Scouts. How do we get them and how do we keep them?

Recruiting New Scouts BSA

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.

Getting Teens to Sign Up for Venturing

Our Crew has been trying to recruit lately. The problem they are having is they talk to Bob and he isn't sure he wants to go unless Tim and Amy are going. They talk to Tim and Amy and they are wondering who else will be there. And on and on...

Recruiting New Crew Members

Recruiting new Crew members presents some challenges. How can we reach youth and get them to try Venturing?

How to Reboot a Venturing Crew

Karah asks "Is there anything I can do to bring new life to the Crew? " Readers, what are your ideas for breathing new life into a Crew?

Back to Cub Scouting

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.

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.