Recruiting New Scouts
How many of us think the world would be a better place with more children in Scouting, learning the values of the Scout Oath and Law? The answer, of course, is all of us. In order for more youth to join, we must ensure every family is invited.
Membership recruiting – when done properly – is not a passive exercise. Handing out flyers and putting up yard signs is important for building awareness of a Sign Up Night or similar event, but do they convey the message that a family is invited to join? Put another way, are you more likely to attend a party if someone only mails an invitation… or if the same person takes the time to call and personally invite you? This doesn’t mean you have to call every parent in your school and invite them (that’s not a bad idea, though), but it does mean your unit should do something above and beyond the minimum.
First, if you don’t do anything else, ensure your unit’s listing (called a “pin”) on the website BeAScout.org has the correct leader contact and meeting information for your unit. BeAScout.org will be the first search result that appears when a family looks online for information on how to join Scouting, so your unit’s information must be up to date.
