Cub Scout Recruitment Ideas

Date: Sun, 8 Oct 1995 09:01:56 -0400
From: "Michael F. Bowman" <mfbowman@CAPACCESS.ORG>
Subject: When A Den Is Too Small, Then What?

Mike Grier and many other Cub Scout leaders face this question each year. Here are some ideas:

• Have the existing Cubs go to school in uniform. At this age many boys really want to get a uniform and will be drawn into the game.
• Try to get permission to do a presentation to the grade(s) of youth in the age group where you need members - sort of a mini-rally. It helps sometimes to do this during lunch or recess times.
• Put up a display in the school, the community library, neighborhood churches and the area grocery stores showing the uniform, patches, pictures, and critical who to contact information.
• Announce a backyard cook-out and invite target age boys and parents.
• Have a fun activity after school on a Friday night and invite other boys to join. Get really creative. And make sure it really is fun, visibly fun so that other boys want to join in. Have a balloon fair with a dozen balloon popping and other type games. Lots of bang & laughing. Heck, maybe you could get a teacher or the like to sit in a dunk tank and have the Cubs sell tickets - raise money and attract interest. Well maybe that isn't a good idea, but you get the picture. KISMIF activities!!!
• Try this one out! Display a uniform at the School or chartered organ-ization. Put up a sign - WIN A UNIFORM! First new Cub Scout to complete the Bobcat requirements (list 'em) and recruit at least one other Boy gets a free uniform with all badges sewn on and a special recruiter patch! Now if a boy comes from a financially hard hit family, here's his chance to earn the uniform without it being a handout. You can almost always find enough used parts to have a good quality uniform or two or three anyway.
• Use the recruiter patch!! Boys this age love badges and patches. I showed the recruiter patch to the boys in one den and by the next Pack Meeting one Cub did such a good job (he wanted to earn the patch real bad) that he recruited enough new boys for an entire den! and a Den Leader too! We rigged up a special recruiter neckerchief for him by sewing a patch on the Cub neckerchief. (Yea it wasn't in accord with the insignia guide, but you can bet the DE and UC were only too happy to give a good wink when they saw the new smiling faces getting the benefit of the program. One of the few times when a little rule bending was for the best.)
• Do some parent visible activities - flag ceremony at PTA, service project at School, etc.
• Follow-up each witht he parents of each boy that showed interest.
• If you don't get new recruits, then consider sharing a den with another Pack. It is real important to have a group of at least four and preferably six to eight boys in a den to allow enough for contests, team efforts with other dens, etc. And you need to have the numbers to start developing group dynamics that lead to learning on the part of the Cubs.
• Ask for help - anyone in sight is a target! Use your resources - people, their talents, places, etc.

Speaking only for myself in the Scouting Spirit, Michael F. Bowman
DDC-Training, GW Dist. Nat Capital Area Council mfbowman@CAPACCESS.ORG

Last edited: February 22, 2004
The NetWoods Virtual Campsite, Steve Tobin, Campmaster