5 new Cub Scout recruiting tools that will help you grow your pack

Every day you meet people who aren’t involved with Cub Scouting — at your child’s school, at your work, at your place of worship, at sports practice, at the gym.

Each of those meetings represents an opportunity to introduce that family to the positive impact Scouting can have on young people.

You know, through experience, that Cub Scouting changes lives. Now let’s spread the word and invite others to join us on this adventure.

You’re not alone. The quest to grow your pack is a collaborative effort. For one, your council already has its comprehensive fall recruitment plan in place. You can work with your unit-serving executive to find out how to join those efforts.

This week the BSA debuted some new recruiting tools that will help you introduce more young people to Scouting.

You can find all of these at the slick new Marketing & Membership Hub. Go ahead and bookmark it now. You’ll want to return again and again.

Today I wanted to point out five of the best new recruiting tools within the hub. They’re yours to use, free of charge.

Our overall goal: Let’s not let one boy miss the chance to be a Cub Scout.

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1. Sign-Up Night Unit Playbook

Join Scouting events give parents and their kids the chance to learn more about Scouting. They can ask questions, build interest and see that Scouting is designed for families like theirs.

The Sign-Up Night Unit Playbook is your new best friend in making the most of these first-impression events.

You’ll find planning tips, a list of volunteer responsibilities, promotion resources, an outline of the different sign-up night stations and a “postgame” plan for following up with new Scout families.

Social-Media-Playbook

2. Social Media Resources

For many families, the decision to join your pack will happen online. That’s where our potential Scouts and their parents spend a lot of time.

The stats back me up here: More than 75 percent of people in the U.S. use social media — Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, etc. — meaning your unit ignores these communication channels at your own peril.

Social media can help you with recruiting, retention, fundraising and communication. The key is knowing how to use it the right way.

The hub’s new Social Media page has you covered with a Social Media Playbook, social media guidelines and social media images you can download and share using your favorite apps and sites.

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3. A Case Study from the North Florida Council

The North Florida Council did Join Scouting nights a little differently, and it worked. They got rid of uniforms at the sign-up event. They used a station-to-station format instead of the more-sedentary presentation style. They gave every family a great first Scouting experience.

The result: An 18 percent increase in fall Cub Scout recruiting over the previous year.

Lucky for us, North Florida Council is willing to share its secrets. In this Best Practices Success Story, you’ll see why — and how — their plan worked.

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4. Scouting Logos

While designing a flier or unit website, you might need access to logos representing various BSA programs.

You can search Google Images and cross your fingers that you found the right one. Or you can save yourself the trouble and find them in the BSA Brand Center.

It’s a one-stop shop for images available to units and local councils for websites and presentations. If you’re using these for a Scouting purpose, you don’t need any special permissions. Just download and go!

Wondering how to use these logos the right way? The BSA Brand Identity Guide answers those questions for you. You’re proud of the Scouting brand you help strengthen by serving as a volunteer. The Brand Identity Guide helps keep the BSA brand burning bright.

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5. Photos, Videos and Marketing Materials

We should showcase Scouting in the best possible light so it appears in photos and videos as awesome as it is in real life. With that in mind, the BSA Brand Center also offers high-quality photos and videos sorted by activity, Scouting program, subject and more.

There are marketing materials like fliers, yard signs, billboards and PSAs that are ready for you to customize and use. These include great new sign-up campaigns like Hooked on Scouting, Rocket Into Scouting, the Science of Scouting and more.

It’s all available to you in the quest to extend Scouting’s reach to more and more families.

Let’s go!

Now that you know about these five new resources in the Marketing & Membership Hub, you’re ready. Let’s get out there and spread the word about Scouting!


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.