Ready to request support and materials for your upcoming recruitment event?
Email: fielddirector@svmbc.org
Recruiting Resources for Packs, Troops and Crews
STEP 1. Prepare
To successfully recruit new families, a well-planned and robust pack program is crucial. Use the below links to complete your Pack’s annual “Ideal Year of Scouting” plan. Once your program is planned a complement recruitment plan can be created. Use the below Pack Recruitment Playbook to work through your fall recruitment plans.
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Definitive resource guide for your recruitment campaign.
Broken into the 5 Steps for Successful Recruitment
A great result starts with a well-thought plan. Use this guide to with your unit leadership to set the course for welcoming new families and preparing the future of your unit.
Download: 2024 Cub Scout Pack Membership Plan
Download: 2024 Scouts BSA Troop Membership Plan
Use this planning tool to enter your unit’s recruiting event and get an easy checklist of items to prepare and promote for a great turn-out.
Right Click and Select Save As to Download Recruitment Event Back dater Sample
Make it easy for families to find and apply to your unit online.
Make your unit visible online with a Be A Scout pin on the map. Any search for “joining Scouting” will lead to this. Check out the video tutorial and update your pin today:
Setting Up Your BeAScout Unit Pin from Boy Scouts of America on Vimeo.
Update your Unit information with new BSA registration fees. Register new families with these fees and collect remaining unit fees between now and the end of the calendar year.
Identify a few current families to serve as a the new member welcome team during your recruiting drive.
Learn about the New Member Coordinator Role
Scouters locally and around the country have great ideas to share with you!
Attend University of Scouting to learn about Pack recruitment 101 from one of the most successful unit in the council with >100 members of the pack: https://svmbc.org/event/university-of-scouting/.
Past SVMBC Fall Kick-off Week Videos can be found on the council Youtube Recruiting Channel)
National Recruiting Webinar Library
School Access & Peer to Peer: Video | Slide deck
STEP 2. Invite
Successful recruitment happens when families have been invited to come. The most common response to “Why haven’t you joined Scouting” is “We’ve never been invited”. Many families see our posters, yard signs and fliers but it does not equate to an invitation. While they are important, the personal invite is the most successful recruitment tool.
Distribute flyers, posters and signs at schools, churches, community events, and public places.
Contact your District Executive or fill out this form for assistance with a custom order:
Find hi-res and current imagery at the BSA Brand Center for download:
Cub Scout Recruitment Brand Center
Scouts BSA Recruitment Brand Center
Venturing Recruitment Brand Center
Sea Scouts Recruitment Brand Center
Exploring Recruitment Brand Center
Friends can hand out cards:
Parents send email to friends:
Cub Scouts Sample Invitation Emails
Share your unit fun and join opportunities on social media (details in next section)
COVID-19 kept many of our families away from Scouting last year, but these new tools can help you invite them to reconnect.
STEP 3. Promote
It is important to promote your recruitment events early and often. This requires that your recruitment’s are scheduled with enough time to get the word out. Promotion of any recruitment should start 30 days before the event. Use the below Promotional Back Dater to successfully get the word out..
Reach out to your District Executive to order your materials for a successful recruitment event or an open house.
Developed by the National Marketing Support Committee, and providing links to marketing resources created by the Boy Scouts of America National Marketing Team, the easy-to-use guide provides strategies and simple, effective tactics proven to grow Scouting.
Principal Survey – ask your principal what they need and how your unit can help
Tips for using Peachjar (a program used by many schools for sharing non-school events & activities)
Cub Scout Peachjar Flyer Template
Scouts BSA- Boys Peachjar Flyer Template
Use these custom videos to spread the word about scouting. Share them on social media and with your prospective families.
| Scout Talk Videos- Cub Scouts |
5 Questions about Cub Scouting
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STEP 4. Enroll
Everything done up to know has been so that new families are aware of how, when and where to join Scouting. It is important that every recruitment is set up so that new families can and want to sign up. Most families come to recruitment events with the intention of signing up. Use the below resources to ensure they do.
Welcome interested families and get their info right away with a sign up sheet (download). Contact your District Executive for a sign up roster, and registration packets.
For every new cub scout who attends your join event, SVMBC provides a Welcome Packet. Here are copies of the contents.
Cub Scouts and Your Family (English)
Cub Scouts and Your Family (Spanish)
Resources for New Scouting Families (English)
Resources for New Scouting Families (Spanish)
STEP 5. Engage & Connect
It is important to engage new families quickly and consistently from the time they sign up. New families want to hear from you and are excited to start their Scouting adventure. Make sure they get connected with their den and receive personal invites to meetings and activities. Use the resources below to consistently engage with new families.
Welcome Email template – HERE
Welcome to Cub Scouts One-Pager – provide this easy-to-use document to new families to make sure they know key details and feel welcomed.
Scoutbook Parent Set Up tutorial (video link)
Cub Scout New Family Pamphlets:
Welcome New Cub Scout Family_English
Welcome New Cub Scout Family_Spanish
Parent Orientation Agenda – HERE
Family Talent Survey (Cub Scouts- English)
Family Talent Survey (Cub Scouts- Spanish)
Parent Talent Survey (Scouts BSA)
STEP 6. Deliver
Now it’s time to Deliver the Promise. It is important that all the fun and adventure that new families were promised happens. Follow your annual program plan and calendar and ensure families are having fun. If you do this Scouts will continue in the program year after year and parents will lean in and volunteer. Membership recruitment is not an extra thing that should be done it is an essential to ensure growth and depth in your Scout unit.
Check out our local resource page for activities, training, and guides to deliver a great program.
Additional Resources: