All Hands on Deck

2022 All Hands on Deck
Recruitment Program for Fall Roundup

All Hands on Deck is the New Birth of Freedom Council’s fall recruitment campaign designed for recruiting new Scouts in our program with an emphasis on Cub Scouting.    

Information for Units

Why ‘All Hands on Deck?’

  • Like so many things, COVID-19 took a toll on Scouting programs in our local communities. With several years of COVID concerns and families hesitant to get fully engaged, we need everyone to come together to help share the work about Scouting opportunities and make sure all families know about all the FUN that Scouting Programs offer.

How Does it Work?

All hands on deck has 4 key parts:

  • Part 1: Engage Parents
  • Part 2: Incentivize/Motivate the Cubs
  • Part 3: Get your message out
  • Part 4: Play for success

OUR STEPS TO RECRUITING SUCCESS

Engage Parents

    • Parents may well be your best recruiters. Call a parents’ meeting ASAP, ideally tied to a fun summer activity for the Cubs.
    • Ask parents to reach out to the parents of their Cubs’ friends. This may be the single best way to expand recruiting.
    • Ask parents to share the unit’s social media posts on their own social media pages, with invitations to contact them for more information.

Incentivize/Motivate the Cubs

    • We know the Recruiter patch doesn’t work. Find out what does, make it fun and exciting, and celebrate each success. Incentives could be anything from a mystery prize box to an individual or den competition, with a bigger overall prize to the Cub who recruits the most new members.
    • Schedule ‘bring a friend’ events as opportunities for the Cubs to work their magic.
    • Lots of flexibility here. Something entirely different may work even better.

Get your message out. Use multiple ways to let the community know the Pack is recruiting.

    • Don’t count only on the traditional leader visits at schools and flyers sent home with the students. Get creative! There are some great ideas on the council website.
    • Signs, signs, everywhere signs. The more the better, and start now.
    • Social media. Get aggressive, ask parents to share, and consider geofencing.
    • Pack website. Make sure it’s up to date, with lots of photos of fun activities.
    • Weekly newspapers and community advertisers. Submit stories and photos of fun activities, along with an invitation to join and contact information.
    • Have a simple handout that can be given to parents and distributed around town.
    • Bulletin boards. Minimarts, libraries, grocery stores and others maintain community bulletin boards. Tack up your promotional piece with contact information and website links.
    • Township/borough e-News. Many communities publish regular electronic newsletters, and may welcome your notice of an upcoming event.
    • Back to School Night. Be there and go big. Display Pinewood Derby cars, fishing poles, rockets, etc., hand out flyers to parents, and have something fun to give to potential Cubs.
    • Chartered Organization. They have a stake in your success. Ask them to help get the word out.
    • Community events. Be visible. Community events like festivals, parades and National Night Out are a great way to increase visibility and recruit new members.
    • Engage your Unit Committee. Obvious, but often underutilized. Put them to work.
    • Ask troops to help you recruit. You’re their future. More than 90% of Scouts were Cubs.

Plan for success. Be ready to handle a successful recruiting campaign.

    • Recruit new leaders NOW. That way they can be registered, clearances obtained, trained and ready to go on sign up night. Don’t risk losing new Cubs because nothing happened after they registered because of the time it took to get new leaders up to speed.
    • Put your program for the year together NOW. A great program, filled with fun activities, is a great recruiting tool. Share it with the parents of prospective Cubs.

What about COVID-19?

Though COVID-19 isn’t completely gone, we hope that this fall it will have a minimal impact on schools getting back in session and packs restarting their programs. It is good to still consider some of the best practices in dealing with COVID in the fall:

    • If anyone in your pack is exhibiting COVID symptoms or lives with anyone that has COVID, they should not attend pack or den meetings until they are better.
    • Having hand sanitizer around is a great germ deterrent whether it is COVID or other illnesses.  Having a couple of bottles at your recruitment night is an easy way to show new parents you are concerned for everyone’s health.
    • Be mindful of any changing government regulations and if there are any outbreaks that impact the school or schools that your unit recruits from. You may need to schedule a second or third recruitment night to make sure that families feel safe to come out to join.

Support Materials

2022 New Birth of Freedom All Hands on Deck Unit Guide
Recruitment Night Checklist
Recruitment Night Script and Instructions
Recruitment Night Timetable
New Member Coordinator Job Description
Using Facebook and Social Media to Promote Your Recruiting Night
Geofencing
Updating Your BeAScout Pin to Accept Online Applications
Summer Webinar Recruitment Series

Get Recruitment Support Materials from your local Council Service Center

  • Yard Signs
  • Posters
  • Applications
  • New Scout Welcome Packets