Tag: recruiting

Great leadership is the key to a thriving unit!

When your unit has enough enthusiastic, trained leaders, your unit delivers a wicked awesome Scouting program

When there aren’t enough leaders, leaders aren’t trained, or key leaders move on without replacements, units struggle and leaders burn out. Recruiting leaders can be a challenge, but there are successful techniques that will help your unit be successful

Successful Recruiting Techniques

• Recruit new leaders is 4-6 months before they are needed. Someone is MUCH more likely to agree to be your popcorn kernel if you ask them NOW in May when they have 3 months to get ready vs. asking them in August or September. Recruit a parent to serve as your New Member Coordinator NOW for next fall. It’s much easier a person to say yes to to a commitment that is several months out.
• Recruit individuals, don’t beg for leaders in a group setting! Identify parents that you think would be a good fit in a particular role and ask them one-in-one (or better yet, two-on-one). Ask each person to take on a specific job and give them a job description.
• Set the expectation at at the outset! When welcoming new members, explain to parents that Scouting is a family program and that parents are expected to help. Don’t ask IF they will help, Ask WHICH role is a good fit for them: helping with the court of honor, pinewood derby or Blue & Gold Banquet; on the unit committee in a registered position, or as a leader working with the Scouts.
• Don’t undersell! Don’t ask a bunch of people to “help out.” Ask each person to be in charge of a specific job: be the New Member Coordinator, chair the Blue & Gold Banquet, be the Assistant Scoutmaster to work with the New Scout Patrol, be the Advancement Chair or other role.
• Inspire to Success! Explain how they can make the Scouting program in your unit wicked awesome for your Scouts! Show them how they can make a positive impact. Ask people to join the fun, don’t threaten people!
• Delegate! I often see leaders become a 1-person show because they are unwilling to let go or don’t know how to delegate effectively. You must be willing to let go and accept other ways of doing things. But you can insist that all new leaders take the appropriate training (online or in-person) and follow BSA program guidelines and procedures.
• Build an active unit committee. When I was a Cubmaster, I was blessed with an active and engaged pack committee with lots of parents involved. My job as Cubmaster was to produce an awesome pack meeting once a month. The pack committee handled ALL of the behind the scenes work. Together, we had an a great experience.
• Once you have key positions filled and as your unit grows, recruit assistants for each position

When I was a Scoutmaster, the troop’s mantra was that, “The Scoutmaster works with the Scouts. If the Scoutmaster has to touch paperwork or handle administrative stuff, the troop committee is NOT doing its job and needs to step up.” And they did.

Resources for Recruiting

1. New Member Coordinator Job Overview
2. New Member Coordinator Job Description
3. Selecting Cub Scout Leadership
4. Selecting Quality Troop Leaders

Succession Planning-A Year in Advance

Recruit your replacement 1 year before you anticipate leaving that position-don’t leave your unit in the lurch! Ask a qualified person to come on board as an assistant for 1 year with the expectation that they will take over in a year. It’s much easier for a person to commit to being the new Cubmaster (or other position) a year from now than to be the new Cubmaster starting with the pack meeting in 2 weeks!

Now is the best time to recruit parents to serve in these positions:

• New Member Coordinator to organize your fall recruiting
• Popcorn Kernel
• Tiger Den Leader
• Lion Den Leader
• Assistant Cubmaster
• Assistant Scoutmaster

Over the summer, ask them to take YPT, get registered, and complete the training for their position.

Your Unit Committee and Charter Organization Must Approve ALL Leaders

All candidates for positions should be approved in advanced by your unit committee and their application must be approved by your charter organization.

What Now?

1. Recruit parents to be your
   1. New Member Coordinator
   2. Popcorn Kernel
   3. Assistant Unit Leader and other key roles
2. Ask them to complete YPT, complete their registration and complete online or in-person training
3. Get them to the Boom Event on June 13th: See here for details.