What does Recruiting Look Like? 

Recruiting new members still happens, even as we sail through uncharted waters. Recruiting is still a responsibility of every Pack and Troop!

Five Key things You can Do to start Recruiting

1. Make a Calendar of Fun Activities for the Pack (and for Plan B - What menu of Family-Led Activities they can do)!  Continue to think of items that can be done under the current restrictions (maybe Outdoor Hikes, Den Frisbee competition, or other programs that can be done under the existing restrictions
2. Share Your Plan -- share on your Website and Facebook page (or Instagram, Twitter, and more!) how your Pack plans on addressing programming in the current restrictions. Parents want to see there is a plan and how you'll handle restrictions, safety, and still deliver a great program for their child. Scouts should be setting the example to our families and communities.  More information and guidance is available at  https://www.northernstar.org/covid19
3. Let People Know – Promote Your Program! Let Families and Groups Know your Program.
   • Pack Fun Activity List Flyers … Send Out your Calendar of Fun Activities (Plan B: Send Out your Program Menu)
   • Family Sign-Up Event Flyers – list both School Sign Up Night and upcoming Fun Events (Plan B: including “at home” virtual fun)
   •  Stories for School, Chartered Org and Community newsletter / email / website / newspaper
   • Pictures are worth 1,000 words. Video can be worth 10,000 words! Share good ones to show what you do.
   • Encourage parents to share too in order to drum up interest. Parent to Parent Promotion – Peer to Peer – is key to
     success.--  New families will pay more attention to their friends and peers: if a peer says “this is a great program”, that may be much more meaningful than a message from an unknown leader or authority figure
4. Promote, Promote, Promote  Are you posting on NextDoor?  Or have you created a join event you want promoted on Facebook (for Free)? 
5. Family Sign-Up Events. Not Just a School Night Sign-Up, have Fun Pack Events too.
   • “Station to station” in person School Sign Up Nights.
   • Group presentation” in person School Sign Up Nights.
   • “Zoom” or other online School Sign Up Nights.
6. Schedule a Pack Fun Event soon after School Sign-Up Night … time for Pack Family Fun.
   • Follow up Fun Signup Events done by the Pack. Do something easy and fun: a “Back to the Pack” Picnic? Fishing Derby? Bike Rodeo?
   • “Parent Orientation Sessions” work best alongside a fun event for Scouts, where you have the Scouts engaged while the parents can get the information needed about how the Pack operates.

What will School Night for Scouting look like?

Answer: we don’t know, so stay tuned, as it will depend on State, School and similar considerations about group gatherings at schools. Sign Up Night options may include:

1. Just like before, large groups of parents and kids at School, signing up new Youth and Adult Leaders
2. Like before, but with physical distancing in discussions and applications online with http://joincubs.org/
3. Virtual Sign Up Night on Zoom or other connection to present the Pack to Parents and outline the Program Menu, and take applications online with http://joincubs.org/ for Youth and Adults
4. No Sign-Up Night (if Pack parents connect with other parents to get signups – Packs have the power)

Whatever it looks like, there will need to be more recruiting of Parents as leaders. We will be working with the schools to request permission to hold SNFS in the parking lot