How many of us think the world would be a better place with more children in Scouting, learning the values of the Scout Oath and Law? The answer, of course, is all of us. But in order for more youth to join, we must make sure every family is invited.
Membership recruiting – when done properly – is not a passive exercise. Handing out flyers and putting up yard signs is important for building awareness of a Sign Up Night or similar event but do they really deliver the message that a family is invited to join? Put another way, are you more likely to attend a party if someone only mails an invitation… or if the same person takes the time to call and personally invite you? This doesn’t mean you literally have to call every parent in your school and invite them (that’s not a bad idea, though) but it does mean your unit should do something above and beyond the minimum.
BeAScout.org
First – if you don’t do anything else – make sure your unit’s listing (called a “pin”) on the website BeAScout.org has the correct leader contact information and meeting information for your unit. BeAScout.org is going to be the first search result that shows up when a family looks online for information how to join Scouting, so it’s important that your unit’s information is up to date. Go to this page to find step-by-step instructions on how to update your unit’s “pin.”
