The Rocket Into Scouting program is designed to take your recruiting efforts to new heights. With a focus on fun, this program invites families in your community to experience the adventures that only Scouting can offer. The program leverages an activity that kids love (building and launching rockets) while showing parents that Scouting will foster their child’s creativity, initiative, and sense of wonder.
Fall Recruiting Training
The council membership team is holding two online trainings for pack leaders. At least one representative per pack should attend. Sign up for the Zoom link:
Miss the last membership training? Watch it here!
Fall Recruiting Campaign
The council-wide sign-up night campaign focuses on recruiting new families to the fun and adventures of Cub Scouting. Begin your planning by attending your district's sign-up night training. Involve all your pack leaders in recruiting by inviting everyone to training! The council will provide support materials to your pack for sign-up night.
Sign Up Night Guide Request Recruiting Fliers
Youth who join Cub Scouts will receive a rocket patch for joining. Scouts who join will also receive a rocket that they can design, build, and launch at a fall district event. Packs can pick up these incentives from their district membership chair.
Fall Recruiting Training
All pack membership chairs, pack leaders, and Scouters interested in recruiting are invited to attend Sign Up Night Training to learn about fall recruiting. The training also covered the texting feature (text Cub Scouts to 833-301-1301), marketing using geofencing, and the council's join webpage (shacbsa.org/join) to help parents easily find units in their school district and join online.
Training Part 1 Training Part 2 Learn More About Geofencing National Recruitment Webinars
Recruitment Incentive Program
Cub Scouts Recruitment Incentive Program
Units have the opportunity to earn rewards based on a selection of recruitment requirements. To learn more, visit Cub Scout Recruitment Incentive Program. Feel free to download this file and share it amongst your unit leadership. For questions regarding incentive requirements, contact David Ralph.
Sign Up Night Resources
Yard Signs (available from DE)
Table Tents and Signs
Fliers
Sign-Up Night
All Sign-Up Nights are designed to be fast-paced for today’s busy parents.
The presentation method has been used successfully for many years. The goal is to sign up new Scouts and adult leaders. Packs are asked to avoid the use of PowerPoint presentations because they tend to include too much information, take too much time, and often cause interested families to leave without signing up because they simply can’t stay so long. Instead, new Cub Scouts and parents should be invited back to a Parent Orientation a week later, which gives the pack an opportunity to share more information about their activities and leadership.
The key to making any Sign-Up Night successful is advanced planning and preparation, including recruiting a sufficient number of enthusiastic volunteers to help. A model campsite with a tent, camp chairs, fishing poles, etc. should be to one side of the presenter, so everyone clearly sees some Scouting fun while they’re there!
Put Your Unit on the Internet
For many families, the decision to join Scouting is going to start with online engagement. It is vital that parents can find your unit using internet searches. Please make sure your unit completes these two steps:
Step 1: Verify unit information on the council website
Verify your unit's information, links, and feeder schools on shacbsa.org/join-pack. There is a link at the top of the page to submit corrections to the webmaster.
Step 2: Update BeAScout.org
Make sure your unit’s information is correct on BeAScout.org. BeAScout.org is a tool prospective families use to find units to join. Is your unit information up to date?
We suggest listing feeder school(s) and/or church in the description.
Unit leaders can update the unit information to make it easy for new Scouting families to find your unit by logging into myscouting.org. Find a complete set of step-by-step instructions on how to update your BeAScout pin in this guide, and/or watch this “Setting Up Your BeAScout Unit Pin” instructional video.
The following registered leaders in your unit have the ability to update your unit's meeting location and contact information:
(A) Unit Leader: this means your Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor or Skipper
(B) Unit Committee Chair
(C) Chartered Organization Representative
Here’s what you need to do to update your unit's pin - the whole process should take less than 10 minutes:
- Step 1. Log onto your account at “MyScouting.org” and select “BeAScout” from the Unit Tools section on the left-hand menu. A new page will be displayed: There are two "tabs" on this window, and you should be on "Unit Pin Management" - if not, then click the "Unit Pin Management" tab.
- Step 2. Take a moment to look over the Unit Pin Management screen: If at any time you are lost, look for the "Help" link in the upper right-hand corner of the page for help. Also, note that the "Google Pin Preview" section, in the bottom-right area of the page, will display what will appear on the Google map. It will change as you enter/edit information in these steps.
- Step 3. Check the "Unit Description" - this box contains a combination of your unit name and your chartered organization. If the information is incorrect then reach out to your district executive (DE) for assistance.
Step 4: If your Scout unit has a website, enter the web address (URL). Otherwise, enter your district website, preferably the unit’s page on the district website (e.g., www.raven.shacbsa.org/units). You can always edit this field later if your unit establishes a website.
- Step 5. Update the Alternate Unit Description: many units opt to type their unit type and number followed by their meeting location (example: "Pack 867 - Lincoln Elementary")
- Step 6: Make sure the Pin Status says "Active" if you want your pin visible to prospective Scouts and parents on the map.
- Step 7a: Select your primary contact. The primary contact will receive all emails from prospective Scout parents, so be sure to let the person know that they will be responding to all parent leads. If the fields in this section are "grey" then you must check the "Contact Person" box in the "Fields Displayed on Google Pin" section at the bottom-left side of the page. If the person is already a registered adult leader in your Scout unit, then their name will be selectable from a list. Once selected, all information is automatically provided in this section's fields.
- Step 7b: Also be sure to check all the information with the primary contact volunteer and edit fields that are no longer current (e.g., phone number, email address). It is very important that you keep this information up-to-date as volunteers and contact information will change over time.
Step 8. Enter the location where your unit holds its meetings (address information). This address will dictate where your unit pin will appear on Google Maps. Note that it may be helpful to enter the name of your meeting location "address 1" and the street address on "address 2"
- Step 9. Type special announcements, up to 133 characters, in the box under Special Announcements. We suggest you list your feeder school(s) and/or church.
- Step 10. Check the Google PIN preview - this is a preview of what will appear on the map. Parents will only be able to see what is in this box, so please review it carefully for accuracy.
- NOTE: There is an option to change the icon from a Scouting map symbol representing your unit type to something else. Please DO NOT change the unit logo icon.
- Step 10. Once you are done, click the “SAVE” button and your information will be uploaded.
That’s all you need to do to set up your unit for BeAScout.org. Be sure to do this as soon as possible so your unit will get recruiting leads.
Recruiting Resources
Parent Orientation Meeting
Online Registration and BeAScout.org instructions
Rocket Day
Recruitment Ideas
National Resources
BeAScout.org
New Leader Resources
Selecting / Recruiting Leaders
SHAC Membership Committee Resources
Webelos to Scout Transition
New Units
Registration Links
Spring Recruiting
Packs are encouraged to hold spring recruiting events. Invite newly recruited Scouts and kindergarteners to attend day camp and pack summer events. This is a great opportunity to get them engaged in the program. Sometimes we think we can only recruit in the fall, but spring is a great time to get new Tiger Cub Scouts and their families involved early.
Scoutbook