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Timeline…………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…..…4 Den and Pack Recruiting………………………………………………………………………………………………5-6 Hold Sign-up Night……………………………………………………………………………………………………….7-9 Promoting the Event…………………………………………………………………………………………………10-11 After the Sign-up Event…………………………………………………………………………………………………..12 Resources……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13 Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..14-27

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Event or Activity Location and Time Date

Cub-boo-ree Santa Fe Dam – 6:30pm October 19-21, 2018

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Meet New People and Grow Your Pack

“Sign-up” nights have been a cornerstone for Boy Scout recruiting for years, and for good reason: They work! Sign-up nights give parents and youth an opportunity to discover Scouting at a personal level, face-to-face. Questions are answered, interest is built, and parents see how Scouting works for their family theirs, no matter what that family may look like. What’s more, families often enroll their kids right there on the spot. It’s a win-win situation.

Sign-Up Night Unit Playbook

Sign-up nights are a great opportunity to give families a first look at what Scouting can provide to their family. Learn how to host an effective sign-up night with this playbook. This playbook will act as your guide for planning, promoting, and carrying out a sign-up event for your Unit.

The Concept

Your unit will hold a “sign-up” night at the schools that your unit recruits from. At this sign-up night, you will provide basic information about what Scouting offers youth and families in the area. Holding your sign-up night at the school, in the multi-purpose room or cafeteria allows families the opportunity to learn about scouting in a familiar place.

Planning Your Event

The key to a successful sign-up event is thorough planning. You will need to work closely with your District Executive and the school you are using, organize volunteers, and be prepared with any necessary materials such as information fliers, sign-up forms, and even treats. Planning should begin with enough time to be prepare all the needed items and get volunteers to help. It is recommended at least 3-4weeks ahead of your sign-up night Below is a suggested outline for planning your event.

1. Get Help - Many hands make light work, which is why assigning a unit membership chair and pack sign-up coordinator is a great first step to a successful recruiting season.

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2. Set Goals – Having a goal helps you think about what you need to keep your unit healthy. If you are missing any dens or age groups in your unit, put an extra effort to recruit those age groups.

3. Get Trained – Attend a Long Beach Area Council Membership training. You will be able to hear from successful units on what they have done to recruit and have discussions about ideas to bring back to your unit.

4. Reserve Your Spot – Unit recruitment is a yearlong process and opportunities at the schools are available several times throughout the year. Reserve your spot for open house, end of year carnival, harvest festival, back to school night, Patriot’s Day, morning flag assemblies, Read Across America, Etc.

5. Organize Volunteers – Your pack sign-up coordinator should organize the sign-up event team for your unit, usually five to six people to help with all that you have planned. These are simple jobs that anyone can fill, but it’s best to ask parents of current Cub Scouts who can talk from the heart about what Cub Scouting means to their family.

6. Have Fun – Keep the event fun and exciting. This not only makes it better for the parents attending, but also will make it easier for you as the organizer. Speak from the heart, don’t stress, and just enjoy the opportunity to introduce new parents to Cub Scouting.

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Sign-up nights need to be quick and easy for today’s busy parents. They will be expecting to learn the basics of the program and how to register. Scheduling a parent meeting after the main event is where you can go into detail and get them signed up for one of your needed positions or activities. Getting information to parents should be fun and can be done in a station or assembly model. Both work and can be very successful if planned out and prepared for. Choose one model that works for your Pack and follow the steps for success.

Assembly Model This model has the sign-up night coordinator talking to the families and giving them the basics of scouting in presentation style. You start at a specific time and go through an agenda and at the end of the presentation you ask them to join the Pack by filling out the application and paying the registration fee.

Room Set-up is pretty easy and will need just a couple volunteers. You will need the following: Sign in table Display board or projects of the Pack Table for kindergarten families Table for 1st grade families Table for 2nd grade families Table for 3rd grade families Table for 4th grade families Table for 5th grade families Materials needed Laptop Screen Photo DVD Applications Pens Unit calendar Unit Leader Contact Sheet

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Presentation The presenter needs to focus on the following: “Why join Scouting, Why Pack 123 (Pack

Calendar), cost of joining (include uniform and where to get it), ask them to join by filling out the application”. This part of the evening should only take 20-30minutes.

After the Presentation

The leaders present will go to their tables to talk with parents and help them fill out applications. Let the parents know the date, time, and location of the next meetings. Answer all their

questions and then collect applications along with payment. If you are starting a new den, then you have to have the conversation about a parent stepping forward to be the leader. Talk about what it entails, training, and benefits. Hopefully someone steps forward but if no one does still collect the applications and payments and let everyone know at the parent meeting you will discuss everything in more detail and see if someone steps up then. Incentive for registering at the sign-up night For everyone who fills out an application and pays the fees the night of your event gets a raffle ticket for a free handbook. The raffle is done before you leave for the night. If

the new Scout has already gone home call him and let him know that he won and that you will give him his certificate at the next meeting.

Station Model This model features five stations that give parents information about Cub Scouting, get them signed up, and provide everything they need to know, including when the first meeting is, who the leaders are, and more. Sign-Up Night Stations

• Station 1: Welcome/Sign In • Station 2: What We Do • Station 3: Registration Form • Station 4: Check Out (complete applications) • Station 5: Den Leader Q&A

Below is an outline of what happens at each station. Note: Make sure that each station sign is clearly visible to help ensure things go smoothly! Information Station #1 – Welcome/Sign-in

This is the first place potential Cub Scouts and their parents will stop. Here they sign in while the greeter provides a brief overview of the process.

• Greet every family that comes to your station and ask them to sign in.

• Tell each family that there are five stations that they will visit to complete the sign-up process and that it will take 20-30 minutes.

Materials:

• Station 1 sign and “Welcome” sign

• Welcome to Scouting envelope

• Sign-in sheets, pens

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Information Station #2 – What Cub Scouts Do

This is where you will share the excitement of Cub Scouting and your Pack activities. Be prepared to talk about the Pack calendar and roles available for parents to volunteer. Materials:

• Station 2 sign

• 2015/16 Pack calendar (at least a 4-month calendar) and event fliers

• Handout with meeting times and locations

Information Station #3 – Registration

This is the sign-up station where the station chief helps parents complete the actual application.

• Have BSA Youth Application forms ready to be completed and have pens available

• Be prepared to answer questions about pack fee payment plans and/or financial assistance Materials:

• Station 3 sign

• BSA Youth Applications and pens

• Parent volunteer opportunity handout

• Mini Boy’s Life magazines

• Uniform guide and cost sheet

Information Station #4 – Check-Out

Leaders at this station are responsible for final “check out,” including payment.

• Make sure the applications are properly completed

• Collect the proper fee amount for BSA membership fee and Boys’ Life (if added)

• Forms and payments should be collected, signed by the Cubmaster, and put in the envelope Materials:

• Station 4 sign

• Paper clips

• Calculator

• Envelope for applications and fees

• Receipts

• Leader contact list

• Pens

Information Station #5 – Den Leaders / Questions and Answers

Leaders at this station make sure parents know when and where the first meeting is and answer any other questions parents may have.

• Make an effort to have as many den leaders and assistant den leaders on hand to talk about their dens and give families a chance to get to know them.

• Answer questions about the type of activities their child will be doing. Materials:

• Station 5 sign

• Map to meeting location (if different than school or church)

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Families today are overwhelmed with advertising and marketing messages. To ensure families get the message that it’s time to sign up, use various methods of communication throughout this playbook and be sure to have a plan. You should start to build the buzz at least 3-4 weeks out from your sign-up event. How much access you have to promote Scouting in your schools will help you decide the best ways to market your sign-up event. Here are some suggestions – but these are just thought-starters. Don’t limit yourself. The more ways you reach parents, the more success you’ll have. In-School Promotion

If you have full access to promoting your event at the schools, you can employ any of the following best practices.

• Distribute sign-up event fliers the week before the sign-up event. • Posters and yard signs around school. • Scout talks at the school. • Back-to-school open house events, school carnivals, and conferences. • Robo calls. • Invite current youth and parents to attend lunch at school in uniform. • Videos on in-school video networks. • School newsletter or website. • School marquee signs.

Talks to youth

Scout Talks can make a huge difference when signing up new Cub Scouts! A “Scout Talk” is simply visiting each classroom or the school cafeteria during lunch time and getting the Scouts excited about Scouting. The Scout Talk is where youth excitement is created. Scout talks work best by going class-to-class or lunchtime in the cafeteria and giving a five-minute promotion on the fun that Scouting has to offer. When speaking with the school, thank them for working with us in the development of youth and their community. Helpful hint: Consult with your District Executive if you should need assistance with your Scout Talks. These energetic in-school presentations will dramatically increase the success of your recruitment!

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Out of the Box Event Promotion

Here are several ideas for promoting the sign-up night outside of the schools. These tactics can be done either in tandem with your in-school promotions or on their own if you are not able to get full access to the schools.

• Ask current members to use social media to let their friends and family know about sign-up event nights.

• Personalized invitations, emails, and personal phone calls to prospective parents. • Door hangers and door-to-door invitations. • Recruit-a-friend and other peer-to-peer recruiting initiatives. • Fliers and Scout talks at after-school programs or churches in the community. • Church and community websites, calendars, and bulletins. • Press releases. • Billboards, posters, and yard signs in the community (businesses, churches, etc.). • Community fairs, parades, and other events.

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Turn-in the applications and money by May 19, 2017. The night of your sign-up night there will be a district representative present. Please turn in your applications to the representative with payment and they will turn them in to Sandy at the Scout Shop for you within the 24hour time frame. If a representative is not able to make your event, please turn in your applications as soon as possible

Welcome your new families and members. Don’t wait! Be sure to invite all families to first-night den and pack events the very next week. These meetings are a chance to make a great first impression, have fun, and involve new parents in the life of the pack. Den leaders should make welcome phone calls to the parents of the new Cub Scouts and/or send welcome email messages with meeting dates, location, pack calendars, and any other important information.

Schedule a meeting the week after the Sign-up Night to conduct Youth Protection Training with all new parents and organize new dens as needed. Be sure to include a fun activity for all the Cub Scouts at this meeting.

Follow up with those families who did not sign-up. This is where the sign-in sheet comes in handy. Check your applications against the sign-in sheet and call those families that did not join. Address any concerns the person may have and offer to drop an application by their home, or invite them to the first meeting.

Steps to Success

• Read this Playbook and become familiar with the Sign-up night plan.

• Provide your District Executive with pack calendar, meeting times and locations, leader contact

information, and pack dues/fee’s.

• Recruit and train station leaders for the Sign-up night.

• Promote the event.

• Follow-up with new Scouts and families. Make sure they attend the New Cub Scout Member

Joining Event. Help recruit volunteers for the event from your pack.

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SIGN-UP NIGHT FLYERS

YARD SIGNS

POSTCARDS

STICKERS

ENVELOPES

MINI BOY’S LIFE MAGAZINES

DIRECTIONS TO THE SCOUT SHOP

EVENT FLYERS

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Summertime Pack Award

Outdoor Activity Award

Room Set-up

Lunch Visit Detailed Description

Lunch Visit Script

Principal Visit Agenda

Principal Visit Script

Presentation Agenda

Presentation Script

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WOLVES

TIGERS

LIONS

WEBELOS 1 WEBELOS 2

BEARS

PRESENTER

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Wear uniform Arrive at school 15 minutes prior to the lunch time Check-in with the school secretary and get a volunteer sticker. In most school you will need to sign-in the log book Head out to the cafeteria or outside lunch benches. It helps to have at least two volunteers so that you can split up and go to both locations if necessary.

Wait till the kids have sat down and started eating. You will notice that most of the time the boys will sit

with boys and the girls will with girls.

Approach the group and start talking about Scouts and your Pack (SEE SCRIPT)

As you talk to them ask them if they want a sticker to help remind their parents of the meeting

Hand them a flyer to fold up and put in their pocket.

After all the lunches are done head back to the office and check-out

Thank the office secretary and confirm all the plans for the sign-up night later that evening

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The key to any successful lunch visit is to be excited and full of energy. You will talk to the kindergarteners a little different then you will talk to the 4th and 5th graders but your enthusiasm should not change. You should be in full uniform so the kids can recognize you as a scout leader. Hey guys how are you? Have you heard about our Scout meeting tonight (tomorrow night)? Scouting is such a blast and you should come. In Scouting we go camping, fishing, hiking, shoot bows and arrows, and BB guns We also race cars in our annual Pinewood Derby, play sports, chess, build projects and learn some amazing things. If you like to run around, get dirty, play with friends, and have an adventure then Scouting is for you Tonight is our meeting at _________o’clock here at the school in the multipurpose room. (Put the sticker on their shirt) Tell your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt or uncle and make sure that they bring you. They must come with you so you can sign-up We will have __________ as our activity tonight and it will be so much fun See you tonight Where is the meeting going to be? And at what time? Great guys see you then

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1. Thank you 2. Meeting date and time

a. Use the multipurpose room (cafeteria) b. Include set-up time and clean-up

3. Promotion

a. Flyers 2 weeks before sign-up event b. Yard Signs on campus the Monday of the event. The signs will be removed he night of the of the

sign-up event c. Posters – A couple around campus that parents would see. The posters will be removed the night

of the sign-up event d. Marquee – Put the date in the marquee at least 2 weeks before sign-up night e. Lunch visit – explain that you will pass out stickers and talk to the students during their lunch time

4. Fill out facility use permit and turn in t office secretary

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Hello __________ Thank you so much for meeting with me this morning. I greatly appreciate your support of Pack___. Our Pack would like to hold a sign-up night on ___________ at ___________o’clock. Would it be ok to use the multipurpose room or cafeteria? Great thank you For promotion of this event we would like to ask permission to send flyers home, post yards and posters around campus. We will acquire the approval for the flyers from the school district and we will remove the posters and yard signs the night of the sign-up event. What do you think? (If your school has a Marquee) What do you think about having our night on the marquee. It would be visible for our parents and another reminder about our meeting? On the day of the sign-up night we like to come on campus at lunch time and talk to the kids and get them excited about the opportunity to join scouting. We tell them all the things our pack does and remind them to come that night with mom and dad to get more information on Scouting. We give them a bright colored sticker to help remind them to talk to their parents. We would like to talk to all grade levels K-5. Would this be ok? Is there anything else that you can think of that would be a great promotional tool? Thank you so much for your time. I greatly appreciate it and so does the Pack. See you soon

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WELCOME ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…… Cubmaster RECRUTMENT VIDEO …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..… Cubmaster PLEDGE, PRAYER, OATH, LAW ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..…Scouts Present WHAT IS SCOUTING ………...……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….…… Cubmaster Mission

The organization WHY SCOUTING ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….………… Committee Chairman Oath and Law Outdoor adventure Leadership PARENT INVOLVEMENT ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Den Leader HOW MUCH ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Treasurer SIGN-UP TONIGHT ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Cubmaster

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WELCOME Thank you all so much for being here. It is a pleasure to talk to you tonight about Scouting. I have been involved in Scouting for______ years. I joined with my son after he came home with a flyer and said come on mom/dad we got to go. Before we get into out presentation I would like to show you a quick video DURING VIDEO GET SCOUTS IN FORMATION FOR OPENING (After video) As you can see we have a lot of fun in Pack ____. Scouts attention Have Scouts do flag ceremony, opening prayer if this tradition for your Pack, and recite the Scout Oath and Law. After Scouts are done give them a round of applause and thank them for a job well done. WHAT IS SCOUTING The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical

and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout

Oath and Law

Our Pack is part of the Long Beach Area Council that serves the Areas of Long Beach, Lakewood, and Bellflower. We have extended on special occasions to Paramount, Downey, Cerritos, and Hawaiian Gardens but it doesn’t happen often. Our Council is part of the National Organization that cover the entire United States plus has a Council that serves our military service families overseas.

Our Pack is divided into groups that we call Dens. Kindergarteners are Lions, 1st. Graders are Tigers, 2nd Graders are Wolfs, 3rd Graders are Bears, 4th Graders are Webelos and 5th Graders are Webelos 2. All Dens together make up our Pack. Each Den Meets one to two times on their own working on achievements in their handbooks that they will use to achieve rank by the end of the school year. Each achievement that they do will have a recognition piece to it and every month we will hold a Pack meeting where we will have the kids get up in front of the group and be recognized for a job well done.

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WHY SCOUTING

Scouting has been around for over 100 years teaching youth leadership and character-building through the use of outdoor programming. All the things that you are trying to teach your children at home we are here to reinforce that so that you have a partner in raising your children. Ever heard that phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” We are part of your village. Our Scout Oath and Law is what we ask our Scouts to Live by on a daily basis.

Scout Oath Scout Law

On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country

and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake, and morally straight.

A Scout is:

Trustworthy

Loyal

Helpful

Friendly

Courteous

Kind

Obedient

Cheerful

Thrifty

Brave

Clean

Reverent

As we teach our Scouts to live by these we also have a motto of being prepared. We believe that by teaching our youth these key principles and values that they will grow up to be better men, citizens, fathers and husbands. Something that we all want for our children Camping and outdoor adventure is our vehicle to teach the youth the items that we want them to learn. We try to get out camping at least twice a year. One Spring and one fall. Sometime they are just our Pack but sometimes it is an event that is put on but the Council like the annual Cub-BOO-Ree event that takes place in the fall where several Packs come together. Not only do we go camping but we also go hiking, go on field trips, raise money through popcorn and camp cards, community service projects, and a Pinewood Derby race. In our den meetings we do crafts, projects, tie knots, learn first aid, how to be a friend, and stay safe. In the older ranks you can even learn how to fix a sink, water safety, budgeting, geology, science and engineering. We try to have the most fun we can in short time that we have together to keep the program exciting so that your sons will want to come back week after week TIME COMMITMENT The Dens meet between 1 hour and 1 ½ hours every other week. And then we have a Pack meeting once a month for about 1 ½ hours. We try to keep out meetings short but sometimes they may get extended due to items the Scouts may be working on. Our campouts will be Fridays – Sundays unless they have the Mondays off then we may campout through Monday. We do fieldtrips on the weekends if they are with the Pack and if a Den does an outing it could be during the week but you will know well in advance. All activities are optional though we would like to

have as many Scouts present as possible. The Outing in Scouting is what the Scouts are looking for and it is reinforcement on the items they are working on in their handbooks

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PARENT INVOLEMENT Our Pack runs solely on adult volunteers. We have several positions available and it is not a matter of if you will be asked to help it is a matter of when. We have found that the scouts that have active parent participation get more out of the program and therefore have more fun and stay interested longer. Just like sports or any other activity that your scout may participate in we ask you to invest time to make this program the best it can be. I volunteer because __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Do we have any parents here tonight that were Scouts as a youth? Any Eagle Scouts? Were your parents involved?

Please think about where you see yourself in our Pack. What are your talents and passions that you

could? Share with the Scouts? We will be holding a Parent meeting on _________ at _____o’clock to discuss in more details how you can help in making this adventure one that your whole family can be a part of.

HOW MUCH The investment to join Scouting tonight is $____. It covers your membership fee from tonight through December of 2017. It also includes __________________. For adults to sign up it cost $_____ to cover your insurance, background check, and

There is a uniform that your son will need to get at our Scout shop located at our Council Office in Long Beach. We ask each family to purchase the shirt, hat, neckerchief and slide, patches needed for the shirt, and a handbook. All of these items cost about $100.00. This uniform is so much more than just a shirt and patches. It is a sense of belonging, easy to spot, identifies the Scout as part an organization of 2million youth.

Outings and fieldtrips cost money throughout the year but they are optional. We try to go on as many free adventures ad we can but every now and then there is something that comes up that we can’t pass on. We do offer fundraising opportunities that help build our Pack account that will be used to help pay for some of the more expensive things that Scouts want to do. Tonight with your applications we can take check or cash for $_____ SIGN-UP TODAY Thank you parents so much for coming tonight. We are so glad that you came and can’t wait for you to join in our adventures. At this time, we are going to come around and help you fill out your applications and answer all your questions. Does anyone have any questions that may be helpful for the group? Thanks for the questions now please turn in your applications to _____________ and we will give you your receipt. Thank you again for coming.

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