We recruit Scouts from two general populations

1. Webelos
2. Everybody else Webelos recruitment is simple to understand although it requires a fair amount of effort. Much has been written on Webelos transitions so I will not retrench the subject here. Here’s discussions of the mechanics of the process , retaining the Webelos you recruit and some notes on transitioning Webelos leaders . By way of review - Find all the Webelos Dens in your community within reasonable driving distance of your Troop. Offer them support, camping opportunities and (perhaps most importantly) Den Chiefs. Stay in touch with them throughout the entire year, don’t ever give up. Recruiting Webelos takes more than it once did around here. There are fewer Webelos now than there were five or ten years ago. One of my assistant Scoutmasters maintains contact with three or four Cub Packs and we place as many Den Chiefs out there as we can in any den that wants them (Tiger through Webelos II). A Scout Troop may approach any Cub Scout Pack, there are no exclusive rights to a Cub Pack even if they share the same unit number as a Troop. Recruiting everybody else is another story entirely. What follows is based on twenty five years of attempting to recruit Scouts from the seventh through eighth grades. Recruiting Cub Scouts is much different and I don’t address it here. We get one or two new Scouts a year by the force of gravity an active Scout-led program creates. They hear about the things their friends are doing and want to join in. We don’t actively recruit them, they just kind of show up. I have tried the ‘cold call’ methods (school visits, open houses) of recruiting Scouts for the general population over the years with very little success. Frankly I cannot recall recruiting more than one or two Scouts this way. It is tremendously little return for the effort and I don’t know as I can recommend them to you. There are more promising ways to boost your numbers. In my experience we recruit one Scout from every; Ten thousand boys who see a TV commercial, print ad or yard sign. Five hundred boys who hear a direct mass appeal like School visits. Ten or fifteen who are approached by a friend in Scouting. Five or ten boys who’s parents are approached by a friend with a son in Scouting. To my mind we should concentrate on the two most promising approaches. One way our Troop will celebrate the centennial year of the BSA is by getting our Scouts to approach, one-on-one, 100 boys who are not Scouts. We’re going to record this effort by asking our Scouts to keep track of three to five contacts they make over the course of the year. We will also actively encourage parents to contact their friends with Scout-aged sons. Is it really that simple? I don’t really know, but we’ll soon see.

Badges and awards are results; but Scoutmaster’s know it’s more important to recognize effort. In his book Shine Psychiatrist Ned Hallowell concludes that acknowledgment of effort provides vital encouragement, motivation and inspires greater confidence, but also  promotes moral behavior; “When a person feels recognized and connected to the larger group, she knows viscerally, not just intellectually, that she has made a contribution others value. Not only does this motivate her to do more and try harder, but it instills a desire to look out for the larger group…. It leads a person to do the right thing even when no one is looking.” Showing appreciation is part of a process he calls ‘shine’; Recognize effort, not just results. Of course, you want the results, but if you recognize ongoing effort, results will more likely ensue. Cheerleading works. Notice details. Generic acknowledgment pales next to specific recognition. Provide recognition in person. Make others look good, not bad. Recognition is a powerful tool to preserve self-esteem. Acknowledge people’s existence! say hello, give a nod of the head, a high five, a smile in passing. Tap into the power of positive feedback. Remember that positive feedback often consolidates gains better than learning from mistakes. Monitor progress. Performance improves when a person’s progress toward a goal is monitored regularly. Establish the habit of recognition of hard work and progress. Bring in the marginalized people. In most organizations, about 15 percent of people feel unrecognized, misunderstood, devalued, and generally disconnected. Not only is recognition good for that 15 percent to help them feel valued, it is good for the other 85 percent as well, as it boots the positive energy across the organization. I am not really cut out to be a cheerleader so I have to work at this sort of thing. I don’t engage in the kind of empty, reactive, insincere praise that is often reduced to catchphrases. I do look for honest expressions of effort and take every opportunity to build on the least expression of initiative in my Scouts by recognizing them in front of their peers. We know that a positive reaction to effort, even when it falls short of the mark, is important. Negative reactions tend to make Scouts defensive and reluctant to try again. What’s important is not just to mouth words of encouragement but to actually be encouraging. Scouts who get honest recognition for honest effort go on to achieve big things.