2019 Pikes Peak Council Membership Plan In 2018 we saw some big changes to the Cub Scout program and the first parts of Family Scouting. We are very excited for the changes happening in our programs and are working to get as many units and chartering organizations on board to fully embrace Family Scouting. Our Non LDS membership at the end of 2018 was 4697 ​ ​ ​ total youth. This includes 218 youth in our ScoutReach programs, we anticipate some ​ ​ changes in how we serve ScoutReach youth and may see a drop in that membership over the next three years. By the end of 2021 we want to serve 5000 youth in the Pikes Peak Council. This ​ ​ ​ ​ equates to a 6.5% total membership growth over 2018 by the end of 2021. During this ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ time we are anticipating making some minor changes to how we serve our ScoutReach membership. We want to focus on a more robust program with larger emphasis on advancement, youth retention, and parent involvement instead of expanding our programs in ScoutReach. We have several major pillars to our membership plan: Unit Retention through Program Planning 4 New Units 5 Expanding Lions 6 Fall Cub Recruitment - Scout Me In 7 Evaluate the District 8 Marketing Resources & Invitation Methods 9 Meet with Each Individual Unit - (New Member Coordinator) 11 Carry Out Membership Plan 12 Offer Quality Outdoor Experiences 13 1031 by 10-31 14 Expanding Family Scouting 15 Community Involvement 16 LDS Transition 17 Unit Retention through Program Planning One of the biggest factors that plays into membership growth is unit and youth retention. Our big focus is Unit Retention. In order to boost our unit retention, we are focusing on Unit Program Planning for a small number of units in 2019. We have developed a quarterly checklist with certain measurables to track throughout the year. Each of these units will have a volunteer working with them and helping them with things like unit program planning, budgeting, training, year round opportunities for youth, and even membership planning. We will also utilize commissioner service and personal meetings throughout the year. When we have identified our top units (by the end of the first quarter) we will ensure that they all have excellent unit service by commissioners and are getting regular visits as well as personal phone calls to help with any items necessary. Our ultimate goal is to not lose any more Cub Scout Packs or Scouts BSA Troops. New Units In 2019 our goal is to start 20 new units. Our field staff is spending the first quarter identifying the top 25 potential charter partners/locations to expand our programs. Our goal is to start 8 new Cub Scout Packs, 10 new Scouts BSA Troops for girls, and 2 new Posts or Crews. Any professional connections from our Executive Board members to help start Exploring Posts would be greatly appreciated. We currently would like to expand our Exploring services into the various fields of the medical and health care industries as well as into engineering in its various forms. We are also looking to expand into more Fire Departments and Emergency Services in Exploring. Expanding Lions In 2018 the BSA changed the Lion program from a pilot program to a full program of the Cub Scouts. We basically doubled the number of Lions in 2018 over 2017. There is still plenty of room for growth in Lions moving forward since only 70% of our community packs participated in Lions. We served 220 Lions in 2018 and believe we can easily serve another 100 in 2019 for a total of 330. Our plan is to identify those units that did not incorporate the Lions program into their pack in 2018 and help them understand the program and build it into their recruitment plan. We have also identified several units that had a small number (less than three) Lions in their Pack. They are units that we will work with to encourage to build and fill their dens. Fall Cub Recruitment - Scout Me In Fall Cub Scout Recruitment, under the “Scout Me In” campaign is the single largest portion of the membership plan. This segment of our plan has many parts that will be outlined below. Scout Me In Plan: Evaluate the District Marketing Resources & Invitation Methods Meet with Each Individual Unit - (New Member Coordinator) Carry Out Membership Plan Offer Quality Outdoor Experiences 1031 by 10-31 Evaluate the District Before setting our plan into action, we need to evaluate where each and every cub pack stands in our districts and council. We need to strategically target underserved schools and neighborhoods. Utilizing the Market Analysis information provided by National BSA, each district will identify specific areas that may be underserved. Coupling this with school attendance data and our own membership data, we will identify specific packs that have the greatest potential. After identifying these units, we will place them at the top of our list for New Member Coordinator recruitment. We will also work to engage them in a more comprehensive recruitment process and ensure that they have the highest quality commissioner service. Tasks ❏ Categorize each unit in one of the following groups ❏ Below 10% market share ❏ 10.01% - 24.99% market share ❏ 25% and above market share ❏ Create an individualized plan for each unit that serves less than 10% market share, this plan should be comprehensive including but not limited to the following: ❏ BSA Adopt a School program ❏ Unit New Member Coordinator ❏ High Quality Commissioner Service ❏ Trained Leadership Initiatives ❏ Analyzing Unit Retention Statistics ❏ Journey to Excellence Program ❏ Summertime Pack Award ❏ Roundtable Attendance for Multiple Leaders Marketing Resources & Invitation Methods There are several items at work during our fall recruitment cycle and it is very important that our units understand what sort of marketing and invitation methods are available to them and what is at work for them. If we are not all on the same page about recruitment, we will continue to have units that flounder and not understand the importance of a quality recruitment effort. Methods provided by the Pikes Peak Council on behalf of our units ● Newspaper ads (Gazette, Military Family Magazine) ● www.BeAScout.org website (units need to update pins) ​ ● Listing of all Join Scout Nights on our website during the fall recruitment process ● Community Learn about/Join Scouting Events ● Facebook ads** ● Targeted Facebook Ads by units with support from the Council ● Social Media platforms ● Bookmarks in the Pikes Peak Library system & School Libraries ● School lunchtime talks (where permitted) ● D-20 Program book ● Direct Mailing Campaign**- needs a sponsor ● Door hangers** - needs a sponsor Methods available to units to utilize in their communities at no cost to the unit ● Custom Flyers for Back to School nights, take home folders, and peachjar.com ● Join Scouting yard signs ● Bookmarks available for schools (Scholastic Book Fairs) ● Peer to Peer recruitment cards/stickers ● Large posters for use in schools and around the community ● Flyers for use as Church Bulletin inserts ● Engagement in community events Methods that units are highly encouraged to take on themselves ● Adopt a School program ● Positive scouting news stories submitted to neighborhood and community newspapers ● Public social media campaigns displaying the great things your unit does in the community ● Unit displays at community events ● Wearing scout uniforms to school ● Parents/Leaders in uniform visiting school for lunch ● Participation at Back to School events with a manned booth and unit information ● Active participation in your Join Scout Night ● Most importantly – Being welcoming and open to new and prospective members of your unit Meet with Each Individual Unit - (New Member Coordinator) One very important part of our plan is to meet individually with each of our units to help them build an individualized recruitment plan. These meetings will take place before the middle of July. During this meeting, the District Executive & member of the District Membership Committee will sit down with the Cubmaster, Committee Chair, or Unit Membership Chair and talk to them about their unit size, market density, and recruitment goals. They will work together to develop an individualized plan that is tailored specifically to their unit. The District Executive will inform them of all of the items that are handled directly by the Pikes Peak Council and get commitments of active and passive recruitment methods from the unit. They will set recruitment dates that line up with council sponsored efforts and school calendars. When the meeting is over, the DE, District Membership Volunteer and the Unit Leader will walk away with a very clear picture of how they will go about recruiting new youth in the fall. Everyone will be on the same page and will be well prepared for the fall. Carry Out Membership Plan We will ask that every pack has a Join Night on or before September 5th, 2019. We have moved away from “Single Night join Nights” but encourage units to have their first join night early so that we can onboard families early and adjust plans as necessary. Our plan in 2019 is to use the 5 table “Open House” style join method. Information will be shared with units in another document about the specifics of this method. It is important that when youth are recruited they are promptly registered so that they can start to receive the benefits of being a scout. They will be invited to participate in some of our great outdoor programs at Camp Alexander and will have great experiences with their unit. As stated above, communication is key during this phase. Following up with units and BeAScout.org leads is important. Make sure that our units are inviting every possible lead to join their unit or find the one that fits them best.