District and Council Membership Tools

District + Council Tools to Help Units Topics on this Page (click to jump):

• The Membership Team in a District (Help Units Recruit)
• Membership Plan and District Membership Team Roles
• Starting New Units
• District Action Items Throughout the Year
• District Tools Downloads

A District Membership Function – comprised of District level Volunteers and District Professionals working in partnership – must be about more than putting on "School Sign Up Nights".  That’s because starting in 2024 District Professionals will no longer “run” School Sign-Up Nights.  School Sign-Up Nights should now be run by local Pack Volunteers, with coaching, training and support from District Professionals and District Membership volunteers. 

A functioning Membership Committee can work with Units and District Executives to grow membership thoughtfully and sustainably, in a variety of ways, like gathering information on prospective chartered organizations, helping organize new units or reorganizing dropped units and units not meeting, and helping units recruit new members in ways that will be successful for the unit given its resources.  Membership personnel can establish and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with major community organizations and strategic alliances, both those with and without Scouting units.  This function overlaps with – and benefits from – other functions like training, activities, commissioners, communication/PR that can support the membership effort.

Membership Plan, Team Job Descriptions and More

This page will collect resources to help Districts support their units, including:

• The Council Membership Plan attached in the Downloads below, major elements of which are:
  • Recruiting Tactics: Sharing the Guide to Cub Scout Family Recruiting with Unit Volunteers is More Important than Goals – and how Goals will be met
  • Team Tactics: Professional and Volunteer Constant Collaboration Serving Units
  • Recruiting Seasons:  Year-Round with Seasonal Focus (Spring/Summer and Fall and Winter)
  • Other Council Recruiting Support (like Training, Materials, New Unit Tools, ScoutReach, Marketing)
  • School Playbook: Coaching By Field Staff + District Volunteers for August School Sign-Up Nights
  • Postscript: Why Cub Scout Recruiting is New and Different in 2024
• AAC District Membership Chair and Teams Job Descriptions attached in the Downloads below, starting with the District Membership Chair Position Description, which describes the overall possible Membership Team function, but links to possible smaller jobs on the team, described below and in the attached.  Those functions include:
  • Essential Functions (in most Districts):
    • Recruiting Coordinators (Counsel Units on their Overall Recruiting Program)
    • School Sign Up Night Supporter (Coach and Train Unit Volunteers)
    • Membership Mouthpiece (Communication with Unit Volunteers)
    • New Unit Chair
    • New Unit Organizers / Pack Guides
  • Beneficial Functions (if you have the help ready, willing and able to help on these efforts):
    • District “Test Drive” Event Organizers
    • Fun Event Advisors (Help Unit Events)
    • Scouts BSA Recruiting Guru
    • Venturing Recruiting Advisor
    • Charter Organization Relationships
    • School Relationships
    • Scoutreach Finance Finders
    • Spring Recruiting Advisor
    • Flyer Fillers
    • Demographic Data Dog
    • BeAScout “Bug”
    • Abilities Ambassadors
    • Arrow of Light to Scouts BSA Transition
    • Exit Interview Surveyors
  • This document is attached in pdf below, and also in Word so you can tailor it to your District and how you will slice and dice Membership Support roles.

Starting New Units

Scouting America provides this Unit Roadmap as the overall summary of steps to start (or re-start) a unit. 

• Key is sufficient adult leaders, and Scouting America provides this piece on selecting leadership, which is just one of the tools we share in our Recruiting Leaders page. 
• To launch, the Chartered Organization Representative or Executive Officer will need to complete the New Unit Application (see this description of the job of a Chartered Organization Representative) and enter into an Annual Charter Agreement with the Scouting America organization.  
• One part of the Membership Growth approach of the Atlanta Area Council is the program to start new Packs.  More at www.atlantabsa.org/impackt.

District Action Items Throughout the Year

The Council Recruiting Plan found in the downloads below recognizes that Recruiting is a year-round process and identifies three seasons of Cub Scout Recruiting:  Relax + Retool in Spring and Summer, Roll Out at Back-to-School time/early Fall, and Run (Program) and Retain (Scouts) from Winter into Spring. 

• Each of those times can be a time to build a strong foundation for successful and sustainable recruiting.
• And Scouts and families can join at any time of the year.

Also included in the Council Recruiting Plan are District Action Items for District Teams (Key 3 Plus Membership) to support recruiting through:

(1) Communication Channels of the District (Website, Newsletter, Eblast, Person to Person coaching, social media, etc.), can share information about fun*simple*easy activities and Advancement Resources for program enrichment, reinforce the message of Unit Run Recruiting and our Recruiting Resources, AAC + District Events for Scouts, the importance of Troop + Pack Joint Activities leading to Crossover from Cubs to Troops, Leader Training Options, Recharter/Renewal Help, and Seasonal Coaching Topics like Spring/Summer community building and planning, Back to School Sign Up Event scripts and program launch, and Winter into Spring program success.

(2) Roundtable and Commissioners (Roundtable Programs – at least a “Membership Minute” – plus Commissioner coaching of Unit Leaders) and can cover the topics noted above in Communication Channels.

(3) District Committee agenda attention would include Planning District Events for Scouts - including as Joining Events, Staffing of Membership Volunteer Teams for Coaching Units and Unit by Unit Progress, New Unit Needs and Support, Leader Training Progress, Troop Recruiting + Crossover.

The Council Recruiting Plan has two key “Playbooks” for use by District Teams and Unit Leaders:

• A “School Playbook” for Coaching of Unit Leaders by Field Staff + District Volunteers for August School Sign-Up Nights, covering the steps to take to achieve maximum success.
• The “What Do We Do When We Have No School Access” Playbook, because while school access and staff support for Sign Up Nights, Buzz Ups, and more is helpful, losing that access doesn’t mean Units can’t successfully recruit – this Playbook highlights how to succeed. 

More Materials

More support for Districts will be added.  Some recent Membership Meeting Agendas are included in the Downloads below.

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Click to jump to other Recruiting Resource pages: Recruiting Resources (Home), Step One: Make a Calendar of Fun Activities, Step Two: Promote your Unit! (and BeAScout / Online Apps), Step Three: Recruiting Leaders, Step Four: School and Community Presence, Step Five: Sign-Up Events, Parent Orientation, Scouts BSA Troop Recruiting and Tools for District and Council Teams.