2024 School Night for Scouting Playbook

The Scouting program has been providing young men and women in our communities the fun and adventure they seek. Millions have entered into every walk of life, bringing the values of the Boy Scouts of America into our country’s moral fiber.
As a leader, you are among the thousands of adults that make the Scouting program possible for youth. You also represent the program’s best sales force. This plan has been created to assist leaders and families in offering a variety of quality invitations to each and every young person in our community. Our goal is to leave no stone unturned. Each and every family should receive the message that Scouting is alive and well and available in their neighborhood. The plan can be conducted quite easily, and most can be supported by the council and national resources available to you.
We challenge you to use these ideas in your recruitment efforts, to use your imagination and to help spread the excitement of the Scouting program.
Thank you for all you do to support Scouting in our communities!
Shawn Walker
Council Vice-President - Membership
Fall Recruiting Timeline
May |
Units commit to participate in Fall Recruiting |
June |
Units commit to participate in Fall Recruiting |
July |
Units update BeAScout Pins |
August |
Attend your District’s Fall Join Scouting Night Training (usually August Roundtable) to pick up your recruiting materials, practice a mock School Night, and get inspired to have a great fall! |
September |
Hold School Night at your school if it is scheduled for September. |
October |
Attend a Fall Cub Adventure Campout. |
What can your unit do to have a successful Fall recruiting season?
Update your BeAScout Pin: It is important that potential Scouting families are able to find your unit and information about meetings.
Setting Up Your Unit’s BeAScout Pin
Engage your Scouts’ parents: By engaging your Scouts’ parents in promoting Scouting and joining opportunities we can reach more people. A few ways Scouting families can be involved are outlined below.
- Peer to Peer Recruiting: The most effective recruiter in Scouting is a Scouting family who is enthusiastic about their Scouting experience. Peer to Peer Recruiting is a way for those families to reach out to non-Scouting families to share their story and ask them to join. Each family invites at least three non-Scouting families to join.
Cub Scout Peer-to-Peer Fillable Card
Scouts BSA Peer-to-Peer Fillable Card
- Social Media: Encourage your Scout families to share their experience on their personal social media channels. This is a great way for other families to see the FUN! Ask families to share on community pages they are also a part of like Nextdoor.
Add Facebook Geofencing to Reach More Families: Geofencing is a method of geographically targeting a specific audience using Facebook. In this case, we first set up an event on Facebook to feature a “Join Scouting” night. Once the Facebook event is set up, you can set up a geofence for the event and “boost” it. This means paying a fee within Facebook so that members of your target audience who enter into the geographical area in the real world while they are also on Facebook are shown the event information.
The cost is minimal – around $1 per day.
For a joining event where you want to reach parents, you set up an event geofence in Facebook with a 1–2-mile radius around the school where the joining night is scheduled. When a parent enters that area, they receive a notification on their Facebook page about the event.
Click here for Geofencing Instructions
Develop Your Unit's Annual Program Plan: The unit's annual program plan and planning conference is one of the key elements of all successful units and an indicator of a potentially successful year. A common element of strong units is they all have a good annual unit program planned a year in advance that is then shared with all families in the form of a calendar. The important result of a shared annual program calendar is that your unit will attract more families, and Scouts will stay for a long time.
Participate in School Open Houses: This is a must! Your Scouting unit is part of the fiber of the school, community, and its families. Being present at school open houses and other school and community events is an important way to raise awareness of your program. Have a table/booth at these events with flyers, interest sign-in sheets, information for families to sign up online, and other visuals/activities for families to get involved. Contact your Unit-Serving Executive and they can provide you with printed materials or click on the links below to download them.
Join Cub Scouts Fillable Flyer
Join Scouts BSA Fillable Flyer
Cub Scouts Welcome to Our Pack Fillable Handout
Scouts BSA Welcome to Out Troop Fillable Handout
100 Point Parent Participation Form
Parent's Guide to Cub Scouting
Unit-Serving Executive's Contact Information
Recruiting Videos: These videos feature Scouts and adults talking about what Scouting is all about. Here are links videos to make them easier to share:
Carlos Cub Scout Video for Youth: https://youtu.be/3ZGrqmTS5o8
Kathleen Cub Scout Video for Youth: https://youtu.be/iYm42pAqt0A
Kingston Scouts BSA Video for Youth: https://youtu.be/dlPJxkIxgis
Anya Scouts BSA Video for Youth: https://youtu.be/gMd0lYx0YsQ
Cub Scout 5 Questions Video for Parents: https://youtu.be/h2i2CD-OKN4
Scouts BSA Video for Parents: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpW6I4rueWQ&feature=emb_logo
Conduct a School Night: School Nights have been a keystone for Cub Scout recruiting for years, and for good reason: They work! Typically, a School Night is where families visit your unit to see what the Cub Scout program is all about and given the opportunity to join. These events are held at the school from which you are recruiting.
This plan includes your Unit-Serving Executive setting up the School Night, 2 rounds of promotional flyers distributed to the students, a school talk to the students during the school day, and a sign-up night conducted by the Pack that lasts no more than one hour.
In this format, potential Scouts and their parents are seated at tables by grade and a unit leader delivers a group presentation about Cub Scouting to the families. We recommend setting up a table where the Pack can display photos, crafts, patches, etc. that highlight the fun that the families will have in Scouting. Packs may also designate leaders or have Scouts from a Troop lead an activity for the potential Scouts that would allow parents to listen to the presentation with no interruptions.
School Night For Scouting Presentation Script
Hold a New Parent Orientation Meeting: The New Parent Orientation Meeting is held separately from the Join Scouting event. It is facilitated by the Cubmaster and Committee Chair. This is a chance for unit leaders to speak directly to parents and new leaders about:
- How the Pack operates and is funded
- How Advancement works
- Unit fundraising efforts
- Volunteer opportunities
- Introduce parents to Den Leaders
- Explain adult training opportunities
- Invite new leaders to next Roundtable
Promote the Fall Cub Adventure Campouts: Fall Cub Adventure Campouts give our new Scout’s families their first opportunity to take part in the outdoor program. Fall Cub Adventure Campouts feature two nights of camping, a full slate of activities on Saturday, including games, crafts, hiking, shooting sports, and an amazing campfire program. See the dates and registration links to the campout in your district below.
Natural State Council : October 25-27 @ Camp Rockefeller, Damascus, AR
Butterfield Trail District: October 25-27 @ Rogers Scout Reservation, Ione, AR
Cornerstone District: September 27 -29 @ Camp Childress, Joplin, Missouri
Ozark District: October 4-6 @ Camp Orr, Jasper, AR
Razorback District: October 25-27 @ Washington County Fairgrounds, Fayetteville, AR
Get your leaders trained: Every Scout deserves a trained and prepared leader. The following links provide essential resources needed for your Pack leadership to deliver the promise of Scouting.
What Training is Required and How Do I Complete It?
Den Leader Resources (Includes a short video on How to Run a Den Meeting)
Cubmaster Resources
Pack Committee Resources
Den Meeting Planning Resources – This link includes information on how to use Scoutbook’s New Den Leader Experience to plan your meetings, Den Leader tips and rank overview videos, Scoutbook hacks, and the Cub Scout Adventures Video Program (Crowd Sourced Den Leader Virtual Resources).
Natural State Council Unit-Serving Executives and Membership Chairs
Butterfield Trail District (Crawford, Sebastian, Franklin, Johnson, Pope, Scott, Yell, and Logan Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Morgan O'Neal
Membership Committee Co-Chair: Amanda Brent
Membership Committee Co-Chair: Beth Ogle
Cornerstone District (Benton County)
Unit-Serving Executive: Justin Haines
Membership Committee Chair:
Crowley's Ridge District (Randolph, Clay, Greene, Lawrence, Craighead, Mississippi, Poinsett, Woodruff, Cross, Crittenden, and St. Francis Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Sonia Westburg
Membership Committee Chair:
DeSoto District (Columbia, Ouachita, Dallas, Cleveland, Calhoun, Union, Bradley, Drew, Ashley, Desha, and Chicot Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Brian Boyle
Membership Committee Chair: Sherri Steelman
Foothills District (Stone, Van Buren, Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner and Perry Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Haley Hunt
Membership Committee Chair:
Ouachita District (Montgomery, Garland, Saline, Hot Spring, Clark, and Pike Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Nancy Everett
Membership Committee Chair: Justin Hickman
Ozark District (Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, Searcy, and Baxter Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Aaron Matzenbacher
Membership Committee Chair: Dan Goetzman
Pinnacle District (Pulaski and Lonoke Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Darius Peoples
Membership Committee Chair: Zach Taylor
Razorback District (Washington and Madison Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Aaron Matzenbacher
Membership Committee Chair: Susan Garst
Saracen District (Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Arkansas, Phillips, Lee, Monroe, and Prairie Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Lakeisha Jordan
Membership Committee Chair:
White River District (White, Jackson, Independence, Izard, Sharp, and Fulton Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Stephen Waggoner
Membership Committee Chair:
Westark Area Council
Council VP-Membership: Shawn Walker
File Name | Description | |
---|---|---|
100 Point Parent Participation Form | Download | |
Adult Application | Download | |
Cub Scout Peer-to-Peer Fillable Card | Download | |
Geofencing Instructions | Download | |
Grade Table Tents | Download | |
Join Cub Scouts Fillable Flyer | Download | |
Join Scouts BSA Fillable Flyer | Download | |
Little Rock Scout Shop Flyer | Download | |
Pack Annual Program Planning | Download | |
Parent's Guide to Cub Scouting | Download | |
School Night Presentation Script | Download | |
School Night Report Envelope | Download | |
Scouts BSA Peer-to-Peer Fillable Card | Download | |
Setting Up Your Unit’s BeAScout Pin | Download | |
Sign In Sheet | Download | |
Springdale Scout Shop Flyer | Download | |
Troop Annual Program Planning | Download | |
Unit-Serving Executive's Contact Information | Download | |
Welcome to Our Pack Fillable Handout | Download | |
Welcome to Our Troop Fillable Handout | Download | |
Youth Application | Download |