Year-Round Membership Plan Produces Results

Larry Bystran Scout executive Pioneer Valley Council

At the beginning of 2006, with most rechartering completed, we were really behind the eight ball because of a drop in traditional membership. We developed an enhanced year-round membership plan, and set out to make it work.

Spring efforts included Save-a-Scout work, transition programs, full-blown new youth recruiting, and a strong focus on youth retention in our units. The fall plan included a greatly enhanced marketing campaign that began in July and increased our exposure in local print and broadcast media. Because our council is 60 percent urban, approximately 35 percent minority, and around 37 percent lower income, our marketing efforts included focusing on the council's Scoutreach areas. We produced a Spanish radio commercial that ran more than 400 times on our two local Spanish radio stations between mid-August and mid-October. In addition, we participated in many community events, such as Springfield's huge Puerto Rican Parade and the Puerto Rican Festival--where we received 200 Boy Fact Surveys for follow-up. This provided the impetus for the expansion of our Hispanic Emphasis (Impacto Latino) component of Scoutreach. Our African-American Scoutreach component (Urban Scouting/Community Partnership) also grew.

In addition to the marketing push, the fall membership recruiting campaign included:

• School Night sign-up rallies for all units
• Parent/teacher Back-to-School evenings with Scouting sign-ups wherever possible
• "Fizzle" opportunities (another sign-up night organized quickly for units with School Night Sign-up Rally results that fell short of projections)
• "Sizzle" opportunities ("Bring It to the People" sign-up events at supermarkets, fall festivals, churches on Sunday, etc.)
• Clean-up and follow-up in the late fall with additional unit open houses and more "sizzle" events
• Special recognition programs for packs ("The Drive for Five": five more Cub Scouts than last year) and troops ("The Big Three": three more Boy Scouts than last year)

This past fall was a whirlwind, but results included balanced traditional growth, albeit modest, and the Quality Council Award. While the most telling statistics are still being compiled, the current figures are promising:

• Race to Cub Scouting: + 49.1 percent
• Give Every Kid a Chance: + 51 percent

Hats off to our great volunteers and fine staff alike!

The Merits of Marketing (marketing.scouting.org) is a resource for local councils, developed by the Marketing & Communications Division of the National Council, Boy Scouts of America.