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 Scouting 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!
-Pepito Estrada
Council VP-Membership
Fall Recruiting Timeline
-Units commit to participate in Fall Recruiting
-Unit-Serving Executives contact schools and principals to establish date, time, and location of School Nights
-Units commit to participate in Fall Recruiting
-Units update BeAScout Pins
-Unit Serving Executives continue to contact schools and principals to establish date, time, and location of School Nights
-Units hold Program Planning Conferences to develop unit calendar.
-Units update BeAScout Pins
-Coordinate manpower for School Open House(s).
-Units hold Program Planning Conferences to develop unit calendar.
-Attend your District’s Fall School Night Training (usually August Roundtable) to pick up your recruiting materials, practice a mock School Night, and get inspired to have a great fall!
-Post yard signs in highly visible areas of the community to promote School Night event!
-Attend and recruit at your school’s Open House.
-Hold School Night at your school if it is scheduled for August.
-Plan your New Unit Parent Orientation Meeting within 2 weeks of your School Night.
-Turn in new applications within 24 hours of your School Night.
-Hold School Night at your school if it is scheduled for September.
-Plan your New Unit Parent Orientation Meeting within 2 weeks of your School Night.
-Turn in new applications within 24 hours of your School Night.
-Unit Leaders attend the September Roundtable.
-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. Please update your unit's pin by August 3, 2026.
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.
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.
Scouting Is Better with Friends - FREE Recruiter Strips: In support of our 2026 recruiting efforts, the Natural State Council Scout Shops are excited to announce FREE Recruiter Strip Emblems to Scouts that recruit a friend to join.
Redemption Process: To earn this free strip, the Scouter simply brings a friend to a Den or Pack meeting and encourages them to join. Once that friend signs up, the original Scout completes the information on the flyer and takes it to the Little Rock or Springdale Scout Shops. The Scout Shop Team Member simply reviews the flyer, ensures all the information is filled out completely, and then provides the Recruiter Strip from the store’s inventory free of charge.
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.
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.
Recruiting Videos: These videos feature Scouts and adults talking about what Scouting is all about. Click the "Videos" tab to find the shareable link.
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.
Welcoming New Families - 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.
September 18-20 - Axolotl to Zonosaur Fall Cub Adventure Weekend @ Camp Rockefeller, Damascus, AR Click here for more information
October 23- 25 - Heroes and Helpers Cub Adventure Weekend @ Camp Rockefeller, Damascus, AR Click here for more information
October 23-25 - Spook-O-ReeCub Adventure Campout @ Shoal Creek Campground, New Blaine, AR Click here for more information
September 25-27 - Undercover Agents Cub Adventure Campout @ Camp Childress, Joplin, MO Click here for more information
October 2-4 - Fall Cub-O-Ree @Crowley’s Ridge State Park, Walcott, AR
Click here for more information
October 23-24 - Fall into Camping Cub Adventure Campout @ Camp DeSoto, El Dorado, AR
Click here for more information
October 16-18 - Camp USA Cub Adventure Campout @ Camp Orr, Jasper, AR
Click here for more information
October 23-25 - Camo Independence Cub Adventure Campout @ Bunch Park, Elkins AR
Click here for more information
October 15-18- Fall Cub -O-Ree @ Newark City Park, Newark, AR
Click here for more information
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.
Use the Cub Scout Four-Month Rank Advancement Program Plan: The Four Month Program Planner is designed to help smaller packs with multi-rank dens deliver a structured program to help Cub Scouts achieve Badge of Rank in four months. It provides detailed week-by-week instructions for completing the requirements. The plan incorporates a Parent meeting at the beginning of each month or four-week cycle to engage them in the planning and execution process. The program is delivered through a mix of Den activities and Activity Stations in the Pack meeting.
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 Chair: Ty Daniels
Cornerstone District (Benton County)Unit-Serving Executive: Justin Haines
Membership Committee Chair: Rafael Colon
Crowley's Ridge District (Randolph, Clay, Greene, Lawrence, Craighead, Mississippi, Poinsett, Woodruff, Cross, Crittenden, and St. Francis Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Chris Johnson
Membership Committee Chair: Natasha Broadwater
DeSoto District (Columbia, Ouachita, Dallas, Cleveland, Calhoun, Union, Bradley, Drew, Ashley, Desha, and Chicot Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Ronda Plummer
Membership Committee Chair: Mary Pruitt
Foothills District (Stone, Van Buren, Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, and Perry Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Emily Davis
Membership Committee Chair:
Ouachita District (Montgomery, Garland, Saline, Hot Spring, Clark, and Pike Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Glenn Sergeant
Membership Committee Chair: Justin Hickman
Ozark District (Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, Searcy, and Baxter Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Ken Crain
Membership Committee Chair: Dan Goetzman
Pinnacle District (Pulaski and Lonoke Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Debie Liljenberg
Membership Committee Chair:
Razorback District (Washington and Madison Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Matthew Reed
Membership Committee Chair: Diane Byars
Saracen District (Grant, Jefferson, Lincoln, Arkansas, Phillips, Lee, Monroe, and Prairie Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Lakeisha Jordan
Membership Committee Chair: Joseph Ditmer
White River District (White, Jackson, Independence, Izard, Sharp, and Fulton Counties)
Unit-Serving Executive: Stephen Waggoner
Membership Committee Chair: Krystal Kirby
Council VP-Membership: Pepito Estrada
Questions?
Contact
Christian Swaim - (479) 461-6045
Director of Field Service
