The Southern Crescent District is in the Atlanta Area Council, serving Scouts, Leaders and Parents in Clayton County and South Fulton County. See the BeAScout website for location and contact information for Cub Scout Packs (Kindergarten through 5th Grade are Cub Scouts), Scouts BSA Troops (end of 5th Grade to age 18), and Venturing Crews.
Once you’ve drawn a Calendar of Fun Activities – jump to Recruiting Step Two: Promote Your Pack Program. The Perfect Pack Program is wasted if your Pack families don’t know the plan or if new families don’t hear about your Plan – and even a “pretty good” plan (like maybe just projecting key activities through the end of the calendar year) is excellent if your families get excited about it. Here’s the Who/What/When/Where/Why about your Pack Program Promotion:
Who Can Promote? Anyone in your Pack Community. Not just Leaders – Pack Leaders should empower Parents to Promote to their friends and fellow parents at school. Kids can call kids. Peer to Peer is the most successful way to recruit – both Parent to Parent and Kid to Kid.
What Can You Use / How Can You Promote? For sure, use BeAScout, plus write up your Pack Program (and other relevant information like calendar and contacts and dues and other Pack policies) in a website or flyer handout you can share easily – maybe have one as your “pack packet” of key information and how to join. Don’t forget pictures and video of your Scouts and Families. Share using methods that work for you, from Facebook to Instagram to Pinterest to emails to websites to local news to U.S. Mail to websites to whatever your families use. A “one page” (two sided) flyer with photos, key dates, contact information and a QR Code/link to your Pack website or to a Pack Leader's email (so they can reply with handouts, calendars, etc.) is a key piece you want to share widely at any time and in many places.
When Can You Promote? For best results, as soon as you have some Pack Program Plan that lets people know what they will do when they can join. And any time you have updates to the plan, winter, spring, summer or fall. Or just to remind of “what’s next” in the next month or two or three.
Where Can You Promote? Neighborhood, Church, School, Community, Restaurants, Stores, Places Kids and Parents Go, Den and Pack Activities, Social Media – and use whatever methods available to share information: website blurbs, flyer handouts, bulletin boards. Got families that like Scouting? Encourage them to promote on social media.
Why Promote Now? When you have a Pack Program Plan, share it! No need to wait until school starts back up, because families can join now (easier if you use BeAScout and Online Registration). If you have a fun, simple, easy and laid-back set of summer activities – like swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, parading, picnicking, games, cookouts, s’mores and more – you can invite families to join you at any and all of these events before the rush of a new program year.
Cub Scouting is Fun, especially when it is fun in the outdoors with family and friends. Cub Scouting’s outdoor fun is needed by youth and families now more than ever. To build that fun, we’ve got tips about successful and sustainable recruiting of families into your Packs and Dens. Recruiting Step Number One is to develop your Calendar of Fun Activities – a program filled with activities that Scouts and parents want to attend, have a great time, and pick up the character-building that lasts a lifetime.
IT IS NOT TOO EARLY TO PLAN YOUR PROGRAM YEAR FOR 2025 - 2026! We’ve got ideas about how to build your Pack Program of activities at scoutingatl.org/cubcalendarplanning and in the YouTube about Building Your Best Year in Cub Scouting (a resource page for that video program is found here) – and more in this portal page to hundreds of Fun, Simple, Easy activities for Cub Scouts. Planning can happen in groups large and small, in front yards and on local park trails, at the swimming pool or the bar b que grill – so invite your families to gather, do things, have fun and share ideas for your best year ever.
See this YouTube Video for Ideas and Resources about How to Plan Your Best Year Ever in Cub Scouting – the program description (and segment links for if you want just a few minutes on a single part of the program) are below:
Action | Practical Planning | Help 4 Leaders This Video has Ideas and Resources about How to Plan Your Best Year Ever in Cub Scouting. Key Segments after the Introduction (2 minutes):
Importance of a Strong Activities Calendar – Step One of the Steps to Successful Recruiting (2 minutes) 2:17
Goals Here: (1) Build Your Best (local) Plan (2) KISMIF and (3) Fun for Kids and Families (and Safe) equals Stronger Families Through Scouting (3 minutes) 4:17
Scouting Is Outing – Two Examples of a Year Long Activity Calendar (7.5 minutes) 6:55
Parent and Leader (“PAL”) Planning Conference (2 minutes) 36:32
Pack “Activities” and Pack “Meetings” (Apply the FunMeter) (2 minutes) 37:50
Den Meetings: How Often? When? Where? What Works For Your Families? (3.5 minutes) 39:58
Now, Who Will Lead These Dens? Or How To Turn Parents Into Leaders! (2 minutes) 43:38
Advancement Help for Den Leaders and Parents (2.5 minutes) (UPDATE: links to 126 Adventure Resource Pages and simpler and easier “Assembled” Den Meeting Plans are found at scoutingatl:org/CubScoutAdvance) 45.43
A Plethora of Fun*Simple*Easy Activities Dens and Packs Might Do and Recruiting Families (1.5 minutes) 47:43
National Registration Fees and Your Budget (2.75 minutes) Note: refers to 2024 fees which likely will change, and more on Renewals is now posted at scoutingatl.org/charter-renewal49:43
Other Expenses a Pack Might Build into a Budget for Pack Local Program Fees (or “dues”) (1 minute) 52:58
Revenue Options, including Fundraisers – and Balancing the Budget to Set Your Local Fees or Dues (2.5 minutes) 53:42
Journey To Excellence Scoring 2024 (2+ minutes) (NOTE: JTE was discontinued at the end of 2024) 55:02
The Southern Crescent District is in the Atlanta Area Council, serving Scouts, Leaders and Parents in Clayton County and South Fulton County. See the BeAScout website for location and contact information for Cub Scout Packs (Kindergarten through 5th Grade are Cub Scouts), Scouts BSA Troops (end of 5th Grade to age 18), and Venturing Crews. 
