Recruitment-ReadyInvite a friend to do something fun. It could lead to Scouting.

The best peer-to-peer recruiting often starts with a simple invitation: “Want to come do this fun thing with me?”

That approach takes the pressure off, says Kate Benson, Scouting America’s national director of Cub Scouting. Instead of asking someone to join a pack or troop, Scouts can invite friends to experience Scouting firsthand.

“Maybe the invitation is, ‘Why don’t you join me for this hike?’” she says. “Or it could be to a service project or a meeting where Scouts are building something fun.”

For Scouting leaders, the takeaway is simple: Give Scouts something fun and specific to invite their friends to do. Then give them — and their parents — the information they need to make that invitation easy to accept.

A vague invitation to “come to Scouts sometime” is easy to ignore. An invitation to go fishing, build a project, race cars or participate in a service project gives a prospective Scout something concrete to consider. The key, Benson says, is that Scouts should be able to describe exactly what they’re going to do.

An article in the August issue of Scout Life magazine offers similar advice. Scouts can talk about a recent adventure with the same enthusiasm they would use to describe a great movie or game, then invite a friend to experience it for themselves. That also means leaders shouldn’t assume every prospective Scout will be attracted to the same activities. Scouting offers a wide variety of experiences, so a friend who isn’t interested in hiking might be interested in building, racing, fishing, gaming or another adventure.

Peer-to-peer recruiting works best when Scouts are enthusiastic about what they do — not when they feel like they have been handed a sales script. Leaders can help by making sure Scouts know the basic details before they invite someone.

“And their parents need to know the who, what, when, where, why and how,” Benson says.

The goal isn’t to turn Scouts into salespeople. It’s to help them confidently answer the basic questions a friend — or the friend’s parent — is likely to ask.

A Scout might make the initial invitation, but parents often determine whether that invitation becomes a first Scouting experience. That’s an important lesson for unit leaders: Peer-to-peer recruiting requires preparing adults, too.

Scouters should be ready to answer common questions from prospective families and should make sure current families have accurate information they can share.

That is especially important with younger Scouts. A parent receiving an invitation for a 7- or 8-year-old is naturally going to want to know which adults will be present, what the child will be doing and whether the parent needs to participate. A quick conversation between parents can provide reassurance and remove uncertainty before the first activity. Once a prospective family starts asking about joining, one of the most common questions is likely to be: “How much time does this take?”

Leaders should be ready with a clear answer. An updated unit calendar can help families see how Scouting fits alongside sports, school and other activities. Leaders should also be transparent about registration fees, council fees and unit dues. And if a family says it is busy, don’t automatically assume Scouting won’t work for them.

“Families can work with unit leaders when sports or other commitments make it difficult to attend every activity,” Benson says. “Units will work with you to make up things that are missed. It’s hard to attend everything, and we get that.”

That flexibility can be an important part of the recruiting conversation. Families don’t necessarily need to choose between Scouting and every other activity their children enjoy.

Make the first experience easy and low pressure

For a prospective family, the first activity can feel like a big step. Leaders can make it easier by communicating clearly with both the Scout and the parent before they arrive. Make sure the family knows where to go, what to expect and who to look for. If possible, have the Scout who extended the invitation greet the friend when they arrive.

The objective is to let the prospective Scout experience what their friend has been talking about.

That’s particularly important for parents who may be wondering whether Scouting is right for their family. Rather than trying to answer every question with a sales pitch, let them see the program in action.

Scout Life recommends respecting a friend who says no rather than continuing to pressure them. The Scout can keep enjoying Scouting, talking about the activities they participate in and inviting the friend to appropriate activities in the future.

“The goal is to show friends how much fun there is, then let kids and parents know how Scouting can fit into their lives,” Benson says.

Did you know?: If you successfully recruit a friend into Scouting, you will get a Recruiter strip to wear below the right pocket of your uniform.

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Photo: Jesse Scoffield