Simple Things a Council or Unit Commissioner
Can Do to increase Cub Scout Retention
1. Make sure every new Cub Scout has a handbook. Promote
to all parents the purchase and use of the appropriate Cub Scout
handbook-Tiger Cub, Wolf, Bear, or Webelos Scout. The manual
will help them gain the most from Cub Scouting for their child.
2. Ensure leaders receive appropriate training. Studies
show a trained Cub Scout leader retains Cub Scouts longer.
If den leader-specific training is not available before the first
den meeting, have the new leader take Fast Start training. It is
available on www.MyScouting.org.
3. Encourage all new Cub Scouts to earn the Bobcat rank.
Promote earning the Bobcat rank within 60 days of joining and
presenting the badge at the first pack meeting.
4. Promote Boys' Life magazine. Subscribing and reading
Boys' Life helps boys experience Scouting even when they are
not at a meeting.
5. Emphasize holding the first den meeting within seven
days of joining. Quality den meetings are a critical tool for
retention. Make sure every Cub Scout and parent knows the
date, time, and place of the first den meeting before they leave
the joining meeting.
6. Communicate. Promote frequent communications between the
pack and parents on a regular basis such as through a monthly
newsletter or weekly contact using email, Facebook, or Twitter.
7. Help packs find a den chief for each den. A good den chief
serves as a role model for Cub Scouts. They look up to him and
follow his lead on how they should act and behave. He serves as
the "big brother" to the den.
8. Make sure the unit has a well-planned program. Program
planning is one of the most effective tools for retention. The pack
must do their program planning for 12 to 18 months in the spring
and distribute the plan to parents. Parents want to know what
their child will be doing.
9. Establish a summertime pack program. Keeping Cub
Scouts active and participating in Scouting over the summer
months is an important retention tool. Cub Scouts and families
who enjoy a Scouting summer are more likely to stay involved in
the fall.
10. Hold orientation for all new Cub Scouts and parents.
Successful parent orientation builds loyalty, lessens parent
confusion, and reduces the potential of poor participation.
Because education leads to retention, all families need to get the
right information when they join.
11. Plan for leader succession. Help the pack committee
understand the importance of planning in advance who will
replace outgoing den leaders and other pack leadership.
Retention is all about fun. Retention begins and ends at the
unit level. The den and pack is where the most program happens
and where the Cub Scouts are most affected. This means all
meetings have to be FUN!
