Remember: for Cub Scout Packs the goal of successful Sign Up Nights is not to just sign up new youth.  The goal is to sign up New Families!  So have Fun Events where you sign up new families.  This works best once you've done Recruiting Step One (a Calendar of Fun Activities that Families Like), Two (Recruit more Leaders and Helpers), Three (Let Families know your Pack Fun Activities Plan!), and Four (School and Community Events and Presence).  If you have a Fun Event ... you can Sign Up new families.  Schedule fun events now ... if you've got a Calendar of Fun Activities that Families Like to share, and do something fun ... like a "Pack Party", or Pack Picnic, a fishing derby, a bike rodeo, a pool party ... do something fun.  Go ahead with a Fun Event now and invite away! 

Spring fun events are excellent, because you can recruit families who want to do fun stuff like Twilight Camp, and Cub Scout Summer Camps, and other Fun Activities you do.  Use these to attract this spring's Kindergarten kids because they can be next year's Tigers ... existing Scouts can recruit their friends, and maybe you can have a Pack Graduation where you recognize each den stepping up into the next rank and Handbook. 

And when fall recruiting comes around, the same ideas apply:  after you have a big presence of Pack families at any Open House / Meet and Greet events, plan for two kinds of Sign-Up Events as school starts:  (1) first, one or more School Sign Up Nights (your District Professionals will work with you to schedule these -- but you've got to decide what kind of Fun for Families you'll have at the event), and (2) right after that, one or more Pack Fun Events where you can also share Pack Information with Adults (doesn't have to be a "Pack Meeting" ... a "Pack Party", or Picnic, or swim party, or fishing derby, or climbing gym, or Six Flags, or bike rodeo ... what do you like to do?).  Waiting on the District Professional to schedule a School Sign Up Night?  Go ahead with a Fun Event now and invite away!  Please do both kinds of events -- if you only have a school night, and not pack fun events, it will be harder to bring in new families.  See more in the Leader’s Guide to Recruiting.  To help you when you pitch your Pack, we have a streamlined Sign Up Event Script geared to the start of the program year and a PowerPoint to Pitch Your Pack to Parents that you’ll need to tailor to your fun events.   Be sure to collect and turn in Youth and Adult Applications as soon as they say “yes” -- Youth and Adult Applications are found in our "About Scouting & How to Join" page.   And collect dues (or installments to pay for Applications and any Pack provided items like handbooks) – don't forget to access ScoutReach Resources for those who need help. 

Yes, Cub Scouting is all about fun activities for kids and families, so Step Six of sustainable recruiting is: keep expanding and extending your Calendar of Fun Events … that’s what makes families join!  If it's Fun for Kids, Fun for Families, and Safe -- then it's Cub Scouting!!  And recruit more leaders, and do fun events in the School and Community, and ... you'll be a group families want to join!  As you grow your calendar, call and email all of the “maybes” (or people who were interested in your Pack, but faded away before you came up with your calendar of fun activities because if they know about your new calendar of fun activities they might want to join), and invite them to your next Pack fun events ...

There's so many places to go and things to do, with family and friends, and Packs and Troops.   And share what you are doing ... our "What our Scouts and Units are Doing" is a place where we'll post your Website, Facebook Page, etc., and in the Top Comment there called "Upcoming Pack, Troop and Crew Activities -- And Some Past Events", we'd like to post your Upcoming Pack, Troop and Crew Activities so that other Units can see what you do (especially so that Cub Scout Families can see what Troops do as they consider "crossing over" in the late winter/early spring of 5th Grade year ... maybe you might "buddy up" with another unit on a campout if there is room) -- and that page lists selected past events if you'd like to contact a Unit to ask them how they liked a destination.

Highlights of the most recent District News were these (click links for information):  Recruiting Step Three: Let People Know! Let Families and Organizations know your Pack Fun Activities Plan! ... Recruiting Step Four: School and Community Events -- Show your School and Community the Fun of Cub Scouting! ...  and from the week before:  Recruiting Step One: Make a Calendar of Fun Activities that Families Like ... Recruiting Step Two: Recruit more Leaders and Helpers ...  Opt In, Opt Out ... Check Out Twilight Camp! on Facebook ...  More Day and Twilight Camp Weeks ...  

After Recruiting Step One (Make a Calendar of Fun Activities that Families Like), and while you tackle Step Two (Recruit more Leaders and Helpers), also take Step Three:  Let People Know!  Let Families and Organizations know your Pack Fun Activities Plan!  

When you Advertise your Activities ... you Promote your Pack -- so let your families, schools and community organizations know your calendar of fun activities early to get them excited (don't worry if you don't have every date organized with leaders and details yet).  Don't keep your fun activity plans secret -- share with current families, schools, groups and let prospective families and friends know too.  

Recruiting Tools are More than Flyers and Yard Signs:  Use Photos, Facebook and other Social Media, plus Old Media.  Photos of your Scouts having fun are best (so friends can see friends and want to join up -- like these from the 2016 Pinewood Derby).  So use any you can … flyers, emails, posters, facebook, calls, PTA, Car Pool, grocery store, barber shop, church ... encourage your families to tell others about how Scouting is fun and encourage them to show it on facebook, instagram, pinterest, twitter.  

Post printed Flyers with your pictures or your pictures or wild pictures and your calendar of fun activities to let families know.  Hand ‘em out (with permission) at school (in classrooms, at the front desk, at bus/car pool, at PTA events), at church, at city hall, at parks and rec centers, stores, restaurants – wherever families go.  Get them posted on websites and facebook sites (school, church, city, neighborhood), email lists, twitter, family to family emails and facebook and twitter.  Share pictures and video of fun stuff Scouts do. 

Need help with Flyers?  DEs can help with printing.  District volunteers can help – email flyers@southfultonscouting.com.  Don’t forget posters, yard signs, kid to kid cards, stickers, door hangers.  Talk it up.  Call families.  Got families ready to join?  Get Applications Signed.  … see all Six Recruiting Steps for more, because a Pack with fun activities should have a presence at school and in the community to help Shout it Out …

OK, so you're doing Recruiting Step One (Make a Calendar of Fun Activities that Families Like), and as you tackle Step Two (Recruit more Leaders and Helpers), and Step Three (Let People Know your Pack Fun Activities Plan!), now let Schools and the Community at large know too!  Have some events that School and Community are invited to and can see, like an "end of School Year" Pack Party to welcome new Tigers and classmates and friends and "graduate" your Scouts into the their next rank level.

• Promote easy summer events like Twilight Camp and Cub Scout Summer Camp even if you as a leader can't attend.  Others might. 
• Those are super easy for "first time" parents to attend with their sons.
• Don't forget about promoting your Pack with this year's Kindergarten classes ... they can be Tigers on the last day of School!  And go to events like Twilight Camp and Cub Scout Summer Camp ... 
• Invite friends and families to fun events like Pack Pinewood Derbies, Raingutter Regattas, Pack Parties ...
• Do easy activities like movies on the square, or water park outings, or 4th of July parade, or fireworks, or ... whatever your families like to do.

Go multi-media to promote Pack events in your school and community, by using:

• posters around the school (Promote Pack Fun Events and Twilight Camp and Summer Camp and Contact Info),
• flyers for handout and website posting and email and facebook (Promote Twilight Camp and Pack Events and Contact Info),
• Peer to Peer Invite Cards, and more. 
• Can You Hand Out Flyers at Car Pool? (Check with Your School), when you have School Events
• Can You Have Hands On Displays at Car Pool or in the Schoolyard? (like a tent or games or derby track or portable fire pit? Check with Your School),
• Be There Strong at PTA Events and End of School Year Family Events (Check Your School Calendar and find out what you can do),
• Get in the School / Church Newsletter and Website and email list,
• Get on the Good Side of School -- Ask About "Service Project" Ideas and See if Your Pack Can Do One (Check with Your School),
• and more. And, yes, use and re-use yard signs to promote your Fun Events ... 

And when "Back to School" time comes, the first and best chance to have great “one on one” contact with potential families is … no, not “Sign Up Night” … it’s your local school “Open House” or “Meet and Greet” or “Registration Day” where parents come to meet teachers and visit the schools right before school begins.  Here's what you need to know about "Back to School" Open House / Meet and Greet Days:  A strong presence at a school Open House / Meet and Greet Day can turn a Pack with one active leader and a handful of kids into a Pack of 15 leaders with 40 or 50 or 60 families who are attracted to your Fun Activities.  Round up as many parents and leaders as you can (parents of former scouts can represent too):  hopefully you can set up a table with posters, flyers, pictures, video and demo Scout stuff (just ask … maybe you can set up a tent or portable campfire pit outside to attract attention there too) … be sure that your posters and yard signs and other pieces are up.  Have scouts in uniform to do Kid to Kid recruiting … have Parent to Parent recruiting … every Family and Kid is different … tailor your “sales pitch” to what they like to do … be sure to have contact signups so that you get Names/Contact info when you have lots of people at your table.  Let everyone know your upcoming Pack Fun Event plan.  So contact your schools (here's Clayton Schools and Fulton Schools) and round up as many parents and leaders as you can (parents of former scouts can represent too).  More on Open House ideas is in the Leader’s Guide to Recruiting.  More at Recruiting Tools.  Got families ready to join?  Get Applications Signed.  … see all Six Recruiting Steps for