Promotion

Why Promote?

Have you ever had the reaction of “Scouts still exists?” when mentioning it in conversation? So have I! Scouts in general needs far more promotion in the community. Promoting a Scout troop involves showcasing its activities, values, and positive impact on the community. 

How promoting can help your troop:

  • Visibility: Promotion increases the troop’s visibility in the community, making it easier for potential scouts and their families to learn about the opportunities offered.
  • Showcasing Activities: Highlighting the troop’s exciting and educational activities through various channels attracts the interest of potential members.
  • Positive Image: Promotion helps in creating a positive image for the troop within the community, emphasizing the values, skills, and leadership development opportunities provided to scouts.
  • Information Sharing: Promotion provides a platform for sharing information with parents about troop activities, meetings, and important updates.
  • Building Support Networks: Engaging parents through promotion can help build a strong support network for the troop, fostering a sense of community among families.
  • Attracting Sponsors: Promoting the troop’s initiatives and events can attract local businesses or individuals interested in supporting scouting, leading to potential sponsorships.
  • Fundraising Events: Promotion is crucial for the success of fundraising events, attracting donors and increasing participation.
  • Informing the Community: Promotion allows the troop to inform the community about the educational aspects of scouting, emphasizing the skills and values Scouts acquire.
  • Membership Growth: Consistent promotion contributes to steady membership growth, ensuring the troop’s sustainability and longevity.
  • Legacy Building: Building a positive reputation through promotion contributes to a lasting legacy, attracting future generations of scouts.

By investing in strategic and thoughtful promotion, a Scout troop can effectively communicate its values, activities, and contributions, fostering growth, community engagement, and long-term success.

Here are several ways a Scout troop can promote itself:

Social Media

    • Create and maintain active social media accounts to share photos, event updates, and achievements.
    • Utilize platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok to engage with the community.
    • Note who you can’t and cannot post photos of.
    • Develop a troop website that provides information about the troop’s history, activities, and how to join.
    • Will expand on this with another post.
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Community Events

    • Participate in local community events, fairs, and parades to showcase the troop’s presence and activities. Not just scout events, maybe a farmers market setup, craft shows, family days like Regina’s Summer Market, or FROST.
    • Have public campfires where the general population can come and participate.
    • Demonstrations of things like kub kar tracks, camp skills, etc. Regina used to have kub kar rallies in the malls for visibility.
    • Set up informational booths to distribute pamphlets and answer questions.
    • Be visible.

Call the Press!

    • Issue press releases to local newspapers, community newsletters, and online platforms about noteworthy troop activities and achievements.
    • Kub Kars or Beaver Buggy Bash? Send out a press release.

Public Open Houses

    • Host open houses or recruitment events to invite prospective scouts and their families to learn about the troop.
    • Conduct interactive activities to showcase the scouting experience.
    • Encourage scouts and their families to share their positive experiences with others.
    • Implement a “Bring a Friend” day where scouts can invite friends to join a meeting or activity.
    • Perhaps have one big “Bring a Friend” day where the scouts in your city go all out with fun activities.
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Service Projects!

    • Engage in visible community service projects, and ensure they are covered by local media.
    • Emphasize the troop’s commitment to making a positive impact.
    • Examples, garbage cleanups,

Uniformed Presence

    • Encourage scouts to wear their uniforms to community events to increase visibility and recognition.
    • Coordinate uniformed group outings for greater impact.

Flyer Distribution

    • Design and distribute eye-catching flyers in strategic locations such as schools, community centers, and local businesses.
    • Organize poster put ups once or twice a year.

Alumni Engagement

    • Connect with troop alumni and invite them to share their success stories, emphasizing the lasting impact of scouting.
    • Perhaps once a year have an alumni night. Example, invite them to BP’s Dinner.
    • Side note: Alumni may also wish to donate.

Parent Involvement

    • Encourage active involvement from parents in promoting the troop within their social circles.
    • Find out what parents do for hobbies or work. Perhaps engage those. Example: Parent is a geologist, see if they’ll organize a geology night.

Network

    • Establish connections with other community organizations, local leaders, and influencers who can support and promote the troop.
    • Crossover events with other groups, community organizations.
    • Setup a cleanup with Ducks Unlimited or Nature Sask.

Be Visible

Remember, a combination of these strategies can be highly effective in promoting a Scout troop and attracting new members but the most important point to note is that you need to Be Visible. Quit hiding in community halls, and other out of the way places. Have your events in malls, parks, and other public venues where people can see you.