How were you recruited?

[Walkman]

I'm working on a recruiting plan for our unit. Being in the ad/marketing field, I know how important it is to focus your efforts in the right channels. So how did you find out about CAP? What's been the most important factor in your recruiting efforts so far?

You can check up to four options. As one of those options, check whether you joined as a cadet or a SM.

[Walkman]

We read a local newspaper article about the local cadets going to regional color guard competition and thought my son would be interested. I ended up joining at the same time when I found out what it was.

[a2capt]

There was a lonely flyer on the counter at the pilot shop.

I saw where they meet, and the first meeting I went to they had Charles Bolden as a guest speaker, it was the annual open house, 11-Dec., 2001.

[Майор Хаткевич]

My friend joined early in the school year, 7th grade. For six months he bugged me, and instead of talking to us during lunch read some sort of booklets with a "Chappie" thing in them. I relented, went to a meeting, and have been going to meetings since April 2003 (minus college hiatus).

[Go_Blue]

I found out about it from a monthly volunteer listing from my unit.  For those near military bases, if you haven't reached out to the First Sergeants yet, it's definitely worth networking with their group so they can spread the word to their folks that might be interested. 

[The CyBorg is destroyed]

At an airshow.

However, my "recruiter"/future unit CC virtually tried to not recruit me by saying that the seniors were just there to serve as "counsellors" for the cadets (this was a composite squadron).

I'm not from Missouri, but I have a strong "show me" streak, plus I'm just plain darn stubborn at times.  I didn't let that keep me away.

[jayleswo]

When I was a teenager my mom phoned the local Air Force recruiter (not one of your poll choices) who put me in touch with the local CAP unit. I joined as a Cadet. Still here 33 years later.

[rjfoxx]

I was recruited by one of my patients.  (I run the Cadiac Lab @ VAMC-Wilmington, DE) in 2009.

[Al Sayre]

My father was a SQ/CC in the late 50's Early 60's when I was old enough to join as a cadet, he dropped me off at the meeting...  When my daughter was old enough to join as a cadet I took her to a meeting.  I rejoined to pay back a little of what I had received from the program.

[Stonewall]

A Navy brat and military enthusiast from a very young age, I was sitting on the school bus at the beginning of 8th grade while one of my best friends from soccer was discussing something that sounded military with another friend.  I piped in and asked what they were talking about and reluctantly, they explained what CAP was, as if they were embarrassed.  I was so pissed that 2 of my better friends never mentioned this.  They had only been in for about 2 months and had just finished their T-Flight program.  I demanded contact information and that's all she wrote. 

One of those friends is a CW-3 OH-58 Kiowa Warrior pilot and the other is a software engineer.  I still keep in close contact with them after more than 25 years in CAP and 30 years of friendship.

Short answer:  word of mouth from friends.

[RogueLeader]

Did something stupid with uniforms, got called on it by the WVWG/CV, who was former AF enlisted.

[Devil Doc]

Long Long Long Ago in a galaxy far far away. In High School a friend of mine and JROTC cadet was in USCG Aux and CAP. I spent 4 years in JROTC, then quickly was shuffled off to Great Mistakes Illinois. I come back home did the college thing, hanging out thing. I had that itch and it was driving me crazy. I was going to join the Rescue Sqaud or Local FD, but commiting that much time can be difficult. So CAP was the calling I can use my "Combat" skills and "Trauma" skills in SAR/CERT/FEMA/Aircrew training. So, has the itch gone away? somewhat? I am hoping I get that call to go looking for a Black box in the wilderness. "So others may live"

[Flying Pig]

My dad was the Chaplain.  I started going with him when I was about 9 or 10.  I PT'd, drilled, fell into formation as the last man in the last squad.  Had a grand ol' time.  Joined on my 12th birthday.

[CAP4117]

I was co-managing a Red Cross shelter with a volunteer from Indiana and she told me about it. Turns out she's a Lt Col in INWG. I haven't seen her since, but it would be nice to tell her the impact she had on me (if I could only remember her name!)

[Garibaldi]

Dad came home from work one night, told me that he wanted me to see what CAP was about, and that was that. 3 meetings later I was a cadet basic in the DeKalb County Cadet Squadron (09065), January 1981.

[Critical AOA]

Cadet recruitment: My parents knew about my interest in aviation so when they saw a piece in the local paper on CAP they asked if I thought I might be interested. I went to a couple of meetings, read some of the publications and joined.

Senior recruitment:  I just finally decided to get back in after nearly 35 years away. 

[wuzafuzz]

I joined twice.  First time a friend signed up as a Senior Member and convinced me it would be fun.  I became a Senior Member but dropped out after a year or two, as my job required working whenever CAP was doing stuff.

18 years later I read about CAP radio systems in Popular Communications.  It sounded like a fun way to get back into radio.  This time it stuck.  5 years later I'm a wing DC and a deputy squadron commander.   

[saleet]

In 1960 a good friend of mine came to school in his CAP uniform.  I started asking him about CAP and it sounded like something I would like to do.

I went home and told my parents about CAP and they both remembered it from WWII in Morehead City, NC.  Coastal Patrol Base 21 was just across the bridge in Beaufort.

So they thought it would be a good organization to belong to so I went to my first meeting at the Annapolis Cadet Squadron in Annapolis
, MD. 

This month I celebrate my 45th year in CAP.  I did take a few years off after I retired but back now and glad to be here.

[lordmonar]

My option was not there.

I was a volunteer during SAR.   I met some CAP members who were also participating in the SAR and got interested in joining.
I knew about CAP before hand as my Cadet Commander in AFJROTC was a CAP cadet but I was not interested and knew very little about what they did.

[abdsp51]

I initially joined back in 1994 as a cadet and I heard about it from another cadet while we both were in JROTC.  I had alot of fun I got more into ES when I moved back stateside.  I quit because of major personality conflicts and rejoined as a SM back in Feb.  I have been having alot of fun since then as well.  Now I am fixing to PCS and will hopefully still have fun down in AZ.

[Private Investigator]

My brother and he got it at flight school from a guest speaker from CAP.   

[Brad]

I joined as a senior member back in 2007, but I found out about CAP before that, back in high school. My school had a "wacky day" for our Spirit Week, and our NJROTC SNSI wore his CAP uniform instead of his Navy uniform. Certainly threw us all for a loop!

[ColonelJack]

I'd never heard of CAP until a fellow I knew in the local police department found out I'd been in the Air Force and contacted me about CAP.  I was hooked from the first meeting I attended, and the rest - as they say - is history.

Jack

[Dad2-4]

No option fits. I was a cadet back in 77-78 for a short time. Later served 4 years USAF 1985-89. Later moved back to the area of my last duty station. One day was surfing online for things like USAF Sgt's Association, Foreign Legion, etc, and remembered CAP. Looked it up, found a unit one mile away, made a phone call, visited with my 2 sons, joined very soon afterward. That was over 10 years ago. My boys are too old to be cadets and lost interest, but I'm still in.

[Cliff_Chambliss]

In the early 1960's it seemed CAP Cadets were everywhere.  Working parking and crowd control at the annual airport open house.  Volunteer crowd control at the annual Cerebal Palsy Telethon (all 3 squadrons in the city would join together for the weekend).  Marching in the Veteran's Day Parade (three cadet squadrons marching as a single group made an impression),  The annual state fair would allow free admission to CAP Cadets in uniform,  Several times CAP was asked to provide honor guard at civic events.  CAP was energetic and the city embraced the CAP.  There were even CAP Public Service Ads on the TV and Radio.  This I left for active Military Duty.  24 years later, return to the old squadron and find a flying club.  Leave for another 15 years.  Been in 3 years this time and it seems CA-WHO? 
  Somewhere along the line CAP has become the butt of many a joke.  A city that once hosted three composite squadrons now has 1 composite and 1 senior squadron.  The average age of membership is - to put it kindly - ancient.
  History is nice, but I would really like to see and get some good ideas to implement and maintain a good recruiting and member retention program now.
 

[johnnyb47]

My number came up in the draft.

[usafcap1]

I was at an airshow in Dayton, OH in 2007. Long story short a plane crashed and CAP was one of the first to response. And I wanted to be part of that.

[Private Investigator]

In the early 1960's it seemed CAP Cadets were everywhere.  Working parking and crowd control at the annual airport open house.  Volunteer crowd control at the annual Cerebal Palsy Telethon (all 3 squadrons in the city would join together for the weekend).  Marching in the Veteran's Day Parade (three cadet squadrons marching as a single group made an impression),  The annual state fair would allow free admission to CAP Cadets in uniform,  Several times CAP was asked to provide honor guard at civic events.  CAP was energetic and the city embraced the CAP.  There were even CAP Public Service Ads on the TV and Radio.  This I left for active Military Duty.  24 years later, return to the old squadron and find a flying club.  Leave for another 15 years.  Been in 3 years this time and it seems CA-WHO? 
  Somewhere along the line CAP has become the butt of many a joke.  A city that once hosted three composite squadrons now has 1 composite and 1 senior squadron.  The average age of membership is - to put it kindly - ancient.
  History is nice, but I would really like to see and get some good ideas to implement and maintain a good recruiting and member retention program now.

Cliff, thanks for sharing. I see the same thing. Flying clubs and/or good ole boy lodge thing going on.

[jimmydeanno]

CAP cadets, in general, are different.  I find that it isn't that they don't like the organization, it's that societal expectations dictate that they do 30 different things while they're in high-school so that they're "well rounded."  This means that we are in direct competition with JROTC, BSA, High-School Sports and other extra-curricular activities, and the volunteer stuff that people can just show up to to help.


WIWAC, CAP is what we did.  It was one of two extra things I did outside of school.  I didn't have to miss 3 months of CAP because of football practice, or have to put it as #19 on the list.  All the cadets in my unit, CAP is what we did.  Every cadet was there, every meeting.  The "odd holidays" like Columbus Day, we had meetings and people showed up.  Every cadet went to encampment.  Every cadet knew the requirements for promotion and knew what every other cadet in the unit had left for their next one.  We ran hard, with every cadet in the unit running under 8:30 miles (had some females), and the majority of the cadets running under 7:00.  I remember doing 80+ sit-ups in a minute, alongside other cadets of the same caliber - only going for my Rickenbacker.  None of us did the bare minimum to pass.  We knew what was in our books, too.  Practice for cadet competition enabled us to know answers before the first five words of the sentence were spit out. We were doing some sort of CAP thing EVERY weekend.

I'm not trying to say that CAP was more hard-kewl then, or make it a "back in the day, things were so much better," but my experience over the last 10 years as a senior has shown me that in such a short time what it means to be a CAP Cadet has changed. 

This change in paradigm means that we, as an organization, need to be better, faster, stronger, and offer things that can't be refused in order to get people in the door.  It means that we need to readjust our view of who we think is interested in our organization.  It means that our local senior leadership needs to have a strong finger on the pulse of a community and offer things that the community needs, and do them well.  It means that we need to put in an effort. 

[Walkman]

This change in paradigm means that we, as an organization, need to be better, faster, stronger, and offer things that can't be refused in order to get people in the door.  It means that we need to readjust our view of who we think is interested in our organization.  It means that our local senior leadership needs to have a strong finger on the pulse of a community and offer things that the community needs, and do them well.  It means that we need to put in an effort.

:clap: Well said!

[Майор Хаткевич]

Jimmy summarized what CAP was for me. It was my only activity and I don't think I missed a single meeting until I graduated school and started working.

[Garibaldi]

WIWAC, yes, every meeting, every unit activity, every wing activity that our unit went to, I was there. I took "participate actively in unit activities" to heart. I had nothing else going for me in school but CAP. Too small for football, not quite good enough for the baseball team, too short for basketball (which I hate anyway). Not quite smart enough for debate, etc. You get the picture. The point is, despite the fact that my father told me "you can't treat this like you did Boy Scouts. I am paying for this, so you better give it 100%", I was way excited for Thursday night meetings to roll around, and even more excited whenever we had an FTX or Wing activity. CAP was probably the greatest growing up experience I could hope for. Sure, there were things that I wouldn't want to repeat EVER again, and with one or two notable exceptions, I had the time of my life. I've done things I never thought I would, or could. I'm not entirely certain what I would have been like had it not been for CAP. It got me through some tough times, and sure, what we did was tough on me mentally and physically, but when I look back, I really have to wonder how I would have turned out if I'd said "No, thanks, Dad" in December 1980.