Recruiting Information

[afgeo4]

I have, as of a year and change ago taken on the specialty track of recruiting and retention.

Since then there has been a major overhaul of the specialty rating which now requires a senior recruiting ribbon among other things.

The senior recruiting ribbon requires a senior member to recruit 7 senior members and/or cadets.

When a member fills out a membership application, he/she has the option of designating the member responsible for their joining and then that member gets credited for the recruiting.

I've been recruiting members as the group recruiting officer for all the squadrons in my group. I've also recruited people in my former squadrons. I've recruited people at events and through my website. I've forwarded people to other groups and wings as well. Given that my name was placed on those applications, I should have been credited for them, but...

I just called NHQ and they have no records available stating that anyone who has since expired wouldn't show up on their records. It was also reiterated to me that NHQ isn't responsible for keeping any recruiting records and that squadrons are solely responsible for that.

Question 1.
Why create a membership application and a database section for "Who recruited you" if you aren't supposed to be tracking it? Perhaps you are?

Question 2.
If I meet someone who wants to join somewhere else then I guess I won't be credited for anything since my squadron will never know what that person's CAPID# will be if they do end up joining.

Question 3.
If a squadron is poor at keeping recruiting records (and they will not go through each membership application for the last 5 to 10 years back just for you) then when you transfer a few times throughout your career, you will finally reach a point where you'll realize that you in fact haven't recruited anyone according to records.

This is ridiculous and needs to stop. If we're going to push our recruiting campaign and we're going to expect professionalism from our recruiters, then we need to treat them like such. If NHQ has the info and the database, then why the heck not include that into the member's online record? How difficult can it be?

Instead they told me to call or visit all the units I may have recruited into over the years and have them sift through membership applications so I can compile a list of people I should be credited for.

[floridacyclist]

Not taking up for them, just offering a possible workaround. You shouldn't have to go through all the files, just the 7 that you claim you recruited. List their names, pull their records, and confirm them.

[afgeo4]

Right... that means I have to keep records of who I recruit from squadron to squadron to squadron with me. I'm not in habit of keeping tabs on people through the years, geographic locations and squadrons. As far as I'm concerned, once I've recruited them, I'm set with them unless they're in my unit. When I recruited for other squadrons, I put them in contact with those units' commanders and set up interviews. I know those unit CC's put my name in because they're honorable people. What I didn't do was keep the names of everyone I've ever spoken to or follow up with every unit in my group to see if they ended up with the member. My efforts and energy should be directed toward recruiting and recruiting programs. CAP should support me in those efforts, not tell me that for every hour I've spent recruiting I'll have to spend 8 more to make sure I get credited for the recruit. That's completely counterproductive.

I guess I thought I was a recruiter for Civil Air Patrol the organization and now I'm coming to a realization that CAP isn't equipped for that. That I should just be a recruiter for my squadron alone and tell everyone else that if they're not interested in my unit to go and find another one.

That's just sad.

[Pylon]

Do you need their names and CAPIDs for your commander to attest that you recruited that many people?  If your commander is comfortable in the knowledge that you recruited the required number of people, why do you need their names to get the appropriate CAPF 2A signed?


Really, in the end, it rolls back to the fact that as a CAP member you really need to maintain your own records of everything.  If you don't, nobody else might either.    There's no MPF pushing your paper around and tracking these things in massive spreadsheets and databases. 

[afgeo4]

If you don't have the supporting records of eligibility for an award, your next unit commander may question it.

[RiverAux]

I know I've probably recruited enough people for two of those awards, but the admin guy at my squadron who processes the paperwork always puts his CAPID number down on the form.  I'd say something about it, but I don't want him to get so mad he leaves and stop doing all the paperwork!

[Duke Dillio]

I know I've probably recruited enough people for two of those awards, but the admin guy at my squadron who processes the paperwork always puts his CAPID number down on the form.  I'd say something about it, but I don't want him to get so mad he leaves and stop doing all the paperwork!

This sounds like a fairly common practice for admin weanies officers.  I've known a couple who did that and I did question them about it.  Their response was that if that block of the application was not completed, then they felt they had every right to take the credit.  My opinion is somewhat.....different.  I have noticed however that CAP personnel officers are normally the ones to show up in a uniform looking more like a Cuban general than most of the other people I have seen.  I'm not trying to say anything bad about it, but that has been my experience.

[captrncap]

I just use SIMS to track it. The functionality is there already

[JohnKachenmeister]

This surprises me.

When that block first appeared on applications back in the 1990's, top recruiters were published in CAP News with their total number of recruits.  Once you were an "Ace" you got a little patch to wear on your BDU.  (Another BDU patch!  I'M SO happy!  How can I ever thank you?)

So, my point (without the sarcasm) is that they USED to track recruitment.  I do not know why they discontinued the practice.

[acarlson]

Not taking up for them, just offering a possible workaround. You shouldn't have to go through all the files, just the 7 that you claim you recruited. List their names, pull their records, and confirm them.

ditto.  I second that motion!

and remember... applying logic to CAP paperwork, assumes it makes sense to begin with!  CYA and keep your own records... I also have a list of the names of people I recruited... no biggie...

[afgeo4]

It's perfectly normal to keep a short list of friends, relatives, and some others that a member has recruited, but recruiting is my primary job in CAP and I go through hundreds of contacts a year. It's highly impractical for me to follow up on everyone all the time to find out what units they've joined and what their CAPID number is.

My wing is starting up a formal recruiting program and I can tell you that if National doesn't start taking this specialty seriously and supporting it with the system it already has in place, it will not succeed. I don't want them to perform miracles or create new things. They have everything in place. They should just connect the existing database so that it shows up online. That's all.

[cnitas]

I have to agree here.

I get regular inquiries on my website into CAP membership. Naturally, since it is on the web they are from various locations around the country.  I corespond and usually direct them to the National website and the unit locater. 

I have to think that some of them joined after my correspondence.  It would be awful nice if there was an automated tracking system.

[floridacyclist]

It's perfectly normal to keep a short list of friends, relatives, and some others that a member has recruited, but recruiting is my primary job in CAP and I go through hundreds of contacts a year. It's highly impractical for me to follow up on everyone all the time to find out what units they've joined and what their CAPID number is.

You don't need to list all 700, just 7. If you have that many contacts that you've brought in, it shouldn't be too hard to pull 7 out of the hat and show them to your CO. In our squadron, we don't even worry about if they show up on the initial application as long as the person can verify that you recruited them. To document it or if they lived elsewhere, I would do it via email.