Phone Call To Schools - Recruiting.

[exFlight Officer]

Hello all,

My squadron is currently needing desperately a recruiting drive. Our main drive will be for the cadet program.
I have been tasked to call local schools in the area and ask to set up a recruiting table during lunch. My question is: How do I present CAP as a school friendly organization which can have a great impact on a young students life?  This question might seem silly but I would like a general consensus of your thoughts.

Thanks much!

[Pylon]

These publications were aimed at specifically explaining CAP and its benefits to those types of audiences:

http://www.capmembers.com/media/cms/Todays_Cadets_2010__low_res_web_onl_297907C4A93CC.pdf

http://www.roanokesquadron.com/downloads/Investing_in_Americas_Youth.pdf

http://www.capmembers.com/cadet_programs/cadets_at_school/

http://www.capmembers.com/media/cms/Cadets_At_School_final_proof_FD78043966C5E.pdf

http://www.capmembers.com/media/cms/CopyofHomeschooledCadets_3C5DE2D95B_94FBCCA84E95D.pdf

[NIN]

Also if you have cadets in a specific school, work with them to spearhead a recruiting effort. . If you have HS students see if they can set something up at their old middle school.  My experience is that schools are a little more receptive when its is current students or students known to them doing the requesting for this.

[exFlight Officer]

Thank You Pylon! This information will be put to use in information packets to school administrators. Are the "America's Youth" packets available for order on eServices any more? I only have access to the recruiting tab in the Material Orders section but from what I can see, the answer would be no?.  If not, I could print the packets or go to an office store to have them printed (depending on price).

NIN:
Most of our problem revolves around only having two active cadets in the squadron. Many on our roster..but only two active cadets. One of the two is new to the program, while the other is a long time cadet who is about to graduate and go to college. Forgive any grammar mistakes. This history buff did not pay attention much in grammar class. The few seniors we have left are trying to resurrect our squadron. So far we are at the beginning stages in the recruiting drive.

[Pylon]

Flight Officer, I would email NHQ about hard copies.  They used to be available, and the Today's Cadets publication is fairly new (printed in 2010 or 2011).

[High Speed Low Drag]

 Tips for “Cold” recruiting at  Middle Schools:

I currently work at a middle school as the Aerospace Instructor.  However, before I went to work for the district, when I was a Deputy Commander, Cadets, we did cold recruiting at area middle schools.  Here are some tips I’ve learned from being on both sides of the fence (and influenced by Great Start).

1.  Find out when your state’s standardized testing is (should be sometime in April).  You do NOT want to try and do ANY recruiting between the beginning of March until after the tests.  Schools are very, very jealous of the time (yes, even during lunch) during this period.  Instead, schedule the recruiting event  before or after this testing window (Don’t forget that some of your cadets may be busy at school preparing at the same time as well, you do not want to distract them).  However you can make initial contact with the school during this time frame up to two-weeks before before the tests.   Consider the two weeks before the tests as a “black-out” time for schools.

2.  When you contact the school, do not ask to speak with the principal or assistant / vice principals.  They are an unbelievably busy group of folks that you’ll be lucky to call you back in a week and will still pass you off to a subordinate . (Most APs / VPs handle discipline, so they aren’t really your best bet.)  Do call and ask to speak to either the Drop-out Prevention (or similar) person OR (if they do not have  a drop-out prevention person) the Lead Counselor.  They will still need the official permission of the principal, but they can get that in a 5 minute conversation or an email and the principal will appreciate the less demand on their time.  Upon contact, ask for a 30-minute time that you can come in and talk to them about what CAP is and how it can help their students.

3.  IN THE MEAN TIME - look at your recruiting materials.  The list that Pylon gave you is awesome to go sell the school on letting you recruit, but you also need to develop materials to sell the kids.  Ultimately, if you don’t sell the kids, your efforts are for naught.  Suggestions:
A: Develop a nice-looking display board that you can put pictures of your current and past cadets doing things.  (You can get a display board at an office supply store pretty cheap (think science-fair type board))  WHY:  Because you may not set up in  a place where you have power / space/ ability to run computer advertising.  Also, you have only 10 seconds to grab a kids attention.  If they see all the photos as once, they can home in on something they may like as opposed to have to wait for a picture to show up on a computer screen.  Also, it generates interest in your booth to have this big display board.
B: Have your cadets develop brochure ideas and then make a nice three-fold brochure from their ideas.    WHY:  The national brochure is nice, but generic - and the kids know this.  (I’ve been told by my own kids).  Make a brochure that is specific for your squadron, telling about your squadron, and showing pictures of your squadron doing things and When & Where the Open House is.  (You can duplicate photos from display board)  Design it to be in Black & White so you can copy it (lowers cost) and you can get them folded at a local copy shop (mine costs 3 cents a sheet to fold).  If you have parent / SM volunteers to do the copying, then you can produce your customized brochure for literally pennies.  ** Be sure to put on the front cover “Brochure inspired by CADET Snuffy**
C:  Develop your Open House plan.  Develop your Cadet Training Plan.  It is all well and good to recruit, but if you don’t do something with them, they will just as quickly leave and then you have unhappy customers to deal with at your next recruiting drive   Remember - kid (cadet) word-of-mouth is your best tool or worst nightmare.  Cherish your recruits and be sure you have at least 4 months of activities scheduled for them.  In actuality - that will be your best recruiting - the new recruits going back to school and saying “Dude, you should have joined CAP with me.  We’re doing ___ and ____ and ____.”

4.  When you go in to your meeting, take copies of the appropriate list of material Pylon gave - sell CAP to the school rep.  Having researched the school before-hand, you know their strengths (and magnet theme if they have one) and their values/culture.  Show how CAP fits that school’s values (and all schools have different values).  Ask for a display table at lunch time or other such venue. (Try not to present at an assembly - they are used to seeing adults talk and will tune you out quicker than turning off a TV).

5.  The day of the event, take a cadet with you (two if you can, one in BDUs, one in Blues).  Kids talk best to kids (Think about it - do you talk best with your peers or non-peers).  The diversity of cadets will help kids be able to pictures themselves in a uniform (whichever one appeals to them most).  Your job (if the cadets come) should be to monitor and help out the cadets - take up the slack when it looks like they are talking to a serious candidate or help break them away from a kid that only wants attention.  Hand out your squadron brochures to every single kid that walks up to your table.  Hand out the National Brochures to those that seem REALLY interested.  I do NOT recommend setting out a sign-in sheet.  1) takes to long for kids to fill it out 2) the kids think that they are “signed up” just be signing that.  Don’t worry about getting a contact list for everybody, only your serious ones.  Then get a name, a parent name, and a phone number (email if you can).  If your cadets think they have a serious one, have them bring the kids to you so you can get contact info - that breaks them off to go talk to other kids and you can asses the viability of the candidate. 

6. After the event (within the next day or two), contact the parents on your contact list.  If the kids was serious enough to sign the list, then contact their parents.  Chances are they went home that night all excited, showed their parents the stuff, and the parents offered up reasons why the kid should not join / go to the open house (or why the parents are too busy to take them).  A lot of that is based on ignorance of the program and a lot on misconceptions.  Talk with the parents, get to know about the kids, and then offer reasons why the parent should bring the kids to open house because CAP will be good for them.  If you get the parents on board, they become your at-home allies, motivating the kid to come to CAP for open house and later on even on the bad days when the kids doesn’t want to go to a meeting because of XYZ.

7.  Have an awesome Open House.  Don’t bore them with sitting in a chair, do a short presentation (but cover the basics of the Cadet program - ranks, etc) and then have an easy activity (as suggested by Great Start or do an easy Aerospace Activity) for the existing  cadets to do with the recruits.  (Again, have the cadets teach the recruits).  This now gives you time to have “adult talk” with the parents.  Have a separate presentation for them discussing the realities of the program, opportunities, obligations, etc, etc.  This is your best chance to get the parents on board because no matter how well you sell the program to the recruits, you gotta sell the parents or you don’t have a committed cadet.

I know this was a long post, but I hope that it helped you prepare for your recruiting. Feel free to contact me if you want some more in-depth help.

[Майор Хаткевич]

That post is excellent.