The most effective recruiting occurs when professional Scouting employees, volunteer leaders, and parents all work together, share ideas, and leverage each other’s skills, insights, and resources. For professional Scouters, recruiting may be part of their job. For parents, it’s an opportunity for their kids to make new friends. And for volunteer leaders, it’s a chance to watch youth learn new skills, try new things, and discover new paths. Regardless of your role, the outcome is the same: Scouting makes the most of the limited time we have to shape the lives of America’s youth.

We’ve assembled several “playbooks” to help councils, districts, and individual packs and dens work together in a concerted effort to bring more families into Scouting. The basic recipe is simple: Councils set the vision for recruiting. Districts organize and carry out that vision. And packs and dens do what they do best: Give kids and families a “taste” of what Scouting could mean for them.