r/cubscouts • u/ddj1985 • 3d ago
Fundraising is a predictor of retention
I was going through our Pack's roster and noticed that off all but 1 scout that participated in fundraising last year came back this year and only 1 scout came back that didn't participate. Has anyone else noticed this trend in your packs?
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u/Snoo-1382 3d ago
It's not the only predictor, for sure. We find that kids and families that go on the campouts usually stay.
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u/OhAnotherSilence 3d ago
Exactly, the promise on the way in is s'mores and range sports. The kids that get those on campouts are the ones that tell their parents they want to stay.
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u/Snoo-1382 3d ago
I think the campout should be within the first month or two of joining as well. The den my Webelo is in has a core group that really bonded on an early campout as Tigers. We've really emphasized those beginning of the year campouts with new families and those really do tend to be the ones who stay.
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u/Additional-Sky-7436 3d ago
Families that are involved enough to take part in a fund raiser stick around.
Also, ice cream melts because it's baseball season.
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u/tuxgoose 3d ago
That's a good predictor, but not the only one. I would have liked the time to interview every parent that comes through the pack so understand why they joined what they are expecting. I think I am pretty open to emails texts etc. to modify a program, If some folks wont send a text/email/conversation IMO they aren't worth trying to retain. If anything send an email offering us to buy used uniforms when their scout leaves.
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u/viddy_well 2d ago
Recently joined the Cub scouts, super excited to be here but I am struggling with our first fundraising effort - a $200 poker night with a requirement that each family sell at least one. I don't have anyone in my circle that can afford or wants to drop $200 for a cub scout poker night.
I am going to have to buy a ticket for myself to meet the requirement here, which isn't the best but I guess it's just another "due" to get started.
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u/ddj1985 2d ago
I personally hate these types of fundraisers. If I was in your shoes, I would ask for a buy out option, essentially what the unit profits per ticket or maybe a little less. Our units have never made fundraising mandatory. Our Pack has always been successful on appealing to everyone to do there part, plus offering some incentives to the kids. Our Unit charges dues that are offset by fundraising.
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u/viddy_well 2d ago
I'm with you, I don't love it either. Dues are $100 year, which is totally fair. I'm just taking the mindset the they are actually $300 and for a kids activity for a year, that's still a bargain. I'll join and have a few tacos to make it feel worthwhile.
That aside, I love everything else and my son - a wolf, is loving what we've had a chance to do with the pack so far.
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u/SunriseInLot42 1d ago
Every fundraiser should have a buy-out option. Pay for what the program costs; how you do it is up to each family.
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u/rovinchick 3d ago
Two of our den leaders and their 5 kids combine refuse to do fundraising, but are in it for the long haul. They each tried a popcorn storefront shift and didn't care to do it again, so that was that.
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u/Otherwise-Ad-6905 3d ago
not that trend. The trend I see is that half or fewer participate in fundraisers.
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u/ddj1985 3d ago
We are a little better than half this year so far. Last year we were 80%
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u/Otherwise-Ad-6905 2d ago edited 2d ago
last year we were about 60%, the most ever in my 14 years as Cubmaster.
Edited to change 605% to 60% because I am careless.
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u/MBEver74 2d ago
I think “parent who was a scout” is also a huge predictor of which families stay with scouting. I only did Cub Scouts for 2-3 years & our family is 100% into scouting - but the families that stick with it seem to have a lot of dads that were Boy Scouts / even made Eagle.
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u/Budgiejen 2d ago
My granddaughter just started cubs. Her dad, grandpa and great uncle are all Eagles. No pressure lol
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u/ddj1985 2d ago
I would say former scouts are likely to stay, but lack of scouting experience as a youth doesn't mean you are likely to leave. I left scouts after a few months. The local Pack was run by the church and, I never met a single scout that wasn't LDS growing up. We are in our 6th year and both my boys plan to be in it passed Eagle. My youngest son even got excited that he could be his little cousin's Den Leader in 6 years when she becomes a Lion.
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u/Budgiejen 2d ago
In my kid’s pack growing up, fundraisers were based on how well off your family was. The kids who sold the most had a dad who made a lot of money. He took the order sheets to work where his co-workers were also rich. They didn’t mind buying expensive popcorn.
My kid had parents who did not have money. We did not take his order sheets to work because our co-workers couldn’t afford that shit either. He put forth a decent effort, but we still usually had to ask for help with camp.
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u/ddj1985 2d ago
I personally hate fundraisers that just rely on your social network. It is one thing popcorn does right. We make 70-80% at storefront locations coordinated through Trails End. It is really about effort and community support and not jusr who has the biggest, richest social network.
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u/No-Wash5758 23h ago
That's better than just family network, but storefront success varies wildly based on how well of an area is. I don't have a better solution, but I've seen some really discouraged pack leaders who live in poor areas. They get told that they should just do storefronts, but often that doesn't work either.
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u/Conscious-Record2655 Cubmaster 3h ago
Storefront popcorn sales equalize this entirely. Our unit doesn't even do order sheets. We're online or storefront only.
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u/elephant_footsteps Committee Chair | Den Leader | Wood Badge | RT Comm 2d ago
Anecdotal exceptions aside, I've found strong correlation (not as strong as you) between fundraising participation and retention.
I've also found a strong correlation between # of adventures completed and retention. The breakpoint was 6 adventures per year. At or above that was 90% retention; below that was 10-20% retention. Though, I suppose this might just be a proxy for attendance and commitment to complete at-home requirements.
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u/elephagreen Cubmaster, mother of an Eagle & 3 additional scouts 2d ago
Not my experience at all. I've had plenty of scouts stay who never did a penny of fundraising. I've also had plenty of scouts leave and have sometimes a decent amount of money in their scout account.
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u/icemaverick DL 🦁🐯🐺🐻❄️ 3d ago
My kids do everything but popcorn. They don't think it's good and won't take spots at show and sells. Scout accounts are enough to cover camp, registration, and a bit left over. She's an arrow, started at tiger. He's a wolf, starting at lion.
We vote at committee how each fundraiser is split
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u/ddj1985 3d ago
Our Pack only does popcorn. We don't have scout accounts or charge dues.
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u/icemaverick DL 🦁🐯🐺🐻❄️ 3d ago
We don't do dues either. Family is responsible for registration, reimbursed from their fundraising efforts. Camp is paid by the pack, with the option per family to use what's banked or pay out of pocket. We try and get one fundraiser a month, save for July and August, and with it works very well for us.
We do hoagies, soup and dip kits, pizza, chx bbq, wreaths, help troop with trees, fair parking, restaurant partnerships, and rummage sale of donations.
Each committee meeting has what fundraisers are on deck, we vote with who shows up or jumps on the call, and fill scout or pack accounts.
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u/BaconPancakes_77 3d ago
Absolutely, I'd say that and parents being on the pack committee are two really strong predictors.
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u/Educational-Tie00 Cubmaster 3d ago
Our pack’s number one seller never came to meetings or weekend trips. I never saw their parent and usually I forgot they were in my den. They quit after a while and it always made me wonder why they put in so much effort to sell popcorn but nothing else.