Promoting Spring Registration

On the subject of making it easier to grow, we've done something a little bit different with our registration instructions for groups in Chinook this year - we made it look like a section plan.

The first bit is an annual cycle for group committees done in the clock face format.

The second is a 6-month plan done as a checklist for all the tasks that go with registration. All that groups need to do is assign someone to take care of each task, and decide what day they are going to start on.

You'll notice that there's a strong emphasis on spring registration - in this council 60% of our members register for next year by the end of the summer. We'd like to see that percentage increase.

After that comes all the dry instructions and FAQ.

The file is too large to attach to the post - it's available to view/download from http://chinook.scouts.ca/-upload/pdf/regroundup/regroundup09-1.pdf

Anyone have any thoughts?

When I was running the Troop in Bancroft, we also did very well with spring registration. It was a bit of a hard sell at first, but we used a couple of incentives; our spring registration was held in conjunction with our end of the year BBQ, and we held a draw for a full refund of the next year's membership fee for anyone who singed up at the BBQ. Also, people who signed up in the spring got to pay in installments...first half (non-refundable) paid in May, second half in September.

Spring registration achieved two things...first, it resulted in almost 100% membership retention between sections (which was also the result of bringing the kids up in April instead of waiting until June), and it also allowed me to get in two camps in September, while most other troops in our area weren't getting out at all until mid-October.

My Council also holds a "spring" registration ending in June. We offer a $15 discount on the Council portion of the registration fee to encourage registration. This has a few benefits including helping Groups plan staffing levels and on the Council's liquidity.

Chris: I like that you've brought all the steps together so that folks don't have to go hunting for it. I have to say though that my first reaction to an 11 page document including a 3 page check list is that it's kinda daunting for volunteers with full time day jobs, kids, etc. I wonder if this couldn't be broken into phases and pared down.

For example: There are 3 registration periods per year; spring, fall and the special case of FriendFest. Each registration period has 3 phases (with some overlap in time):
- awareness and advertising
- collection
- submission & follow up
Each of the phases needs a plan or has a procedure. Procedures (e.g. submission) just need to be pointed at (documentation). There should be a short list of items to consider when making a plan (e.g. signage for awareness and advertising).

Knowing that each registration period is similar, I only need to deal with one at a time and my focus is on the phase that I'm in. I can concentrate on the short list for the phase rather than the whole list for the year.