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Hello, This is the first of a series of articles that I hope will begin a discussion on the importance of good recruiting of and retaining our members. Let’s start with definitions.
Recruiting
is the process attracting and enrolling appropriate new members to restore or increase the health, vigor and intensity of an organization.
Retention
is the process of keeping members motivated, engaged and satisfied so they remain a healthy, vigorous and engaged member of an organization.
Undeniable Fact: Civil Air Patrol will not survive without a healthy organization that has the very best members that we can enroll and maintain.
CAP does a good job of getting members to sign up. But we don’t keep them.
Why?
One of the biggest factors is mis-advertising. We don’t deliver what we are selling. Let me illustrate:
A prospective member sees one of our GA-8’s at an Air Show and there are CAP people there talking about Archer and all sorts of high tech toys they use on their missions. There are lots of interested people and the members (looking sharp and Top-Gun like in their flight suits) are talking up the organization like it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.
This prospect is a pilot and is interested in joining. He is given some brochures and contact info on his local unit and is chatted up with talk of all the cool things we do like flying, ES and Archer.
He gets to the local unit and is really enthused about joining. He has been doing a lot of reading and wants to be part of this great group. So he talks to some of the guys at the unit. They are a group of seniors some in the polo shirt uniform, one is in a flight suit and one is in blues.
They engage in hangar talk and the commander talks to the prospect. He is convinced and signs up. Our new member completes level 1 and gets his golf shirt and is now lost.
After a few months of inactivity and no one willing to help him he leaves. Frustrated and he joins the local SAR group. He bad mouth’s CAP whenever he gets a chance.
Unfortunately this happens too many times all over the nation. We lost a potential asset and a potentially great member. What happened?
He was really motivated by the “CAP Version A” (high speed members in their zoom bags selling CAP Version A) he saw at the air show. He showed up at the unit. This was CAP Version F (The Flying Club) and was given the usual talk. Here is a bit of it.
Q: How much flying do you guys do?
A: Yeah sure we do some flying not as much as we like but there is some flying.
Q: How do I get qualified to fly with you and get involved? I am a multi engine rated CFII and ATP with about 1000 hours PIC. I used to fly blood flights before I moved here.
A: well you gotta talk to Charlie and there are some forms and rides that you have to do but you can’t do that until you do this and that.
Q: So do you wanna join?
There was no talk about expectations from both sides. No welcome kit was given to him. He was not greeted and no one accompanied him during the meeting.
He joined and no mentor was assigned. No one had a packet for him of expectations, standards and check lists for the various qualifications.
He got frustrated and quit because:
• There was no one there to guide him.
• No one asked him what he wanted.
• The Unit Leadership was unapproachable.
• He felt like he was not needed.
• He felt unwanted and lost in the shuffle.
This can be prevented by good leadership and by a simple process that sells CAP as it actually is.
Be prepared with welcoming materials and an escort. Ideally the Unit Recruiter, PAO or another experienced member should greet and welcome guests to the meeting and have information ready for the prospect. He chats with him, answers questions and takes him to meet with the CC or Deputy.
Be straight with the new member. Tell him what the unit and wing does what they have done and what they plan to do. Also tell him what we don’t do. If the unit is in a rebuilding mode, tell them. No squadron is perfect. Invite him to be part of the future success of the unit.
Meet with the parents and get buy-in. This is important for the new cadet. Without support of the parents a cadet will probably fail and quit.
It will cost money. CAP costs money. To join, to get uniform parts, training and more. Prospective members need to understand this.
Parents and Cadet meet with Unit CC. Parents will be putting their child in the hands of the commander and his officers for activities, meetings and more. This is the time to build trust and understanding and let the parents know that the CC has an open door policy.
Everyone understands CAP and expectations. The new member has to understand before he joins what the expectations are of new members. These should be as a minimum:
Complete Level one and CPPT
Get a 101 Card and an ROP
Get and wear a uniform correctly
Understand rules and standards of conduct in uniform.
Be and active and contributing member as the new member’s schedule allows.
The unit understands what the member wants out of CAP. The Commander and the new member’s supervisor/mentor understand what the new member wants out of his CAP experience. Be straight with him. “We do not offer primary flight training but we can help with upgrades to his rating.” Tell the member about training opportunities and help him get scheduled.
Once the new member and the unit are comfortable with each other and understands one another he is ready to join and likely to stay.
The new member stays because he is sold on the Real CAP. Not the idealized zoomie suited Version A and not the extreme of the Version F flying club.
Good recruiting leads to retention. This is a responsibility of all leaders, cadet and senior.
Part 2 of this series will deal with the orientation of Cadets and Senior Members.
Thanks and I hope that this starts some good discussions and learning
Al.
Capt Al Pabon serves as the Public Affairs and Recruiting Retention officer for Minnesota Wing. In August of 2006 He will be receiving the National PAO of the year award at the CAP National Board and Annual Conference in Reno, NV, so we suspect he knows a thing or two about this Recruiting stuff too.
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