What have you found to be your most successful cadet recruitment?

Adult Staff Execs
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I was wondering what have other squadrons found to be there best recruitment of cadets method. You hear of some doing the whole school thing like traditionally always done but then alot saying doesnt really end up been worth it or retaining any cadets.
We are a bit more of a challenge as well as we are a very rural in a village. But we are the only current squadron in the region and its near 1.5hours to get to the next nearest squadron due to all the more local ones closing down over the years sadly.
Which we are currently going to be reopening another sqaudron in the region and are looking at doing a combined recruitment. As its basically lots of towns and villages in our area.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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2 things to do.
Be active within the local community, attend all the local fairs etc with a recruitment stall. Remember that recruitment stall needs to be informative about the Air Cadets but also be engaging. Here’s some useful notes from the Sea Cadets.

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Secondly, your cadets are your greatest asset; run regular, fun and exciting activities on parade nights and at weekends and your cadets will talk to their friends. Another good route is to build up that social element for the parents, especially setting up events where they get to see their child “in the cadet environment”; they’ll be impressed and recommend to their friends that they should encourage their kids to join.

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We built up my sqn, just by being active.

When i took over, we had 15 cadets. When i handed over command…we had 70.

Going and doing activities, and theough word of mouth we grew.

Social media is key. Currently we are on Facebook, X (Twitter) has kind of gone quiet for us and need to improve that.

Post upcoming open days or recruitment events into local FB groups.

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Make sure you have the infrastructure in place to do the recruitment to start with. Recruit cadets without it, then you’ll give them a poor experience and they won’t be retained (and that recruitment effort and training is wasted) - or worse, with leave and share their negative experiences with others.

I’d start looking with steady, sustainable growth rather than high impact mass recruitment activities. It gives a better, long term future for the squadron.

Personally, I’m a huge fan of recruit intakes. But we keep them relatively small - 8 cadets per intake. They then travel through their cadet life together. We also run a waiting list - don’t be afraid of doing this. If you get an inquiry, do invite parents/potential cadets down for the evening for a tour - but make sure you have the capacity to impress them on that evening - then they won’t mind a 2 month wait until the next intake session. Keep them engaged whilst waiting with positive communications.

Work with the communities around you. Schools, parish/town/village councils. Local RBL or armed forces charities. Get yourself out to community events. Work with Commonwealth War graves and your local churches to do some maintenance/restoration activities. Get the squadron known as a reliable, helpful and switched on you group through the community channels - build it to be the youth club or choice by reputation - that REALLY helps with engagement.

Utilise social media - but know and target audiences appropriately. Future cadets won’t be using Facebook - but their parents/grand parents will. Use cadets themselves as your ambassadors - get them to tell their stories. There will be loads of things that you’re doing which can be used to showcase the squadron, and champion your successes - promotions, progressive training badges, “cadet goes gliding”, weekend camps, AT, DofE success, “cadet secures place on prestigious camp”, “cadets get up close with RAF at RIAT” etc.

Use schools - but not necessarily for assemblies exclusively and in isolation. Instead, invite down the Head of Year 8 or 9, Pastoral Managers or Careers Leaders for your local secondary schools (details will be on the school websites) - give them a tour and showcase your squadron; they can be an excellent conduit to getting young people engaged in positive activities outside of school too.

Get yourself listed in local directories. Your Council’s “local offer”, any “what’s on” type magazines, Parish newsletters etc. they are largely free, but another way to get the message out there.

You could also try exploiting your alumni network (if you have one! If you haven’t, start building one with an Open Day for ex-cadets and get the word out (it makes for a really good PR activity anyway). Reengage them as potential ambassadors, use their stories (if they are willing to share!) to help reinforce the good stuff your squadron does, but also as an extension of the squadron - see if they’d be willing to rejoin the CivCom or - even better - potential staff! BUT they will also be able to spread the good word and get the squadron name out.

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Be active in the community and be present on social media.

Cadets will come through the door.

Reach out to your local RAFA, and RBLs - see if there’s anything that you can support that may have been forgotten about over the years (like a local memorial that only a handful of people turn up to)

Post on social media about your day to day and not just the big events, and qualifications.

Spcifically for us havinb Intakes helped recruitment and retention. As in the lead up to it yoi can add on a “our next intake is” and once they are in its much easier to focus their training prgram and they tend to bring a friend with them.

And my final bit of advise which may seem backwarxs is dont over do the recruitment because it can have the opposite affect. You want your social medias to read by activities - you want to join us because its fun, and not We need you because otherwise we’re screwed

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This!
I see so many posts, especially aimed at CFAVs which basically says if you don’t join we’re going to close, no one wants to join a sinking ship. Much better to say we’re a growing Sqn and need more CFAVs to support.

The main points have all been covered with lots of good advice from past experience. One thing to add that I also see quite a bit, no matter how many Cadets attend, you run that activity. It’s really easy to think I won’t bother only two turned up but if you cancel then those two won’t turn up next week, yes it can be disheartening when numbers are low but keep going, those two go to School and tell their mates how much they enjoyed it and suddenly two becomes four…

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I wish my old Squadron(s) did this. Since leaving I’ve had absolutely no contact except when handing over charitable donations from my lodge.

Felt like a lost opportunity not to invite the lodge for an open evening - potentially get some volunteers even.

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Broadcast your success and activities on social and other media. In my experience success breeds success. People want to be associated with successful organisations be it cadets or staff. Word of mouth from your successful cadets could be your best tool.

Parents want their kids involved in positive activities so will support this.

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Considering websites weren’t really a thing when I was in, it stands to reason that word of mouth remains the strongest. Normally, new cadets had a link to either current cadets or family links to staff.

If they didn’t, those that followed would be likely to know that new cadet.

Every time you get a new expression of interest, I’d direct them to something punchy like a video or website (if they came to you via another method) and ask them to share news with family and friends.

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Firstly I wouldn’t worry about retention/dropouts. Our Squadron is in an active youth area with plenty of recruitment areas but still have 10-20% drop out from each intake within the first few weeks and after a year around 50%. Either RAFAC is for them or it isn’t. I would speak with your current cadets and ask them how they discovered the organisation. Although not always a guarantee you will have a local RAFA, finding a local church that you can arrange a Battle of Britain parade can help as although getting out on Remembrance Sunday helps your profile, you are “competing” with other organisations for attention. A well organised church service and or parade for Battle of Britain doesn’t have any other organisations competing

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