Exploring Express
A Method for Organizing New Explorer Posts and Clubs
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Table of Contents
Overview ........................................................................................................................ 2
Exploring Express Campaign Checklist ........................................................................ 4
Staff Training Agenda .................................................................................................... 5
Committee Training Agenda .......................................................................................... 6
Prospect Prole Worksheet ........................................................................................... 7
New Program Tracking Sheet ........................................................................................ 8
Items to Take on a Sales Call ........................................................................................ 9
Frequently Asked Questions by CEOs and School Administrators ............................ 10
All-in-One Program Planning Meeting Agenda ........................................................... 11
Sample Open House Agenda ...................................................................................... 12
Photo Credits
Shutterstock.com, courtesy—front cover (©Oleksiy Mark/Shutterstock)
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Overview
Climb aboard and take a ride on the Exploring Express. The experiences provided through Exploring will
engage the members in career orientation activities. You will be offering new programs that may shape the
future careers of hundreds of youth across the United States. So join us, take a seat, and enjoy the ride.
What Is It?
The Exploring Express Campaign is a plan specically designed to organize new Explorer posts and clubs
that involve community resources. The purpose behind the campaign centers on the following:
• Researching the career interests of the students
• Identifying prospective community organizations
• Involving volunteers in the process
• Organizing new posts and clubs
• Cultivating relationships in the community
• Reinforcing the message of Exploring
What Are the Benets?
• Employees and volunteers receive sales call training.
• New posts and clubs are added, involving more youth.
• Exploring becomes part of the council’s strategic plan.
What Should Your Council Do?
• Agree to conduct the Exploring Express Campaign day.
• Set dates for the campaign with your area director.
• Contact the National Alliances Team to request specic national support.
• Decide which communities and organizations to contact.
• Involve the volunteers who will participate in making sales calls.
• Set training dates for staff and new volunteer organizers.
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Summary
This council-generated campaign is focused on researching the career interests of students, identifying
participating organizations, and recruiting volunteers for the sales calls.
How Does It Work?
• The Exploring Express Campaign begins with staff training.
• A special training session is conducted for volunteers.
• Appointments with post and club prospects are conducted. All professional staff, including
management, and volunteers are involved in making the sales calls.
• Volunteers and council staff report back after all of their visits.
National Support
The National Exploring Team will support each council through the following:
• Sign-up sheets
• Sample training agendas
• Sample invitation letters
• Promotional iers and posters
• Marketing brochures/new Exploring sales kits
• Training of staff and volunteers
• Ride-alongs with national staff
• Coaching
• Webinars
Requirements
• Turn in Exploring Express Campaign sign-up sheets to council ofce.
• Turn in Reporting Progress sheets to council ofce.
Criteria
• Every team (professional and volunteer) makes a minimum of 10 calls and organizes four posts and/or
clubs during the campaign.
• Turn in completion sheet 60 days after the campaign occurs, prior to December 31, 2016.
Recognition
• National Exploring Express Recognition Certicate
• Recognition on national Exploring website
For more information, go to www.exploringexplosion.org.
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Exploring Express Campaign Checklist
£ Council management agrees to conduct campaign
£ Scout executive contacts regional/national representatives to schedule Exploring Express
£ Staff orientation
£ New program organizers are recruited
£ New program prospects are identied
£ New program organizers are invited to committee training
£ Mentor/manager assigned to each team
£ New program appointments are scheduled
£ Materials are prepared for trainings
£ Results from Career Interest Surveys
£ Committee training (same day as staff training)
£ Campaign day and report meeting
£ Thank you letters to committee members and executive ofcers
£ Staff/committee follow-up
£ All-in-One Program Planning Meeting with all newly committed organizations
£ Open house
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Staff Training Agenda
(2 hours; suggested items: A/V equipment, laptops, Wi-Fi)
A. Opening Remarks and Introductions Exploring Chair
B. Exploring Overview Exploring Chair
• Twelve career elds
• Five program emphases
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Adult leadership
• Youth participation
C. Four Phases of Organizing a Post or Club Professional Staff Member
• Research
• Leadership
• Program
• Participation
D. Exploring Express Review Exploring Express Chair
• Campaign review
• Career Interest Surveys
• Timeline
• Coordinating appointments with volunteers
• Progress reports
E. Review CEO Questions Professional Staff Member
• Role-play sales call
F. Questions Exploring Express Chair
G. Closing Remarks Exploring Chair
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Committee Training Agenda
(2 hours; suggested items: A/V equipment, laptops, Wi-Fi)
A. Opening Remarks and Introductions Exploring Chair
B. Exploring Overview Exploring Chair
• Twelve career elds
• Five program emphases
• Memorandum of Understanding
• Adult leadership
• Youth participation
C. Four Phases of Organizing a Post or Club Professional Staff Member
• Research
• Leadership
• Program
• Participation
D. Exploring Express Review Exploring Express Chair
• Campaign review
• Career Interest Surveys
• Timeline
• Coordinating appointments with volunteers
• Progress reports
E. Review CEO Questions Professional Staff Member
• Role-play sales call
F. Strategy Break-out Sessions District Teams
• Review timeline
• Review Career Interest Survey results (if available)
• Start to develop prospect list
G. Questions Exploring Express Chair
H. Closing Remarks Exploring Chair
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Prospect Prole Worksheet
1. Organization:
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________________________________
Phone: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Email: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Website: __________________________________________________________________________________
Has the organization had an Explorer post or club within the past ve years? _______ Yes _______ No
Within the past 10 years? ________ Yes ________ No
2. Chief executive ofcer/president:
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________________
Title: ______________________________________________________________________________________
Exploring background: ______________________________________________________________________
Personal interests: _________________________________________________________________________
3. Members with Exploring background:
Name: _________________________________________________ Phone No.: _______________________
Name: _________________________________________________ Phone No.: _______________________
Name: _________________________________________________ Phone No.: _______________________
4. Other similar organizations that are participating organizations:
Name: _______________________________________ Chief executive ofcer: _______________________
Name: _______________________________________ Chief executive ofcer: _______________________
Name: _______________________________________ Chief executive ofcer: _______________________
5. Total available Exploring–age youth: Posts _____________________ Clubs _______________________
6. Organization’s career objectives: ___________________________________________________________
7. Community/youth outreach objectives: _____________________________________________________
8. Other information: _________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
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New Program Tracking Sheet
District _______________________________
Council _______________________________
Participating Organization Post or Club Organizer
Dates Completed
1 2 3 4
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Items to Take on a Sales Call
1. Community leader/volunteer
• Leverage connections, relationships, and credibility
2. Exploring Sales Kit, No. 800-420/SKU 622999
3. “Prepared especially for __________________________” cover page
• Templates for each career eld found on LFL internal website: Exploring > Marketing > Making a
Sales Call
• Download and customize for your prospect’s name and organization
4. Promotional insert (by career eld)
• Available from the National Distribution Center
5. Summary career interest data
• Downloaded locally from Student Career Interest Survey Report Generator OR collected from
schools’ own surveys or database
• Best choice is Individual Career Field Summary (provides numbers of students interested in careers
in each specic career eld)
• Second best choice is Career Summary by Council for all careers (provides top career interests
from all career elds)
6. Exploring Memorandum of Understanding
• Found on LFL internal website: Exploring > Forms > New Posts, Clubs, Renewals, Applications
7. Career Opportunities Worksheet
• Found on LFL internal website: Exploring > Services > How to Start a Post
• Provides program ideas
8. Adult application
• To make prospects aware that criminal background checks are required of adults
• Adult application: No. 524-010
9. Business card
• So they know how to contact you
Description No. Description No.
Arts and Humanities 800-461 Health 800-312
Aviation 800-443 Law Enforcement 800-700
Business 800-463 Law, Government, and Public Service 800-426
Communications 800-460 Science 800-493
Engineering 800-993 Skilled Trades 800-703
Fire/Emergency Service 800-701 Social Services 800-462
General Explorer 800-992 General Explorer (Spanish) 800-034
Middle School Explorer Clubs 800-046
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Frequently Asked Questions by CEOs
and School Administrators
1. How many adults?
For posts, at least four adults, but seven or eight is better because people have business travel, work
projects, sick children, … and many hands make light work. That makes sense to you, right? (Get the CEO to
verbally agree—now it becomes his or her idea.)
For clubs, at least two adults, but ve or six is better.
2. How much time?
Most posts meet once or twice a month for an hour, hour and a half, or two hours—whatever works for your
company or your school. Most clubs meet once a month.
3. How much money?
There is a $40 general liability insurance fee annually for the post or club, plus $24 per youth and adult, but
you may consider charging slightly more for snacks, postage, activities, etc.
Also consider the cost of equipment and gear. Keep in mind that the participants can help offset the cost of
equipment through membership fees set by you and through fundraising efforts.
The council has structured fundraising events every year that you can take advantage of rather than having to
organize your own fundraisers.
4. How many kids?
Most posts and clubs have around 25 to 35 youth, but how many would your company like to work with?
(If talking to a re chief, scale down to 12 to 15 because they are immediately thinking of how many sets of
$1,000 “bunker gear” they need, and 25 to 35 may scare them.)
Whatever number the CEO/school administrator answers with, respond: Is that how many registered or how
many showing up at every meeting? They will not all be here every time because of homework, part-time jobs,
etc. So how many would you like at every meeting?
Whatever number the CEO answers for attending every meeting, they will want to have eight to 10 more
registered to allow for those who will not always attend.
5. What would we do?
The magic is in providing hands-on activities so Explorers know what it means to be a (insert career). For
example, they might learn (give three to four examples for that career eld from the Career Opportunities
Worksheet). They can read books and watch videos, but where else but here can they get hands-on
experience? Keep it simple. We have techniques to help develop activities.
Clubs also have access to the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth- grade career education curriculum books with
dozens of lesson plans in each guidebook. This is free of charge to the participating organization. Lesson
plans meet state education standards and can be used to supplement the interactive activities of the Explorer
Club program.
6. What’s the next step?
This is a “buying” question. It indicates that the CEO/school administrator has received satisfactory answers to
the previous questions and is interested in progressing.
The rst thing we need to do is brief your key management staff at an All-in-One Program Planning Meeting.
At the meeting, we will explain how Exploring helps young people, complete paperwork and training, and plan
your rst program calendar. Could we schedule that for some time in the next two to three weeks?
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All-in-One Program Planning Meeting
This meeting is led by the Exploring executive and/or committee member and is scheduled for one of two
reasons: to get a new post or club up and running or to restart a lagging post or club. (Refer to the Exploring
Express Campaign Checklist.) Allow two to three hours for this meeting and be sure ALL post or club
committee members (past and potential) are present.
Agenda Item Form/Resource Time Notes
Welcome and introductions Allow everyone to
introduce themselves.
5 min Ask for volunteer to act as
secretary and take minutes.
Complete forms with signatures
AND position codes.
MOU
Application for Participation
(new posts and clubs)
Adult applications
Form 28-573 (background
check exemption)
Training log for registrar
10 min Prell forms as much as
you can to save time.
Training:
Review MyParticipation.org
Youth Protection training
for Exploring
Basic adult leader training
Internet access, computer,
projector, screen, training DVD
(or online)
45 min Ask for questions after
each training session.
Review JTE Post/Club
Scorecard and Career
Achievement Award.
Form available from MyBSA >
Resources > LFL > Exploring >
Program > Awards
10 min Make enough copies
for everyone!
Brainstorm for interactive
hands-on activities that can
be done with middle and
high schoolers.
Marker board or easel pad
of paper, markers, Career
Opportunities Worksheet, Career
Achievement Award
15-20
min
Write down ALL ideas. List
at least 20 activities.
Select the best four or ve
activities to be facilitated at the
open house.
Exploring Guidebook, chapter 3 5 min Conduct short versions
of these activities in
round-robin–style at the
open house.
Enter the best activities
from the list into the post or
club calendar.
Blank sample calendars 15 min Select activities from
Career Opportunities
Worksheet, brainstorming
exercise, and Career
Achievement Award.
Delegate action items to
all attendees and assign
committee positions.
Exploring Guidebook, chapter 3 15 min For open house: Mail
invitation letters and make
invitation phone calls;
gather snacks, materials for
activities, clean copies of
calendar to hand out.
Closing Remind group members that they’ve created a solid plan that will make
a positive impact and prepare youth for their future as well as ours. The
hard part is over—just follow the plan! Offer your support and contact
information (or that of the service team) to the committee members.
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Sample Open House Agenda
1. Greeters (15 minutes) prior to meeting start)
Greet the young people at the door. Welcome them, hand out
nametags and program outline, and complete sign-in roster.
Post/Club Committee
2. Introduction and Welcome (3 minutes)
The post Advisor/club Sponsor starts the meeting with a welcome,
and all members of the adult leadership team introduce themselves.
Post Advisor/Club Sponsor
3. Greetings From the Host (7 minutes)
The executive ofcer of the participating organization gives the group
a brief background on the organization’s interest in organizing an
Exploring program and the organization’s commitment to this post or
club. This brief talk should be motivational in tone. Be sure to discuss
the correct use of Exploring language with this person beforehand so
that he or she feels comfortable and appears knowledgeable.
Executive Ofcer of
Participating Organization
4. Icebreaker (10 minutes)
Conduct an exercise that will help stimulate the participants to
speak more freely by requiring everyone to talk for a few minutes.
Activities such as the Interview game or Famous Person ID game
will help to break the ice.
Post Advisor/Club Sponsor
5. Description of Exploring and Purpose of Explorer Post or Club
(7 minutes)
Consider creative ways to explain the meaning of Exploring.
For a new program, you could have a president from an existing
post or club introduce Exploring.
Youth Representative
6. Description of Upcoming Program of Activities (3 minutes)
Distribute copies of your planned program, with dates and times, for
the rst three months of the post’s or club’s year. During this part of the
meeting, you should explain the election of youth ofcers and
their responsibility to lead the program of this Explorer post or club.
Associate Advisor of
Program/Club Sponsor
7. Hands‐On Activity (30‐40 minutes)
Design a hands-on activity that each prospective member can
participate in. This should be a new experience and one of the
most fun activities planned for the post’s or club’s rst three months.
Post/Club Committee
8. Participation Process (5 minutes)
Explain the participation process. Explain that the national participation
fee includes liability insurance and activities, awards, and scholarships
supported by Learning for Life. Display copies of Exploring literature.
Associate Advisor of
Administration/
Associate Sponsor
9. Invitation to Join (20 minutes)
Serve refreshments. Collect participation fees from those ready to
join, and mark the sign-in roster “paid.” Ask others to have their
fees ready by the second meeting, and mark their names “not paid.”
Post/Club Committee
10. Closing Comments (5 minutes)
Give a brief, motivational send-off. Be sure everyone knows the
date, time, location, and program for the next meeting
.
Post Advisor/Club Sponsor
800-061
2015 Printing
