Great Start
New members deserve a great start in CAP.
The Great Start project helps to welcome and orient prospective members by equipping them with the knowledge of what to do during their first year in CAP.
An example of a potential member's visit to a CAP squadron
John wants to volunteer in his community and thinks that CAP would fit his interests. He visits your squadron and is greeted with a warm “Hello” and introduced to Dave, who guides John through a booklet entitled “Great Start.”
After discussing the booklet with Dave, John decides to join your squadron. Dave continues to connect with John as they discuss the new member checklists on what to do during John’s first year of membership.
At the end of the first year, John is excited to proceed with his training and renews his membership. He continues to contribute back to his community through the Civil Air Patrol.
The Great Start project can help CAP squadrons to succeed
Every squadron can easily duplicate what John and Dave did in our example above. The greeter, the “Great Start” booklet, the mentor and the new member checklists are all easy-to-implement elements of the Great Start project.
The main element of this project is the “Great Start” booklet for adults, which answers frequently asked questions and details how we value the prospective member’s experiences.
Another element of this project is the new member checklists. These checklists help the new adult member in learning what to accomplish during his or her first year of membership in CAP.
The final element of this project is the “Great Start Squadron Guide.” This guide helps squadron leaders understand the Great Start project and how best to carry out this program in the squadron.
By using all three elements of the Great Start project, our new members will have a great start in CAP.
Materials
Squadron Guide (PDF, 509 Kb)
Great Start Booklet (PDF, 1.24 Mb)
A cadet version of Great Start is also now available.
Cadet Great Start Home Page
Send your written comments to:
Mark Schultz
HQ CAP/PD
105 S Hansell St
Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6332
