Imagine you’re a parent in a family with no Scouting experience.

You see a flier for the local pack, inviting anyone who’s interested to visit their next pack meeting on Monday night. Fun — and snacks! — are on the agenda.

When you show up, everyone is in uniform. You see lots of adults in tan shirts, assuming most are paid professionals. You think, “wow, there’s a lot of staff here tonight.”

Everyone knows exactly what to say and the right way to raise two fingers aloft in what you later learn is called “the Cub Scout sign.”

The meeting looks fun, but you can’t help but feel a little overwhelmed by it all. That’s when someone hands you a registration form.

Ashley Steigerwald spends a lot of time thinking about moments like these. She is an expert on recruiting families into Scouting with a low-stress formula that works.