# Presentation: 183539

## On-line presentation in the TRAINING LEADERS of CADETS curriculum 
“Strategic Perspective” Block    Lesson S2

**“****Strategic Perspective” Block  **  **Lesson S2**

**Electronic Almanac****Demographics About Cadets & The Cadet Program**

## Overview & objectives

- Summarize key demographicsabout cadets and the Cadet Program.
- Compare your squadron’s statistics with national averages to gain a more complete perspective aboutyour unit.
- Statistics are current as of June 2005.  Some data have been rounded.

## Cadet demographics at a glance

**Cadets**
- Median age		15.2
- Gender ratio		82% male; 18% female
**The Cadet Program**
- Total cadet membership	24,000
- Retention rate		35% first year;  50% overall
- Number of cadet units	858 nation-wide, including 5 overseas units
- School Program units	47
- Average unit size		27 cadets

## Recruiting

- As illustrated by this graph, as senior member recruiting ebbs and flows, so do the cadets. Having a number of dedicated senior members to mentor cadets is an essential ingredient to a healthy squadron.
- Historically, the best time to recruit cadets is in fall, as students go back to school.

## Retention

- The retention rate – the percentage of cadets and seniors who renew their membership each year – is a key factor in CAP’s overall membership strength. As you will learn in other TLC seminars, the two most important keys to cadet retention are strong adult leadership and challenging activities.

## Total CAP membership

- Although CAP’s total membership has seen some peaks and troughs over the years, when viewed from a 30-year perspective, membership has remained relatively constant, with approximately 25,000 cadets and 60,000 total members.

## Cadet ages

- The median age for cadets is 15.2 years, and the bulk of CAP’s cadets are between the 7th and 11th grades at school.
- Nevertheless, it is very common for squadrons to have a “one room schoolhouse” consisting of early-adolescents and college-age cadets.

## Cadet milestone awards

- Since the Wright Brothers Award was created in 2003, 13% of cadets have qualified for it by completing Phase I.
- That statistic underlines the importance of getting new cadets off to a good start in CAP, and the importance of squadrons having strong adult leaders and mentoring programs.

## Ten largest cadet units

- s	Sheldon Cadet 			Texas		247 cadets
-  	Tuskegee Airman Cadet 		National Capital	202
- 	Andrews Composite		National Capital	137
- s 	Dent Middle School Cadet		South Carolina	  82
- 	Deer Valley Composite		Arizona		  79
- s 	Sierra Middle School Cadet 	New Mexico	  78
- 	Suffolk Cadet			New York		  78
- 	Nellis Cadet			Nevada		  77
- 	Coral Springs Cadet		Florida		  73
- 	Bethesda-Chevy Chase Composite	Maryland		  73
- The CAP School Program is growing. Some of the largest cadet units are School Program Squadrons.  98% of cadet units have fewer than 50 cadets.
- s 	Denotes CAP School Program squadron

## FY 05 corporate budget

- Income

- Expenses

**Senior Dues****$1,135,295**
**52 ****¢**

**Cadet Dues****$613,925**
**28 ****¢**

**Other****$427,582**
**20 ****¢**

**CP****$426,362**
**20¢**

**ES****$116,287****5¢**

**AE****$28,000****1¢**

**Support****$1,606,153**
**74¢**

- $2,176,802 Total annual budget
- “Corporate” funds are derived from member dues & donations, not tax dollars.

## FY 05 corporate budget

**CP, ES, AE****Missions****26¢**

**PA****$301,000****14¢**

**NEC**** Travel/Admin****$298,000****14¢**

**XP****$249,650****12¢**

**FM****$180,804****8¢**

**Strat. Partnerships****$105,000****5¢**

**4¢ Senior Member Packets****3¢ EX Misc.****2¢ IT****2¢ GC****2¢ Member Services****2¢ PD****1¢ LG**** 1¢ EAA/Hawk Facilitates**
**1¢ Advanced Tech**
**1¢ Contingency****1¢ Chaplain****1¢ Insurance ****0.6¢ Safety**

- Support

- $2,176,802 Total annual budget
- “Corporate” funds are derived from member dues & donations, not tax dollars.

**Notes:**
Glossary of Abbreviations:
EX Misc.:   CAP Executive Director
IT:  Information Technology
GC:  General Counsel (legal)
PD:  Professional Development
LG:  Logistics (ie: supply, transportation, aircraft maintenance)
EAA / Hawk Facilities:  CAP training centers in Oshkosh WI, and Hamburg PA
Advanced Technologies: (see the webpage at www.cap.gov)
FM:  Financial Management
XP:  Strategic Communications and Plans
NEC:  National Executive Committee
CP:  Cadet Programs
ES:  Emergency Services
AE:  Aerospace Education

## FY 05 appropriated budget

- Income

**Procurement****$4,086,800****15%**

**O & M****$21,722,000****82%**

- Expenses

**CP****$1,372,500****5¢**

**ES****$4,040,142****15¢**

**AE**** 0¢**

**Support****$21,090,200****80¢**

- $26,502,842 Total annual budget
- “Appropriated” funds are derived from tax dollars, not member dues.

**Notes:**
Glossary of Abbreviations
O&M:  Operations and Maintenance
CP:  Cadet Programs
AE:  Aerospace Education
ES:  Emergency Services

## FY 05 appropriated budget

- Support

**Salaries/Benefits****$8,967,669**** 34¢**

**Missions****$5,412,642**** 20¢**

**Maintenance****$2,775,067****10¢**

**Procurement****$4,086,800****15¢**

**3¢ Connectivity**
**2¢ Travel**
**2¢ Office**
**2¢ IMS**
**2¢ Equipment**
**2¢ Services**
**1¢ Comm.**
**1¢ Other**

**Insurance****$1,560,000****6¢**

- $26,502,842 Total annual budget
- “Appropriated” funds are derived from tax dollars, not member dues.

## Other funds

- Grants    		$478,000 last year
- State Funding 	$2,845,878 last year
- Partnerships 	$210,000 last year
- 	  $90,000 cash
- 	$110,000 inventory

**Partnerships**

**State Funding**

**Grants**

## Conclusions

- Recruiting seniors is  just as important as recruiting cadets. Cadets need leaders, and as more adults join, more cadets do as well.
- Every squadron can grow by improving cadet retention.
- The Cadet Program strongly appeals to the 13-16 year old age group. Squadrons should target students in the 8th and 9th grades during recruiting drives.
- CAP needs to do a better job at getting new cadets off to a good start and through Phase I. Strong adult leadership and effective mentoring programs are key.
- CAP is a non-profit that draws its financial resources from members, governments, and the aerospace community. Squadrons should look for partners in their community to help support local projects.
*What other conclusions can you draw from the data?  Discuss your ideas at TLC.*