In Part I, we looked at the Annual Retention statistics for senior members in Group Five. Statistics show both national and wing rates have been steadily falling over the past couple of years. The question is whether or not Group Five is experiencing a similar trend.

We discovered that the average retention rate for senior members was 85% in Group 5 as compared to 65% in Florida Wing, and 64% nation-wide. While this news is encouraging, there is still a shrinkage in the total number of Group Five membership that has not been explained. In Part II of this series we look at the Annual Retention Rate for cadet members.

I contacted Marie Vogt, Chief of Development at CAPNHQ, for assistance in gathering the data for this article. She was extremely helpful and told me that the national Annual Retention Rate for cadets had held steady for the past few years, averaging between the low 40s to the low 50s. In November 2009, the national rate was 48%. During the same period, Florida Wing had steadily increased from 38% in 2007 to 43% in November 2009.

She said, "the cadet exit surveys show that most of the kids leave because CAP ends up being boring.  I had some great responses on the last survey and I remember one kid saying that he has done the same project about lift/drag about four times and if he had to do it again, he would lose it."  she continued, "We've discovered that the reason why kids leave is really due to a weak squadron program." She warned that kids who leave the program dissatisfied creates "walking negative billboards" for CAP. "In a great program, the kids are excited about CAP and want to encourage their friends to join."

It becomes more clear how challenges in the cadet program have affected the overall trend in membership growth. Expecting a few senior members to carry the whole weight one of CAP's primary missions is not a good strategy. Strength comes in numbers. When asking the question of what can be done to improve the cadet program, each CAP member should ask the person in the mirror what he or she can do to provide mission assistance. The senior members can be a great asset for building a stimulating cadet program, even if is just committing a couple of days each year to helping. If enough seniors get involved that can be more than enough.

Group 5 should be proud of the units that are maintaining a rate of retention significantly higher than the CAP national average and that of Florida Wing. However, there is more to this story and we'll look even closer in Part III - The First Year.