Judge Recruitment

Before recruiting begins, preparation is essential. This lesson walks you through the pre-season steps that ensure your region and its tournaments - and the JRLS who support them - are equipped with accurate information, ready-to-use resources, and clear communication.

• Complete Pre-Season Planning

Completing this step helps lay the groundwork for a successful recruiting season by organizing timelines, communicating expectations, and equipping clubs.

• • Identify tournament recruiting windows using this regional planning document.
  • Share recruiting timelines with club leaders so they can plan their club efforts accordingly.
    • Inform leaders of both:
      • Recommended recruiting windows for all tournaments.
      • Unique schedules for local-area tournaments (if applicable).
  • Help clubs and families prepare for recruiting by sharing:
    • Club Recruiting 101
    • Family Recruiting 101

• Copy 2026 JRL Master Folder to Tournament-Specific Folders

This next step ensures that each tournament’s JRL folder contains all necessary and up-to-date recruiting resources.

• • Regional Directors will create a JRL or Judge Recruitment tournament folder in Google Drive for each tournament in your region and grant you editor access.
  • As the RJRC, you are responsible for uploading all necessary templates and documents from the Master Folder into each tournament’s JC folder.
    • A brief screencast—Copying JC Master Folder.mov—explains how to set up each folder for the JRL.
    • Please note: once the master folder is copied, future updates will not populate automatically. Check the 2026 RJRC Info Hub for any updates that need to be applied manually.
  • These forms do not automatically copy and require extra attention.
    • Debate Finals In-Person Judge Bio Form – follow the steps in Setting Up Final Judge Bio Form.mov to add this form manually.
    • 2026 Tournament Location Details Form (TBD)

• Update Tournament-Specific Resources 

This key step creates customized resources that reflect the accurate tournament details and ensure appropriate sharing permissions.

• • Follow these guidelines:
    • Customize all templates with accurate, tournament-specific information (dates, names, links, etc.).
    • Setting the Google sharing permissions 
      • Anyone with the link can view documents in the folder.
      • Add the JRL as an editor.
    • Identify any resources best shared at the regional level (e.g. debate finals hub) or best customized for individual tournaments (e.g. email templates)
  • Modify the Tournament Resource Folders.
    • Decide your update timeline:
      • Begin setup for all tournaments as early as possible.
      • Aim to start at least 12 weeks prior to each tournament.
    • Work systematically through sub-folders:
      • Use the “No Links” Table of Contents as your guide.
      • Remove any unused items.
      • Customize materials and, if desired, add link to Table of Contents
    • Follow this recommended order:
      • 01-Recruiting folder
      • 02-Debate Finals
      • 03-Onsite Items
      • 04-Judge Registration

• Final Reminders

• Encourage your Judge Recruitment Leads (JRLs) to actively use the provided templates and resources.
• Documents containing the NCFCA logo may only be edited as directed within the template.
• Before adding the NCFCA logo to any new materials, consult the NJRC or the Director of Outreach for approval.