With Halloween just around the corner, here are some great recruitment ideas for your Cub Scout or pack to use to recruit new Cub Scouts and families to join the Scouting program. These can be great ways to reach those families who missed your Join Scouting Day, want to be part of Scouting, but simply don’t know how or who to call. Let’s help them join the fun and adventure of Cub Scouting!

• Trunk or Treat: If your chartering organization or local civic organization is hosting a Trunk or Treat, ask if your Scout unit can participate. Adults can wear their Scout uniforms and distribute not only candy, but also joining information.
• Pack Costume Meeting: Make your last meeting before Halloween a costume meeting. Scouts can invite their friends to attend, show off their costumes, and really display the fun and excitement of Scouting to potential members.
• Trick or Treat (out with kids): When you walk around your neighborhood with your children, wear your uniform. Have some joining information handouts with you to give to other parents you meet.
• Trick or Treat (at home): Stick a unit business card, flyer, or join Scouting sticker in kids’ candy bags (along with some candy too, of course). Place Scouting yard signs in your yard, since families will be walking by and admiring everyone’s decorations.
• Halloween Peer to Peer Recruitment Cards: These Halloween Bilingual Peer to Peer Cards can be printed to hand out during Trick or Treat in your community.

An interesting piece of Camp Resolute history was recently re-discovered thanks to some historical research, impeccable timing, top-notch observational skills, and a little bit of good fortune. A memorial stone bearing an inscription dedicating the dining hall fireplace to Sir Robert Baden-Powell was recently re-discovered in a debris pile slated for disposal. The hunt for the stone is only part of the story. The stone itself and the builder of the fireplace directly connects Resolute with the founder of the worldwide Scouting movement.

• Committee Chair – The top volunteer in the unit is the Committee Chair. They are responsible for ensuring enough qualified adult volunteers are in place to provide the program. They lead the unit committee meetings.
• Unit Leader – The leader of the unit meeting is the unit leader (Cubmaster, Scoutmaster, Crew Advisor, Skipper) and is responsible for developing and delivering the “program.”
• Chartered Organization Representative (COR) – This person appoints the unit committee chair and approves all adult leaders. They provide resources from the chartered organization.

The Key 3 addresses unit challenges, checks on Journey to Excellence status, and adjusts program and administrative elements to ensure unit progress toward Journey to Excellence.

• This group meets frequently to discuss the unit, its challenges, coming events, and progress toward completing their action plan and Journey to Excellence goals.
• Ensures that a monthly program and unit budget plan are in place and on track. These items are critical for unit success. Encourage long-range planning for a positive experience for all.
• Support systems that will ensure a well-organized unit are: the monthly Unit Key 3 meeting, monthly committee and leader meetings, and regular parent meetings.
• Encourages a unit-wide communication system. Communication takes many forms: newsletter, phone tree, email, website, app. Whatever fits the unit.
• Encourages training of all registered adults in the unit. Encourages them to take This Is Scouting and Leader Specific Training for their position prior to their first meeting. Vigorously enforces Youth Protection Training. Makes sure the adult leaders are aware of training opportunities. Through the district commissioner, enlists the help of the training team to bring adult leader training to the unit if necessary.
• Helps unit leaders get additional training as needed. Through the unit and district commissioners, requests progressive specialty training as needed. Topics might include recruiting youth members, information on Friends of Scouting, advancement, etc. While it is the responsibility of the district committee, it may be necessary to conduct sections of this training at the unit level.
• Encourages participation in district activities. Encourages attendance at roundtable, district activities, and camping opportunities. Keeps the district and council calendars in mind when helping the Unit Key 3 schedule unit meetings and events.

You can use My.Scouting.org for a wide variety of things. Parents can use it to transfer their Scout from one unit to another (how-to PDF), such as when a Webelos moves from a pack to a troop. Adult leaders can use it to take position-specific training. The Key 3 can use it to accept online applications and must use it to complete the annual rechartering of their unit.

In addition to these functions, this portal provides all adults access to their personal account data, a place to update contact information, and…yes, the ability to complete YPT. Make sure your My.Scouting.org profile contains your BSA member ID number; that way, your training record will automatically update when you finish an online course. BSA member ID numbers do not transfer from one council to another, but you can include both in your profile if you have IDs from multiple councils.

When setting up a My.Scouting.org account, be sure to link it to your Mayflower Council BSA member ID number. Forgot your ID number, your username or your password? Not sure if you have a member ID number or a My.Scouting.org account? Contact the Membership & Unit Service Team (membership@mayflowerbsa.org) before you create a new account– we can check to see if you have a member ID number, provide your username, and reset your password.

In the “BSA Web Links” section of My.Scouting.org (under “Menu”), you’ll also find links to Internet Advancement, the National Safety Council Defensive Driving Course, and Service Hours Reporting. Unit leaders have access to their unit roster and other information designed to help in managing the unit.

One last note: depending on the leadership position for which you are registered, you may not see every tool that someone else has available on their dashboard. So, it’s important that when your unit recharters at the end of each year, they accurately record your leadership position.

If you have trouble logging in to My.Scouting.org, contact Office Manager Lisa Olson for assistance.

Scoutbook is an advancement tracking tool. From the first knot tied to final hours of service performed, the Scouting experience is a journey like none other. And Scoutbook is your go-to tool to ensures not a moment is missed – tracking advancement, milestone achievements and all the fun along the way. It also has messaging, help forums, service, hiking, camping tracking and calendaring features.

Important Reminders for Scoutbook:

• Adding or transferring a scout or adult to your unit’s Scoutbook account does not register them with your unit and doesn’t mean they have a valid membership. All Scouts and adult leaders must complete an application, either online or submit a paper (or PDF version) of the application. This is true whether a person is new to Scouting, changing from one pack, troop or crew to another, or even changing adult leader positions.
• Once an application is processed, the individual should appear in your unit’s Scoutbook in approximately 24-48 hours. Wait for this sync to occur, instead of manually adding anyone.
• Scoutbook doesn’t allow duplicate emails, so the same email address can’t be used for two accounts.
• Your Scoutbook login is the same as your My.Scouting.org login. If you aren’t sure if you have a login, you can’t remember your login, need a password reset or you’re getting an error, contact Office Manager Lisa Olson.
• Scoutbook Guide: help.scoutbook.scouting.org
• Scouting Forums: discussions.scouting.org

If you’re new to Scouts BSA, we’ve created a digital “10 Essentials Quick Start Guide” for you. These are 10 easy steps with videos, links, etc. to get you and your Scout started on your incredible journey with us! (Unit leaders: please add a link to the guide in your “Be a Scout” welcome message to new members. Feedback is always welcome too!)

The unit key 3 has the ability to access the Training Manager in my.scouting to record face to face training that youth have completed. This would include Den Chief Training, Introduction to Leadership Skills, NYLT, NAYLE and the NYLT Leadership Academy and others. Youth training records are a part of the training manager and can be very useful in reviewing the training a youth has completed, eligibility for NYLT, potential NYLT staff selection and other roles of continuing youth leadership.

To add youth training, go to the Training Manager in the my.scouting website. Choose the “add/search” function. From there, select “Optional Youth Training”. Most courses will be in this drop down box although additional training is in the “Other” drop down box or the program specific drop down. You can then select the appropriate course and the course dates. From there, add members and submit.

Incident Reporting will be a highly monitored reporting area in the Scout post-bankrupt operating environment. We need to ensure that all Scout leaders understand what Incident Reporting is and why it is important that all incidents are accurately and timely reported. Scouting strongly encourages units to report any incident so risk management can ensure any unsafe conditions are addressed and safety measures are put in place. We may also recommend training that may need to be created or enhanced to ensure safety and for insurance purposes. The Incident Report landing page link below, will explain why reporting is so important and the links to the appropriate report.

Please share this information with other unit leaders and assistants so they are aware of the reporting requirements.

Webelos prepares Scouts for the change from Cub Scouting to Scouts BSA. While Webelos are members of a Cub Scout pack, they become more involved in planning their own activities and performance approval begins to move from parents to unit leaders.

The two-year Webelos experience is a time of transition from Cub Scouting to crossing the bridge to membership in a Scouts BSA troop. Webelos and their families should be familiar and comfortable with the youth and adult leaders of the Scouts BSA troop, their role in the troop and troop activities, and feel excited about beginning this new adventure. The passage from a pack to a troop should be smooth, with no time lost in between. The crossover ceremony should clearly signify the transition to a new level of Scouting.

The key factor to a good Webelos transition is the ongoing working relationship of the leaders of a Cub Scout pack and a Scouts BSA troop. Ideally, a community organization would have both a pack and a troop with leaders who work together to help move Webelos Scouts into a Scouts BSA troop, the same way schools move students from elementary school to middle school.

By planning and coordinating their efforts, the pack and troop can help make the Webelos-to-Scout transition seamless and give all Webelos a chance to experience the fun and excitement of joining a Scouts BSA troop.

Thank you to everyone that attended October’s Roundtable!

Below is the powerpoint from the Roundtable. If you have questions, please reach out to the commissioner corps.

10.7.2021 Roundtable Powerpoint

We look forward to seeing you in November! Thank you for everything you do for Scouting.