News for Commissioners

For the latest information, we invite you to read the most recent editions of our monthly email in our archive here.

News For Commisioners_11.13.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

What is the vision of unit service for the next three to five years? That’s a question that was asked by a participant in our most recent Council Commissioner Confab.

The answer? Culture. Priorities. Communication. Collaboration. Desire. Honor.

Our culture statement is the foundation of our vision. We often see its short form; the complete version offers additional perspective:

• Be the Heart…
  • Scouting’s units are its heart. Its success is dependent on them; they deliver its program to youth. Commissioners support unit leaders in developing a safe, welcoming environment and delivering Scouting’s program effectively. We exist to support Scouting’s heart.
• Build Relationships…
  • Commissioners must develop relationships with the unit leaders they serve based on mutual respect, candor, and trust. Without that, the communication and collaboration required to effectively support units is impossible. Great relationships enable effective partnerships in serving youth.
• Change Lives…
  • Scouting changes lives – of the youth it serves and the adults who support it (both volunteers and professionals). As they adopt Scouting’s values, they become engaged citizens who strengthen our communities, nation, and world.

Our priorities define our focus.

• Being The single, Best Resource…
  • That doesn’t mean that commissioners know the answer to every question a unit leader asks; it does mean they are the first person unit leaders turn to when they have a question they can’t answer and that commissioners find the answer and deliver it timely.
Delivering Great, S.A.F.E. Programs…
• • When delivered well, our programs attract and retain youth – and adult volunteers – to Scouting. They must also be delivered in a manner that ensures the safety of the youth Scouting serves.
• Enabling Significant, Sustainable Growth…
  • To thrive, to fulfill its mission and vision, Scouting must grow. Commissioners can help unit leaders who want to serve more kids do that; they can provide the support new leaders and leaders of new units need.

Communication

• We communicate clearly, candidly, and timely with one another, the unit leaders we serve, and the volunteers and professionals we work with throughout Scouting.

Collaboration

• We solicit input and feedback; we work together; we seek to break down silos.

Desire

• Unit leaders want and ask for a commissioner to be assigned to their unit.

Honor

• Being selected to serve as a commissioner is considered a distinct honor.

The changes being made, what you may have heard referred to as “The Future of Unit Service,” are designed to enable fulfillment of this vision….and will enable Scouting to serve more youth better.

News For Commisioners_10.21.2024

Update from the Roundtable Chair: New Roundtable Commissioner Patch

The roundtable team is excited to announce that we have listened to your feedback and we are simplifying the roundtable commissioner positions and patches. Going forward, commissioners will register as a roundtable commissioner or an assistant roundtable commissioner. The roundtable commissioner position will include those who serve as program-level specific roundtable commissioners, and those who serve in a more general capacity. This change gives districts the flexibility to customize the roundtable commissioner roles as needed without the need for multiple program specific patches.

A new roundtable commissioner patch will be available in the spring of 2025 and will match the current design of the assistant roundtable commissioner patch. This allows all types of roundtable commissioners – whether general or program-level specific – to wear the same patch.

In the meantime, roundtable commissioners are encouraged to continue using their program-level specific patches until the new design is released. As always, discontinued uniforms and insignia may be worn in keeping with the applicable uniform and insignia guidelines as long as they don’t detract from the neatness of the uniform.

As this change moves into effect, updates to information on the roundtable support page, position descriptions and commissioner college courses will be updated.

News For Commisioners_10.21.2024

Update from the Commissioner Engagement Chair: Organizing Commissioner Teams

As we gather feedback from across the nation, a key theme emerges: we have fewer commissioners than in the past. While this is true, it does not diminish the importance of our shared mission to our units. Instead, it presents opportunities for us to think creatively about how we approach unit service.

We face new and unique challenges that we must overcome to be the Single Best Resource. Whether dealing with large geographic areas, smaller teams of volunteers, or evolving unit needs, these tasks require increased flexibility and innovative problem-solving.

In the coming month, we will introduce a new guide, titled “Organizing Commissioner Teams,” designed to assist administrative commissioners—such as district and council commissioners—in developing strategies for unit service that best support their local areas. This guide offers suggestions for customization and serves as a starting point for creating a tailored organizational structure.

We are excited to launch this tool to enhance the support for our commissioners on the ground. We hope it empowers them to Be the Heart, Build Relationships, and Change Lives.

News For Commisioners_10.15.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: FINDING YOUR THING

It’s a fact: we don’t have enough commissioners.

That’s always been the case…it probably always will be the case…just as we’ll probably never have enough volunteers in Scouting. There’s always room for more – because there will always be more youth to serve.

Perhaps we need to think differently as we seek to invite others to serve in Scouting.

Scouting offers a variety of opportunities to serve. Regardless of an individual’s gifts, there is a role that will enable them to help us serve more youth better through Scouting. Perhaps the greatest challenge is helping others find the role that is best for them. James Clear suggests that the secret to impactful service is “to do a few things for a long time.”

He also cautions that requires experimenting and exploring to find the thing that is “worth doubling down on” and that, once an individual finds something that truly matches their gifts, they need the courage and discipline to say no to distractions. In short, be willing to “explore widely enough to find your thing, then willing to focus narrowly enough to make it something great.”

We all need to work through that process personally; we’re most effective when we’re doing something that is, to us, “worth doubling down on.”

As commissioners, we have a unique opportunity to help others explore opportunities to serve and find the thing that is, for them, “worth doubling down on.” Volunteering in Scouting might start in Unit Service and lead elsewhere; often it will start elsewhere and lead to Unit Service.

Candidly, for some their thing may not be in Scouting. But when commissioners focus on building relationships with others, they have the opportunity to help them experiment and explore volunteer service. More often than not, that will help them find their thing to serve youth through Scouting.

One of our priorities in Unit Service is “enabling significant, sustainable growth”. Finding things we want to do in Scouting (for a long time), and helping others do the same, will help ensure we have not only an adequate number of great commissioners, but an adequate number of great volunteers in every area to enable Scouting to serve more youth better.

News For Commisioners_09.20.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: IMPACTFUL UNIT SERVICE

We’ve talked a lot about the “future of unit service” recently. That’s going to change for a simple reason: the “future” – impactful unit service – will be here.

It’s simple: most unit leaders agree to serve because they want to help kids. They buy into Scouting America’s goal: preparing America’s youth for lives of impact and service. Effective commissioners help them do that; they empower unit leaders.

Unit Service needs to be simple, too. It needs to focus on service and support, on impact, not activities.

Defining our culture (Be the heart…Build relationships…Change lives) was a first step. Simplifying our priorities (Being the single, best resource; Delivering great, S.A.F.E. programs; Enabling significant, sustainable growth) was next.

Over the next 12 – 15 months new tools will be implemented to continue the process. You’ve already heard of some of the key concepts under development. Implementation will take time; a precise schedule isn’t possible today. Included are:

• New, objective metrics to frame engagement with unit leaders
• Connections Guides to facilitate productive conversations with them
• Supportive updates to Commissioners Tools, including elimination of unit health scoring and implementation of a new “District Dashboard”
• New approaches to recruiting and deploying commissioners
• Revisions to commissioner awards and recognition
• Revisions to commissioner training
• Updates of commissioner resources (manuals and web pages)

The unit leaders we serve need effective commissioners focused on impact, not tasks; on being their ally, not an auditor; on making connections, creating relationships, and building partnerships rather than assessing, scoring, and directing.

It took time to get to this point. New concepts and processes needed to be tested by local councils and their feedback incorporated in planning. Changes in the way we work together throughout Scouting America were needed. Completing the process will take more time, but the path – and the schedule – is becoming increasingly clear. We’ll continue to keep you updated.

The unit leaders we serve simply want to help kids. Impactful unit service will help them do that. It’s the future of unit service.

News For Commisioners_08.18.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: CONNECTING WITH UNIT LEADERS

As planning for the “future of unit service” continues, increasingly our focus will shift towards “connecting” with the unit leaders we serve instead of “assessing unit health;” towards enabling unit leaders to access the resources they need to serve more youth better through Scouting. Simply stated, our focus will shift to helping unit leaders do what they wanted to do when they signed up: serve kids.

Connecting will focus first on five things we all know help strengthen units: adult leader training, youth retention (growth), unit size (youth), advancement, outdoor activities, and retention. Later, we’ll equip commissioners to connect in other areas, such as calendar planning, unit committees, finance and budgets, succession planning, and membership and unit renewal.

“Connecting” with someone simply means that a relationship has been established with them; a relationship based on candor, mutual respect, and trust. “Connecting” is the first step in the work we do as commissioners; our success is dependent upon building relationships. Building relationships is the first step in creating partnerships: people listening to each other and working together to accomplish a common goal.

Work is underway to modify Commissioner Tools to support this change in focus. Scoring unit health will be eliminated. Commissioners will have access to information to help identify opportunities to connect with unit leaders and be able to enter information about those connections. Gone will be unit service plans; if unit leaders create goals, commissioners will be able to record them, but the focus will be on making connections with unit leaders and supporting them in their efforts to do what is most important to them: serving kids.

Scouting America is changing; changing the way we work together is essential to enabling those changes; building relationships with unit leaders, connecting with them, providing them with access to the resources they need are all essential to that.

We’ll keep you updated as work proceeds.

News For Commisioners_07.27.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: GROWING SCOUTING

We’ve talked about it before: while many commissioners may not be directly involved in recruiting new youth and adult members, all commissioners enable membership growth. And if we do that well, Scouting’s growth will be significant and sustainable.

Growing Scouting requires commissioners to partner with volunteers representing our national, service territory, and local program committees and commissioned professionals throughout Scouting America. To partner effectively, we need a better understanding of our respective roles and responsibilities.

Commissioned professionals in local councils are often Scouting America’s sales representatives. They identify – or follow up on references for – organizations that may be candidates to charter and/or make available the facilities units need.

Membership volunteers know the details of forming new units and are available to share that knowledge. They know people and may be the best available resource for identifying new unit leaders. Often, they are the bridge between identifying a charter partner and actually getting a unit up and running.

Commissioners support unit leaders. They help leaders of new units get off to a good start by identifying training and other resources they need, establishing a solid organizational and financial foundation beginning to build unit strength. They do that by helping unit leaders

• Deliver a great, safe program (it’s that program that attracts and retains youth and adult volunteers)
• Build sustainability (ensure the unit has sufficient resources – funds, equipment, space, volunteers, etc.) to continue serving youth
• Promote the unit in the community it serves.

Through their work, commissioners may also identify opportunities for new units, including local organizations with an interest in chartering a unit and adults with an interest in forming a new unit – information to be shared with their commissioned professional and membership volunteer partners.

We need to do a better job of defining our process for starting new units, identifying roles and responsibilities of participants in that process, and developing better resources and reference materials for everyone involved.

Representatives of your national commissioner’s service team, membership committee members, and commissioned professionals are going to work together to do just that. The draft goals are simple:

1. Equip Scouting America to better support starting sustanable units
2. Finalize the definition of responsibilities to enable the best use of available resources
3. Serve more youth better through Scouting

You’ll hear more as this new initiative gets underway.

News For Commisioners_06.24.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: PLANNING FOR IMPACT

Your National Commissioner Service Team conducts an annual planning conference each June that enables it to align all members of the team on goals and plans for the coming year. This year, Scouting America’s Roadmap (displayed at the end of this article) was the foundation of that work.

Four opportunities were identified:

1. Enabling an understanding of the team’s purpose throughout Scouting America
2. Changing the perception of commissioners (to being unit leaders’ single, best resource)
3. Changing the way we work together (increasing collaboration and creating partnerships)
4. Leading change (being proactive rather than responsive)

The purpose of the team was defined:

• To enable commissioners to support unit volunteers.

Guiding principles for the coming year were established:

• Our Culture
  1. Be the heart…
  2. Build relationships…
  3. Change lives…
• Our Priorities
  1. Being the Single, Best Resource
  2. Delivering Great, S.A.F.E. Programs
  3. Enabling Significant, Sustainable Growth
• Our Goals
  1. Implement the “Future of Unit Service” initiatives
  2. Equip commissioners to have a positive impact on membership growth
  3. Grow Partnerships
  4. Balance serving national committees and unit service
  5. Change the way we work together

Those are the highlights; the purpose of each group on the team (Operations, Support, CST Facilitation) was also defined and goals were established. Every member of the team drafted individual plans to support the team’s priorities and goals for the coming year. While there’s work left to be done to sort out details, a clear direction for the team and its members was set.

Creating and growing partnerships are essential to our success. Recognition of that didn’t change our culture statement.

In short, the team exists only to support you in your efforts to support unit leaders. Unit leaders do what they do simply because they want to help kids. Together, we can help them understand we share that simple objective and that will enable all of us to prepare America’s youth for lives of impact and purpose.

Every member of the team can discuss the details and answer your questions.

News For Commisioners_05.19.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: GOOD RELATIONSHIPS CREATE PARTNERSHIPS

Be the heart…

Build relationships…

Change lives…

Our culture statement, 3 brief phrases designed to capture the behaviors, beliefs, and values of Unit Service, has become familiar throughout Scouting America. Recently, the word “partnership” has been cropping up frequently in Scouting communications. Why?

My friend Mr. Webster tells us that a relationship is “the way two or more people are connected, or the way they behave toward each other.” Synonyms include “linkage,” “similarity,” “bond,” and “connection.” It’s a good way to describe the starting point of effective unit service: building relationships based on mutual respect, candor, and trust lay the foundation for helping unit leaders serve more youth better through Scouting.

Partnerships are different; in simple terms, they are relationships raised to a power. Without them, commissioners can’t achieve the impact Unit Service must deliver to unit leaders today.

Often, “partnership” is considered to be strictly a business term: a legal relationship between two or more people contractually associated in a business. Good partnerships, too, are built on mutual respect, candor, and trust. But they also exhibit common values, a clear definition of roles and responsibilities, and great communications. The impact of an effective partnership is more than simply the sum of the skills, knowledge, and experience of its members; combining those assets and aligning them in achievement of a goal generates greater impact than any member, however committed and well-intentioned, could achieve.

Our Roadmap (see graphic below) was central to discussions at our recently completed National Annual Meeting. It provides clear direction for Scouting America’s focus to continue to be the premier character and leadership development program in the United States. Beginning with “Be A Leader in Safeguarding Youth,” it identifies five specific initiatives. While Unit Service is focused on ensuring the delivery of programs that are highly relevant to today’s youth, it has responsibilities to the other four initiatives, too.

Adding creating partnerships to our efforts supports Changing the Way We Work Together and acknowledges that good relationships alone, while essential, aren’t sufficient. Commissioners need to seek first to understand the perspective of the unit leaders they serve, help those leaders understand the full potential of the Scouting America program they deliver, and create alignment in how best to enable serving youth though that program. The “Future of Unit Service” is dependent on both good relationships and strong partnerships. “Connection” is a synonym for both “relationship” and “partnership,” so it’s not surprising we refer to one of our new tools under development as “Unit Connections.”

Perhaps Unit Service in Scouting America should add a fourth concept to its culture statement:

Be the heart…

Build relationships…

Create partnerships…

Change lives…

Thoughts?

Your feedback is welcome…simply send them in an email to: commissionerserviceteam@scouting.org.

News For Commisioners_04.19.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: SIMPLE AND UNIFIED

Too often, unit service seems complex. It needs to be simple – and unified.

Many commissioners have already seen a version of the BSA’s Roadmap, a tool that helps identify and plan for changes to enable serving more youth better through Scouting. It starts with a clear, simple goal we all will share: To Prepare America’s Youth for Lives of Impact and Purpose.

That simplifies the work we do as commissioners:

• BSA’s programs are the tool used to accomplish that goal.
• Units exist to deliver those programs in a way that attracts and retains more youth and adult volunteers in Scouting.
• Commissioners sole purpose is to help unit leaders do that.

That’s the simple and unified definition of unit service: helping unit leaders serve more youth better through Scouting to prepare them for lives of impact and purpose.

Then complexity seems to creep in…

• We start to talk about our “culture” (Be the heart…Build relationships…Change lives…). Our culture statement is simply a tool to help us (1) focus on what is at the heart of Scouting – program delivery; (2) understand that serving unit leaders requires first building effective personal relationships with them; and (3) remember that we’re supporting a clear and simple goal that has the ability to, literally, change lives (and build a better community, nation, and world as a result).
• And then we add in “priorities” (Being the single, best resource; Delivering great, S.A.F.E. programs; Enabling significant, sustainable growth). Our priorities are also intended to be a simple tool to keep us focused on helping unit leaders access the resources they need to be successful; enabling them to deliver – and ensure the safety of those participating in – programs that attract and retain youth members and adult volunteers and enable serving more youth better through Scouting.

To be clear, commissioners aren’t “the heart” of Scouting; they enable its delivery; relationships simply enable commissioners to work effectively with unit leaders; Scouting changes lives through successful program delivery; our priorities are focused exclusively on helping the unit leaders we support serve more youth better.

Being simple and unified requires change. Over the next several months, we anticipate:

• Making changes to Commissioner Tools to
  • Simplify the entry of information related to interactions with unit leaders
  • Eliminate assessing and scoring unit health
  • Eliminate the development and entry of Unit Service Plans
  • Display objective unit metrics aligned with the BSA Roadmap
• Implementing Connections Guides that provide guidance for commissioners to identify help wanted and needed by unit leaders

Those changes are the core components of what we refer to as “The Future of Unit Service.” They will drive other changes; first and foremost, to our training.

Better, more objective unit metrics can support effective unit service, but we need to accept that, at best, they will be suggestive, not conclusive. They offer a first – but only a first – step in understanding a unit. They can be misleading if we don’t invest time in understanding why the numbers are what they are. That requires relationships with unit leaders built on candor, mutual respect, and trust. Connection Guides won’t be a silver bullet; they will be a tool to help commissioners understand where unit leaders believe they need help and access to resources.

Writing in “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” Steven Covey reminds us to “seek first to understand, then to be understood” (the habit of mutual benefit). Everything commissioners do well is based on understanding how a unit is working to serve youth through Scouting and what its leaders need to do that. They’ll tell us if we ask; starting by telling them what they need – or need to do – will end the conversation – and the relationship – quickly.

Perhaps everything commissioners do should start with a simple question: “How can I help?”

Let’s keep unit service simple; let’s keep it unified: focused on helping unit leaders prepare America’s youth for lives of impact and purpose.

News For Commisioners_03.19.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: IT STARTS WITH EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION…

Everything commissioners do starts with effective communication.

My friend Mr. Webster tells us that “communication” is the sending and receiving of information. Or, as we’ve heard before, effective communication requires both a sender and a receiver. Communicating isn’t “telling,” it’s “sharing,” it’s (at least) a two way thing. In a group setting, effective communication requires multiple points of contact.

Building relationships starts with communication. Relationships are based on knowledge of one another, knowledge that starts with an understanding of who we are, what we like (or don’t), and why we joined – and have stayed in – Scouting. Those conversations take time. But the investment they require is how we go about building the relationships commissioners need: relationships based on mutual respect, candor, and trust.

Strengthening units starts with communication. Because effective communication flows two ways, it enables clarity. Candid communication provides perspective of what is important to and valued by the participants. It enables commissioners to understand why unit leaders do what they do – or don’t. It also enables unit leaders to gain the same perspective of commissioners. Over time, it builds alignment on how a unit serves youth effectively. Sometimes that helps unit leaders attract and serve more youth;  sometimes it simply provides insight (the unit isn’t “growing” because its can’t serve more youth than it does today…but it’s membership remains stable year to year as older Scouts complete their trail and new Scouts  join).

Serving more youth better through Scouting starts with communication. Some of the best ideas of how to serve youth through Scouting are developed in our units. Commissioners can observe – and through candid conversation with unit leaders come to understand – new approaches to delivering great, S.A.F.E. programs that can be shared with others. Unit leaders can also provide valuable insight into how Scouting’s processes and procedures might be improved or simplified. Commissioners are positioned to share that information with the organization so that others can benefit from them.

And, it’s only through effective communication that commissioners come to be seen as a unit leader’s single, best resource.

Excellent communication is timely, transparent, and complete. Effective communication is likely to include only two of those elements. When truly timely and as transparent as possible, communication is seldom “complete.” Work is left to be done; input is desirable and provides perspective; piloting provides feedback and drives change. We’re experiencing that as we engage in conversations about the future of unit service. While it can cause frustration (“When will it be done?” “Why can’t all my questions be answered today?’), the results are better when those accountable for implementation contribute to development.

Everything commissioners do starts with effective communication; everything unit leaders do starts the same way. Together, they can enable all of us to serve more youth better through Scouting.

News For Commissioners_02.25.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: ENABLING SIGNIFICANT, SUSTAINABLE GROWTH…

A too often heard statement: “commissioners don’t do membership.”

Not so.

Admittedly, many commissioners are not directly involved in recruiting new youth and adult members. But all commissioners enable membership growth. If we do that well, growth will be both significant and sustainable.

Think about it: today we serve less than 2% of the youth who could join Scouting. We serve less than 2% of our target market. That’s not an impressive number, but think about the growth opportunities it offers.

Yes, there are areas and families for which the cost of Scouting is a concern. That contributes to (but isn’t the primary source of) 2% market share. Something more is going on…

Yes, COVID had a significant, negative impact on membership and it will take time to recover from that. But membership was declining before COVID. Something more is going on…

Yes, bankruptcy and the negative publicity associated with it had a significant, negative impact on membership and it will take time to recover from that. But membership was declining before bankruptcy. Something more is going on…

Yes, Scouting isn’t as diverse as it should be. Changing that would increase market share (and help us achieve our goal), but it isn’t the primary source of 2% market share. Something more is going on…

Yes, our units all need to have a warm, welcoming environment and we need to work on that, but it isn’t the primary source of 2% market share. Something more is going on…

At the end of the day, it is Scouting’s programs that attract and retain youth and adult members.

At the end of the day, it is Scouting’s programs that prepare America’s youth for lives of impact and purpose (that’s the goal our Roadmap challenges us to achieve).

Significant, sustainable growth is the result of two things:

1. Attracting new members
2. Retaining existing members

Significant, sustainable growth requires both.

Commissioners exist to help unit leaders deliver great, S.A.F.E. programs.

That’s one of our priorities because program drives everything: new members, retention, image, financial strength and stability – everything.

It’s that simple.

Commissioners do do membership. Commissioners own retention.

Let’s go help some kids…let’s go help some units deliver great, S.A.F.E. programs…let’s go enable significant, sustainable growth.

News For Commissioners_01.24.2024

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: DELIVERING GREAT, S.A.F.E PROGRAMS

Three key concepts:

1. Scouting’s programs attract and retain youth and adult volunteers.
2. Units are Scouting’s primary means of program delivery.
3. Unit Service exists to support unit leaders in the delivery of Great, S.A.F.E. programs.

Think about it:

• if you didn’t believe in the safety of air travel, would you ever buy a ticket from an airline?
• If a family questions whether their child will be S.A.F.E., will they even consider Scouting?

Is there any question why “Delivering Great, S.A.F.E. Programs…” is one of our priorities in Unit Service?

S.A.F.E. Scouting shouldn’t be a barrier to fun and adventure. How many other youth-serving programs do you know that enable – encourage – their participants to engage in shooting sports, rock climbing, rappelling, scuba diving, extended back-packing in the wilderness, or driving ATV’s? Activities like those – and others – are part of why Scouting’s programs attract and retain youth and adult volunteers. They’re also among the tools we use for physical and character development.

As the single, best resource for the unit leaders they serve, commissioners need to be able to effectively communicate the importance of S.A.F.E. Scouting and equip unit leaders with the resources they need to ensure the safety of the youth they serve.

There’s more to it than just physical safety. There are four elements of Great, S.A.F.E. programs:

1. Youth Protection
   • Preventing abuse, including barriers to abuse
   • Includes youth on youth abuse
2. Mental Safety (Also known as MESH: Mental, Emotional, and Social Health)
   • Online bullying
   • Sextortion
3. Physical Safety
   • Injury and illness prevention
   • Incident and accident prevention
4. Make it Safe to Be Safe
   • Safety reporting (incidents, accidents, and near misses)
   • Using our findings to make Scouting even more safe

Resources are readily available:

• S.A.F.E. is an acronym for Supervision, Assessment, Fitness and Skill, Equipment, and Environment..
• Four ways to know if an activity is considered S.A.F.E for Scouts:

1. 1. Is it Scouting?
      • If in doubt, check it out. Scouting is defined by published program materials. If you don’t see an activity included, it may not be “Scouting”.
   2. Does it support Scouting’s values?
      • While “fun” is an essential element of Scouting, it isn’t one of its values.
   3. Is it age appropriate?
      • If in doubt, check it out: Age Appropriate Guidelines For Scouting Activities
   4. Is it prohibited or unauthorized?
      • If in doubt, check it out: Prohibited and Unauthorized Activities

Our Roadmap – the BSA’s plan to rebuild – includes five components:

1. Become the National Leader in Youth Safety
2. Change the Way We Work Together
3. Make our Programs Highly Relevant to Today’s Youth
4. Broaden Our Appeal and Revitalize Our Brand
5. Strengthen Our Financial Position

The work we do as commissioners supports all five. You’ll be hearing more in the coming months, including at our National Annual Meeting and at Commissioner Week at Philmont Training Center.

Helping unit leaders ensure the safety of the youth they serve must be one of our priorities!

News For Commissioners_12.20.2023

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: BEING THE SINGLE, BEST RESOURCE…

We’ve all been there:

• New to a role in Scouting without an understanding of what success would look like,
• Unable to find the answer to a process or policy question,
• Dealing with a difficult situation we’ve never encountered before.

And we all have the same need:

• Someone who can offer guidance,
• Someone who can identify a needed resource,
• Someone who can help us be more effective more quickly the next time.

That isn’t unique to being new or inexperienced. Even the most experienced Scouting volunteers (and professionals) need someone to turn to when facing a particular challenge. I talked to my friend, Mr. Webster. He says that a “resource” is “a stock or supply of…assets that can be drawn on…to function effectively.”

As we gain experience, we all come to identify a single, best resource: that one person who we know  – from experience or reputation – will be able to help. And we’re confident that, even if they don’t know the answer, they’ll make sure we get it. We trust them to be helpful.

Regardless of tenure or experience, we all need one.

Questions and challenges come at Scouting’s unit leaders faster than anyone else in the BSA. They’re on the front line: responsible for delivering the great, S.A.F.E. program that the youth they serve (and their parents) want. They are ultimately responsible for the growth and retention of the BSA’s units and members (both youth and adults). They aren’t looking for someone to “score” or “assess” them. They are looking for someone they can connect with; someone they can trust to help them.

Commissioners stand on that front line next to unit leaders. We aren’t directly responsible for delivery of that great, S.A.F.E program or growth and retention, but we enable it. Remember: Mr. Webster tells us that to “enable” is to make something possible or easier, to make someone able to do something, to “let,” “allow,” “empower,” “permit,” “prepare,” “equip,” “ready,” or “qualify.”

The challenge: Unit leaders should believe that their commissioner is their single, best resource.

The greater challenge: Every BSA volunteer (and professional) should believe that a commissioner is their single, best resource.

Remember: a single, best resource may not know the answer, but if they don’t they will get it and deliver it – timely.

Easy to say…

But what if every commissioner – from the least to the most experienced – committed to being the single, best resource to those they serve? Every commissioner – up and down the entire Unit Service organization.

We need BSA’s volunteers (and professionals) to believe, first and foremost, that commissioners are trustworthy and helpful.

And that’s why “Being the Single, Best Resource…” is the highest priority of Unit Service.

Be someone’s single, best resource!

News For Commissioners_11.28.2023

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: CHANGING LIVES [REQUIRES CHANGE]…

Our Unit Service culture statement ends with “Changing Lives…”

For clarity: Scouting changes lives. Its values are timeless. Its program attracts and retains youth and adult volunteers. It enables accomplishment of its mission and achievement of its vision. It enables building a better community, a better nation, and a better world.

Commissioners enable change….that enables changing lives.

My friend Mr. Webster tells us that to “enable” is to make something possible or easier, to make someone able to do something, to “let,” “allow,” “empower,” “permit,” “prepare,” “equip,” “ready,” or “qualify.”

Changing lives requires change. While Scouting’s values, mission and vision haven’t changed, its programs, organization, processes, procedures, and resources have – and continue to do so. Throughout its history, commissioners have helped unit leaders better serve more youth.  An important part of that work has been helping unit leaders adapt and adjust to changes needed to help Scouting grow and thrive, to better serve more youth.

Changing lives requires change. Unit Service has continually changed to respond to Scouting’s changes. It must continue to do so.

Today’s unit leaders aren’t looking for someone to evaluate (or assess…or score) them, to tell them what they’re doing right or wrong, to tell them whether their unit is good or bad.

Today’s unit leaders are looking for someone to

• enable them to know where to find the training they want and need,
• enable them to build relationships with other volunteers (and professionals) who can help them,
• enable them to tap into the resources they need that often are readily available, but not always easy to find,
• enable them to understand and implement changes to the program they deliver,
• enable them to understand and implement changes to Scouting’s organization, policies, and procedures,
• enable them to keep kids safe,
• enable them to serve more kids better.

Changing lives requires change. Unit service today

• shouldn’t be about assessing, evaluating, and scoring; it should be About informing and supporting.
• it shouldn’t be about contacts; it should be about connections.
• it shouldn’t be about tasks; it should be about impact.

We don’t know the details of the changes needed – yet. Members of your national commissioner’s service team are working on that. They’re talking to volunteers and professionals throughout the BSA. They’re listening to discussions council commissioners are having in their monthly confabs. They’re talking to commissioners in local councils. They’re engaging local councils in piloting options to help ensure that change will be responsive to needs and as easy to implement as possible.

Changing lives requires change. Join in the journey. You’ll have impact. More kids will be served better by Scouting as a result.

News For Commissioners_10.23.2023

From the Commissioner Facilitator: Everyone can join Scouting

Scouting is an outstanding program and everyone is invited to join. Everyone….including those with special needs. We call this being inclusive. Yes, accommodations might be needed, but not always. Understanding and adapting are huge when making everyone feel welcome.

The Special Needs and Disability Awareness Committee is helping to provide leaders the resources and information that might be needed to assist councils, districts, and units to welcome and retain those that might need a different approach. Commissioners are the front line for unit success. You, as a commissioner, will want to be able to provide pertinent resources for those who come to you with questions.

Always encourage your leadership to reference the Guide to Advancement. When we come upon an advancement issue for those with special needs, reference section 10. This section will guide you through most advancement situations involving special needs, outlining the procedures to follow for advancement flexibility, registering beyond the age of eligibility, and alternative merit badges. The GTA is a great resource and should not be ignored.    

Another resource to check out is the Abilities Digest. This is a quarterly newsletter put out by the members of the Special Needs and Disabilities Committee in conjunction with leadership throughout the nation who have information and stories to share in regard to special needs. In a recent issue, there are several stories of bringing special needs to light, including disability simulations and a heartwarming success story about a scout with cerebral palsy at the shooting range. The Abilities Digest can be found on the home page of www.ablescouts.org. There is a feature on the home page that allows you to search for specific topics using key words. More than likely, you will find relevant articles that are full of information, tips and upcoming events.

The Inclusion Toolbox is an incredible online resource featuring information on different disabilities that anyone might encounter. It also includes evaluating advancement alternatives, camp programs and commissioner service for units. There is information included in each module that helps the reader understand in lay terms of what a specific disability is all about. Included are resources from outside organizations that help support the information presented. Not only will you find modules on specific disabilities, but there are modules focusing on shooting sports, aquatics and Joining Conferences for special needs and disabilities.

In case you missed it, at the 2023 National Jamboree, the Committee had various disability simulations that brought to light the challenge of many daily tasks one may encounter. One area provided hands-on experiences in reading and writing difficulties. Another area featured short lectures on the hard of hearing and blindness. Hands-on experiences of what may happen during any particular day for those with these types of disabilities were arranged. Some experiences included being blindfolded, and along with a buddy, sent off to navigate often bumpy roads on the Summit grounds, maneuvering around scads of people in order to get water at a water station. Some Scouts had to have interpreters help them talk to people in very noisy surroundings in order to experience what it may be like being in a hard of hearing world. There were other Scouts sent off in wheelchairs, manipulating their way through various obstacles that surprised the many who had to get around them. All Scouts returned to the Special Needs tents humbled and ready to discuss their encounters with the staff.

Our job as Scouters is to help our young people grow and build on their experiences so that when they themselves come of age they can confidently become an asset to our communities. Welcoming all Scouts from every walk of life helps build that character. You, as commissioners, can help a young person take that first step into the world of special needs and disabilities. Use your resources and encourage many to get involved in the great events that the BSA has to offer everyone. Be a part of that outstanding program. Scout on!

By: Angela Smith, NST 1-5 Commissioner Facilitator

News For Commissioners_10.18.2023

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: Building Relationships

The second segment of our Unit Service culture statement, “Building Relationships…” sounds simple; many commissioners know that it isn’t and that’s why we hear the question: “How do I do that.”

The short answer: Slowly. With the investment of time and effort. Think about the relationships you value; they likely didn’t develop quickly. And they probably share common elements we touched on last month in discussing the characteristics of servant leaders.

• Mutual Respect: You know one another’s abilities, qualities, and achievements. In addition, you admire them. Achievements are an important component: they offer confirmation of the abilities and qualities we observe; we tend to respect people who have a track record of working effectively with others to accomplish things of value.
• Candor: You can have open, honest, and sincere communications with one another. That simplifies things, it enables sorting through issues that might otherwise be challenging. Mutual respect provides a foundation for candor.
• Trust: Trust is a function of both character and competence. Character includes characteristics that are central to Scouting’s values; it involves integrity, motive, and intent. Competence includes capabilities and skills that are documented through achievement. Simply put, trust means confidence.  Consider this: when we trust one another, we reach conclusions, develop plans, and act more quickly. The opposite of trust is suspicion and it has the opposite affect: we move more slowly when suspicious as we work to investigate and resolve our doubts.

The process begins by getting to know one another, starting to identify and demonstrate knowledge and abilities. Achievements will surface naturally along the way in response to questions about when and how knowledge, experience, and skills were acquired.

In Scouting, we have unique assets that can help in building relationships: our Oath, Law, Mission, and Vision. It’s hard not to like – it’s hard not to respect – anyone who is truly Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean and Reverent; who strives to do their best,  to do their duty, and to help others at all times; who believes Scouting helps build a better community, nation, and world. Those characteristics create mutual respect, enable candor, and build trust.

In short, living by our Oath and Law in all we do is the best tool we have to build and sustain relationships; demonstrating that consistently as we work with one another builds mutual respect, enables candor, and creates trust. It still takes time; it still takes effort; but it’s easier to do in Scouting.

News For Commissioners_9.18.2023

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: Being the Heart

Some commissioners ask, “what does the first part of our culture statement, ‘Be the heart…’ mean?”  We all may have our own thoughts, but we all may be able to agree on three things.

Effective commissioners focus first on Scouting’s programs. Program is the heart of Scouting; it’s the reason most youth and adults join – and stay. In one way or another, everything effective commissioners do helps units deliver a program that attracts and retains youth and adults and enables the BSA to accomplish its mission and fulfill its vision. Enabling the delivery of great, S.A.F.E. program is their primary responsibility.

Effective commissioners are the voice of the Scouts (and volunteers). Effective commissioners are engaged with unit (and other) leaders and youth. That gives them unique insight into what we’re doing well and where there are opportunities to improve. They gain additional insight as members of their community. While their insight certainly applies to the program Scouting’s units deliver, it also provides valuable input on the quality of our facilities, of our camps – both local and national – and the experiences they offer, and the perception of all the BSA does in its effort to serve youth. Effective commissioners are able to offer their insight to the BSA’s district, local council, national service territory, and national council leadership. That’s why they are referred to as the “voice of the Scouts” (and volunteers). Being that voice is a key element of the role of commissioners serving as members of a Key 3 at any level in the BSA.

Effective commissioners have a servant’s heart; they are servant leaders. Servant leaders are special; they are more concerned about those they lead than themselves, about team impact than personal achievement.

Servant leaders:

• Seek first to build relationships and understand that effective relationships are based on candor, mutual respect, and trust. They know that building those relationships takes time, but that impact is impossible without them.
• Invest in those they lead, ensuring they have a clear understanding of their role and its impact potential, are prepared to fulfill their role, have a clear sense of accountability, and are recognized – both publicly and privately – for their efforts and their impact.
• Build teams that have impact; that enable individual and collective success. Their teams are reflective of the communities they serve and enable broad perspective coming from differences in age, experience, gender, and culture. And just as they provide public and private recognition to individuals, they ensure their teams, too, are recognized for their effort and their impact.

Those characteristics apply to all effective commissioners – administrative, unit, and round table – all effective commissioners seek first to build relationships, invest in those they lead (or work with) and seek to help develop teams that have impact.

Scouting’s future success and growth are dependent upon delivering great, S.A.F.E. programs that attract and retain youth and volunteer leaders, hearing the voices of the youth, adults, and communities it serves, and developing servant leaders who are more concerned about Scouting’s impact than individual achievement and recognition. And those are three reasons why “Be the heart” is the first element of the culture of Unit Service.

News For Commissioners_8.22.2023

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: Council Commissioner Confabs Deliver Value

94% of participants of August’s Council Commissioner Confab agreed it provided a good opportunity to access information, share best practices, and provide direct feedback to our national council. Held monthly, CC Confabs are an opportunity for council commissioners to receive a brief update on a current topic (charter and membership renewal in August) and engage in candid discussion of how to impact it. All council commissioners receive an email to attend and are encouraged to share information received with members of their Unit Service team. Presentation materials and breakout discussion summaries are shared with registrants. CC Confabs are open to all council commissioners (if unable to attend, they should designate an assistant council commissioner to represent them).

News For Commissioners_8.22.2023

Monthly update from the National Service Team Chair: The Role of the Council Commissioner

“What does a council commissioner do?” It’s a question asked frequently. Too often, the answer is focused on activities (meeting frequency and attendance, recruiting to achieve a ratio, number of unit contacts made each month) rather than impact. A better answer speaks to the impact an effective council commissioner – or any administrative commissioner – can have on Scouting’s ability to serve more youth better. Unit Service impact results from leadership and the integration of culture and priorities.

1. Serve as an engaged member of the council’s Key 3 and executive board, providing input and perspective on both operations and governance issues.
2. Serve as the voice of Scouting’s youth and volunteers to enable council Key 3 and executive board members to be aware of their perspective and concerns.
3. Build, develop and deploy a team of administrative, unit, and roundtable commissioners that deliver effective Unit Service (as defined by its culture and priorities).
4. Instill and strengthen Unit Service’s culture
   • Be the Heart…
        Build Relationships…
            Change Lives…
   • Scouting changes lives by delivering a program that causes youth and adults to want to join – and stay. Supporting unit leaders responsible for program delivery requires relationships with them that are based on mutual respect, candor, and trust.
5. Develop and maintain focus on Unit Service’s priorities
   • Being the Single Best Resource…
     • Unit leaders look to commissioners first for the support they need.
   • Delivering Great, S.A.F.E. Programs…
     • Scouting program attracts – and keeps – youth and adult members, but only if safety is its benchmark.
   • Enabling Significant, Sustainable Growth…
     • To fulfill its mission and vision and ensure its future, Scouting must grow membership and financial resources.

News for Commissioners_11.01.2022

System Maintenance

The My.Scouting and Scoutbook systems will be down this Saturday beginning at 9:00AM for a system upgrade. All features will be offline during this time. This includes, all My.Scouting tools, the training site, Online Registration, Internet Rechartering and Advancement along with Scoutbook.

The user will be directed to a maintenance page when an attempt is made to log into the system.

News for Commissioners_09.12.2022

Bankruptcy Court Update

While the end of this trail has not yet been reached, yesterday was a good day for Scouting. It will take some additional time to get to the end of the trail, but we all have reason to be optimistic about Scouting’s future.

Between litigation and COVID, the youth we serve, their parents, our volunteers and our professionals have experienced challenging times. The theme of our current quarterly newsletter, coming out in two weeks, is on target: it’s time to focus on rebuilding Scouting.

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to serve youth through Scouting. Your work makes a difference; it has impact.

Now, more than ever before, it is time to Be the heart, Build relationships, and Change lives!

The BSA Announces Court Approval for Its Plan of Reorganization

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) is pleased to share that the Bankruptcy Court has approved the BSA’s Plan of Reorganization. This ruling brings the organization only one step away from emergence. In addition to approval from Judge Silverstein, the BSA’s Plan of Reorganization has also won overwhelming support from survivors of past abuse in Scouting, with more than 85% voting to approve it. Because certain parties have communicated their intent to appeal the confirmation order, we will next begin a District Court appeal process in order to emerge from Chapter 11, which will allow survivors to be equitably compensated and preserve the mission of Scouting for future generations. While the timeline for this process has yet to be determined, the BSA is hopeful that this matter will be resolved in the coming months and will continue to keep the Scouting community informed.

The BSA continues to be enormously grateful to the survivor community, whose bravery, patience, and willingness to share their experiences has been instrumental in the formation of this Plan. Survivors have devoted a great deal of their time and effort to this process, which will have a lasting impact on the organization—their perspectives and priorities are captured throughout this Plan and will be ingrained in the BSA’s programming moving forward…

News for Commissioners_08.10.2022

2022 Internet Charter Renewal

It’s that time of year to begin planning for Charter Renewal. New documents have been added to the Internet Charter Renewal 2.0 page.

News for Commissioners_07.27.2022

Marketing and Recruiting Resources

One of the simplest sales to make is someone who bought your product before.  This is especially true for scouts who dropped out during the past couple of crazy years.

The BSA Brand Center is a wealth of marketing and recruitment resources. Here’s a resource your packs might not have heard about: “Win Back” social images.

They’re a nice way to reach out to former Cub Scouts and parents and let them know the pack would like them to be a part of the new season! This collection includes readymade graphics, blank templates to customize with your own photos, and suggested copy for social, email, and text.

https://scouting.webdamdb.com/bp/#/folder/10932913/

News for Commissioners_07.19.2022

Commissioner Onboarding

Recently there has been some confusion expressed by commissioners about the onboarding process, as well as the procedure to be used by the coach to certify completion of basic training once the onboarding step has been completed. The onboarding requirements for each type of commissioner role are detailed in a set of Onboarding Progress Records designed specifically for each role.

These Onboarding Progress Records are found on the Commissioner’s Basic Training information page.

Please Read this article for more information on Commissioner Onboarding

News for Commissioners_04.08.2022

Recharter Deadline Extended to April 15

For units that had their charter expire on/after 12/31/21, the grace period for Internet Recharter has been extended to April 15 to allow for extended processing. If you have any questions or concerns, we encourage you to reach out to your local council registrars.