Unit Support

Thank you for joining and being a part of the Scouting family!

Here you will find a variety of resources to help grow and strengthen your unit. We encourage you to take time to browse through our website.

• Start with your District’s page. There you will find the people who are specific to your area who specialize in different parts of the District Committee. 
• Review the Commissioners page and how they can assist you.
• Follow us on Facebook for up-to-date events and stories. You can also follow and Camp Gorton!
• Look at the Council Calendar for upcoming events that your Unit can participate in.

Annual Program Planning

To develop the unit budget, complete the worksheet with the unit leader and committee at the annual program planning conference, and then share it with the parents. Be sure to keep parents involved and informed. The unit’s program calendar and budget information needs to be communicated regularly to families, especially at the start of the program year. By sharing the unit’s program plans and budgetary needs, you can help newly recruited youth and their parents gain a greater understanding of just what fun is waiting for them during the unit’s entire program year. National BSA has a tool to help, click here for the National Annual Program Planning Tool

A planned program is one of the best things that can be done to keep Scouts and help involve families.

What should be included:

• • Regular Unit Meetings, this should include Dens & Patrols
  • Unit Committee Meetings
  • Patrol Leaders Council (PLC) meetings
  • Campouts, hikes, activities – there should be something scheduled for each month. Remember to look at the Council Calendar for events that are scheduled that your Unit would like to participate in. Click here for the camping page, which includes approved Cub camping locations
  • Fundraising Events
  • Community Service events – Scouting for Food (tags out/bags in), parades, school open houses, etc
  • Unit Open House – opportunity to have a scheduled meeting for people interested in joining Scouting come and see your Unit in action.

Planning Your Program Budget

Each year your Unit should create an annual budget. This looks at all the planned expenses and they are going to be covered. 

Click here for a National Unit Budget Planning Worksheet

Things to take into consideration:

• • Expenses
    • Awards & Recognition
    • Supplies & Equipment (repair & replace)
    • Trailer registration & Insurance
  • Income
    • Popcorn sales
    • Other fundraisers
    • Activity fee

Unit Fundraising

A Scout is Thrifty: It’s good practice for Scout units, too. Business-like finance management not only assures that your unit will remain solvent and have what it needs when it needs it, it also provides a fine example for your youth members. A good unit should neither spend more than it earns nor earn more that it spends. As much harm can be done with one extreme as with the other.

Fundraising is a necessary aspect of Scouting. Units should look at the minimal amount of fundraising, so that the program is not all about fundraising. A few number of quality fundraising events can take care of a Units needs throughout the year. 

For any fundraising event, except Popcorn, a Unit must submit a Unit Money Earning Application to their District Executive.

Funding your Unit Training Video

Fundraising Do’s and Don’ts

Popcorn is a Council organized fundraiser. Many Scouts and Units use this as their only fundraiser for the year. Popcorn is sold door-to-door, outside of businesses (referred to as Show-n-Sale), and online. For more information about Popcorn sales please see the Popcorn Page.

Online Tools (Unit Management Software)

As part of your charter and registration fees, National provides access to many online tools to help you manage your Unit.

My.Scouting – This provides access to your Unit Roster, recharter, individual renewal approval, BeAscout pin, Application Manager, Invitation Manager, training manager and more. For help on these tools or if there issues please click and go to our support page.

Scoutbook – This provides advancement tracking, communication, Patrol/Den setup, tracking of leadership positions, Eagle applications and more. For help on these tools or if there issues please click and go to our support page.

Scoutbook Plus – This provides advancement recording & tracking, Unit calendar with RSVP & reminder emails, tracking of camping, hiking and service hours and more. For help on these tools or if there issues please click and go to our support page.

Recruitment Tools

Retention (Keeping the Scouts)

Once the Scouts and families join we need to keep them. This comes from planned program and having fun & engaging program.

What can be done:

• • Planned Program (Year Round)
  • Planned Meeting (with back up plans) Troop  Pack
  • Immediate recognition on advancement and awards
    • Advancement and awards should be presented as soon as possible. These presentations make the Scouts who earned them excited for recognition and lets others see what they can earn. 
    • Additional Awards can be found on the National Awards Center
  • New and fun activities – same thing from year to year gets boring. You also need to keep in mind what is fun for you might not be for the Scouts. Involve the PLC in the Planning Conference.
  • Game Night – Have a night where the Scouts can come, play games and have fun. Scouting is not always about Camping. Fun, Fellowship, and Good Sportsmanship.
  • Cell Phones – Cell phones are great tools. Cameras, Video, GPS, Constellation, Animal Tracks and more. We teach proper use of knives and fire, we also teach safe and proper electronics.
  • Keep the parents informed and involved. Even small tasks can grow into a future leader for Unit.
  • Be flexible. You are competing with other organizations for their time. Your Unit should be flexible to their schedule.
  • Trained leadership. Have all of your parents take Youth Protection. You should have your leaders take Position Specific Training as soon as possible to give them the tools they need.

Renewal of Members (Youth & Adult)

Unit Renewal –Rechartering

Quick Links

Unit Recruiting Resources

• • Sample Newspaper Submission
  • Sign-Up Event Station Instructions
  • Sign-Up Event Layout
  • Sign-Up Event Station Signs
  • Participation Costs
  • Sample Pack Calendar
  • Sample Pack Leadership
  • Sample What We Do
  • Sign-Up Event Attendance Roster
  • Uniform Checklist
  • Sign-Up Event Unit Playbook
  • Best Practices Success
  • Scouts BSA Resources
    • Scouts BSA Year Round Recruitment Guide
    • Host a Troop Open House
    • Recruiting Arrow of Light Scouts

Forms

• • Flyer Request Forms
    • East District Units
    • Great Trails District Units
    • North Star District Units
    • Voyageur District Units
    • West District Units
    • Whitetail District Units
  • BSA Adult Application
  • BSA Youth Application
  • National Forms

Other Useful Websites

• • • Brand Center – Assets and tools to enhance marketing  https://scoutingwire.org/BSA-Brand-Center/
    • Great Falls Council Website
    • Scouts BSA Program Resource Links
    • National Marketing page
    • My.Scouting.org
    • Scoutbook
    • Scoutbook Plus
    • BeAScout.org– National recruitment page
    • National Unit & Membership Renewal page
    • Your Unit Commissioner and District Membership Chair