You earned Eagle, now make sure you’re in the 2015 Eagle Scout Directory

This blog and the pages of Eagles’ Call magazine are filled with stories of Eagle Scouts who have gone on to do great things.

And that’s just the ones we know about.

Another 500,000 Eagle Scouts have dropped off of Scouting’s radar since earning Scouting’s highest rank at some point in the award’s 102-year history.

To that end, the National Eagle Scout Association is gathering information for its 2015 Eagle Scout Directory, and NESA wants to ensure that you or any Eagle Scouts you know are included. That means all Eagles, whether they earned the award in 1958, 1978 or 2008.

Watch your mail in the coming months to make sure you don’t miss out.

The last Eagle Scout Directory project was conducted in 2008, and just like most university alumni associations conduct regular directory updates, NESA is ready to refresh its information about its accomplished alumni.

This info won’t be sold to anyone but will be shared with local councils to help them stay in contact with Eagle Scouts who have moved into their council’s borders.

It’s a proven tool. Information from the 2008 directory helped councils re-establish contact with Eagle Scouts and led to additional support and volunteers.

So will information about you be included without your consent?

Of course not. You decide how much or how little data is actually printed about you; it’s your choice. The company producing the directory is contractually forbidden from selling or exploiting your information.

When will Eagle Scouts be contacted?

Eagle Scouts will get an email, postcard or call in the coming months. It may be as early as this month (April 2014), or it may not be until August 2014. It depends on your region.

The company contacting you is PCI (also known as Publishing Concepts), a Dallas-based agency that NESA has selected to publish its directory.

PCI publishes directories for educational institutions, fraternities, sororities and military organizations across the nation. They’re also the folks behind the Eagle Scout Yearbook I blogged about earlier.

Keep in mind the yearbook and directory are separate projects. The Eagle Scout Yearbook is a new, annual publication that highlights young men who earned Eagle in the past year. The Eagle Scout Directory, on the other hand, will include the names of everyone who has ever earned Eagle, sorted by region.

If you or a fellow Eagle Scout has moved or fallen out of contact with Scouting, it’s possible you won’t hear from PCI. If that’s the case and you aren’t contacted, click here to learn how you can contact PCI yourself.

When will the directory be published?

Because there are so many awesome Eagle Scouts out there, the directory is being split into four regional editions.

The first of those is expected to ship in April 2015.

Four reasons why you should participate

Chicago volunteer Todd Plotner is a former NESA chairman and currently sits on the National NESA Committee. He calls the 2015 Eagle Scout Directory “an invaluable resource for Scouts, Scouters and the Boy Scouts of America.”

“Whether or not you purchase a directory,” Plotner says, “updating your contact information with PCI allows other Scouts and Scouters to contact you and for Scouting to stay in touch with you. Of course, you can share as much or as little information through the directory as you’d like.”

Plotner offers four compelling reasons why you should be a part of the directory:

1. The information collected is valuable to local councils as they use available resources to best serve youth through Scouting.
2. The directory allows efficient networking with other Eagle Scouts — both for students and for those farther along in their careers.
3. The directory is a permanent record of each Eagle Scout’s achievements.
4. Proceeds from directory sales benefit NESA’s robust scholarship fund.

Speaking of, it’s projects like this one that have helped the fund grow almost every year. Take a look:

Vote for your favorite cover

NESA is asking Eagle Scouts to choose which potential cover for the 2015 Eagle Scout Directory they like best. You can check ’em out below, but you’ll need to respond to a card or email sent from PCI to cast your vote. So be on the lookout!

Still have questions?

Find FAQs about the directory at this site.