Watch for your Voice of the Scout survey, coming via email

Voice-of-the-Scout-logoEmail just got exciting again.

Tomorrow (Tuesday, Oct. 7), Scouting members and parents will receive a link to the biannual Voice of the Scout survey.

The three- to five-minute survey has eight questions, but it can be boiled down to one critical one: Are your expectations of the Scouting program matching the actual experiences you’re having or seeing?

The Fall 2014 survey is the sixth Voice of the Scout survey since it was created in 2012. The results yield insight into trends that reflect Scouting’s strengths, challenges and opportunities.

For example, the Spring 2014 survey showed that Scouting loyalty — members staying with the program — increased by 5.2 percentage points over the previous six months.

Here are some basic facts about the Voice of the Scout survey, including what to do if you don’t receive the survey email.

You’ll get the survey link by email

The only way to take the survey is by clicking the link in your email.

That link can’t be shared with others; it’s only for you.

You have two weeks to complete the survey

The survey link stays open for two weeks, but I’d suggest you take it as soon as you receive the link.

Seven different groups receive the survey

These segment audiences get slightly different surveys:

  • Cub Scouts (the email is sent to their parents)
  • Boy Scouts and Venturers (for Scouts under 13, the email is sent to their parents)
  • Cub Scout parents
  • Boy Scout parents
  • Youth-facing leaders
  • Council and district volunteers
  • Chartered organizations

Not everyone gets the survey

Surveys are only sent to members who have been in Scouting for 90 days or more.

The Voice of the Scout survey team finalized the email list on Aug. 31, meaning if your email address has changed since then, you won’t get the survey.

You also won’t see the link if you haven’t updated your email in my.Scouting.org. On that subject …

It’s easy to see whether we have your current email address

Go to my.Scouting.org and log in.

Click the Home button in the top left corner. Click on My Dashboard.

Under Contact Information, click your email address. Check to make sure it’s correct.

If it is, you should get the survey. If not, update it so you get the next survey. Speaking of …

If you don’t get this survey, make sure you get the next one

The survey is distributed two times a year. The next one is sent March 3, 2015, meaning the email cutoff will be Jan. 31, 2015.

Update your email address now to make sure you’re included.

Survey results are available for anyone to see

See the results of previous Voice of the Scout surveys at this link. The results of the Fall 2014 survey will be released in November.

Units with high participation could win $500

For the fall 2014 release (Oct. 7 to 22), those units where the responses from Cub Scout parents, Boy Scouts/Venturers, or Boy Scout parents total more than 50 percent of the unit’s youth membership will be entered into a drawing to win $500.

Drawings will be done at the area level, with a potential of 27 total awards. Winners will be announced in November in Scout Wire, along with a direct communication to the unit leader and the council Key 3. Units that meet this threshold will be featured in the next VOS infographic as well.

Learn more over at Scout Wire

Find more about the Fall 2014 Voice of the Scout survey at Scout Wire.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.