Here’s one of the easiest things you can do to help people join Scouting

It’s 2024, so when you sign up for something or ask a question online, you probably expect to get a response pretty quickly.

That’s also true for the thousands of people on BeAScout.org looking to join Scouting or get more information on a Scouting unit.

Here’s what you need to know: The BeAScout system isn’t fully automatic. It relies on Scout leaders like you to connect with those people applying or looking for more information.

All you have to do is log in to your unit’s BeAScout dashboard through the My Scouting portal and respond to anyone who has inquired about joining your unit. That simple and easy step can go a long way toward helping people join Scouting.

What can happen

To truly understand this situation, we have to put ourselves in the shoes of a family that is interested in signing up for Scouting for the first time.

Odds are these families have no prior history in Scouting America. They don’t know what a “Philmont Scout Ranch” is, and they don’t know the difference between a Tiger Cub Scout and a First Class Scout.

They’re familiar with the term “Eagle Scout” because everybody knows that term, but few of them know what it really means. Most likely, they don’t know the difference between a pack and a den.

All they know is that Scouting is right for them. They want their children to be part of a program that develops leadership, character and patriotism.

So they do what everyone does: They go online to find more information.

“Oh, look! There’s a Cub Scout pack right here in our community!” they exclaim after just a few minutes of searching.

They click the button that reads “Request More Information” and then … nothing. They never hear back.

Days, weeks, months go by. They’re busy. They’re involved with other activities. And there’s one less family out there that gets to experience the life-changing world of Scouting.

What should happen

There are two things unit leaders can do to make sure this doesn’t happen to them.

First, make sure your unit is on BeAScout, and make sure the information there is up to date.

Second, regularly check in on your unit’s BeAScout dashboard through the My Scouting portal. It is through this system that you can respond to people who have inquired online about joining your unit.

Yes, you should receive a notification via email when someone has submitted a request for more information online. But let’s be honest. We all get a lot of email. It’s easy for things to get lost.

My advice is to check to see if you have any BeAScout inquiries at least once every day or so. Maybe even set up a daily reminder on your calendar or phone at a time when you know you can easily pause and check the inquiries. It takes only a minute, and it literally could result in a life-changing experience for a young person in your community.

And yes, when people submit queries or applications to join your unit online, they get a standard, automated response from Scouting America. But — especially when someone isn’t 100% sure if they want to join or not — a nice, personable message from a real-life Scout leader can go a long way.

What about paper applications?

Many units still have a place for paper applications at join nights and other in-person recruiting events, and that’s great. But in a world where you can buy a house, a car and almost everything else online, people expect there to be a paperless way to join Scouting too.

Good news: There is! It’s BeAScout.org. Families can enter their ZIP codes and find Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scout units near them. (Scouting America’s Exploring program has its own site that allows you to find posts and clubs near you.)

After an interested family finds the right unit, they’re given the option of requesting more information or applying to join right then and there.

Unfortunately, this is the point where the process can grind to a halt. Why? Because too often many of the people who inquire online about joining Scouting never hear back.

Thankfully, just taking a few minutes a day to follow up completely solves the problem. And who knows? Maybe you’ll recruit the next Scout who will eventually change the world.