This is the second article in a two-part series on the strategy Sean Magennis and the membership team at Scouting America will use to increase retention and grow the organization. Part 1 was published in December.
Sean Magennis, Scouting America’s executive vice president of membership engagement, isn’t afraid of setting aggressive goals. If achieved, one of them gets Scouting America back to 2 million members in the next 10 years.
To do that, the team will lean on the EDGE method. That means clearly explaining expectations, demonstrating best practices through strong examples, guiding new volunteers through early implementation and, ultimately, enabling them to lead confidently on their own.
Scouting America already uses this method. It’s in the Scouts BSA Handbook related to teaching outdoor ethics to Scouts.
For membership, Magennis says it means building consistency without overcomplicating the experience.
“If we can simplify access points for our volunteers to learn, provide them with tools that work, provide them the support that they need to be effective in their roles … if we do those and do them well, we’re going to dramatically grow the organization,” Magennis says. “And we’re going to retain a lot more members.”
All in together
For leaders across Scouting America, membership growth is no longer a single initiative — it is a coordinated, organization-wide strategy in partnership with the national board, councils and volunteers. Magennis and the membership team views volunteers as the foundation of every growth plan. Preparation is central to the strategy.
When volunteers feel acknowledged, prepared and enabled, membership growth becomes more sustainable.
Rather than expect volunteers to learn on the job, Scouting America leadership will explain how units can recruit members, how to run a meeting and how to make onboarding more meaningful. They’ll demonstrate what works for others through training videos, in-person consultations and group roundtable discussions. New volunteers will learn from district leaders and mentors. They will have easy to use tools as well. This guidance, Magennis said, is particularly crucial early in a volunteer’s tenure.
Magennis says that as soon as volunteers feel confident and prepared, they can begin to mentor others. Explain. Demonstrate. Guide. Enable.
“The most important realization … is the importance of preparation, care and nurturing of the volunteer community,” he says. “Councils are being encouraged to streamline training pathways, make resources easier to access and create peer-to-peer learning environments so leaders can quickly apply what they learn.” “This should be fun and rewarding for volunteers and our kids.”
Setting the goals high
The membership goals are aggressive but attainable if the strategies are implemented and executed, he says. The 2 million target falls in a 10-year time frame. The short-term goal — within three years — is 1.1 million. Scouting America’s membership stands at just under 1 million today.
Achieving that, Magennis says, will require two parallel efforts: improved retention and accelerated recruitment. The team estimates that Scouting must “retain probably 8 to 10 percent more kids than we’re retaining today,” while also expanding outreach in growth markets.
Strategies include:
- Identifying high-potential geographic areas
- Expanding multicultural initiatives and rebuilding partnerships with civic and faith-based organizations that historically fueled membership
- Highlighting Scouting’s distinctive value proposition — character development, leadership opportunities and outdoor adventure — as central messaging themes.
Compete for attention
Challenges exist, Magennis says. Families face more options than ever, such as sports leagues, academic clubs and digital entertainment. Scouting needs to be clearer and more visible in its messaging.
“We need to be doing a better job of articulating what you get by being a member of our movement,” he says.
To address this, Scouting America has invested in unit growth executives in councils, supported in part by the Lilly Endowment, a private philanthropic foundation. In 2024, Scouting America received a $30 million grant from the foundation to help build the character of the nation’s young people.
Another challenge is retention.
“The first 90 days in the Cub Scout journey is pivotal for us,” Magennis says. “If your child gets a wonderful experience, they stay longer.”
Volunteer engagement and retention
Sustained growth depends on sustaining volunteers. The strategy is to increase recognition and offer clearer communication to reinforce that volunteers are seen and valued. At the same time, the goal is to strengthen feedback systems.
“We need to know from you what we could be doing better,” he says.
It comes down to a growth mindset. Magennis and his team are challenging every volunteer and every Scout professional to embrace this state of mind and realize that it’s not growth for the sake of growth. It’s all about helping kids who can benefit from Scouting America programs.
“Not everybody has the financial wherewithal to go into soccer or jujitsu or dance, which are very expensive today,” Magennis says. “We’re still the highest value dollar proposition in the country. More importantly, we help change lives for the better! Priceless.”
