The prevalence of technology can dramatically impact many areas of society in positive ways, including the Scouting experience. A successful Scouting experience for today’s youth and families calls for a simple, interactive, engaging, digital experience. To better serve youth, families and volunteers, the BSA has made great strides to develop the beginnings of a digital platform. As the older foundational technology is costly to maintain and hampers innovation, building the next generation of digital platforms is paramount to the successful delivery of positive youth development through Scouting.
The BSA IT Development Strategy is the path to replace and simplify the costly, cumbersome, and outdated foundational system; building an intuitive, secure, easy to use Scouting experience for everyone. As the emerging digital platform replaces the foundational system, new funds are needed to accelerate innovation. The BSA is launching a technology capital campaign to raise funds in the form of cash or application suites to accelerate innovation, improving the youth, family and volunteer experience at a faster pace.
Innovation Impact
In 2016, the BSA introduced two new applications on its emerging digital platform, Scoutbook and My.Scouting Tools. These applications work together to improve the Scouting experience for millions of youth and volunteers. Results are confirming innovation focused on a digital Scouting experience positively impacts youth and volunteers.
In one year alone, innovation has:
- Added 3.3 million hours per month volunteers can use to work directly with youth
- Increased the youth retention rate by 3%
- Increased the national youth advancement rate by 9%
Digitizing the Scouting Experience Will…
- Remove barriers to entry for more youth by engaging in the digital space
- Give prospective families the ability to experience Scouting, before they join
- Create an event management system to simplify and improve event registration
- Optimize and enhance workforce diversity and talent
- Grow and improve Scouting through data-driven, strategic, decision making
- Connect millions of Alumni through a digital application facilitating engagement
Coupled with other investments, an additional $16 million in funding will accelerate innovation in Scouting, adding 500,000 new and retained members, increasing membership revenue by $16.5 million and adding $50 million in supply revenue over the next ten years.
“Scouting makes it hard to serve kids”
– Scouting Volunteer, 2016 Voice of the Scout Survey
The Scouting experience has lagged behind the times, decreasing youth, family, and volunteer satisfaction. Busy families expect the BSA to have the same ease of entry and use as other 21st century organizations. Instead, new members fill out triplicate forms to join and volunteers are handed large volumes of printed training materials. The effect is a burdensome process, leading to inefficiencies and dissatisfaction.
As volunteer satisfaction with training support and program materials continues a five-year decline, the number of registered adults has declined as well.
From school to social activities, today’s youth are accustomed to engaging in the digital space. Scouting has not kept pace with engaging digital platforms and content to deliver the Scouting mission. Advancement declines in prior years signal a concern as lower advancement creates disengaged youth, directly impacting membership retention.
Kids from the inner city of Chicago deserve the same Scouting experience as kids from suburban Dallas. The resources available to volunteers and youth must be easy to access, continually updated, and delivered consistently — regardless of geography and income level.
Scouting must innovate to deliver a consistent, simple, 21st century experience for its 3.2 million members.
2015 saw a 2.6% decline in the number of registered youth and declining youth retention. With the introduction of modest technology efforts; along with program modifications, we have seen those numbers improve. Retention is paramount. When fewer youth join and stay in Scouting, the positive character development of the next generation is in jeopardy.
“today’s youth have been completely normalized by digital technologies — it is a fully integrated aspect of their lives.”
— Green and Hannon, “Their Space – Education for a Digital Generation”
The emergence of technology in every facet of life is shaping the ways in which youth communicate, collaborate, operate and form social constructs. The evolution of digital games and social networking technologies is shaping the way people think, work, and live. This is especially true for the newest generation who have grown up under the digital wave.
In “Their Space – Education for a Digital Generation”, Green and Hannon state, “today’s youth have been completely normalized by digital technologies — it is a fully integrated aspect of their lives.” Interestingly, this study was published 10 years ago — highlighting the divide between delivery of the Scouting mission and the needs of its members.
A successful Scouting experience for today’s youth, families, and volunteers calls for a simple, interactive digital experience. Technology simplifies and streamlines processes making it easier to join, participate, and enjoy Scouting.
The BSA IT Development Strategy is the path to replace and simplify the costly, cumbersome, and outdated foundational system; building an intuitive, secure, easy to use digital Scouting experience for everyone.
While the vision for a modern Scouting experience is in place, funding innovation internally has been challenging. To close the technology divide and better serve youth, families, and volunteers, the BSA has made great strides to develop the beginnings of a digital platform. Recent key investments have laid the groundwork for a new digital platform creating the new applications: Scoutbook and My.ScoutingTools.
Innovation Impact
%
The national youth advancement rate for units using Scoutbook soared to 61%.
%
Pilots for online registration have shown 100% recruitment at joining events.
Adds 3.3 million hours per month volunteers can use to work directly with youth
Recent technology investments focused on innovation, have improved the Scouting experience for youth, families, and volunteers. Scoutbook, a new BSA web application launched in 2016, puts the Scouting journey directly in the hands of youth and families.
Currently, there are 1.2 million Scoutbook users in 15,000 units. Evidence is showing that investment in Scoutbook is paying off with increased youth advancement and retention rates.
The 2016 national youth advancement rate was 52%. However, the national youth advancement rate for units using Scoutbook soared to 61%. With Scoutbook, youth and families directly track progress to goals, merit badge counselors and leaders can use online approval, and youth can track volunteer hours at their fingertips.
Scoutbook has also increased youth engagement by giving youth, parents and units a mobile friendly ability to join and participate in Scouting. Scouts track their progress, stay engaged with their units through messaging, and see the immediate results of their hard work.
Engaged Scouts
stay in Scouting.
The longer youth stay in Scouting, the more character is postively developed. As the youth advancement rate with Scoutbook use increased, youth retention also increased by 3%, from 76% to 79%, over the same period.
Coupled with online registration rolled out in early 2017, a new online payment system creates a seamless first impression for new families. Pilots for online registration have shown an astonishing 100% recruitment at joining events.
Scoutbook and My.Scouting Tools (MyST) work together as part of the growing BSA digital platform to reduce the burden on volunteers with seamless advancement tracking and unit communication system.
The data in Scoutbook and My.Scouting Tools syncs, reducing entry time and improving the unit administration process for volunteers. Feedback shows volunteer time spent on paperwork and administration can be reduced by 25% with Scoutbook and My.Scouting Tools efficiencies, adding 3.3 million hours per month volunteers can use to work directly with youth.
The BSA is seeking $16 million in venture philanthropy investments in the form of cash or application suites to accelerate innovation — improving the youth, family and volunteer experience at a faster pace. Fully implemented, this technology innovation investment will add 500,000 new and retained members, increasing revenue by $16.5 million and adding $50 million in supply revenue over the next ten years.
Technology Innovation Investment
Results confirm innovation focused on building a digital Scouting experience positively impacts youth, families, and volunteers. As the BSA continues to expand Scoutbook and MyST as part of the emerging digital platform, new funds or application suites are needed to accelerate innovation on other fronts. Faster implementation timelines help projects like Digital Scouting recruit and retain more youth.
New Event Management in addition to Workforce Diversity and Engagement Solutions provide added member support through personnel and improved processes — as well as cost savings. Investment to accelerate the IT Development Strategy leverages the momentum gained during the first two years of building the digital platform.
