Use the Report to the Nation to share Scouting’s relevance

FOR THE PAST CENTURY, Scouting has helped shape young people into successful, mindful American citizens who work to improve and give back to their communities. I’m proud of our Scouts’ accomplishments from the national level to each unit across the country. And I know you are, too. 

Each year, we’re given the opportunity through our congressional charter to share with our peers the impact of Scouting in America. The annual Report to the Nation, delivered to Congress in February by a diverse Scout delegation, is the placard upon which we showcase our accomplishments and our continued relevance in today’s society.

The Report covers the BSA’s role as an organization; the programs and initiatives we support; and our major accomplishments and contributions during the past year. It includes important information such as volunteer hours, number of youth served, organizational goals, and key achievements.

But the Report goes far beyond the borders of Washington, D.C. I look at the Report to the Nation as an open door—a unique opportunity for local councils, districts, and units to show their neighbors exactly what we’re made of and what Scouting offers to America’s youth.

That’s why I want to challenge each of you to seize the opportunity to make the Report yours. By combining national data with local statistics, you can easily compile a Report to the State or even a Report to the Community to paint a picture of Scouting’s remarkable accomplishments and contributions from the past year. With the Report to the Nation in hand, you have a relevant and timely opportunity to get in front of media, elected officials, current and potential donors, council board members, schools, and others to show why Scouting matters.

The details of the report will be made available to local councils in late January, along with resources that include a template report, playbook that provides suggestions for implementation, template news release, fact sheets, and graphic assets such as infographics and videos.

I hope you’ll take this message to heart and heed the call. Report to the Nation is a presentation of who we are and what we do as a community. Thus, we each own a little piece of it.

You can access more information through your local council and at scouting.org.