Please join us in congratulating the winners of the 15th Annual National President’s Awards for Marketing Excellence! These awards recognize councils that are doing outstanding work in the areas of Best Positive Public Relations, Best Website, Best Marketing Campaign, Best Finance Support Materials, and more! This year’s entries were some of the finest to date and showcase the strides we’ve made as an organization in building and managing our brands. Congratulations to those who won, and to all those who submitted an entry. Entries are typically accepted from November to January each year, with information accessible from the Marketing Toolbox at www.scouting.org/marketing. For the complete...

A new template is available for planning and implementing board diversity: Click here for the template or go to our website at www.scouting.org/jte and scroll to the Council Tools section.  ...

Click to open May 15 issue The May 15 issue of the Finance Impact Department’s e-Letter has been published and is available online. In this issue, you can read about how one of our local councils, the Capitol Area Council in Austin, Texas, is using Blackbaud Sphere for its peer-to-peer fundraising. Also in this issue, the Development and Finance Impact departments invite local councils to visit them at the National Annual Meeting; why councils should keep their information updated on GuideStar; the announcement of the new Eagle Scout 2012 yearbook; and the webinar list. To read the entire issue, click the link above...

The Summit and the 2013 National Scout Jamboree are all about high adventure and fun. Visitors will see firsthand what that means at the Summit Center, where they can sample activities ranging from zip lines and BMX to rock climbing and shooting sports. Jamboree visitor passes—including one-day, two-days, and all days—are now available, starting at $25 for a one-day pass for visitors who are 6–10 years of age. Please share this information with your council’s jamboree contingent, units that may be traveling near the Summit, and anyone else who may want to participate in the fun! Resources: Visitor information page on bsajamboree.org Scouting magazine’s “Bryan...

Click graphic to open full size The dates and locations for this year’s NextConnect National Marketing Summits have been chosen: NextConnect Oakland—Aug. 12–13 NextConnect Washington, D.C.—Aug. 15–16 Looking to make that next connection with Scouting’s target audiences? Join us for NextConnect ’13, where you’ll hear from industry experts and share best practices with marketing staff and volunteers from across the country. Attend with your council’s marketing committee to firm up fall recruitment plans and begin planning for 2014! Through a combination of networking, high-level speakers, and interactive workshops, you’ll leave with an arsenal of ideas to market Scouting to the communities you serve. There are no fees...

It is that time of year again, and we are excited to highlight one of our most visible months in Scouting—Indy 500 month. Three years ago, BSA Racing made a huge impact on the national stage during one of the most watched sporting events in the world. That year, Alex Lloyd, the first BSA racing team driver, competed in what can simply be called one of the best drives in Indy 500 history. Starting at the middle of the pack, Alex finished the 500-mile race in fourth place, the best finish ever in the more than 25-year history of Dale Coyne Racing...

The Voice of the Scout council dashboard was due to be updated with spring 2013 data on May 8. However, the 2013 results are not yet available, and we apologize for the delay. Please watch Scout Wire and the National Council News Update window on MyBSA for an announcement once it does go live. We are excited to share with you that work continues on the development and launch of a VOS district dashboard....

The 2013 edition of the Environmental Scan is now available. This tool—which includes an indexed summary of social trends and facts affecting the BSA—is designed to assist councils with the development of strategic plans, marketing, fundraising, recruitment, and presentations.  ...

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