Welcome! This forum has a treasure trove of great info – Scouters helping Scouters! Just a heads up, though - all content, information, and opinions shared on this forum are those of the author, not the BSA.
I’m hoping you will consider putting in a new feature in Scoutbook. One of the most paper heavy tasks is having adults apply to be Merit Badge Counselors, Scout Leaders and other positions within the troop. It would be easier and more efficient and allow for better tracking of where the adult application is in the process and once it has been approved/rejected to have this process become electronic instead of paper based.
This task can take up a lot of volunteer time and effort and most people would rather complete an online form than a paper paper one. It would also help give volunteers a sense of security as personally identification information like ssn does not have to be seen by other adults in the troop (the system could **** the numbers out to protect the information)…
Also, since most of the information is the same the system could allow the adults to only enter in the information once, while selecting multiple items (i.e. Assistant Scout Master & Merit Badge Counselor). What took 2 forms and twice the amount of time would now only take 1 form and a couple of checkboxes to check.
The troop could appoint the Scout Master to approve Assistant Scout Masters, Merit Badge Coordination to approve Merit Badge Counselors and the Committee Chair to approve the rest. Then those applications would be sent onto counsel to process and approve or reject. It would also automatically let people know if their application was approved or rejected. This would help counsel let people know where the application was in the process and prevent applications from not getting to counsel, being lost, misplaced, etc.
I know this would be a big effort, but I hope you will consider this as I’m sure everyone would greatly appreciate all the efforts and it would greatly simplify the current process and move it towards a more efficient process.
Misty, the online application already does most or all of what you are looking for. The youth / adult goes to BeAScout, then the COR can approve via Application Manager (My.Scouting). Once approved, the person appears on your roster almost immediately. 12 hours after that the person shows up in Scoutbook / Internet Advancement.
This looks like it’s for Scout Leaders (unless I’m missing something). Do you know if it’s going to be expanded for merit badge counselors and committee members?
The Merit Badge Counselor is a district (or council) position requiring council approval and is historically registered by the council registrar. My district has not tested the online registration system to see if MBCs can be invited to register online.
@MistyDion, the online applications are for any unit Scout leaders, which would include Committee Members.
@Matt.Johnson, you are correct. Merit Badge Councilors are Council (or District in some Councils) positions, they cannot go through the unit application process. MBCs, like other District and Council leaders must complete paper apps. Those of us at multiple levels hope that changes some day.
The issue with MBC applications (new to district or council) is how to collect the MBC information and how to do the council approval, not the adult application form. The online registration system may not be programmed yet to handle positions like merit badge counselor or supernova mentors. However, it looks like new council board and district committee members can register online. (District members at large have to be elected first.) I am seeing conflicting statements with regard to paid and non-paid position registration.
Council and District level volunteers can also submit their applications for paid or multiple positions through the online registration system and be accepted electronically by the council.
What Does the Registration Tool Do? pp. 2-3
Invitation Manager … Allows districts and councils to send invitations to become a volunteer at the district or councils level. …
Digital Application …Electronic application that collects all the data needed to register; …
The Application Manager … Can also be used by the council or district to register volunteers in paid positions within their district or council organization.
Merit badge councilors are not in a paid position.
Configuration Options, p. 8
Adult application availability` - this configuration allows the council to turn on or off the availability of the adult volunteer and adult participants (Venturers age 18‐20) applications online. The youth application will always be available through the system.
Using Invitation Manager, p. 19
Councils and districts can use the lead manager to send invitation with a direct link to the online application for council and district positions. You can send this link to new board or committee positions. the applications will allow the person to multiple if they are already registered in another position in the council that has a current paid registration.
