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Electronic Applications/Payment
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Why not allow a paperless option for joining Scouting? The application would be sent by email to the committee chair, etc for approval. And I as DE would be notified that the app is in process, I would approve it, and the registrar would give final approval without having to retype anything. And money would be paid online as well. All along the way we could hide the applicant's social security number to protect even more from identity theft.

If a leader doesn't have email, I as the DE would see the jam and just call them myself to get their approval by phone and sign in their place, just like I can on paper apps.

If the parent or child signing up doesn't have Internet they could still do it the old fashioned paper way.

I don't know about other Councils but we have a room full of unlocked file cabinets full of years and years of paper apps. They have social security numbers on them and could easily be stolen. And how many people saw the social security number in between the applicant filling it out and me getting it? Not to mention it's a waste of space and a waste of trees. This would also solve another problem. Sometimes I don't get an application until 6 months after the applicant started the process. If I had been notified about the applicant I could have been aware and encouraged the process along and notified the person about upcoming trainings. This would also save the units on postage and me on gas taking them to Council.

I think especially for the Latter-day Saint units, the application process should have the ability to be started by other adult leaders like the Bishop of the ward who gives the calling.

After the application is completed the applicant should be redirected to fast start training and to mybsa to see their training record.
Moderator Comments
11/13/08
From: Gary Butler, Director, Council Solutions Group

This is under consideration pending resources available.
Comments
ahallber 1 year ago
It would make things easier to do it electronically, but there needs to be a better way of authenticating the app. (P.S.-YOu probably shouldn't be signing forms for someone else.)
bhendley 1 year ago
YOU are signing apps???

You might not know this, but doing so puts you at a serious risk! You might want to talk to some other folks about this and the ramifications of doing so...
khuffman 9 months ago
There are many benefits to having an online application process available for youth and adults. To summarize the benefits noted by jturman's original post:
1. Membership. Make the application process easier and more people will do it. For good or ill, we are a nation obsessed with convenience. Make the process easier and there will be less incomplete (eg, 6 month in process) applications. Online applications will lead to increased youth and adult membership.
2. Identity security. File cabinets full of social security numbers is not safe, and most people FEEl more secure entering private information online than writing it down on paper and handing it to another person (whether or not this actually is more secure is another topic).
3. Training/ Follow up. By automatically connecting new adults to myscouting and fast start training we will have more trained leaders (trained leaders are better leaders and lead for longer periods of time). Plant the training seed early. Local DE and some council support staff should be automatically notified whenever a new application is submitted.

There are additional benefits to an online application process:
1. Simplify rechartering for our volunteers. How many recharters in your district are turned late due to the delays our volunteers experience in tracking down new adult applications, CR/ CC signatures? Solution: call (or email) to the applicant to fill this out online, which then automatically gets sent to CR/ CC for approval, which finally goes through to the council office. Simple.
2. Information gathering/ data entry. There are programs that could automate this whole process. The idea that we have a full time registrar retyping each hand-written application to enter it into Scoutnet in the 21st Century is not just inefficient, it's downright embarrassing. All adult leaders who were scouts or Eagle Scouts as youth should go to a database (FOS prospecting!). It should be easy for me to find out what leaders or parents involved in the last five years work at a certain company, data could be sorted by profession for both merit badge and FOS purposes (everthing exportable to MS Excel of course)...email addresses captured (see next point)
3. Go green and save some green. Email addresses for all leaders should be required in the online application and all of a sudden you are saving the environment (and lots of $$$) with the capability to email monthly newsletters, event flyers, anything you want with no postage or printing costs!
4. Fraud prevention. As the responders noted the signatures need to actually be done, especially on adult applications. Signatures over the phone/ email (and for that matter, plain forgery) only happen becuase it is inconvenient to physically track down the appropriate signers.
5. Relevance. This is a common theme in all the 100 Years of Scouting material. The BSA's embrace of technology (or lack thereof) in the next two years will send a clear signal about whether or not this organization will be relevant in the 21st century. I don't mean to be critical, but we have some catching up to do in this regard. Adopting an online application format would support the claim that Scouting will be relevant for the next 100 years.

It's been a few months since this post so hopefully some progress has been made on this GOOD IDEA. One potential obstacle may be whether the authentication process for elecotronic signatures is legally sufficient to authorize the background check. Another possible problem is with the online payment feature, which often has a surcharge for whatever company is processing the payment (sometimes these surcharges are suprisingly expensive). The biggest problem of all is the IT problem. In order to make this idea work to it's full capacity, the entire ScoutNet program would have to be overhauled to sync and automate with the online applications. The other (minor) problem is specific to online youth applications, where a discussion with the local professional about which unit the youth will join is useful. There are some obstacles to overcome in implementing this idea, but the benefits (listed above) make it worth the effort.
Judy Sizemore 8 months ago
Status Changed from Active to Complete.
Judy Sizemore 5 months ago
Status Changed from Complete to In Progress.
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