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awatson

awatson
Member since : Oct-24-2008 (Verified)
1 Ideas, 5 Comments, 64 Votes

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Ideas Posted

27
Is it possible for the Supply Division and Scoutstuff.org to offer free shipping to people who order? I can't think of any major retailer who does not offer this service to their clients, especially if orders exceed a certain threshold (ie over $100 etc).

This type of service would be very helpful to unit leaders and parents who rely on web ordering to supply their unit when they live far from their local Scout shop and would show the type of customer service that we should be providing to our volunteers.
Moderator Comments
1/6/09
From: Dave Harkins, Business Development, Supply Group

The Boy Scouts of America’s online store, Scoutstuff.org, is meant to complement, not replace, the business done by the physical stores that most members use to make their Scouting merchandise purchases. It is impossible to duplicate the experience shoppers receive by consulting knowledgeable in-store merchants such as those who operate the many National and council Scout Shops across the nation. Scoutstuff.org exists to serve those customers who cannot get to a shop or prefer the convenience of shopping online.

Periodically, the BSA emails its customers who have chosen to opt-in to receive offers and announcements regarding Scoutstuff.org. Since 2006 those offers have occasionally included free or discounted shipping for a time-limited period. For example, during the recent holiday season we announced a limited-time offer of free shipping with a minimum purchase, just as many other online retailers did during the competitive shopping period.

We will continue to find ways to best serve our members and meet their needs during these exciting and challenging times.
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Comments Posted

awatson 3 months ago
I completely agree with your assestment. Even more than money, volunteers see membership as a Pro's responsibility, and many Pro's see it as their primary evaluation "number" and therefore do not want to lose control.

Membership is defintely seen as a professional responsiblity, and not enough volunteers at any level have a buy-in to its importance. At the unit level, I think a lot of unit leaders have the idea that professionals have to get the kids in the door, and the unit will take it from there. The more we can make membership recruitment a shared responsibilty, the more succesful we will be. It's our job as professionals to convey this.

At the district and council level, are these recruitment volunteers really informed of what their responsibility is, or are they just warm bodies to fill the seat at the district/council meeting? I think too often we as professionals soft-sell the position just to get the volunteer and then don't train them on how to be successful.

One of the best district membership chairman we had in our council developed a monthly report on school membership density and what places we had weak opportunities to join, long before he had heard about the "Index of Growth". It was fantastic! He had buy-in and understood that every "number" was a real kid. He eventually went on to become our council president, and then an area president.

How can we re-engage volunteers? Often, our Scout executive will send out emails about how local or national Scouts have made an impact because of what they learned in Scouting. He always adds in that if someone had not asked that young man (or woman) to join, they may never have had the skills needed to make that impact. I think we should work harder to put a face on the "numbers" behind Scouting. We have to convey to our unit/district/council volunteers and professionals that, as a movement, we are either growing or dying.

In addition, I think the new Words to Live By recognition campaign is a great idea to include volunteers, though I do wish it had an element to recognize district membership team members and unit leaders. We have enacted this recongition concept in our council to recognize district membership volunteers who go out and make it happen.
awatson 5 months ago
I think this is an excellent idea. I think it will especially help give us a better sense of our retention rate and it may also help us decrease the number of youth who are accidently dropped off of recharters when moving up through the program.

For our LDS units, I think it would especially help with the consistent problem of 11year old Scouts being dropped off of recharters between pack and troop registration.
awatson 9 months ago
I am glad that the staff at CPD is revamping training programs to ensure that the needs of our units throughout the nation are being met by our incoming DEs. Just as training is essential for the health of our units, its just as important that we as professionals have learned the best methods for success.

That said, to insinuate that a new DE is ready to take on the vast responsibilities that fall under the direction of a Scout executive seems ludicrous. After almost 5 years in this profession, I am consistently amazed at the weight of responsibility that falls to the Scout executive of our council. As we approach what could be difficult times in a not for profit and when crises arise, I am very glad to be under the direction of an executive with over 30 years of experience in this profession.
awatson 11 months ago
Coming from a council with a council-owned Scout shop, I do appreciate the budgetary concerns that come with online ordering at scoutstuff.org and the impact it can make on our council's budget.

That said, I firmly believe that as a people-serving organization, we have to do everything we can to support our volunteers, and I am sure most would agree with this. Our "business" is supporting our volunteers and chartered partners.

If offering free shipping enables an outlying volunteer to get needed supplies at a better rate, and that creates a better program for Scouting, then I think its a win for the council.
awatson 0 years ago
I respectfully disagree. Running simple reports for our volunteers (like a district advancement report) is an easy task and is a small way that we can provide a service to our volunteers. By giving them this report, we are able to explain the information and then they can present it at district/council meetings. While I agree that there are limitations to the report as far as accuracy and readability, the very fact that we can call a volunteer and discuss it with them enables us to build a stronger relationship with them.