Councils’ Membership and Unit Renewal Tips—for Councils, Commissioners, and Renewal Champions
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With year-round renewal, councils need fresh approaches to ensure units and member renew. This document offers proven strategies from councils of all sizes to spark new ideas and innovations. While not every method will fit every council or district, ongoing adaptation and improvement are key to supporting successful renewals.
Why Plan?
• With preparation, execution, and teamwork, we can give our unit leaders and other members the top-level experience they deserve and want.• Each Scout, parent, guardian, and volunteer benefits from Scouting.
Who is Responsible for Member Renewal?
Although units are primarily responsible for member renewals, whether initiated by the unit or the member (parent), they require significant support from their council and district.
Annual planning by councils and districts ensures that support is delivered effectively, renewals are successful, and members remain satisfied and committed.
Councils and districts must evaluate their resources and engage commissioners or other volunteers to meet the needs of units and members.
Keys to Renewal Success
Successful renewals depend on:
Planning
Proactive, year-round
preparation is key.
Training
Train units and key leaders at least annually, More often is ideal. Add a link to Unit and Membership Renewal on council websites.
Communication
Keep all members informed and engaged.
Teamwork
Collaboration across
roles is vital.
Vigilance
Stay attentive to progress
and challenges.
Preparation and Planning
Supplement national council communications with targeted local outreach, such as:
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All Scouters and parents who have shared their mobile phone numbers have authorized the use of texts. Texts must allow them to opt out. |
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E-mails, using Constant Contact or other tools. Check out this sample email. |
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Determine how to work with unit leaders to ensure vital emails and mobile phone numbers are correct, and every Scout under age 18 is associated with the correct parent(s)/guardian(s). |
| ✔ | Use phone trees to call families who have not renewed and offer help or gather feedback. Here is a sample tracking sheet. * Before expiration * During the lapse period * After drop. Often people don’t realize they have dropped. For those that do, understanding why can be helpful. |
Click here to view a sample member renewal communication plan.
Training
Provide renewal training at least annually. Consider offering it at least three times per year.
Councils can also post links to the tutorials and instructions at Unit and Membership Renewal page to support local implementation.
Unit Support
Establish clear, consistent support and communication with units. A point-of-contact (POC) system—placing help-desk-style resources at the unit, district, and council levels—helps resolve renewal issues quickly and close to the member, while easing the burden on the registrar. Click here for a sample design and organization chart.
Communication
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Use newsletters, social media, roundtable membership moments, telephone calls, text messaging, and meetings to keep renewal top of mind. |
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Units should use reminders to communicate frequently with their members. |
Collaboration
Align commissioners, membership volunteers, other Scouters, and professionals for cohesive teamwork.
Reports
Councils and districts should track renewal progress using available reports and provide units with regular updates. The reports are located at my.scouting.org ⇒ Roster ⇒ Reports.
Membership Reports
- Members Opted Out
- Members Due to Renew
- Members Who Have Renewed
- Members Without Unit
- Non Renewed Membership
Unit Reports
- Commissioner Tools
- Unit Charter Status
- Units Due to Recharter
- Unit Renewal
Supporting Units for Renewals
For Membership Renewal, units should:
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Verify and update annually that every youth has the correct parent(s)/guardian(s) identified and their correct email address(es) and mobile phone number(s) are in www.scouting.org. Changes in Scoutbook do not sync with scouting.org. |
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Verify and update annually the accuracy of contact information for all members on my.scouting.org. Changes in Scoutbook do not sync with scouting.org. |
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Decide annually who will handle renewals (parents/members, the unit, or a combination). |
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Clearly communicate plans, procedures, and expectations to members and families—multiple times. A unit new member coordinator can play a vital role with communication and support. |
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Remind parents (members) to complete renewals on time if they are handling the renewal. Frequent reminders are necessary. |
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Train parents/guardians (members) on how to renew if they are expected to handle the renewals. Use videos and instruction sheets at https://www.scouting.org/resources/unit-and-membership-renewal/. |
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Identify a parent/guardian (member), such as a new member coordinator, to serve as the primary resource for renewal questions. |
For Unit Renewal, units should:
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Ensure all requirements for unit renewal are met at least 60-90 days prior to the expiration date. |
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Keep the roster of key leaders up to date. Do not wait for renewal time to update. |
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Ensure that unit leaders’ safeguarding youth training (SYT) will remain current through the unit’s expiration date. |
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Ensure criminal background check (CBC) forms for unit leaders are on file. |
Share Your Success
Please share your successes and lessons learned with other councils: commissionerserviceteam@scouting.org.
Last Update: August 7, 2025
