Each of us has a different reason for serving Scouting as an adult. Perhaps our child was in the program, and we signed up to help volunteer. Maybe you had a special interest in serving the BSA. Probably many of us initially joined as a youth and then either continued or reengaged with Scouting as an adult.

Personally, I was a Scout as a youth, moving through the Cub Scout and Boy Scout programs. I left Scouting late in high school, but after joining the company I worked for after college, I learned they sponsored an Exploring post. Here was my opportunity to reengage. I eventually became the post advisor. It was fun to interact with youth on an adult level, albeit I was only about 8–10 years older than many of them. Before long, my first child was old enough to join the Cub Scout program, I stepped up as Cubmaster, and the rest is history.

I relate this story because it illustrates one of the many ways we can encourage young adults to engage with the Scouting movement or transition them from Scout to Scouter. Maybe they served on staff at Philmont and are already making that transition, or maybe they could benefit from a discussion to evaluate other positions.

Naturally, there are many reasons why someone might become engaged or want to remain engaged with the Scouting program. A strong incentive to act on them is to receive a personal ask. As commissioners who recruit new commissioners, we know this. It’s so much easier when someone is personally asked, and even more effective if we have a personal relationship with the person we are talking with. The same applies when asking someone to join Scouting as an adult. We have many needs with many positions to fill.

The exact same process works for current Scouters who are thinking it may be time to try something else. If that “something else” is non-Scouting, have a discussion with that person to share how a “change in scenery” within the Scouting program can be an exciting opportunity and an excellent way to continue to help the program. Perhaps moving from a unit position to a district position or becoming a merit badge counselor or a commissioner is a good choice, or perhaps even becoming involved with a training activity or camp program would be a way to keep the Scouting spirit alive and serve youth on a different level.

As your technology commissioner, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you that technology can be a convenient method to help with recruiting others. All a unit needs is a phone or tablet to register someone! As a commissioner, each of us can ensure that our units have enabled this convenient, online registration capability. For more information, refer to Information About Online Registration for Councils and Unit Leaders at Scouting.org.

As each of us responds to how we can help to grow and sustain Scouting, consider who you might know that was in Scouting as a youth, who might have an interest in working with youth, or who is currently in Scouting but may need a different experience or challenge to keep their involvement moving in a positive and production direction. We need good volunteers more today than ever. Let’s all see what we can do individually to help grow and sustain our beloved program by focusing on being the heart, building relationships, and working to change lives along the way.