The last few years have been interesting to say the least. We have experienced a pandemic, major legal issues, membership declines, staffing changes, etc. But for the most part, commissioners have remained focused on our priorities and as we adapt to the changes that we continue to experience, we need to maintain that focus. The Unit Service Operations group on your service team is working on several initiatives to help commissioners be even more effective.

Growing Scouting
Membership growth will continue to be a focus area for everyone in scouting. Commissioners can be actively involved in this process. Unit commissioners can make sure that units are aware of marketing resources, district commissioners can work with district committee members to add new units, and all other administrative commissioners can support these and other membership efforts.

Your service team is dedicating resources to work closely with the national membership committee and plans to be able to provide more tools and techniques for commissioners to be even more effective in the future.

Serving and Supporting Units
Commissioners have a direct and positive impact on retention of scouts, adults, and units. The serving and supporting units team is working with our technology group to improve the charter renewal experience. We have begun the communication process about functional aspects of this important activity.

Your service team will continue to evaluate ways that frontline commissioners can have an even greater impact on the units they serve. Several ideas are being evaluated and we hope to pilot the best ideas in the coming year.

Program Support
Your service team has a seat at the table at each of the five program committees (Cub Scouting, Scouts BSA, Venturing, Sea Scouting, and Exploring). These commissioners serve as a two-way bridge between program and unit service. Commissioners can get the most current program information and units can learn about the value that a unit commissioner can bring. Commissioners are more effective when they are knowledgeable about the program in the units that they serve.

In the coming year, more resources will be available on the commissioner section of scouting.org, the BSA web site. There will be significant improvements related to all the Unit Service Operations pages.

So, where do we go from here? We continue to execute on the plans that are in place. We continue to adapt to the changes that will come our way. We continue to “Be the heart, Build relationships, Change lives.”