The troop is in the process of shifting to Scoutbook for Troop communications. The primary goal behind this move is to make the emailing process more straightforward and less time-consuming. This transition is expected to enhance communication within the troop and ensure that all members can easily stay informed about upcoming events and activities. Please note we will not make the change until we are fully confident that all who wish to continue to receive email communications are set up and good to go in Scoutbook.
We are asking that everyone double-check that their email preferences are set correctly. To confirm this, in Scoutbook, access My Dashboard, then go to Administration, followed by My Account, and click on EMail. Move the Messaging Opt-Out slider to the right to ensure you are opted in to receive emails. Remember, opting out means you will not receive any emails from Scoutbook.
IMPORTANT: Your Child does not have automatic access to their Scoutbook account. It is up to each Parent’s discretion whether to permit their child to view and have access to their Scoutbook account- this may be appropriate with older scouts who want to take on the responsibility of logging in their rank requirements. Please note that Scoutbook is the official Scouts BSA advancement system so good judgment and safe digital practices must be used with any photos, videos, or notes uploaded. Either the Advancement Chair, Scoutmaster, or the Assistant Scoutmaster assigned to your child’s patrol will review your uploaded documentation and digitally sign off that the rank requirement is leader-approved.
For Scouts
To grant your Child access to their account, go to their account name, click on edit extended information, scroll to the bottom, and click on Invite to connect. The scout will need their email account, separate from the parent’s email account.
To send A message
Go to www.scoutbook.com and log in using your credentials.
Once Logged in, click on “My Dashboard” at the top of the page.
On your dashboard page, click on the “Send Message” button under the Messages heading (you may need to click on Messages to get this button to appear).
This should pull up a “Select Recipients” page. Parents will see only a list of Scout Leaders, while both Scouts and Scout Leaders should see three lists of Leaders, Parents, and Scouts (if not, contact Troop leaders now). The shortest list will be Scouts since it only shows those scouts with personal emails that have been invited within ScoutBook by their parents.
If you want to send a Troop-wide message, choose “Select All” for all columns.
Scroll down to the bottom of that same page, where you can fill in your email Subject and message (body text), and if you have attachments, there is a button that allows you to upload files to be included. The “Use BCC” option will send a copy to your email so you know it went out.
Hit “Send Message”
Please Note:
- All parents should have the option to send any or all Scout leaders (but not scouts or other parents) either email or text messages.
- All Troop leaders set up in ScoutBook should be able to send email and/or text messages (for those that provide cell #s) to all troop leaders, parents and scouts.
- All Scouts invited by their parents to connect with a personal email address to Scoutbook should be able to email and/or text messages (for those that provide cell #s) to all troop leaders, parents and other scouts.
- When sending and receiving emails through the scout book email address will automatically default to the Boy Scouts of America email format which is [first]. [last] @scouting.org (ex. michael.speer@scouting.org).
- If you wish to be dropped from the current email list please let me know and ill ensure you are removed as part of this transition.
- Alumni who wish to continue to receive email to stay informed please ensure you sign up for a Scoutbook Account. We have a plan in place to ensure you continue to receive emails.
The current plan is to send out a test email on Sunday, October 6th. This email will serve as a trial run to ensure that all recipients receive the message successfully and that there are no technical issues with the distribution process. It will also allow us to gather feedback on the content and format of the email before sending out the final version. Additionally, this test email will allow us to make any necessary adjustments to the mailing list to ensure that all intended recipients are included. By sending out this test email, we can ensure that the final email is delivered smoothly and effectively to all recipients.
Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.