Writing the Report
The Report to the State is an opportunity to highlight and share the benefits that Scouting provides to your state. This success will be communicated through statistics such as the number of youth and adults served, the service provided to your state, and Scouting’s collaborations with community organizations.
Compile Statistics
A worksheet is provided to help in gathering this data. Send your council’s data to your area director/state adviser. Your information will be combined with the data from the other councils in your state to provide state totals.
Gather Success Stories
Numbers don’t tell the whole Scouting story. They don’t say everything about a council’s success. Each council also needs to submit two service-oriented success stories. These accounts of service will provide a clearer picture of the benefits of Scouting in your state. We do not want to present simply what Scouting is, but what it does. We want to show the invaluable role that Scouting plays in our communities.
The report must answer a key question: “What’s in it for your state?” Show how Scouting helps the state accomplish its strategic plan. Every state and all governors have their own sets of goals. Education and service learning will be among them. Scouting, by its very existence, helps the state accomplish these goals.
Scouting was founded on service. This is the foundation the report must stand on, and a service initiative like Good Turn for America can be a cornerstone. Your service-oriented success stories will show your state officials how Scouting benefits your communities.
Prepare and Present
A written Report to the State should be prepared and placed in a presentation folder to be presented to the governor or other ranking elected official who receives the report from the delegates. This document should be prepared in a professional manner and on appropriate letterhead, such as Good Turn for America.
This written report will be used again. Your Report to the State will be combined with others to become a “state of Scouting” report.
Each region should prepare a Report to the State booklet that features the reports and photos from each of its states. This will provide a communications resource to tell the story of Scouting on a state-by-state level to the volunteers and funders at the regional level. The National Council will also prepare a document that provides the state of Scouting report for use as opportunities arise.
Suggested Outline
The Boy Scouts of America is an organization committed to making a difference in the lives of young people. Through the efforts of more than [national total] dedicated volunteers and the support of community and religious organizations, the BSA reached more than [national total] youth in [year] with its program of citizenship, mental and physical fitness, and character development.
Our Mission
The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law.
Our Members
We use numbers and statistics to measure our success in delivering the Scouting program. But those figures provide only a glimpse of Scouting. Behind the numbers are caring adult volunteers, families, and supporters who give their time and talents to build a better future, one child at a time.
Service to Our State
[Add state information, compiled from the Report to the State Data Worksheet. Include a few success stories provided by the councils.]
Collaborations With Community Organizations
[Add state information, compiled from the Report to the State Data Worksheet. Include a few success stories provided by the councils.]
Youth and Adults Served
[Add state information compiled from the Report to the State Data Worksheet.]