Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of packs, troops, crews and ships. Commissioners help maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America.
The commissioner is the liaison between the local council and Scouting units. The commissioner's mission is to keep units operating at maximum efficiency, maintain regular contact with unit leaders, counsel leaders on where to find assistance, note weaknesses in programs, and suggest remedies. The commissioner is successful when units effectively deliver the ideals of Scouting to their members. Contact your district leadership or district commissioner to determine the unit commissioner assigned to your unit.
Commissioner Training
A trained commissioner is an effective commissioner. Commissioners should take Commissioner Fast Start training online. Basic training has been changed from one course for all commissioners to position-specific courses for unit commissioners, assistant district commissioners, assistant commissioners and Roundtable commissioners. Commissioner Basic Training and Roundtable Commissioner Training are offered online at my.scouting.org. Commissioners are encouraged to attend the College of Commissioners Science.
College of Commissioner Science
The College of Commissioner Science is a day of training for commissioners covering basic through advanced learning experiences in unit service. The objectives are to help commissioners expand their skills and unit service philosophy. The goal of this experience is to promote the increased effectiveness of the individual commissioner.
This ongoing training opportunity will benefit new commissioners and experienced unit commissioners. Participants do not have to be a commissioner to attend. Any adult leader that is interested in the numerous resources available in the Scouting movement is invited to attend.
Learn More
New Commissioner Tools
Commissioner Tools is a new tool available on the new my.Scouting Tools. Commissioner Tools are used by commissioners to record both unit contacts and monthly roundtable attendance. The tools are intended to help commissioners better perform (not change) current functions by improving efficiency and easy access of information.
Quickstart Videos for Commissioner Tools
Unit Service Plan
The Unit Service Plan is a tool to strengthen a unit and enable it to offer the best possible program to the youth it serves. A collaborative effort between the unit’s leaders, its chartered organization, the unit commissioner, and the district operating committee, it establishes a customized annual plan that is periodically reviewed and updated to provide continuing improvement.
Commissioner Resources
BSA commissioner website
Roundtable
Commissioner Manuals and Resources
Newsletters
External Sites
Commissioner Awards and Recognition
Recognition has been a fundamental part of Scouting from its beginning. Done well, it is a powerful tool that can help leaders set goals, define accomplishments, encourage skill development, celebrate commitment and achievement, and inspire others to strive for similar success.
Purpose of Commissioners
Unit Service is about:
⇒ Being the heart
⇒ Building relationships
⇒ Changing lives
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Scouting's top priorities are:
⇒ Keeping youth safe
⇒ Growing Scouting
⇒ Building strong financial foundations for local councils
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Supporting Units
Creating a Safety Culture in Scouting. Start by making sure everyone is familiar with the Guide to Safe Scouting, the Four Points of SAFE, and BSA’s Scouting Safety Moments. More than 90 topics covered by BSA’s Safety Moments are available to add value to any Scouting meeting.
Incident Reporting in the BSA: How It Works and Why it Matters. To ensure the safety of its participants, the BSA expects leaders to use the Four Points of SAFE. Even when we do our best to follow those and the guidelines for program delivery, incidents can and will occur. That’s when the BSA’s incident reporting process comes into play. Using it will help reduce incidents in the future and increase the safety of every member of the BSA.
Scouter Code of Conduct. Did you know there’s a code of conduct for Scouters? Imagine what your Scouting experience – and the experience of the youth you serve would be like if every leader did their best to comply with the BSA Scouter Code of Conduct while serving as an adult leader.
Growing Scouting
Application Leads. All commissioners – council, district, unit – can now view current Scouting leads to help grow membership. BeAScout.org enables prospective new Scouts to find local units to join and can then submit an application to join a unit of their choice. However, there have been many instances where unit leaders were not familiar with how to view those new application leads. Now, commissioners can view those leads by accessing Invitation Manger in my.Scouting.org. Take the opportunity to see if any active leads are there for you to review and share with the units you serve.
Staying On the Trail.
Communicating Information
What Do Parents Like About Cub Scouting? New Cub Scout enrollment has continued to trend in the right direction. It’s imperative to make sure we deliver what we’ve promised to all those new members. Commissioners can help units do that because we know what the parents like.
Apps. The MyScouting mobile application is primarily meant for unit commissioners and roundtable commissioners. The mobile app provides functionality from Commissioner Tools, Training Manager, and Organization Manager as well as access to critical reference materials like the Guide to Safe Scouting and training requirements for Scouting positions. Plus, it fits right in your pocket! The app is available from the App Store for iOS devices or from Google Play for Android devices. If you haven’t used it, take a look at the tutorial that’s available.
Training. Want to know who has completed BALOO, or IOLS, or Wood Badge, or Wilderness First Aid? The Specific Training Course Report is a new report available in the Training Manager, which can be accessed via my.Scouting.org. It allows individuals to identify Scouters who have completed specific classroom training courses. Start by signing in to my.Scouting.org and then navigating to the council or district of interest. Select Training Manager from the menu, then select Reports where you will find the Specific Training Course Report. It presents a drop-down list of courses from which you may select the specific course of interest. After pressing “Run” you will see a list of Scouters who have completed that course. The list may be downloaded as a .csv or .pdf file.
District Key 3 Contact Report Available. Building relationships and knowing who to contact are essential to delivering effective unit service. A new report in my.Scouting.org roster, the “Key 3 Contact Report” has been added to the district level. It lists the Key 3 members of units within the district. A similar report is available at the council level.
Scouting Changes Lives
Have questions about the BSA? Ask the Expert
Contact your district leadership or district commissioner to determine the unit commissioner assigned to your unit.