People throughout our community are proud to be associated with the Boy Scouts of America and believe that developing young people and providing quality programs are Scoutings top priorities, according to a survey conducted by the Greater St. Louis Area Council.

A key element of the council's Strategic Plan for 2006 to 2008 was a stakeholder survey.  In February, 2006, the Council surveyed the Executive Board, community leaders (business leaders and elected officials), the professional staff, support staff (such as administrative assistants and customer service personnel) and a random sample of more than 5,000 registered adult volunteer leaders.

"Our response rate was excellent," said Lori Lewis, chairman of the Strategic Plan's Organizational Effectiveness Group and Director of Organizational Development for Enterprise Bank.  "The response rate from our adult leaders was more than 20 percent.  With a survey like this, a response rate of 10 percent or better is outstanding."

More than 40 percent of the Executive Board and 24 percent of the community leaders participated.  More than 90 percent of the professional and support staff participated.

The survey questions covered the following areas:

• Scouting's mission;
• Resources and structure of Scouting;
• Communication;
• Leadership of the Executive Board;
• Relationships with people who work within or with several Scout units;
• Relationships among paid employees and between paid employees and volunteers;
• Culture;
• Performance Management and Compensation and Benefits (professional and support staff Only);
• Open-ended comments: What should the Boy Scouts keep doing?  What should the Boy Scout stop doing?

Approximately 1,500 survey responses--both paper and online--were compiled and analyzed by Grace & Associates.  The data was organized into two broad categories: good news and not-so-good news.

Good News

• Great response rate.  Many stakeholders cared enough to complete the survey, including writing comments.
• All stakeholders are proud to be associated with the Boys Scouts.
• All stakeholders believe that developing young people and providing quality programs are the top two priorities of the Boy Scouts.
• A strong relationship exists between Unit Leaders/Chairman/Managers and their direct reports.
• All stakeholders believe the Council to be truthful.
• Top community leaders are perceived as committed to the Boy Scouts.
• In dealing with conflicts, parents, volunteers and community leaders are the most positive groups responding to how conflicts are dealt with.
• Paid staff is clear about their performance expectations and have had a performance discussion.
• Stakeholders have a strong desire to continue teaching the foundational elements of Scouting (values) to young people.

Not So Good News

• Administrative Support Staff is the least satisfied group overall.  In addition, the results indicate they feel out of the communication loop
• Most groups, including the Executive Board, desire more direct oversight from the Board for membership and program records.
• The Administrative Support Staff is not satisfied with their compensation and benefits.
• Parents, volunteers and community leaders believe there is room for improvement in the quality of Council services and the amount of resources and staff available for programs and services.
• Most stakeholders desire more timely information regarding important decisions.
• Stakeholders are concerned about the emphasis placed on membership numbers and fundraising dollars over quality programming.

More than 500 respondents answered the open-ended questions.  The response rate was higher than most surveys conducted by various organizations.  More than one in four respondents said Scouting should stop emphasizing quantity (recruiting and membership numbers) over program quality.

"The number of people writing a response indicates how many people possess strong feelings about Scouting," said Bob Grace of Grace & Associates.  "There was an overwhelming response from people who said the Scouts should continue to teach core values, yet stop discriminating against homosexuals."

Here's a summary of responses most mentioned to both questions:

What do the Boy Scouts need to keep doing?

• Provide a safe, fun, and high-quality program
• Continue to teach the core values and founding ideals
• Keep the focus of the activities outdoor and on community service
• Keep the focus on boys first
• Recruit high-quality, enthusiastic and fun volunteers
• Provide quality training for volunteers and Scouts
• Keep the purpose, story and benefits of Boy Scouts in the public eye, including through the use of the website and Duffle Bag
• Continue to modernize, update and innovate programs

What do the Boy Scouts need to stop doing?

• Stop emphasizing quantity (recruiting and membership numbers) over quality programming
• Stop placing so much emphasis on fundraising
• Stop discriminating against homosexuals
• Stop increasing the costs of Scouting to keep Scouting affordable for all families
• Provide more timely communications through district leaders, the website and the Duffle Bag
• Increase involvement at the pack level from professional, commissioner and district leaders (proactive rather than reactive or just coming to ask for money)
• Find ways to avoid burn out for volunteers
• Identify a different fundraiser other than popcorn
• Provide more accurate record keeping for advancement
• Update camp facilities and modernize other programmatic elements (uniform look)
• Provide more options of location and time for Scouting activities and volunteer training

Overall Recommendations

The survey results and the Organizational Effectiveness Group recommendations were presented to the council's Executive Board during the overall presentation of the Strategic Plan.  The recommendations included,

• Stick to the Scoutings mission
• Capitalize on the passion and belief the stakeholders hold in the Boy Scouts of America
• Reevaluate the appropriate level of Board involvement and oversight of the council
• Leverage the strong relationship that exists between unit leaders/chairman/managers and their pack leaders or direct reports
• Provide strategic and more timely information to multiple levels through multiple avenues
• Engage Administrative Support Staff by increasing the depth and breadth of feedback and communication with them
• Remain open to the volunteers suggestions and feedback for programmatic updates and enhancements.