In December, we held our first ever Thrive Drive Kickoff to focus on how the council can help units (packs, troops, crews, and ships) thrive in 2019. Areas of focus were
- Getting ALL Scouts to summer camp programs because that’s where the adventure of Scouting is delivered: Day Camp, Family Camp, Camp Yawgoog, National Youth Leadership Training and more
- Webelos to Scout Transition: getting every Arrow of Light Webelos to cross over and join a Scout troop because that’s where Scouts take a deep dive into leadership, citizenship, community service and more
- Improving our communication with you through increased focus on our emails, social media, roundtables, website, and new monthly “Scouting Thrives Webcast”
- Successfully launch the new Scouts BSA program in February with new Scout troops for girls.
- Implement a successful Family Friends of Scouting campaign this spring to invite Scouting families to financially support Scouting in the Narragansett Council
More than 13,000 boys and girls participate in Scouting in the Narragansett Council. Membership grew in 2017 by 4.6% and we grew again in 2018 with 2,753 new members joining during the year. Scouting in the Narragansett Council is as strong financially and programmatically today as it’s been in many years.
“Thanks to donors and leaders, the Narragansett Council is in solid financial health and membership continues to grow!”
Ed Broderick, Council President
Scouting is the finest and most effective youth development program in America instilling character, leadership and service. The Narragansett Council’s 79% retention rate is among the highest in the country and is further evidence of our success here, and the benefits of Scouting.
To our dedicated volunteers and supporters, we implore you to commit to make Scouting THRIVE in 2019! See the Unit Thrive Drive Commitment here.
- Work with your unit leaders to ensure that all are fully trained for their position
- Select a session of camp for your unit to attend this summer and hold a camp promotion presentation–urge all Scouts to attend camp!
- Schedule and hold a Family Friends of Scouting presentation between now and April. Your service area will provide a trained presenter and it only takes 10 minutes
- Commit to getting all of your Webelos Scouts to join a troop. If you are a troop, recruit Scouts to serve as Den Chiefs for local packs
We are committed to helping parents give their children an advantage in life. Together, we will make Scouting THRIVE in Southeastern New England!
What you told us about the Thrive Drive
We issued a special invitation to unit committee chairs to attend because an effective and functioning unit committee can make the different between a unit that is struggling and one that is THRIVING!
| Question (Scale of 1=”Not at All” to 5 = “Absolutely”) | Score |
| Was Thrive Drive a worthwhile use of time | 4.1 |
| Gained useful ideas and information | 4.2 |
| Well planned and executed | 4.4 |
| Was general session useful | 4.0 |
| Was breakout session useful | 4.1 |
| How likely to encourage others to attend in future | 4.3 |
Your feedback on communication
From our survey of volunteer leaders at the Thrive Drive Kickoff
| Rank | Best Methods to Communicate with You | Score* |
| 1 | Email Newsletter | 93 |
| 2 | 48 | |
| 3 | Monthly Roundtable Leader Meetings | 40 |
| 4 | Council Website Updates (www.ncbsa.org) | 35 |
| 5 | Individual emails for individual activities | 32 |
| *Score is weighted based on the ranking |
Based on your feedback, we will continue to focus and invest in building the effectiveness of our communication programs in these areas.
We are grateful for each of our volunteers and donors that contribute their time and resources to benefit children across Southeastern New England.