Best Council Newsletter

National Capital Area Council
Council Classification: 200-300
Contact: Curtis Pruett

Objectives and Outcomes

1. Provide an effective, accurate, and engaging bimonthly resource for Scouting leaders, key neighborhood leaders, chartered organizations of the National Capital Area Council (NCAC), and NCAC employees.
2. Provide this resource in a print media format making it easy to read, portable, and historical.
3. Fund this resource through sponsorships and ad placements.
4. Each issue will:
   • Be received by the target market no later than the first day of February, April, August, October, and December. The June/July issue is to be mailed the day after the council annual business meeting in June.
   • Include all three elements of the Scouting movement: membership, program, finances.
   • Serve as a communications and marketing tool for every district and council committee.
   • Highlight upcoming events (training, program, finance, membership, general interest).
   • Announce and recognize top achievements and accomplishments (Eagle Scouts, God and Country awards, Quality Districts/Council, District Award of Merit and Silver Beaver recipients, and major financial donations and property developments).
   • Serve as a marketing tool by providing Scouting and National Capital Area Council facts.
   • Provide helpful information and tips.
   • Provide printed media as a support element to the NCAC Web site.
   • Help make leaders feel good about their volunteer efforts.
   • Help ensure financial supporters and prospects feel good about their financial investment in the NCAC, BSA.
   • Be mailed to all registered Scout leaders plus individuals placed on the council non-Scouters mailing list.

Planning Process

The Scouter Digest is the responsibility of the NCAC Marketing Committee, which includes the district marketing chairmen.

Although December of each year is earmarked as the time to do a total review of The Scouter Digest, the planning process for The Scouter Digest is dynamic. If feedback indicates a change is needed, the change is made in the next publication.

Each issue is critiqued by key members of the NCAC staff. This input is added to feedback from the readership, and changes are implemented in the next issue.

Several items help ensure the objectives for The Scouter Digest are achieved:

• NCAC Style Guide—This guide was developed using the guidelines of the National Council, BSA, and a government agency style guide format. It is given to all new NCAC staff members, made available at council pow wow and University of Scouting events, and is available for download from the council Web site.
• Pre-Published Article Submission Dates—NCAC staff members, district editors, and council committee editors receive these dates, which are also published on the council Web site.
• Key NCAC Staff Involvement—Each district executive and department head is responsible for turning in accurate and timely articles and photos. The writing of the articles is often given to a volunteer, but the staff member maintains the responsibility for reviewing the articles and turning them in to the editor.
• Business-Level Software—The size of The Scouter Digest requires the use of a top-level page layout program and photo editing program. Adobe Photoshop and Pagemaker are the council's mainstays.
• NCAC Staff—The success of The Scouter Digest and funding The Scouter Digest help make it possible to hire a marketing support staff position.
• Printer Follow-Up—After each issue is published, a critique meeting is held with the printer to address print quality and turnaround time. New techniques, software, and/or technical advances are also discussed to help further enhance the publication.
• Printer Shopping—Once per year The Scouter Digest is bid out to local quality printers to help ensure NCAC dollars are being well spent. This process has increased the publication's quality and reduced printing expenses as well. It further allowed location of a printer willing to use the council's credit card to pay for the printer costs and postage expenses. This has allowed the council to receive thousands of air miles, which are used to send NCAC staff to training events.
• Readership Feedback—Seeking feedback from readers regarding content, print quality, timing of the publication, and readability helps ensure quality and reader buy-in.
• Seek Out Ingenuity—The center spread section is used several times per year as a "pull out and hang on the wall" poster for Scouting unit meeting locations.
• Non-Scouters Mail List—An additional mailing database of non-Scouters is maintained by the council. Key community leaders such as United Way executives, principals, mayors, and others are added to this list by NCAC staff members as the need arises.

Impact

Although The Scouter Digest has been the council's newsletter for over 50 years, continual upgrading and feedback from the field has made The Scouter Digest an indispensable tool in every Scout leader's toolbox. It has also become one of the best ways to inform the general public and potential chartered organizations exactly what Scouting has to offer. It is often used as a handout for presentations to civic clubs because each issue covers every phase of what the council is doing to better the communities it serves.

Learning Points

1. Know the Mission—It is impossible to accomplish your newsletter's mission if you don't know what the mission states.
2. Have a Pleasant Cover—Scouters volunteer their time. After a hard day it's a pleasure to see an inviting cover image on your volunteer organization's newsletter.
3. Make It Readable—Printed information is useless if it doesn't get read. Font types, sizes, and colors help determine if the newsletter will get read.
4. Use Photographs—Not only is a photo worth 1,000 words, it helps capture the reader and get them to read what else is on that page.
5. Keep It Fresh—With a bimonthly publication, it is often difficult to get upcoming information. This makes it even more important that old and stale information not be printed.
6. Seek Feedback—Feedback helps ensure two things: that the newsletter is being read, and that it is dynamic and changeable.
7. Advertisers/Sponsors Are Available—With the proper tools, time, and dedication, advertisers/sponsors can be located. Keep the advertiser/sponsor involved and they will support your efforts again next year.
8. Make It Important—Interest and support for a "second-to-none" council newsletter must be from the top volunteer and professional levels down.
9. Timing Is Important—If news is released too soon, it may prove to be myth rather than news.
10. Digital Camera—A tremendous amount of money can be saved through the donation of even one digital camera. Hundreds of photos can be taken, manipulated, and printed at virtually no cost.
11. The Job Is Never Finished—As more people read The Scouter Digest and provide feedback through letters, emails, and phone calls, additional changes will be brought about. New sections may be added, existing sections may be removed, and the entire look and feel may be redone to keep the newsletter fresh and readable.

The Merits of Marketing (marketing.scouting.org) is a resource for local councils, developed by the Marketing & Communications Division of the National Council, Boy Scouts of America.