Author: Mike Matzinger
Community groups are a fantastic way for alums to connect with like-minded individuals for fellowship, friendship, and service. There are many types of community groups, including those for high adventure supporters, Eagle Scouts, Wood Badge recipients, and lawyers. Another kind of community group centers around a Scout unit. Many units have alumni associations that benefit both the alum and the unit’s current members.
I serve as the founding Scoutmaster of a troop in the Greensboro, North Carolina, area. Begun in 2006, Troop 600 has thousands of alumni if you define an alum as someone positively impacted by Scouting through the troop. For us, this includes those who were and are registered youth, Assistant Scoutmasters, Committee Members, Merit Badge Counselors, Eagle Scout coaches, and family members.
Our alums receive periodic updates on the troop and fellow alums, information about upcoming alumni events, and a challenge to continue living out the Scout Oath and Law. If the troop has a need, such as financial support for a Scout or a merit badge counselor, we share that with our alums. Current troop members can see the benefits of Scouting through the lives of alums, learn about potential schools and careers, and feel part of something bigger than themselves or their troop.
As a leader, I also benefit. I get to see the legacy that Scouting leaves in people’s lives, and in particular, what the troop is doing well and should continue to do. And I’m reminded why being a unit leader is a sacred honor, and I’m recharged to continue helping every available youth live a life of impact and purpose, based on the Scout Oath and Law.
Starting a unit alumni association is a relatively straightforward task. Typically, a unit leader has an email list of past members to whom they can reach out. For me, I have alums spread the word and direct everyone to a form on Google Drive, where they supply basic information, including their email address, where they live, their career goals, and how they are serving. With this information, I direct the alums to the troop’s Facebook page, where they can follow troop activities, and I invite them to special events. I find the in-person events are the best part of the troop association. We ask our alums back every December during the holiday season to meet our juniors and seniors, to update everyone on what they are up to, and to hear a state-of-the-troop address from the current senior patrol leader. One of the former patrols prepares Dutch ovens that the group enjoys while reconnecting. We also invite our alums to courts of honor and big celebrations. Next year, they’ll attend a celebration of the 100 Eagle Scout milestone, and the following year, they’ll assemble to commemorate the troop’s 20th anniversary.
Visit the Scouting Alumni directory to ensure your individual contact information is up to date. This is an excellent resource for units to use as one way to reconnect with their alums. The database can be accessed at https://scoutingalumni.org/resources/alumnidirectory/
