August – September

Be Prepared…for Rechartering Guide:  Explains many of the following tasks:

Set-up/Review BeAScout pin.  Make sure you have a BeAScout pin set up so that prospective members can find your unit and apply online.  Help for setting up a pin can be found here.  In My.Scouting‘s Organization Manager –> Unit Pin, ensure that online applications are enabled.  Units are encouraged to use online applications for new members at the rechartering time.  Uploading paper applications during the rechartering process is error prone.

Establish a Unit Recharter Champion.  This person will be the key person in your unit for the process.  He/she will work directly with your district rechartering champion to make this a quick and successful process.

Choose a Charter Org Representative (COR) Delegate.  This person, appointed in Position Manager in My.Scouting by the COR to fulfill the duties of the COR in the rechartering process.  Help for this process can be found here.

Check your unit leaders’ Youth Protection (YPT) status!  In My.Scouting, use Training Manager –> Reports –> YPT Aging Report.  Any adult that expires before March 1, 2023 should plan to retake YPT now.  Click here to see a tutorial on how to use Training manager.  New in 2022:  Registered Adults will receive warning emails at 90 days, 60 days, 30 days, 14 days prior to expiration and upon Expiration.  If a registered adult’s YPT expires and account access is suspended, they can forward their YPT Completion Certificate to support@michiganscouting.org to regain access.

Ensure Criminal Background Check (CBC) forms are accounted for.  Using Position Manager in Organization Manager, ensure that all adult leaders have the most updated CBC form on file.

Review Positions and Approve Apps.  Your leadership can reassign adult leader positions and approve Adult applications.  The sooner the better. Need Position Codes?  Find them in the Position Code guide.

Determine Scouts/Scouters with Multiple Registrations.  These are those members that are a part of multiple BSA units (Troops, Packs, Ships, and/or Crews).  Each person needs to be represented on each unit’s recharter, but the member only has to submit fees to the primary unit.  Members that are part of one or more Explorer Posts cannot “multiple” with Troops, Packs, Ships and/or Crews; separate registration fees are required for Explorer adults and youth.

Training!  Unit charter champions should review user guides and videos prior to the October 2 opening of the recharter system.

Journey to Excellence (JTE) reporting.  Hopefully you’ve been tracking your unit’s progress on the current JTE scorecard.  Celebrate all of the great things your unit does by listing them on the form.  More JTE information can be found here.

Your Goal:  Before October 2, all applications should be submitted through BeAScout and all Adults have two green checkmarks next to their name indicating current YPT and CBC.

October 2 – November 15

Encourage all new members to register online.  Members that register after October 2 will register for the remainder of 2022 and all of 2023, paying all fees for the 12+ months.

Log into the Recharter system and continue the process. You’ve done all of the pre-work.  Logging in and verifying the information should be a breeze.  Use the Internet Recharter 2.0 User Guide for information on how to use the system.

Pay online or in the office.  Once you are ready to submit your recharter, you have the option to pay online (credit card or ACH, both with small fees) or by check in a Scout Service Center.   Note: ScoutPay is no longer supported for the 2023 year.

Submit charter with unit Key 3 or Key Delegate’s approval.  Once complete, submit the recharter.  Unit Key 3 or Key 3 Delegate will need to approve the Charter.  The others will be notified the charter has been approved by BSA.

Turn in the following to your District Unit Serving Executive.  Either in person or digitally, turn in the following three items:

• Annual Charter Agreement
• Journey to Excellence (JTE) scorecard
• Unit Charter Renewal Report Package (from Recharter system)

Special Cases (e.g., Special Needs participants over 18) that require manual submission:  If you have a special situation that prevents you from submitting online, though you have been cleared by the proper portion of the organization, you may need to submit your recharter in person.  An example of this would be Special Needs Scouts that have been approved to continue as Youth Participants after the age of 18:  the recharter system will currently not allow you to submit the recharter online.  Follow the manual turn-in process below:

1. Complete the recharter in the system as completely as possible (youth and adults in the proper position)
2. Instead of submitting online, print off the recharter from the system.
3. Obtain physical signatures from your unit/charter organization on the printed copy.
4. Send the paperwork with payment to your local Scout Service Center — include all additional applications for new Scouts/Adults added to the recharter.  Include a note explaining the barrier to submitting online.
5. The recharter paperwork will be sent to Registration Services for manual entry, noting the special circumstance.

Form for extension for Special Needs Scouts

Special Case: Troops or Packs with less than five primary youth members:  In order to be approved as a unit with fewer than FIVE primary youth members,  a Troop membership plan or Pack membership plan must be submitted with the recharter paperwork.  Note:

• This does NOT apply to Crews or Ships since many of those members are multiples from a Troop. (Crews or Ships with fewer than five total – primary and/or multiple –  members should have a plan, though.)
• Membership recruitment of units under 5 youth starts in JANUARY.  Please plan to continue your recruiting efforts right after the new year
• Webelos crossovers cannot be the only part of a membership plan unless there are at least SIX known Webelos crossing over (enough for a new Scout patrol)

Forms

Annual Unit Charter Agreement: This document must be signed annually by the Charter Org, the Charter Org Rep, the Committee Chair and the Local Council.  Download this form and start early getting all of the appropriate signatures.

New Unit Application: Used by new units to initially define the Charter Org, it is also used by units that are 1) changing Charter Organizations, or 2) need to update the information about the current Charter Org.  This should be completed in the Be Prepared phase and submitted to Registration Services at mcc.registration@scouting.org.

Release and Assumption of Charter: Used by an existing Charter Org to release its responsibility and charter for the unit.

Registration Assistance Request Form: Any Scout or adult that is in need of financial assistance to cover annual fees should complete this fillable PDF.

Youth Application and Adult Application (Paper versions):  Online applications are preferred, but if you need the old fashioned paper version of the apps, here they are.  The Adult application was updated in 2022, so make sure you are using the new version.

Adult Position Codes: Have Adult apps and not sure how to assign a position?  This PDF guide lists all of the possible positions with their codes and whether they require a fee.

Resources

2024 Fee Increase:  Updated fee explanation starting May 1, 2024.

Be Prepared…for Rechartering Guide:  Do you know how to use my.scouting.org to set up a BeAScout pin, approve applications, set up a Charter Org delegate or the other Be Prepared steps?  Here is your quick guide!

Exploring Addendum: This guide is an addendum to the Internet Rechartering User Guide and addresses renewing (rechartering) Exploring Units (Posts/Clubs).

Application Manager and Invitation Manager Usage:  Do you know how to access the Membership Management section of MyScouting?  This section includes the Application and Invitation Managers.  Application Manager is the way to keep track and approve online applications,  and Invitation Manager provides your unit QR Codes and URLs that allow new members to directly apply.

Unit Technology Tools & Renewal: This table shows which roles in the Unit have access to which technology tools (BeAScout, Invitation Manager, Roster, etc.) before, during and after the rechartering (and expiration) process.

National Commissioners Rechartering Presentation: PowerPoint presentation on the rechartering process. Useful for Commissioners and Units alike.

UMC Toolkit:  For units that have been previously chartered by a United Methodist Church and are moving to a new Charter Org

Catholic Resources 2023: The Letter from the Diocese of Lansing and the Statement from the National Catholic Committee on Scouting.

Internet Rechartering 2.0 Demo System: Want to preview the system and see any new updates?  Log onto the demo system, referencing the Demo System Instructions.  You can try out the system without messing anything up!

Technology Changes in 2023

Helpful Videos/Guides:

• Unit PINS and Setting up for Electronic Applications (Video)
• Update your Unit Pin
• Accepting Youth Applications (Video)
• Accepting Adult Applications (Video)
• Using Position Manager to update Registered Positions (Video)
• Electronic Membership Transfers (Guide)
• Establishing COR Delegates and Key 3 Delegates (Video)
• Full List of 2022 Improvements
• Charter Renewal Process (4/15/23 Training session)
• Accessing the Unit Dashboard in Organization Manager
• Key 3: Printing a YPT certificate for a member

November 16 – January 15

Clear any defects.  If after submission you receive notice of issues (defects) with your recharter, work with your commissioner staff to resolve those issues in a timely manner.  Registration Services is reviewing Charters On Hold and posting any defects they find on the Application Log and the MCC Dashboard 2.  Units, DEs, DCs, and Recharter Champions will be reviewing the defect log and taking action so charters can be Posted promptly when National BSA acts.

January 16 – February 28

Print Charter and membership cards.  Once approved and processed, Unit Key 3, commissioners and professionals can log into My.Scouting to print out the annual Charter and all membership cards.  Instructions:

• Units: How to Print Membership Cards
• Units: How to Print your Charter Certificate
• Commissioners/Professionals: How to Print Membership Cards for a Unit
• Commissioners/Professionals:  How to Print a Unit’s Charter Certificate

Stop-Start-Continue activity.  With your unit commissioner, run through this process to see how to improve rechartering in the future.

What is the charter?

The chartering process is one of the oldest traditions in Scouting. It is the formal document that certifies the agreement between a Chartered Partner – an organization that agrees to utilize Scouting as a part of its service to youth and community outreach – and the Boy Scouts of America, setting expectations for the quality of program to be delivered to the Charter Partner’s youth population.

The BSA grants charters to sponsoring (chartered) organizations who must report to Scouting annually to renew their local charters. Rechartering is the process where a Scout unit renews its charter as an official part of the Boy Scouts of America.