Sean Magennis became Scouting America’s executive vice president of membership engagement in July—the first EVP focused exclusively on membership. Previously, he served as global president and COO of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), and his strategies for recruitment and retention will likely touch every unit in the organization.

In a recent interview with Scouting Magazine, Magennis shared that he observed a Wood Badge course at Philmont Scout Ranch, calling it “amazing” and transformative. He also described his strategy for membership growth, drawing on his experience as Global President and COO of YPO, where he led the organisation’s expansion to 33,000 members across 138 countries, focusing on six key pillars. 

Meanwhile, unit leaders keep wrestling with the same challenge: connecting national strategy with the realities of weekly meetings. Making national-level ideas resonate in a local troop setting feels like a constant puzzle.’ Magennis has an impressive track record, no question. But can strategies that worked for an adult professional group also work for a youth-focused program like Scouting?

Why adult membership models don’t translate directly

YPO serves chief executives, who are adults making their own membership decisions, paying their own dues, and engaging directly with the organisation. In that model, membership growth is straightforward: connect with your members.

Scouting America serves youth. Every membership decision involves two people: the young person and their parent or guardian. Unit leaders know this balancing act well. You’re not just running a great program for kids—you’re also managing parent expectations, communication styles, scheduling conflicts, and family budgets.

This isn’t a criticism of Magennis’s background. It just means that membership strategies don’t transfer automatically from one type of organization to another. His YPO experience is valuable—the question is how his six-pillar vision translates into the daily work of unit-level membership, where both parents and youth make decisions together.

This isn’t a criticism of Magennis’s background. It just means that membership strategies don’t transfer automatically from one type of organization to another. His YPO experience is valuable—the question is how his six-pillar vision translates into the daily work of unit-level membership, where both parents and youth make decisions together.

Magennis’s membership strategy centers on six pillars

  • Membership Health: Strengthen the overall experience families have when they first join, with councils offering region-specific support.
  • Digital Growth Enablement: Make it easy for families to find and connect with local programs online, where most families begin their search.
  • Strategic Youth Partnerships: Rebuild partnerships with faith-based organizations, youth-serving groups, and industries such as law enforcement, technology, healthcare, and engineering to support career exploration.
  • Multicultural Marketing: Reach underserved communities through cultural understanding and authentic engagement.
  • Alumni and NESA Engagement: Reconnect with Scouting’s 40 million alumni at different life stages to share their skills and experience.
  • Outfitters as Membership Experience: Transform Scout Shops and outfitter locations into places where families experience and connect with Scouting.

For unit leaders, the practical question is: Which of these ideas can help my pack, troop, crew, or ship in the next 6 to 12 months?

Translating strategy into unit-level action

These pillars were designed for councils and national staff, but many also translate into practical unit-level actions.

First impressions: Making your welcome count

At the unit level, membership health is about one thing: Do new families receive a warm and organized welcome?

Can parents clearly understand what happens next after they express interest? Do you have a simple onboarding checklist so no family falls through the cracks? Is there someone designated to follow up with new families within 48 hours of their first meeting?

What’s different now is that the national office is validating what many of you already know works.

Ask yourself: What is one thing your unit could improve about that first-time experience? Clearer communication about schedules? A welcome packet? A veteran parent assigned to new families?

Digital growth enablement in your unit

Digital growth enablement sounds like business jargon, but at the unit level, it’s simple: Can interested families find your unit and connect with you easily? 

Evaluate your digital trail and pinpoint where potential families might face obstacles. Ask yourself, ‘Where does our digital trail break: during the search, at the click, or with our reply?’ Addressing these micro-frictions can lead to significant improvements. 

  • Is your BeAScout pin active, accurate, and configured to accept online applications? 
  • When interested families submit inquiries, do you respond within 24 to 48 hours? 
  • Does your unit have a simple digital presence—even just an updated BeAScout profile—that shows you are active? 

That’s all digital growth enablement means—making sure families can find you.

Strategic partnerships in your unit

At the national level, strategic partnerships mean rebuilding ties with companies and youth organisations. For your unit, it’s simpler: What local groups could you partner with to reach new families?

Do you have relationships with schools, faith communities, or civic groups in your area? Are there parents in your unit whose employers or professional networks could connect you to career exploration opportunities?

If you have Scouts interested in technology, law enforcement, or healthcare, are there local professionals you could invite to talk about their work? A short career talk from a software engineer, police officer, or nurse practitioner is free and helps Scouts see how Scouting connects to their future.

Partnerships don’t need to be formal. They can start with a single conversation.

Opportunities we can shape together

While Magennis’s vision has real depth, it opens up a range of possibilities for empowering units at a grassroots level. As councils work on crafting tailored support for units, leaders can start envisioning how these opportunities might look in practice.

We are yet to see whether this will evolve into a formal program, such as a new curriculum or form, or remain adaptable guidance for councils and units to implement in a way that best suits their local needs.

I think we’ll get answers to those questions over time. For now, as a unit leader, this is something to watch and take inspiration from, but it doesn’t mean you need to make any direct changes in your unit today.

Bottom line: Right now, this is a strategic direction, not a ready-made program for units.

Four actions you can start today

Try this week: You don’t need to wait for official materials to start thinking about these pillars in your own unit. You already have many tools to help you get started:

  • Check your Unit Dashboard in My.Scouting, which tracks membership trends. 
  • Try this week: Reach out to your unit’s New Member Coordinator. 
  • Connect with your District or Council Membership Committee. 
  • Have a conversation with your Unit Commissioner.

These people and tools are here to help you improve membership health.

Using these resources, here’s a way you can begin thinking of membership in your unit today:

  1. Check your digital presence. Make sure your BeAScout pin is active, and your unit information is current. If you’re not sure how, ask your council membership team or your commissioner. This takes about 15 minutes and helps interested families find you.
  2. Review your welcome process. Pick one part of your first meeting that could be clearer or more welcoming. Write it down and fix it before your next new family arrives.
  3. Talk to your commissioner. Ask how the council plans to support these pillars. You don’t have to wait for them to contact you.
  4. Pick one pillar to try. Choose the area where your unit needs the most improvement and make one small change in the next three months.

From strategy to action: What happens next

Sean Magennis brings proven experience in membership growth to Scouting America through his six-pillar strategy. While it was designed for adult professionals at YPO, the core principles—strengthening first impressions, making connections easier, building partnerships, and engaging alumni—can work for youth programs when adapted thoughtfully.

For unit leaders, this isn’t a mandate or a requirement to complete new forms. It’s a framework that validates what many of you already know works: welcoming families well, staying visible online, and connecting with your community.

You do not need to wait for official rollout materials. Start with your BeAScout pin, improve one part of your welcome process, and reach out to your commissioner. Small, practical steps today will position your unit for growth tomorrow.

The real test of this strategy won’t be how it sounds in interviews or documents. It will be whether it helps units like yours recruit and keep members in the coming months. That’s what we’ll be watching—and reporting on—as this vision moves from announcement to implementation.