You hit the nail on the head again. Our unit send some poorly written emails and it drives my wife nuts.
But the senders are willing to do the work and they do it pretty well, so you'll never hear me gripe about their communication style. Their efforts have made the Pack's program much stronger, but some people can't get past the amateur emails because they're used to a higher standard at work or through other kids' activities run by a for-profit operator.
A few more suggestions:
take responsibility for portions of a family reunion (differentiated from immediate family)
assist with a local parks and rec event (doesn't require an ongoing commitment)
participate in a school service project (again, doesn't have to be an ongoing commitment)
contribute to an online discussion (with parent supervision)
write a letter to the editor of the local paper (civic engagement)
I hope this Scout is able to earn Eagle, if he desires, but I would think improving his grades should take priority over a merit badge. Not every Scout needs to aim for straight A's, but passing all classes is a fair expectation.
When NCAP started, day activity like PWD had to follow NCAP? What year was that? Are you sure? It is only like 5 years or so that camporees and OA weekends had to follow NCAP and brought about the "Short Term Camp Administrator" concept. That was a big shock to people.
I see now that day camp is at least 2 days now. when NCAP started, that wasn't the case, and a district single day activity, like PWD, had to follow NCAP.