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The troop our son joined a few months back does not have a newsletter. It used to, but it learned that Scouts and their families didn't read it, so they decided to stop the printing of it for awhile.

 

The pack had the same problem, but I now (as CM) put together a newsletter about once every three months, include the boys' awards and serviced projects, welcome new families, just touch on highlights of the time frame involved. This goes from my hands directly to the parents' hands, and I'm not sure yet if it gets read or not. Time will tell.

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I was the editor and the boys named it "The Fleur DeLeis" (i'll have to double check that spelling. But the cover would have a brotherhood of scouting story and there would be a couple of feature articles by myself but I would have the S.M.,CC submit articles as well as the OA rep,Troop guide Chaplains Aide. Are you looking for ideas to put one together?

 

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I can't tell you when the newsletter started but I have an interesting paper vs digital comparison for a large troop.

 

In 1996 my mom tookover the newsletter from the scoutmaster.

She just gave it up this past summer to another parent. (no more kids in the troop)

 

Now, the idea of a newsletter is a good idea. I run the website and didn't feel that it was the optimal way to run pertient news for years. Currently it's more a "recent events" site than anything.

 

Anyways, about a year ago we started to send the newsletter via email. Due to the 150+ mailed newsletters and the time it took to get them mailed, two weeks wasn't uncommon for the newsletter to arrive. The classic "the news is out of date issue."

 

The email list has come to have 90% of the troop on it. For those families it's the only way they receive the newsletter.

We discovered that only about half the troop bothers to read the newsletter eventually and have been tweaking how we send it via email.

 

In the end, the newsletter has become the way to have a printed calendar, upcoming events list, get out a "congrats" to the infrequent-attending families, etc. The web and email list is for instant messages and for photo albums.

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Our newsletter is emailed to every parent and boy in troop who wants one and can provide an email address. In this part of the country everybody in on line and we started emailing it about three years ago. Every household has at least one address on the mailing list. The newsletter has articles about recent events and information about upcoming events and training opportunities. We don't have any regular features.

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At present we have no newsletter.

 

But when I had more time we had a quarterley magazine. A4 folded into A5 and presented as a small book of about 12 pages. Had news, the term program, congrats, and artciles about skills that was not available in the published Scouting literature. I wrote it fo rthe Scouts but the families also read it a lot. Lots of pictures I grabbed from www.

 

Presentation counted for a lot in getting the messages across. It was effective but needed me and I gave up as it prioritised lower than program stuff when work got busy.

 

We have a Scout editor now but the format changed, the content got boring and the editions were not regular. So now we do notes when ever needed. Not all are getting home because they are small and not attractive to the Scouts so they forget to hand it on.

 

I think washing machines read them a lot.

 

Not really a viable notices method because of the time lag.

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1. When I took over as Scoutmaster a year ago, our large (43 Scout) troop didn't have a newsletter. So, I started one immediately to enhance communications. Although the Scouts get a "hard copy" of my monthly newsletter, I also e-mail it to the parents. One way or another, the families can keep track of upcoming activities (campouts, outings, etc).

 

2. The 2-page newsletter is just a Microsoft Word document, with articles on the front and a 3-month Calendar of Events on the back. I add a bit of Scouting clip-art to snazz it up a little bit. Even though a Troop Secretary could publish a newsletter, I find that the Scoutmaster can emphasize those areas that need attention. I publish "as required," but roughly once a month. I can whip out a newsletter in about 15 minutes.

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We have a two-page newsletter (front & back) for our Pack (called "Pack 712 Newsletter", very original) that I put out every month with the possible exception of July and August. Put together with M$ Publisher. It is mailed via US Postal Service to every scout in the Pack (one copy per household), so right now we send out about 80 newsletters. Our post office has a separate drop box for in-town mailings, so they are delivered the day of dropoff (if dropped off before 7:30 AM) or at worst the next day. Not bad. I also post a PDF version on the web page when I remember and have time in time, as it were.

 

Front page is upcoming events, announcements, etc. Back page is contact information and calendar. Almost everyone puts the back page on the refrigerator, by the phone, etc. for handy reference.

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We no longer do a newsletter...died a long slow death...no one read it...we now have a parent handout and calendar given out the first of the 'scout/school year' and a great web site updated weekly! Better, everyone knows it is there...and no one has an excuse now...except being lazy....

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