1. Home
  2. Scoutbook
  3. Scoutbook How To's
  4. Scoutbook User and Unit Management
  5. Merit Badge Counselor Automatic Upload to Scoutbook (SB)

Merit Badge Counselor Automatic Upload to Scoutbook (SB)

All Merit badge counselors (MBC) and approved badges are automatically uploaded to Scoutbook from the BSA registration database in my.scouting via the daily membership upload process (MU.)  All merit badge counselors who are currently registered will be added to Scoutbook if not already in Scoutbook. 

MBC positions come in via the nightly system membership upload (MU.) 

MBC badge associations flow into Scoutbook via my.scouting. These associations can also be made by Councils using Scoutbook Council Admin upload process.  The latest changes prevail, wherever that change comes from. 

Units are able to assign or remove MBC connections with Scouts.

Badge associations can happen via Scoutbook Council Administrator file upload or come in via the nightly system membership upload from my.scouting.

When MBC positions are ended in the registration system (my.Scouting) they will be in Scoutbook and the change will come in via MU. MU will end the position in Scoutbook and remove all MBC connections with Scouts and merit badges for that MBC.  If the MBC position expires on the expiration date in my.Scouting, there will be a 60 day grace period before it is ended in Scoutbook, this is to give councils time to reregister the MBC.  MBC positions that end prior to the expiration date in my.Scouting will be removed within 24 hours in Scoutbook to allow councils to immediately end a merit badge counselor position if required.

The nightly update will add any badges approved for a counselor to counsel that exist in my.Scouting. And remove any that are removed in my.Scouting.

Note: New Merit Badge Counselors coming in from my.Scouting will show up in the Merit Badge Counselor search but will not show up in unit rosters as merit badge counselors.  If a unit wants a list of which of their adults are MBCs they can go to their unit roster in Scoutbook and click on Print Roster, and run that report.  More information is here.

Merit badge counselors will now receive emails when their status changes in Scoutbook. Scoutbook Council Administrators can modify the notices that go to merit badge counselors. More information is here.

Also note they are brought in at council wide visibility. They can make changes to what visibility they have by logging into Scoutbook, going into my Dashboard, My Account, My Positions, and clicking on the Merit Badge Counselor position.

For councils that have uploaded the merit badge counselor list in the past, and do not have approved merit badges in my.Scouting , they can continue to upload a list to Scoutbook to make the associations between MBC and merit badges approved to counsel. NOTE: The file format has changed, and names may have changed, so download the file from the Manage Approved Merit Badge Counselors page, make your changes, and upload the file.

In the past, if a council never uploaded a merit badge counselor list, Scoutbook allowed units to assign a merit badge counselor position, and associate badges to any unit adult.  This is no longer available.

Instructions to units on how to find merit badge counselors is at this link.

Councils are encouraged to validate that their MBCs are in my.Scouting and if not, get them properly registered ASAP.  If a council records approved MBs in my.Scouting, the MBC to merit badge management in Scoutbook will happen automatically but if they do not, they will be required to upload a MBC file into Scoutbook periodically to maintain the badge to merit badge counselor associations.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW A COUNCIL CAN UPLOAD A MBC FILE TO SCOUTBOOK ARE AT THIS LINK.

Updated on February 17, 2022

Was this article helpful?

Related Articles