What is the decision facing the Boy Scouts of America?

Most advertising focuses on selling a good or service, but this key promotional tool is also used by many not-for-profit organizations to promote their causes, enlist volunteers, and solicit donations. One of those organizations is the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), which has employed advertising for many years. Following a recent major strategic decision, the BSA once again turned to advertising to tell its story to parents and to a completely new target market: girls.
The Boy Scouts movement was founded in 1908 in England by war hero Robert Baden-Powell. While traveling in London, Chicago publisher William Boyce was the beneficiary of a good deed performed by a local scout. Boyce decided that American boys needed the same opportunity to learn the principles Baden-Powell was teaching his scouts and organized several regional organizations that in 1910 became the Boy Scouts of America. Today, the organization is known for its programs focused on service, leadership development, and outdoor adventure activities, like hiking and camping. Boys earn merit badges and ranks, culminating in Scouting’s highest rank, Eagle Scout.
Membership in the BSA grew through the years to a peak in the 1970s of close to 5 million boys, including the Cub Scouts, designed for boys in grades K–5, and other BSA groups for members up to age 20. However, in recent years, membership has declined dramatically to 2.3 million, which is 17 percent fewer than five years before. Why the decline? Reasons include busy family schedules, competition from sports leagues, and the perception by some families that scouting is old-fashioned.
In 2017, BSA decided to admit girls to all of its programs.
The organization claimed that the move was motivated not by a desire to boost its numbers, but rather in response to requests from families wanting their daughters to be a part of the same organization as their sons. “I’ve seen nothing that develops leadership skills and discipline like this organization,”
said Randall Stephenson, BSA national board chairman.
“It is time to make these outstanding leadership development programs available to girls.” Current plans are for the small groups—dens and troops—to be single gender, while being a part of the overall BSA organization.
One study showed 90 percent of parents not involved in scouting expressed an interest in getting their daughters signed up for Cub Scouts. However, the U.S. public as a whole—
57 percent—disagreed with the change, with 37 percent voicing strong opposition; 36 percent were supportive. To reach out to all of these families, the BSA is pursuing a multifaceted marketing campaign.