From the very first day that our Rover Crew came to being, we understood the importance of member
retention. It is so important that we hold ourselves to a very challenging annual goal of 90% retention.
We know very well that people will “vote with their feet”: if our program fails to engage members in
meaningful activities, they will not come back next year. But if Rover Scouts find value in our program,
they will return year after year. They will continue to contribute to Scouts Canada, and continue to build
real-life skills through our program.
As do many other real-world companies, our crew firmly believes that meaningful member engagement is the key to retention. Naturally, we need a way to measure member engagement!
How do we measure engagement in 180th?
For the past 4 years, we have used a survey very similar to the Gallop Q12 tool to assess the
engagement of our Rover Scouts. We call this our Crew Engagement Survey. We poll our members
three times a year – at the start, middle, and end of the scouting year.
What is Gallup Q12?
The Gallup Q12 is the result of decades of research that sought to determine what makes the world’s
best companies so successful. The study revealed that employees had 12 key expectations, that when
satisfied, form the foundation of strong feelings of engagement to a workplace. Companies who scored
high on these 12 questions exhibit lower turnover, higher sales, better productivity, and overall were
more successful. If you are interested in learning more, read one of our favorite management books,
First Break All the Rules, by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.
What do we do with our Engagement Survey results?
The results of our survey are analyzed for trends over time and differences between age groups. It tells
us what areas we are doing well in, and what areas we need to focus on to improve Rover Scout
engagement. The results directly impact the way we do things in our Crew!
Interested in learning more about how we engage our Rover Scouts? Leave a message below or email
us at [email protected]!
One reply on “How Good Are We? How and Why We Measure Engagement”
It is really impressive how this crew is organized with such a forward-thinking and strategic vision, that has made it the largest Rover Scout program in the Canada. Well done!