My suggestions would be: Just like other businesses (restaurant chains, retail operations?  close down (merge) underperforming councils.  No discussion just do it. As much as it pains close/sell camps who have so much outstanding maintenance that cannot be supported by the council they are affiliated with. or their capacity is less than x% (each camp is probably different) Downsize and Reorganize councils by function vs districts.  Districts are historically under staffed with holes in areas that should be under one person Customer service is poor...fix it...waiting weeks for answers is unsatisfactory and make the volunteers thing they don't care so they ignore the councils/districts I count 3 councils who have more scouts in April than they did in December.   I would propose - but no one cares what I think - to reorg by function:   Finance, Budget, fundraising   Operations, Membership, registrar, advancement, eagle process, clearances, data analysis   Unit Support, Commissioners, training   Facilities, camps   Camping, outdoor programs, summer camps, camporees,etc       Anyway as I said no one would even try  but the "traditional org" is not working.  

I'm a dad / den leader just completing our 4th year of Cubs. We've still got Webelos (4th Grade) and AOL (5th Grade) to go. It's too much.

I love my local council camp, but it's 75 miles outside of town (90 minutes by car). I would trade it in a second for a camp 1/10 the size but only a short trip from home.  

What would you suggest?

Corporations with Strategic plan big ideas but no execution other than (tell units membership is down - go recruit! 🙃) will continue to slide into obvilion. 56 councils with conditional charters is 25% of the total numbers - some of these probably won't meet the metrics  22% of the latest total membership is in 10 councils -membership more than 10000 18% of councils have less than 1000 youth and 9 of those less than 500. camps at 30% capacity even having only 3 weeks of scout camp - kids want a entire summer job so they don't apply or come back. Councils are individual competing feifdoms and there is no incentive to merge. Yet the basic management model hasn't changed. I hope for the best and not just more of circling the wagons and shooting inwards.    JMHO.