Dear Prospective Eagle Scout,

The following is a step-by-step process with the details of completing your Eagle Rank requirements. Some of the steps may seem a little out of order, but after much trail and error, I have found that the following sequence produces the best results, with the least complication, confusion, and unecessary repetition.

It may seem overwhelming at first. There is a lot of work to be done! But as you dive in and move from step to step you’ll see that the requirements, just as with many things in life that seem overwhelming at first, if you’ll just get started and take it one step or task at a time, anything can be accomplished.

As always, feel free to ask questions, request clarifications, or offer suggestions or corrections to the following procedure.

Good luck on your Eagle trail,

Larry Hanson, Scoutmaster – Troop 526

EAGLE PROCESS BEST PRACTICES

1. EAGLE APPLICATION (Eagle Rank Requirement #6)
   1. Download and complete the Eagle Rank Application – Eagle Rank Application  (Note: Control-Click for Mac, or Right click for Windows, and download the file, it will not open properly in a web browser and must be used with Adobe Reader on the desktop.) To understand all of what will be expected of you in earning the Eagle Rank, review the Eagle Rank Application. Become familiar with the information you will need to collect to complete it.
   2. Get advancement details and dates, and your leadership roles dates and details from the troop advancement coordinator (ask scoutmaster if you’re not sure who that is).
2. 6 MONTHS AS A LIFE SCOUT (Eagle Rank and Application Requirement #1)
   Be active in your troop, team, crew, or ship for a period of at least six months after you have achieved the rank of Life Scout.
3. 6 MONTHS OF TROOP LEADERSHIP (Eagle Rank and Application Requirement #4)
   Make sure that you hold one or more of the following roles of responsibility in the troop for a combined total of six months: Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, Senior Patrol Leader, Venture Patrol Leader, Troop Guide, Order Of The Arrow Troop Representative, Den Chief, Scribe, Librarian, Historian, Quartermaster, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, Chaplain Aide, Instructor, Webmaster, or Leave No Trace Trainer.
4. REQUEST EAGLE REFERENCE LETTERS from parents/guardians, religious and other leaders, teachers, employers, etc. (Eagle Rank and Application Requirement #2).
   Do this as soon as possible as it can take some time to get them back. Enter their names and contact information in Send this template to your references. Have them emailed or mailed directly to your committee chairperson or scoutmaster, NOT TO YOU. Contact the Scoutmaster for email and mailing address and letter template
5. COMPLETE MERIT BADGES (Eagle Rank and Application Requirement #3)
   Complete all remaining required merit badges for the Eagle Rank, and at least the required amount of elective merit badges that will bring your total to 21 or more merit badges. NOTE: You can begin planning your Eagle Project before your merit badges are complete, however, the Eagle Project is very involved and will take effort, energy, and time to complete so you should complete the required 21 merit badges of the Eagle Rank requirement before starting actual work on your project.
6. EAGLE SERVICE PROJECT (Eagle Rank and Application Requirement #5)
   The Eagle Scout Service Project is about LEADERSHIP. The scout is not expected to do all or most of the work himself, but instead to develop and use his leadership and organizational skills to bring people and resources together to complete a project that will benefit the community. The group performing the project, and being led by you, can be as large or small as the project scope requires. You will be following and completing a BSA PDF workbook through all stages of the project to help you understand and follow the standard stages of any project you may do in the future. Eagle project is practice for every future project of significance that you may undertake. If you create good habits now, based on preparation and good planning, those habits will serve you and others for the rest of your life.
   1. DOWNLOAD EAGLE PROJECT WORKBOOK:
      1. Mac version  (Note: Control-Click the link to the left, select “Save As” and download the file to your local computer desktop/finder. IT WILL NOT OPEN IN PROPERLY IN A WEB BROWSER, and it will also not open and save properly with Apple’s Preview application. It must be used with Adobe Acrobat Reader on your local computer.)
      2. Windows version (Note: Right click the link to the left and select “Save File As” to download the file to your local computer desktop, IT WILL NOT OPEN IN PROPERLY IN A WEB BROWSER and must be used with Adobe Reader on your local computer.)
      3. Read the application front to back and get very familiar with what it contains, what the steps are, and all of the information you will need to collect and complete throughout the process. DO NOT start your project before it has been approved by the district/council! All of the following steps are numbered for a reason.
   2. FIND A PROJECT
      1. Consider these FACTORS with your possible projects list:
         1. Is it fulfilling a real need?
         2. Will it do lasting good?
         3. Is it ambitious but reasonable/achievable?
         4. What are the costs? What kind of fundraising can you do, and can you do enough fundraising to meet those costs?
         5. Some Eagle Project ideas
      2. Consider which project selection method to follow:
         1. Beneficiary Focus Method (tried and true):
            1. Make a list of potential beneficiaries; organizations you would like to help, that have a real need and could greatly benefit from an Eagle Project.
            2. Narrow the list using the consideration factors above.
            3. Prioritize the beneficiaries.
            4. Approach the top beneficiary you select to inquire as to potential projects they may need done that are of the scale you would like to do with the time, labor, fundraising, and overall effort you have set for yourself and your Eagle Project.
         2. Project Focus Method (riskier):
            1. Make a list of possible projects that interest you and try to match them to beneficiaries who may need them (this method is harder, but can be done if you are determined to perform a specific type of project, but finding a beneficiary could be more difficult than the other method).
            2. Narrow the list using the consideration factors above.
            3. Meet with potential beneficiaries for a fit.
      3. Review prospective project with Scoutmaster and Troop Committee for feedback, ideas, etc.
   3. COMPLETE PROJECT PROPOSAL
      1. Open the Eagle Service Project Workbook PDF on your computer (that you downloaded in step 1.1).
      2. Complete the section entitled “Eagle Scout Service Project Proposal” (Proposal pages A-E, starting at page 7) and SAVE your progress as you go within the PDF.
      3. Print the “Eagle Service Project Proposal” section of the workbook, Proposal section pages A-E.
      4. Depending on your arrangements with the beneficiary, meet with to present, or send, these pages to the beneficiary for final approval.
      5. Get signatures on Proposal Page “E” from:
         1. Beneficiary (the responsible representative of the group/institution for whom you’re doing the project)
         2. Scoutmaster (Unit Leader)
         3. Troop Committee Chairperson
   4. SUBMIT THE PROPOSAL FOR DISTRICT APPROVAL  (The Big Apple Eagle Committee meets on the 1st Monday of the month to review proposed Eagle Projects. Any proposal that is received after the first Monday will be reviewed in the next month.)
      1. Email the Big Apple District Eagle Committee Chairman (get email address from Scoutmaster) with:
         1. Eagle Project Workbook, Proposal section
         2. Scanned signature page with all three signatures
         3. One of the members of the District Eagle Committee will be assigned to you as the project mentor/coach and should contact you with information.
            1. You should hear back within a couple of days after they meet. If not feel free to email the committee chairperson again.
            2. If further information is required, the scout will be contacted by the committee member who will be handling his proposal.
   5. FINAL PLAN
      1. Complete the “Eagle Service Project Plan” portion of the Workbook (pages 13-20).
      2. Plan Fundraising by completing the “Fundraising” (pages 19-20) part of the Eagle Project Workbook, including getting final signatures from the Beneficiary, Scoutmaster, and Troop Committee.
         1. Completing the Proposal section of the Eagle Project Workbook should have provided you with a good idea of the costs involved with the project you have chosen. Begin now to finalize your plans for raising the funds to offset those costs.
            1. When will you fundraise?
            2. How will you fundraise?
            3. What organization needs to be done to get moving?
      3. Establish final project dates with the beneficiary
   6. PROMOTE THE PROJECT: Consider ways to promote the project and related activities, you’ll need to do most, if not all, of the following:
      1. Recruit volunteers for the fundraising activities using announcements, flyers, etc.
      2. Recruit donors for the fundraising activities, money or goods, or both.
      3. Produce and perform any promotional efforts/materials needed (flyers, emails, calls, announcements, letters, etc.)
      4. Recruit the necessary volunteers for the actual project work (at church meetings, at school, in your neighborhood, etc.)
   7. DO THE PROJECT
      1. Arrive early on project day to prepare site and equipment, bring subset of volunteers to help prepare.
      2. If a representative of the beneficiary is present, review the project plan with him/her as a last confirmation of what needs to be done.
      3. Have plenty of drinking water at the site or arrange quick access to public drinking water.
      4. Order food if feeding the group (if project spans a meal time, you should feed them or tell them to bring their own food).
      5. YOU ARE THE LEADER! The Eagle Service Project is a leadership exercise, not a time to do all of the work yourself. Important parts of leading the project are as follows:
         1. Start right by communicating the vision/purpose of the project to your volunteers before work begins, outlining (ideally showing) exactly who will benefit, what needs to be done, where, and how.
         2. Take “before” pictures of the project site.
         3. Assign appropriate volunteers to the various parts of the project.
         4. Make sure volunteers have all of the skills, instruction, supplies, apparel, equipment, etc. that they need for the part they are doing.
      6. Monitor overall progress to make volunteer, equipment, project adjustments as needed.
      7. Take “during” pictures while the work is being done to show your volunteers in action.
      8. If project spans multiple days, speak with volunteers to thank them and secure commitments for subsequent project day(s).
      9. If project is completed in one session, collect volunteers and thank them for their contribution to your project. Remind them of the impact they have made to the beneficiary.
      10. Make sure you allow volunteer time for clean-up of the work area. Clean-up is part of the Eagle Project that volunteers should help with.
      11. KEEP RECORDS of volunteers, total volunteer hours, supplies and equipment used, etc. (see Final Report section of the Eagle Project Workbook for info you will need).
      12. Take “after” pictures to contrast with “before” and “during” pictures.
      13. If a representative of the beneficiary is still present, tour the site with him/her and confirm that the work and clean-up has been performed satisfactorily.
      14. Make sure all volunteers have a way home.
   8. THE FINAL REPORT
      1. As soon as possible after the project, complete the Final Report section of the Eagle Project Workbook. It will be easier to complete while your memory is fresh.
      2. After you complete the section, get final signatures from all parties on the signature page of that section.
   9. Make sure the whole Eagle Project Workbook is completed with all signatures.
7. SCOUTMASTER CONFERENCE (Eagle Rank and Application Requirement #6)
   1. Have an Eagle Scoutmaster Conference. Contact the Scoutmaster to schedule it (Requirement 6). Have the Scoutmaster sign your Eagle Application.
8. GET SIGNATURES AND COUNCIL VERIFICATION OF EAGLE APPLICATION
   1. Confirm that your Scoutmaster has signed your Eagle Application.
   2. Contact the Troop Committee Chairperson to have him or her sign your Eagle Application.
   3. Take the Eagle Application to the BSA-GNYC office in the Empire State Building to get verification of advancement details and the council signature.
9. SCHEDULE AN EAGLE BOARD OF REVIEW by contacting the Troop Committee Chair.
   1. In preparation for your board of review, prepare and attach to your Eagle Scout Rank Application a statement of your ambitions and life purpose and a listing of positions held in your religious institution, school, camp, community, or other organizations, during which you demonstrated leadership skills. Include honors and awards received during this service. (Requirement 7)
   2. Make a copy of 1) your completed Eagle Project Workbook and 2) your life statement from the previous step, and send them to the Scoutmaster or Troop Committee Chairman to forward to the GNYC representative to review in preparation for your Board of Review.
10. EAGLE BOARD OF REVIEW (Eagle Rank and Application Requirement #7)
    1. Attend your Eagle Board of Review.
       1. Those present at the Eagle Board of Review include: You, one or more members of the Troop Committee , a GNYC Council Representative (your Eagle Project Mentor or another delegate from the Council/District Eagle Committee), other local Eagle Scouts and leaders as invited by the troop committee or district/council.
    2. Make sure that the Council Representative signs your Eagle Rank Application at the end of the meeting.
    3. After successfully completing the Board of Review, and receiving the local district/council representative signature, you have completed all requirements for your Eagle advancement, however, there is one final critical step…
11. APPLICATION SUBMISSION – The Troop Committee Chairperson takes your Eagle Rank Application from the Board of Review to the local scout office (Empire State Building) for submission to the National Council of The Boy Scouts of America for final approval and national registration of your rank. Scouts/Parents should VERIFY THAT THIS STEP HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE PLANNING THE COURT OF HONOR. The National Council approval can be as fast as 2 weeks, or as long as 8 weeks depending on the number of awards being processed at a given time. The scout office should have a rough estimate based on current load. Don’t plan the Eagle Court of Honor too soon!
12. PLAN THE EAGLE COURT OF HONOR – Arrange with the troop committee and scoutmaster to hold your Eagle Court of Honor on a date after the National Office will have given final approval.
13. RECEIVE THE AWARD – The Scoutmaster will receive the Eagle certificate and Eagle Rank card in the mail and the troop committee chair or the Scoutmaster will acquire the Eagle Medal and Patch and accessories kit from the local scout shop for presentation, along with the certificate and card, at your Eagle Court of Honor.