Internet Advancement

Process ranks and awards for packs, troops, teams, crews, ships, and posts!

NOTE: Unit charters must be received by the council office AND processed by the last day of the month they are due or you cannot enter unit advancements online. Plan ahead. Please turn your recharter paperwork into the council by the 15th of the month it is due.

Great Rivers Council is excited to offer Online Advancement to your unit. This new method for recording advancements is easier and more efficient because you'll be entering the information yourself. This ensures that your units information will be correct, and you can do it from your home or office, anytime that it's convenient for you.

Great Rivers Council will provide each unit with a unit ID, and the unit will select and assign an adult to attend training and, after training, record most youth advancements from that unit. Information input on Ranks will be recorded based on program identification and can only be entered in the correct rank and date sequence.

Awards which can be entered through BSA Internet Advancement do not include nominated awards, such as those for meritorious action, the Eagle Scout rank, which involves a hand review, and awards which are controlled by other organizations, even if uniform wear is approved.

To use Internet Advancement:

• Select the unit advancement processor. This person must have Internet connectivity and Microsoft Internet Explorer.
• Obtain a unit ID code from the Council Registrar at (573) 449-2561 x208 or from your District Advancement Chair.
• Gather information for advancement, including merit badge applications and advancement records with dates.
• Click Internet Advancement on this page. Follow the instructions in Internet Advancement to process advancements and print out an advancement report.
• Have the appropriate people sign the printed unit advancement report and submit it to the council. Save a copy for your files.

Units should submit Advancement Reports before the end of each month, or more often if needed. In December, submit a report before the end of the month to update your unit and council statistics.

When Questions Arise

There is a Frequently Asked Questions link on the Internet Advancement site and these should be reviewed as your first line of inquiry. There is also an extensive help guide, accessible through the link above.

Reports Available Via BSA Internet Advancement

• Unit Roster: the ability to print a unit roster at any time. This unit roster will contain the most current information from ScoutNET, including the membership ID for each adult and youth member.
• Unit Advancement Summary: indicates the ranks, merit badges, and awards saved in each individual record for the current unit members.
• Advancement Report: listing of each youth member that has new ranks, merit badges, and awards, if any. This is your official unit Advancement Report that is to be signed and submitted to the council service center.
• Unit Awards Summary: listing of the number of new ranks, awards and merit badges by name; this makes for a convenient shopping list.
• Advancement Update Summary: listing of any ranks, merit badges, and awards that were already in the member record and were updated online.

Training

Roundtables will feature orientation on Internet Advancement. Each unit must select an adult to be its unit advancement processor, and this adult should attend the training. Additionally, anyone who wants to learn more about Internet Advancement can review the help information.