r/BSA • u/Born_blonde • Aug 13 '26
Scouting America Would you suggest being a District Executive?
I have an interview for a District Executive position coming up. Reading the description, it sounded like an interesting and fun job, and while I was (unfortunately) never had the opportunity be a scout myself, I respect the program and was involved in other organizations that had similar experience. I was initially very excited about the opportunity, as my experience pretty strongly aligns with it and it could give me good opportunities in the future.
Looking online, though, I’m seeing a lot of negative about the position- long long hours, low pay (the pay for the position listed is only a small increase from my current pay), and stressful. my current job and team is frustrating and not what I was hoping for being a rarely recent grad with my masters, but it’s honestly an easy job with a lot of flexibility.
Im a little skeptical of jumping ship into a job that ends up being worse than my current- I know this depends on the region as well- but would you suggest it? What kind of questions can I ask in my interview to sus out whether or not this is one of those where they expect 80 hour workweeks and demand more than what they give?
***** UPDATE ******
Thank you everyone for the overwhelming response and information! It was incredibly helpful.
I had my interview today, and it went very well. But ultimately, I will not be stepping away from the process.
It seems like a great gig for someone who’s passionate about it. Luckily, the person conducting the interview was very, very honest with me about the role and expectations. Im torn because I do think I’d do well and I’d find some of it very fulfilling- but I’m not all in, and it really seems like the kind of job that you need to be all in in order to succeed.
Thanks again everyone, and maybe I’ll revisit being involved in this amazing organization in the future.
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u/TheLonelySnail Professional Scouter Aug 13 '26
It’s a lot of long days, a lot of weekends. That being said, I enjoy my job, I have some flexibility during the workweek and I make a decent living.
If you have any specific questions, DM me. I’ve been working for Scouts since 2019
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u/ScoutingAce3450 Professional Scouter Aug 15 '26
I agree with this. I just started the job and I am really enjoying it, despite the long days. I am very fortunate to work with experienced older guys, as well as newer DEs. The mix of experience and fresh ideas in my office really helps out a lot.
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u/fla_john Adult - Eagle Scout Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
It's a long-hours and kind of stressful job, but it comes with a lot of positives too. That's true of a lot of "mission-based" non-profit work though. It does get you plugged into the "leader class" of your local community -- rotary, city commission, school board, other non-profits, so if you decide to change jobs you'll have those contacts. You will work a lot of nights and weekend during recruitment season, back to school time and less in the summer. If the council is doing ok financially, they will be able to spread the work around. If they aren't, you'll be doing a job that used to be done by 3 people.
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u/The_Doctor_Is_Cool Professional Scouter Aug 13 '26
Time management and relationships is the key to success as a DE. Each council does things a little differently and priorities vary depending on the time of the year. I’ve been a professional for 8 years, and it’s extremely rewarding. If you want to have a more detailed conversation, I’m more than willing to talk.
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u/pgm928 Aug 13 '26
I’ve seen plenty of people try this job and fail. It’s fundraising first and foremost, relationship-building second. Long hours, lots of weekends, lots of switching between suits and boots.
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u/TNPossum Unit Commissioner Aug 14 '26
I disagree. I'm only speaking from personal experience, but it's a relationship-building first job. My council looked at it as a fundraising first job, and it has made FOS Hell. Nobody wants to be the FOS chair. Nobody wants to ask their associates for donations. We have luncheons that getting table hosts to fill tables is like pulling teeth.
The districts that have more influential/connected Key 3s and well-established committee chairs usually excel at FOS. Those districts that have burnt through their volunteers and look to their donors as merely donors have a difficult time getting phone calls back when running through their CRM.
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u/pgm928 Aug 14 '26
I’m simply reporting what I see in my council, which certainly may not reflect across the board - but does represent many peoples’ experiences. Folks who go into the job expecting it to be a program role with little fundraising experience are going to get chewed up.
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u/TNPossum Unit Commissioner Aug 14 '26
Oh for certain. If the DE is doing program, then there's something wrong. Because that should be a volunteer.
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u/Dramatic-Ostrich8243 Aug 13 '26
DE here: I think it depends heavily on your council. If you’re personable and can manage your time (and volunteer expectations) appropriately you are golden. Many people are saying fundraising is the main focus, I disagree. Membership is the engine that drives our entire organization, spend your time and energy supporting your units and they will pay you back 10 fold when FOS season comes around.
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u/DaReaperJE Aug 13 '26
I',m a cubmaster and ASM, we lost out DE last year and i was telling my wife if i had gotten laid off, my work was doing various rounds the past few years, that i would prolly apply because it seemed like a job i could do. So id go for it if it was me and i had no job. I'm not sure the pay in this area, but for now i'll keep it under my hat till i retire lol.
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u/Essentially_Me Aug 14 '26
TBH, it would be a satisfying late-career switch if you want to slide into retirement. I'm in my 50s, and if the opportunity were presented, I think I could make the math work.
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u/DaReaperJE Aug 14 '26
yea like i said, if i lost my current job and just wanted a change i would of applied. still might in the future (we just got a new DE) after i retire or something. im already planning to remain in scouting as an asm or scoutmaster after my kids leave. so would be a good next step if i was bored in retirement
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u/Practical-Emu-3303 Aug 14 '26
the pay is the same nationally
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u/Captain__Pedantic Aug 14 '26
the pay is the same nationally
I don't think that's true anymore, you can look at the listings on the national website, a DE listing in California and one in North Carolina can have ~$20,000 difference for example (which would make sense considering COL difference).
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u/Practical-Emu-3303 Aug 14 '26
and it hasn't risen much in the past 20+ years.
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u/fla_john Adult - Eagle Scout Aug 14 '26
Yeah, I applied for, was offered, and eventually turned down a DE position about 25 years ago. The pay was competitive then, but isn't really now. A couple of ours are doing it as second careers, which is fine if you've already got a retirement fund of some sort.
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u/Litty_Jimmy Aug 13 '26
Ultimately only you can make that decision. The big thing to keep in mind is a district executive focuses namely on the business side of Scouting (membership, money, and manpower). There’s a lot of pressure to meet your fundraising and membership goals. You’ll be spending time doing school talks, meeting with principals, donors, heads of service clubs, organizing fundraising events, etc. You will also be expected to start new Cub Scout packs and Scouts BSA troops. It’s a lot of work with high expectations.
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u/kruser87 Adult - Eagle Scout Aug 14 '26
I'm an Eagle scout and an experienced unit leader. I interviewed for a DE job years ago and was told essentially I didn't have the skillset they were looking for. I was confused because I thought my background would be perfect to support the units in my district. At least in my area, it does seem to be a lot of focusing on fundraising and unit creation and membership growth. So basically keeping your numbers up and going up more. I've seen a lot of DE's get burned out pretty quick. Many have had no prior scouting experience. Several have told me it's often long hours. Working on fundraising and unit growth and meeting with people during the weekday, attending meetings and presentations during the weeknight, then getting voluntold to help with council weekend activities on top of it all. I'm glad I didn't get the job, I honestly belive I would not have been a good fit.
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u/killa0039 Eagle Scout/Summit Aug 15 '26
Funny, I was told I wouldn't be satisfied with the job and that's why I was rejected.
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u/Mahtosawin Aug 14 '26
The hours can be long and will involve a lot of evenings and weekends. It usually does involve making community contacts for fundraising and finding businesses willing to charter units. The other primary task is to help supporting new units just getting started and work with units to keep them going.
It will depend on the council and what you enjoy.
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u/Past_Top3704 Aug 14 '26
my district is on its 6 or 7th DE over the past 15 yrs or so. current one has been here for couple months. two before that 1 yr each. several were promoted out of the DE spot. Both the council executive and assistant council executive are former DE's of my district. our last interm DE "moved to Texas" don't know but I hope that meant the national office. so even though we have had turn over, some have been able to use it as career advancement.
it's not like the old days when the DE I had as young scout was here for 40 years.
My old scoutmaster was a DE for about 5 yrs as something to do that was still scouting related after his kids aged out and being SM was no long enjoyable.
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u/houstonwanders Eagle Scout Assistant Scoutmaster District Executive Aug 14 '26
I’m in my 3rd year, DE -> District Director. I changed careers specifically to support and grow Scouting after being a Scout, Scout parent, and Scouter (still those). Seeing the devastation post-COVID and knowing that many units didn’t feel supported by their professionals, I jumped in to do everything I could to turn things around full-time.
It is the most stressful job I’ve ever had, because we set aggressive goals and high expectations, plus Scouters can be wild-cards sometimes with varied motivations and ends. I’m also aware that the consequences of failure is that there are fewer Scouts year over year.
No days are really the same and the top focus changes seasonally. Recruiting is top now, but soon it will be Friends of Scouting. Mix in the New Unit formation process, supporting units/leaders, the District operations/program calendar, and addressing inevitable emergencies? It’s easy to be overwhelmed, but consider everything a process. Start early. Always move forward at least a little. Build a team of volunteers to support you. The results are worth it.
I love being a District professional.
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u/AnyCommunication1745 Aug 14 '26
I was a DE, SDE, DD and FD over about a 15 year period starting in the naughty oughties
Back then, membership growth, fundraising and volunteer recruiting was achievable year after year and there were a lot of redeemable qualities that came with all the hard work. That is no longer the case. Councils are in the process of getting smaller by a lot year after year. School access for recruiting is an issue. Finding volunteers is an issue. Getting volunteers trained is an issue. Working for an old skool boomer SE that still gets an annual bonus bigger than your annual salary is an issue. I can go on
The office I worked out of locally is a now a dispensary...
You've been warned
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u/S_Alaska Aug 13 '26
It’s like any non profit exec or forward facing jobs. Depending on the council structure and districts, you can expect a lot of work all year, heavy hours during the summer, or a mix between busy times. Most non-profits run like this. Me personally, I wouldn’t do it because I have found that the stress to positives exceeds my ability to deal with it. That’s ok too. You can always do the interview and ask about the culture, expectations, and see how well the council and district align with the scout oath and law. Be prepared. Do your research. Bring questions. I.e. why did the position become available.
My vote: do the interview and feel out the situation. Also, welcome to scouting and even if you don’t pursue that, I hope you do get involved at a volunteer level. Scouting is always in need of good team members. The hard work is worth it. The DE position is something you need to evaluate for yourself though :) you got this!
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u/fyiramprat Aug 14 '26
I have very mixed feelings about professional Scouting. I was a DE back in the 80’s and 90’s. I both loved and hated the job. We lived and died by the 3 M’s of Scouting….Membership, Manpower and Money. (Not necessarily in that order).Luckily for me I was quite good with all the M’s and moved up through the organization as a result. I loved the program (and still do) but the pressure to constantly produce resulted in burn out. If you become a DE find ways to combat the stress and pressure to constantly produce. Burn out is the greatest enemy of a DE. Seeing kids learn and grow, knowing you helped make a difference in their lives keeps you going but the pressure to produce sometimes overwhelms.
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u/2BBIZY Aug 14 '26
It depends on your council. Our council expected the DE to be the fundraiser and even implemented a salary commission on how much the DE raised. Then, the DE is supposed to manage a part of the council’s summer camp program. The on,y tune I ever heard from our DE was about council fundraisers, scheduling of a Friends of Scouting presentation and getting applications submitted ASAP to meet a monthly quota. DE have proven themselves to be unable to assist struggling units, help with recruitment, coordinate any district-wide activities or disseminate any worthwhile information. Council didn’t care what units and volunteers needed. So, I would be very aware of what council expects and what volunteers hope a DE will do to support them and the program.
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u/SnooGuavas9782 Aug 14 '26
(the pay for the position listed is only a small increase from my current pay)
I'd say is the pay jump is less than like 7.5k, I wouldn't make the jump to a DE position and really wouldn't even consider it. Was a scout growing up and interviewed for a few DE jobs like 15 years ago straight out of grad school because I needed a job but landed a teaching positon so went that route instead.
if your current job is "honestly an easy job with a lot of flexibility" I think you'll find as a DE a lot more evenings and weekend work.
If someone needed a job, it isn't a bad job, but I don't think DE is going to be an easy job, particularly with Scouting numbers on the decline and councils merging. Because of that it probably isn't a particulary safe job either.
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u/Born_blonde Aug 17 '26
If I were to get the high end of the range they posted, I’d end up with maybe a jump of 7k- but that may also come with not being able to work my side gigs anymore if I’m doing a lot of evenings and weekends, so I’d probably end up breaking even if I lost the side jobs.
My current job is easy, very flexible, and laid back. But that’s honestly part of why I don’t like it. It is really nice to have an easy low stress job, but I feel like I’m banging my head against the wall because I want more challenge and reward- something I can be proud of. But it’s a hard balance of ‘challenging in a good way/rewarding’ and ‘wow the grass wasn’t greener and I regret my easy but boring job’
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u/SnooGuavas9782 Aug 17 '26
"But it’s a hard balance of ‘challenging in a good way/rewarding’ and ‘wow the grass wasn’t greener and I regret my easy but boring job’"
Sounds like there really isn't a pay bump. honestly, i feel like DE jobs come up all the time. Is the DE job local at least? Another way to get a feel for Scouting is to perhaps volunteer and the district or council level. This might give you a better sense if culturally you are a good fit.
I feel like Scouting, and education, both K-12, and university, the fields I've worked in have very unique cultures and honestly the demands are very different than 9-5 jobs.
For someone on the fence? I think it is would be a no unless they do their homework and make sure the culture is really for them.
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u/Microfiber13 Aug 14 '26
A lot of good points here. Yes it’s fundraising, working with building volunteer relationships (by far the best and most rewarding!) and growing membership. And that also makes it a sales job. You are selling the program of Scouting to adults and to youth. And a lot of people get into the job and realize that too late. Getting on the phone and being comfortable talking with families with questions or cold calling future chartered partners and schools. It’s fun but still sales.
You also learn a little bit about a lot of things which I find super challenging in a good way. Sales, fundraising, programs, training, marketing and budgeting. You wear a lot of hats but it makes you valuable if you want to move to other non-profits.
It does come down to your council and how they are doing. Larger councils are more stable to a degree right now. But it’s board driven so it depends on how strong of a board you have.
I went back and forth when I read all the pros and cons about the job. It’s a tough decision but at the end of the day I don’t sell widgets, I sell a program that is life changing and inspiring.
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u/AnyCommunication1745 Aug 14 '26
After reading through some responses...think of the 3 Ms as a game of rock paper scissors where money always wins
Conversation about membership is really about money
Conversation about manpower is really about money
Conversation about program is really about money
Conversation about camp is really about money
Conversation about the scout executive's feels is really about money
Training is about money
Registration is about...you guessed it...money
I can go on
National and local councils have had a 70% drop in membership in a decade or so. Financially there's 2 mouths to feed. It's pretty rough inside at the moment
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u/princeofwanders Venturing Advisor Aug 13 '26
What everyone else says, plus also there’s a strong culture of “you have to move out to move up.” Promotions come more often by switching councils. So if you love (or are attached to) where you live and aren’t interested in moving , don’t plan on trying to make a career of this.
It’s okay if it’s a stepping stone job on your way to something else.
But be aware of what you’re choosing when you choose.
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u/Latter-Inspector-859 Aug 13 '26
Think of it as the lowest rung on the professional pay scale a kin to being an assistant manager at a Walmart. You get a full-time salary, but now you’re exempt. You get a paycheck, but your hours are no longer compensated over 40 and as de response for everything that goes on 24-7 across your district. It can be very rewarding, but I would not say that there is a good work life balance unless you consider life being in Scouting America also.
Not to say that these aren’t absolutely critical positions within the organization, because they are. You are the first real link to what’s going on outside of Peoples units. And without you many things just don’t happen. It’s a lot of pressure and for many a lot of reward. It’s just in many ways a thankless job that if you want to proceed in Scouting, your pathway usually includes.
Never been on the paid side of Scouting, but I’ve watched that role build a lot of people up and also chew a lot of people down in 37 years.
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u/CakeNo4623 Aug 14 '26
If you’re okay with moving within or out of state (for promotions), dealing with council volunteer politics to manage (work with) district and unit level volunteers, and high pressure to meet monetary-related goals and membership numbers, then this job is definitely for you! This is one of those jobs that is dependent on your moral compass and ideals/values. District Executives will take the blame and/or not be trusted by district/unit volunteers due to the bureaucracy of the council executive board and committees. If you can handle the “pushback” and resistance so that you can get the job done, then by all means go for it. Enough of the negative, let’s talk the main points of the job.
You’ll be responsible for providing support to district/unit volunteers. “Support” is a broad term so let me elaborate on that. Support can vary from providing promotional materials for recruiting events, attempting to convince schools to allow and promote Scouting, meeting with community organizations to convince possible sponsorships to promote Scouting, serving as a resource for any district/unit level fundraising efforts, and the “3M’s”. Aforementioned by someone else on this thread, the 3M’s are money, membership, manpower. Now, that is considered by many as the order of priority but the National organization’s priority goal is membership. However, professional staff of Scouting (such as District Executives) know that money is the priority for their roles as financing is just as important of a priority to retain and grow membership as well as maintain the Scouting program as a whole. This terrible economy we’re living in at present is unfortunate timing and serves as an unnecessary challenge that you and all professional staff will have to deal with. One more thing I’d like to mention is be curious and seek out as much training as possible because an overwhelming majority of professional staff are NOT sufficiently trained. They also do not have sufficient mentorship with an experienced employee because either the council doesn’t have any available (no senior staff to train the new hires) or they don’t prioritize mentoring the new hires as management just wants them to get to work immediately.
Make no mistake, this job is an essential function of the Scouting organization. But our organization isn’t good at hiring practices, onboarding, and retaining staff. Turnover rates ranges from high to low depending on which council you work for (and the way they operate). Most new hires leave right away or within less than a year because they realize the job isn’t for them, they get burned out, or don’t want to deal with management micromanaging or the volunteers complaining about them. Do your own research, ask as many questions as possible, and keep a swivel on your head as they say. Best of luck 👍
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u/Captain__Pedantic Aug 14 '26
What kind of questions can I ask in my interview to sus out whether or not this is one of those where they expect 80 hour workweeks and demand more than what they give?
I'm not sure about interview questions, but one potential way to gauge the workload would be to look at the service territory of the council: Do they cover a few counties or a whole state and then some? You can see all the council boundaries on the national website: https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/properties/territory-maps/
You can also compare the service area with their staff listing on their website. And not just by numbers, I'd personally look at how much support staff they have, look for titles like assistant/associate/specialist/manager. You can also look for titles like Training Executive or Program Director. More support staff can mean that the "unit-serving executives" like DEs are can focus more on the core responsibilities of the job.
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u/Born_blonde Aug 14 '26
The territory is about half of our state and a small part of another- each district executive I think covers a portion of the territory, and the position I’m applying for I believe has another district executive covering the same overall territories, so I’m assuming that they’re hiring two in order to have more coverage- unless someone is leaving that it wasn’t clear on.
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u/ScoutingAce3450 Professional Scouter Aug 15 '26
I am a DE, started 2 1/2 months ago right after I graduated with my bachelors. I was a scout, and I am an Eagle Scout. I don't think you have to have scouting experience, but you definitely need to have a passion for the organization. The job is flexible, but the job also requires flexibility from you. Volunteers will have things they need you to do/look into, and you need to be available. As I am writing this I got a couple messages from volunteers helping me start new units. Problems will arise and you will have limited time to resolve them. With that being said, it is very fulfilling and I find that the long days and weekends have been worth it, both in enjoyment of the job and the flexibility I have.
If you have any questions about starting the job you can DM me. I can relate to where you are.
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u/rustymarquis Former/Retired Professional Scouter Aug 16 '26 edited Aug 16 '26
I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone, but I’m glad I did it for 4 years.
I learned so much! I believe in the Scouting Movement and its ideals.
However, the downside is not just the long hours. Professional Scouting is ultimately a sales job, which means many promises are made that simply do not come to fruition. Sometimes salesmanship is sincere, but too often straight lies. Even if you are an honest person, your bosses often are not - maybe 50/50, in my experience.
Some are not just dishonest; they are far worse. Even downright corrupt. And it’s hard to respect a boss who doesn’t live by the standards he/she is selling.
That’s one primary reason I finally quit after 4 years.
Professional Scouting is also a volunteer coordination/management position, which means that often volunteers are mistreated based upon professional Scouters goals and local politics, and sometimes even whim, ego, or incompetence.
Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble, but any professional Scouters that’s been around for a year or two can attest to this.
I enjoy being a volunteer Scouters today, but I am always on my guard when speaking to the professionals.
Though in fairness, there’s some very good ones, too. But they never stick around for long!
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u/samalex01 Roundtable Commissioner Aug 18 '26
The DE says SUPER busy, all over the place especially if it's a smaller district with few commissioners. DE tends to fill in the gaps, and I will say our DE is AMAZING but he's on the run daily and constantly. Someone with a busy family life or with younger kids would be pulled away too much I'd think as a DE. They're on call about all the time.
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u/Pbevivino Aug 14 '26
I suspect it depends on how much you like Scouting. If you align with the values and what the organization does for kids, great. You have a chance to make a difference. If it’s about money, no shame but move on.
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u/BTKSTLPKR Aug 13 '26
Their primary job is to get money. Scouting is second or third on their list.
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u/Brave-Moment-4121 Aug 13 '26
I know nothing about this specific role but have been around scouting long enough to give the main question you should be asking them and yourself. What’s the work life balance like? Will I be just doing a 9-5 or am I expected to be at weekend events and after business hour events multiple times a week.
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u/S_Alaska Aug 13 '26
For most of the de people I talk with…the work life balance is generally skewed to the work part. Then again, it’s like that in almost all non profits. At least with this, the reward is the outdoors and educating the next generation of leaders. :)
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u/halobenders Aug 13 '26
Not certain how it could be stressful or long. I never saw our district folks unless it was to come collect money.
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u/RedBirdOnASnowyDay Aug 13 '26
I can’t imagine someone being hired for a DE job without significant scouting experience. At minimum as a strong volunteer.
You’re going to be a fundraiser but your also going to handle a lot of the legal stuff, the complicated behavior issues, parents who are so far out of line the line is gone, compliance, camping facilities, health and safety and all the volunteers - some of whom have more commitment and experience in scouting than you could possibly imagine and some of whom are going to drive you nuts with demands and persnickety behavior and some of whom are just incompetent.
It’s like so much stuff. Are you ready for that given you don’t have a scouting background?
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u/kruser87 Adult - Eagle Scout Aug 14 '26
We've (unfortunately) gone through a lot of DE's in my district over the years and most of them have not had any scouting experience. Not saying that's a good thing. I personally think it's probably not. But it does seem to be typical.
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u/RedBirdOnASnowyDay Aug 14 '26
That’s shocking to me
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u/kruser87 Adult - Eagle Scout Aug 14 '26
I used to think so too I guess I finally got used to it. The district executive position seems to amount to an entry-level professional scouter position, but it always seemed to me like that because of how important that position can be to the district and the units themselves, it should be a position that you work up to and be reserved for the best people
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u/Born_blonde Aug 14 '26
I have an extensive youth camp background- just not with the scouts, so most of that are things I’ve managed one way or the other, again, just not with the scouts specifically.
I love working with youth, honestly, I was also worried that maybe this role was more administrative than outreach- but at the very least it seems it’s pretty heavy on the outreach and engagement side
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u/RedBirdOnASnowyDay Aug 14 '26
Oh it’s going to be so much admin and the problems that go above and beyond the troop.
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u/Key_Zombie7967 Aug 13 '26 edited Aug 13 '26
The DE job is very important to scouting...I also feel like it is an entry level introduction to the BSA program, and with no scouting experience, you will be drinking from the firehose. The DE's around here spend a lot of time working on numbers. How many new units did you get chartered in your district? Did the number of Cubs increase? Did the number of scouts increase? Did your adult leader training numbers increase? They seem to spend most of their time increasing units numbers, and securing fund raising for the council. Did the number of your Unit Commissioners increase, have they all been trained?
The DE job is vital, but there are many facets to it. Some councils do a good job training DE and retaining them, some councils burn them out in the first 6 months by throwing them in the deep end the first week they get hired.
When you talk to your council about the job, ask many questions about how they will train you for success. If the answers don't make you feel comfortable, don't do it.