Scouts Canada Digital
Defining a digital strategy for Scouts Canada Youth program
briefing
Scouts Canada approached our team with a critical challenge: to design a comprehensive digital strategy that would strengthen their volunteer network, modernize their web presence, and enhance the tools and services available to their members. The organization faced a declining volunteer base, an outdated and fragmented digital ecosystem, and increasing demands for accessible and modern tools for both youth and adult members. The goal was to create a multi-pronged solution that would attract new volunteers, support existing ones, and bring coherence and utility to their digital platforms, especially MyScouts—their core member portal.
Solution
We developed an integrated digital strategy centered around four pillars: volunteer recruitment, volunteer support, website modernization, and mobile app development. For recruitment, we crafted internal and external campaigns that resonated with parents and families already involved in Scouts, while introducing new challenges and badges to make volunteering more rewarding and visible. For support, we restructured the “Become a Volunteer” experience to make it more accessible and transparent, implemented feedback loops, and provided tools and technical guidance to active volunteers. The Scouts Canada website and the MyScouts Hub were reimagined to improve usability, integrate with other services, and give groups and councils better control over their information. To complete the ecosystem, we designed a new mobile experience, allowing members to access educational content, manage activities, and receive support through a dedicated app with an embedded chatbot.
the
approach
Our discovery phase began with stakeholder interviews and workshops involving current volunteers, council leaders, and national staff. We conducted a digital audit of Scouts Canada’s platforms, mapping out the gaps and opportunities in user journeys. Using these insights, we created personas and experience maps to guide the design strategy across initiatives.
To support recruitment, we co-created campaign content with families and leaders to ensure authenticity and relevance. We developed messaging frameworks tailored to different regions and used data from past campaigns to inform targeting. We also introduced new recognition methods, such as challenge-based badges that highlighted volunteer impact and increased youth engagement.
For the volunteer support journey, we streamlined the application flow by simplifying language, reorganizing steps, and adding progress indicators. We also implemented a feedback mechanism for applicants, giving them transparency into their process and opportunities to share their experiences. To help active volunteers, we designed a scalable knowledge base, offered toolkits, and worked with the support team to structure a new channel for real-time assistance.
The website redesign followed a user-centered approach. We restructured the information architecture of Scouts.ca, placing key actions and content upfront. We also led the overhaul of the MyScouts Hub, ensuring it could handle integration with group-level tools and support administrative tasks efficiently. The visual design was refreshed to align with the brand but introduced accessibility improvements and mobile responsiveness.
Lastly, the MyScouts mobile app was conceived as a companion tool, not just a portal. We prototyped key flows around activity tracking, badge progression, event planning, and member support. A conversational chatbot was designed to offer real-time guidance, mimicking the role of a program guide or local leader.
Some of the initiatives we created for the Scouts Canada digital experience
The
Outcome
The digital strategy was consolidated into a comprehensive plan and presented to Scouts Canada’s leadership and project stakeholders. The proposal detailed phased initiatives for volunteer recruitment, volunteer support, website modernization, and the development of the MyScouts mobile app. The plan included user journey maps, prototypes, content strategies, and integration frameworks to ensure consistency across all digital touchpoints. Scouts Canada’s team is currently reviewing the strategy to determine the sequence and scope of implementation, with initial feedback highlighting the clarity, practicality, and alignment of the recommendations with the organization’s mission and long-term goals.
Some of the initiatives we created for the Scouts Canada digital experience
Lessons Learned
One of the most important takeaways from this project was the value of designing with, not just for, the community. Co-creating content and gathering input from actual users gave the strategy real resonance and traction. We also learned that a phased rollout, especially across multiple digital channels, was critical in managing change for a distributed volunteer base.
Balancing the needs of different user groups—parents, youth, volunteers, and administrators—required a flexible but principled approach to design. Establishing shared priorities early on and aligning cross-functional teams around them helped avoid fragmentation and duplication of efforts.
Finally, this project reinforced the importance of creating a digital ecosystem that is not only functional but inspiring. By bringing coherence across Scouts Canada’s platforms and tools, we helped foster a stronger sense of connection and purpose among volunteers and members—an outcome that goes far beyond digital metrics.