Late in March, I found out that a friend who has been helping support my work can no longer do so. Between the economy and the stock market, that support had to stop. That leaves a hole of about $3,000 a month. For me, that is not small. That is rent, bills, hosting costs, and the basic glue that helps keep the campfire burning and things running.
I am not saying that to dump my problems in your lap. I am saying it because I would rather be open than pretend everything is fine when it is not. And instead of throwing my hands in the air and wandering off into the woods, I am doing what I know how to do: looking at what can be built next.
I do not have some shiny grand master plan. What I do have are a few practical paths that could be useful to fellow Scouters, while also helping support the work behind WackyScouter and USScouts. That is where my head is right now. Not fluff. Not hype. Just real things that may help both you and me.
One path is ScoutLeader.org email. For a long time, I liked the idea of offering Scout-flavored email addresses for free, but the technical side of that turned out to be a swamp. The more realistic version is low-cost email accounts, likely around $1.99 a month each, with occasional sponsor messages to help keep costs down. The appeal is pretty simple: a fun, practical email address that feels a bit more like Scouting and a bit less like random internet clutter. Think things like fallonscoutmaster@scoutleader.org or coffeegrump@scoutleader.org.Another path is hosting for Scout units and other Scouting projects. There are plenty of big hosting companies out there already, and many of them are cheaper. The difference is I am not trying to cram as many accounts as possible onto a server. I want sites to have room to breathe. Pair that with hosting from someone who actually understands Scouting, has been around Scout websites for years, manages a few Scout-related sites professionally, and knows the odd little needs and hiccups that come with them. Not a giant call center. Not 24/7 support. Just a Scout-aware option from an Eagle Scout who gets the world you are working in. Likely around $99 a year.
Another is a Scouting-focused business directory. The point is not to make "yet another directory." The point is to save time. Instead of digging all over the internet, leaders, parents, and Scout families could search one place for businesses, products, and services that actually fit the Scouting world. Campgrounds, craft suppliers, custom shirts, STEM and educational resources, camp gear, advancement tools, and more. National options, maybe local options, and hopefully a way to make finding the right thing less of a scavenger hunt.
And then there is the easy trail: patches, stickers, and support through the WackyScouter shop over at ko-fi.com/wackyeagle. Some folks may want to support us monthly or one-time, and yup, you can do that there too.
What I hope all this does is give me more room to keep improving things over time. Maybe that shows up as site improvements. Maybe it helps me improve the code and systems behind the newsletter. Maybe it helps bring back the Treasure Chest newsletter. Maybe it helps me finally drag USScouts a little farther away from its 1999 roots. I cannot promise exactly how it all unfolds yet. What I can say is that I am trying to build ways forward instead of standing still.
Before I get too far down any one path, I would love a quick gut check. I put together a short form to see which of these you would actually use, care about, or want first. The 6 quick questions are at https://forms.gle/DFKMdzwDuqvGgcdE8.
Thanks for sticking with me over the years. I appreciate it more than you probably know.
Keep on wacky scouting!
Scott Robertson
WackyScouter.org