2026 Volunteer Survey Results: What TAC Heard From You

Your Voice Shaped the Conversation: 2026 Volunteer Survey Results

Between August 12 and August 31, 2026, the Transatlantic Council surveyed every registered volunteer across the council. Of the 1,305 who received it, 110 responded, leaving behind 401 individual written comments along the way. That’s a lot of thought and care from people who are already giving their time to Scouting, and we don’t take it lightly.

The Headline: You Believe in TAC

Let’s start with the good news, because it’s real and it matters: 79% of volunteers are satisfied with their TAC experience overall, and 85% would recommend TAC to a friend. Only 6.5% of respondents were clear detractors. That’s a strong vote of confidence from the people closest to the program; and it tells us that even where we have work to do, it’s happening against a backdrop of real loyalty to the mission.

Notably, nearly a third of respondents have no Scout-age children of their own at home anymore. They’re still showing up – for the mission, not just for their own kids. That’s the kind of commitment worth celebrating.

What You Told Us We Need to Work On

Alongside that goodwill, you were clear about where the friction is. Four themes rose to the top:

Money has felt like a black box. Only about 1 in 5 volunteers feel well-informed about how the council’s budget works, and that gap is widest for unit-level leaders: the people running the programs your Scouts experience every week. Importantly, you told us you trust TAC to use funds responsibly (3.68/5), you just can’t see where the money goes (2.59/5). That’s a communication problem, and it’s one we can fix.

Getting to programs is genuinely hard. Outside of finances, transportation and scheduling were the lowest-rated parts of the entire survey. 40% of families told us it’s difficult to arrange transportation to TAC events. In a council spread across an entire region, that’s not a small thing, and it may be quietly keeping interested families from participating.

Commissioners need more support and we need more of them. About 1 in 4 unit leaders said their Commissioner isn’t visible enough or doesn’t help solve problems effectively. This came up again and again in the written comments too, with volunteers directly asking for “more boots on the ground.”

Some districts are doing something right that others aren’t. Overall satisfaction ranged from 3.69 (Mayflower) to 4.64 (Horizon), nearly a full point apart. That’s not a reason to worry; it’s a reason to go learn what’s working in our strongest districts and bring it everywhere else.

What Happens Next

We hosted a virtual Key 4 Town Hall discussing the results and answering questions. This was one engagement with more to come. Our Council leadership has an open door policy. Please contact them anytime.

Thank You

To everyone who took the survey and especially everyone who wrote in with comments. This kind of direct, specific feedback is exactly what helps us get better, faster. We’ll keep you posted as these changes roll out, and we hope to hear from even more of you next time.