by dparker » Mon Dec 13, 2004 12:26 pm
Let me add another vote for TroopMaster. Their customer service is simply wonderful. I have always received very timely responses to my email queries and it is not hard to talk to someone on the phone if you have an immediate question. Some older troops might already own a copy and not even know it. Each copy is purchased for a particular unit and you can install that on as many systems in the Troop as needed. If you send an email to TroopMaster with your Troop number and council, they can tell you if it was purchased previously or not. They will send you a disk at cost if you had the latest version.
For me, almost the entire cost of TM is easily justified in the reporting functions alone. The Target First Class report allows you to pick some or all of the 1st and below requirements, then see a table showing who's got them and who doesn't. You can then sort the results by number needing. Great for planning activities for younger Scouts. The COH report prints out the forms the Scout Shops ask for and makes a good shopping list too. The physical exam status report is useful for long term camping to figure out who (Scouts and Adults) need to update their physical exams. Also useful are the Eagle, Eagle Palm and recharter assistance reports.
We also print out the Individual Progress report which shows each rank and its requirements and date completed. We distribute these to the boys to put in their binders (we make binders for each new Scout), but it also serves to remind the boys and their parents of what needs to be done.
As stated previously, the Activity Management part is such a time-saver. As you enter in camping nights, miles hiked, miles biked, etc, it totals them and applies them to rank requirements and reports. It also determines OA eligibility based on this.
Some councils allow you to submit your advancement electronically right from TroopMaster and that can be handy. If you have just purchased TM for the first time, there is a way to directly import your Scouts from the Council's ScoutNet system.
TM also has the ability to assign certain functions to different users. So, for instance you can give advancement to one person and OA to another, financial to yet another and they can only update the parts they have access to. Then, they send updates to the master system. Very useful. I have not used the FTP functionality as we cannot justify the cost yet. For larger troops, this would be invaluable.
For LDS troops, it also tracks the Duty to God award requirements (lots of them!).
Overall, it is a richly featured program. It has saved me so much time, that I just cannot recommend it enough. Sam at TroopMaster has done a FABULOUS job and I just cannot say enough. That being said, I have not seen any other programs, so my opinion may be a little one-sided. After almost 3 years of using it, I am still finding little things here and there. The updates are timely. I have a friend who bought ScoutMate because of its ability to handle Cub Scout advancement as well, so I will see how he likes it. He used TM before, so he will have a good perspective.
The same company also produces software for the GS, Cub Scouts and District Chairman. By the way, I don't work for them nor am I affiliated with them, but just a very satisfied user.
David Parker
Committee Member, Troop 92
Toloma Lodge 64
