Electronic submission of Eagle project proposals

To Life Scouts in Monticello District:

The Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook is available from the National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) website. (http://www.nesa.org/trail/manual.html). Electronic submission is completely optional. The procedures on this page apply to the RTF (RichTextFormat) and DOC (Word) versions of the workbook. If you download the PDF file you must print it out and use it like the regular paper workbook (procedures on the Eagle Tips page). You will need to get original ink signatures for the proposal. Later, you will need original signatures on the last page of the project report section of the workbook file. Note also, that the Eagle Scout Application is still only in paper (see below), so procedures for handling the application stay the same.

We recommend that you use the RTF/DOC file, fleshing it out with your proposal. This way you won't need to write "see attached" in the blanks, and everything should flow smoothly. Remember to SaveAs the new filename before you get started, so you will have a clean "blank" form and a personalized file that is your Workbook alone. Please include your name in the filename (e.g. John Doe Project Proposal.doc or John Doe Project Proposal.rtf ).

You must get the printout signed in the correct places. Just in case there are additions or rewrites, make sure that nothing likely to change appears on the same physical page as the signatures. In the blank form (RTF/DOC), that would be the "before photographs" section, which seems pretty safe. You can always put a hard page return in front of the signatures section if you need to, before printing the signatures page.

You do not need to save your file as RTF. You could save it as a .doc file, which allows richer formatting. Your choice.

How to submit the proposal electronically.

Attach the proposal file to an e-mail to fossd1@comcast.net . In the cover message, tell us what word processor you used to produce the proposal. Where the signatures appear in the proposal, type in the name and date of the signatures that appear on the printed page. You must obtain the ink signatures indicating beneficiary and unit approval BEFORE you send the proposal to the District Committee for approval. Do not scan the signatures onto the electronic form: we cannot accept them.

IMPORTANT: Use your name in the subject line. In the body of the message, use a salutation (as in a letter) and sign the message with the name you want to be called. For computer security reasons, your proposal could be deleted unread if it is attached to a blank or unsigned message.

Something that is lost in downloading the blank form is physical integrity. To ensure that we can always identify pieces of your submission, please use the "Headings" features of your word processor to put a heading and an automatic page number in each section. Example: "John Doe, Eagle Project, Page XX of Y”

When you attach your proposal to the e-mail, mail the signatures page to the address at the top of this page, clearly marked so we can match it up with your electronic file. A header as just described should do that.

The person approving your project can ask questions based on the electronic version and be prepared to sign the signatures page when it arrives. Then we can mail the signatures page back with a hardcopy approval letter. Please don’t lose the original signatures page or my approval letter while doing your project.

After the project:

You may assemble the complete report in the same way, inserting the elements of the report in the places of the electronic file you started with the proposal and obtaining original signatures on the last page. You should produce one gorgeous paper original that will stand as the historic record. The Board of Review will evaluate that original when it convenes. That original will contain the original signatures pages and go to Council after the Board of Review. This original package will also have the original (paper) Eagle Scout Application in it.

2. Important You must use the latest edition of the Eagle Scout Rank Application, available from the Scout Shop. If you download the PDF version (http://www.nesa.org/trail/58-728.pdf ) from The National Eagle Scout Association (NESA), you must print it out and handle it as a paper form from then on. The printed form may be color or black and white, however, the form is not designed to be handled as two pages. You should print the Application on two sides of a single sheet of paper.

When you find out who will represent the Council at your Board of Review, send the electronic version of the project report attached to e-mail to the Council Representative. Printouts of the electronic file for the use of Board members rather than photocopies of the original might be cost-effective, too, depending on your situation.

Photos and drawings:

These can become a problem when going electronic. I should not need a lot of photos, but drawings and maps are often useful. Stay with the common formats, like jpeg, bmp, pcx, etc. Please remember the handling burden involved (or ask first). Choose the lowest resolution and the smallest file size that will do the job. Save the stunning, high-definition formats for the gorgeous original printout. Don't send more pictures, especially photographs, than needed to illustrate the point. If you have a lot of pictures, fax them. Remember to use a cover for the fax that clearly connects the pictures to your proposal.

Finally:

Remember to keep copies of everything. This means paper copies as well as off-line backups (diskette, server, zip-drive, etc.) of your electronic files.

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last update: 17-Jan-2007