Boy Scouts of America
"Buffy's Helpful Resource"
Creating an Eagle Packet



As a Boy Scout Troop Advancement Chairman for Boy Scout Troop 243 and Troop 141 for many years, I have had the distinct pleasure of helping scouts reach their top goal of Eagle Scout.

These are a few simple guidelines that I have instructed the scouts to follow to keep everything in correct order, and to create a dynamic book to be turned into the District Advancement Chairman for the rank of Eagle.



  • First, purchase a 3 ring binder about 1 inch in width. This, of course, will help keep everything in order. You can get one that you can slide a page inside the front with a "Scouting Logo" and your name. That's not necessary, but it makes for a nice "touch" to your book.
  • Find some "baseball card sheets" for your notebook. You can get these anywhere, but you may have good luck if you go to a sports card shop where folks trade cards. Sometimes you may be able to get "used" sheets for free! You will use these sheets to first put all your rank cards in...in order... then all your merit badge cards (Eagle required first). If you have had any formal training, such as Junior Leader Training, then those certificates should be included. Lastly, and a nice touch, having all the Cub Scout Awards, especially the Webelos award and Arrow of Light in the back of the merit badge pages will make it complete.
  • Another great idea is to get sheet covers for every sheet of paper in your packet. This will keep all your valuable papers neat and orderly, plus it makes your book look impressive!


Now let's look at just what we need to keep track of in this book, besides what was already touched on above.

I am assuming that the actual "Eagle Project" has already been determined and has already been approved by the Troop's Committee, and the District Advancement Chairman.


  • Create a contact log for the Eagle Project. Everytime the project is discussed, in person or by telephone, jot down the date, time, who the discussion was with, and length of time the discussion took. All of this is considered "project time" or "service time". This will also show the leadership and planning that took place.
  • Make a list of those Boy Scouts and others who will participate in the project, and have a column of the hours that were donated towards the project. Having their addresses and phone numbers listed will be an additional aide when needing to contact them, and it will come in handy when the scout writes thank you notes, and of course invitations to the Eagle Court of Honor.
  • The "Eagle Project Packet" must be in the notebook!!! Filling in all the blanks is crucial. It can either be on the orginal packet, or re-created neatly, but it must be there, with all the signatures for approvals.
  • Have a spot set aside for all the business cards that you collect from people who have helped you in the project.
  • And most importantly, have a place within your book for pictures...lots of pictures! Have pictures of before and after the project. Have pictures of all the Scouts doing the work! This makes the project so much more fun, something that all the Scouts will remember, and it makes the Eagle Board members and the national committee see how much fun the project was!


There you have it. As a mom of an Eagle Scout, and an adult advisor for other Eagle Scout canidates, I can tell you that these simple steps have been very successful. This is a time that will be remembered by a lot of people. I can tell you from experience that my own sons still remember the very first Eagle Scout Project that they ever worked on, and have based the set-up of their own Eagle projects from that very first experience. Do it right the first time, and it will influence others for generations to come!

Good Luck!!!! If you have any questions or comments, please sign my guestbook below, or email me!

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