Sometimes a message needs to reach beyond a single group. A district admin might want to tell everyone on a waiting list near a particular postcode that a nearby section has spaces, or thank every volunteer across the district before a big weekend. Broadcasts let you do exactly that — write one email and send it to families and volunteers across all the groups connected to your district, without compiling a single list by hand.
Where to find this
Switch into your district using the context switcher in the top-left, then click Broadcasts in the sidebar. The page has three tabs:
| Tab | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Compose | Write a broadcast, choose who receives it, and send. |
| History | See every broadcast you've sent and how delivery went. |
| Branding | Set the logo, colours, and footer your broadcasts use. |
Choosing who to reach
On the Compose tab, the bar across the top is where you pick your audience. Click it (or Edit audience) to open the audience panel.
Pick an audience
Choose one or more of these groups of people:
| Audience | Who it reaches |
|---|---|
| Members' parents | Parents of children who are current members |
| Waiting list | Families of applicants waiting for a place |
| Volunteers | Leaders and helpers across your groups |
As soon as you choose an audience, a running recipient count appears at the top of the panel and stays in view while you narrow things down — so you always see how many people you're about to reach.
Narrow it down
Under Narrow it down, optional filters help you target the right people. The filters you see depend on the audiences you picked:
| Filter | What it does | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Postcode area | Match a postcode area, e.g. SY23 | Members' parents, waiting list |
| Within distance of | Everyone within a number of miles of a postcode (defaults to 5 miles, up to 100) | Members' parents, waiting list |
| Section | Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers, or Network | Members' parents, waiting list |
| Waiting list status | New, Contacted, Offered, Accepted, and so on | Waiting list |
| Applied after / before | A date range for when people joined the waiting list | Waiting list |
| Volunteer roles | Group Admin, Volunteer, or Young Leader | Volunteers |
Location and section filters use the address on file, so they only narrow families — anyone without an address won't match. Volunteers are always included wherever they live, so adding a location filter never accidentally drops a leader from the list.
When your list spans more than one group, a Who's in this list breakdown appears showing how many recipients come from each group. Click Done to return to the composer.
Which groups your broadcast can reach
A broadcast only reaches groups that have agreed to share data with your district. Groups you've invited but who haven't accepted yet, and groups that have declined, are never included.
Anyone who appears in more than one group only ever gets one copy — the list is combined for you. People who've previously unsubscribed from district broadcasts are left out automatically.
To bring more groups into range, invite them from your district settings — see Managing Groups in Your District.
Writing and sending
Back on the Compose tab, write your subject and message on the left. The panel on the right shows a live preview of the finished email, branded for your district, exactly as a recipient will see it.
The Send broadcast button sits in the top-right next to the live recipient count. It stays switched off until you've chosen an audience with at least one recipient, added a subject, and written a message — hover over it to see what's still missing.
When you're ready, click Send broadcast. A confirmation appears telling you how many people will receive the email and across how many groups. Sending can't be undone, so it's worth a last look at the recipient count before you confirm.
What recipients see
Each broadcast goes out branded for your district, with a footer that gently explains why the person received it — "You're receiving this because you're connected to a Scout group in [your district]" — and an unsubscribe link.
That unsubscribe is just for district broadcasts. If someone opts out, they stop receiving broadcasts from you but still get the normal emails their own group sends — the two are kept separate.
Branding your broadcasts
The Branding tab controls how your broadcasts look — your district logo, primary colour, light or dark style, and footer text. It works exactly like a group's email branding, with a live preview as you make changes. Save, and the Compose tab's preview updates straight away.
For a full walkthrough of each option, see Branding Your Group's Emails — the district branding settings mirror it.
Tracking what you've sent
The History tab lists every broadcast, newest first, with its subject, audience, recipient count, status, and send date.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sent | Delivered to the recipient list |
| Sending | Currently going out |
| Failed | Something went wrong — open it to see why |
| Draft | Saved but not yet sent |
Click any row to open the full broadcast — the message that went out, who it reached, and delivery figures.
What's next
- Managing Groups in Your District — invite groups to share data so they appear in your broadcasts.
- Branding Your Group's Emails — the full guide to logos, colours, and footers, which the district branding mirrors.
- Email History and Tracking — how delivery tracking works across Scoutworks emails.
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What's next?
Related guidesManaging Groups in Your District
How district admins invite Scout groups to share data, track who has accepted, and resend invitations to groups that haven't responded yet.
Read articleBranding Your Group's Emails
How to add your group's logo, colours, and footer details to the emails leaders send to parents, plus how to set up your personal signature.
Read articleEmail History and Tracking
How to track email delivery, view sent messages, and manage your email archive.
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