Before you start: a quick word on OSM plans
Most of the steps below use OSM's spreadsheet export tools (OSM calls these "data exporters"). On OSM, spreadsheet export is a paid feature:
| OSM plan | Spreadsheet export | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Bronze | Not included | Free |
| Silver | Included | £18 per section, per year |
| Gold | Included | £24 per section, per year |
If your group is on the free Bronze plan, you may not see an export button. If so, you can upgrade a section to Silver for the month you migrate, use OSM's GDPR data download, or contact OSM support and ask for an export. Pricing is per section, per year — check your own OSM account for the exact figures.
Prices verified against OSM's published plans on 3 September 2026.
What to export
Work through these in order. Each one links to a step-by-step guide.
Members
What to bring
Your people — names, dates of birth and sections — plus their parents/carers and emergency contacts. Scoutworks builds parent records straight from those columns.
How
Export one section at a time (there is no "export everything" button). Typically: Members → Personal Details → select members → export to a spreadsheet (CSV or Excel). Wording can vary — check this against your own OSM screen.
Badges
What to bring
Badge progress and completed requirements, so your members keep credit for everything they have earned. Count-based badges such as nights away come across as their totals.
How
Download per section and per category — Activity, Challenge, Staged and Core. Each download is an Excel (.xlsx) workbook with roughly one sheet per badge. Wording can vary — check this against your own OSM screen.
Waiting list
What to bring
Anyone waiting to join. This is the most optional step — if it proves fiddly, it is fine to skip it and re-enter the names by hand.
How
Uses OSM's spreadsheet export, but the exact location varies — look for an export option on your waiting-list screen, which produces a spreadsheet. Wording can vary — check this against your own OSM screen.
Payments
What to bring
Nothing imports here. Direct Debit mandates and payment history do not transfer between platforms — that is normal when moving between any two systems.
How
Note your subscription amounts, keep a copy of recent history for your records, and set up collection fresh in Scoutworks.
Two things you recreate by hand
A couple of things cannot be exported as a spreadsheet. They are quick to set up fresh — it is just worth planning a little time for them.
Your programme
OSM does not offer a structured or spreadsheet export of your programme — only a print or PDF view. Print or save it to PDF for reference, then recreate your programme in Scoutworks. Plan a little time for this.
Badge stock
Your physical badge stock is not available as a spreadsheet export. Open OSM's badge-stock screen, note the quantities you hold, and re-enter them in Scoutworks once you are set up.
Run both side by side, then cut over cleanly
The smoothest way to switch is to run OSM and Scoutworks alongside each other while you set up, then pick a clean cut-over — usually the end of a term, or when your subscriptions and next programme are due to be recreated anyway — and run that first cycle in Scoutworks, not OSM. Time it around your OSM renewal so you are never paying for two systems for long.