See exactly what each Scout still needs
Advancement gap analysis
A per-Scout, per-requirement view of the whole den, with Bobcat first and a clear answer to the only question that matters in April: who is ready for rank.
Den leaders
DenBuddy for den leaders
If you are a new Cub Scout den leader, DenBuddy gives you the two things nobody hands you at signup: a clear picture of what your Scouts still need for rank, and an agenda for Tuesday that closes some of it. Import the den, read the gaps, plan the meeting, take the roll with a QR code.
You were volunteered in August and the first meeting is Tuesday. DenBuddy gets you from an empty calendar to a run-ready plan in one sitting.
Sound familiar
- You said yes in August, training is in October, and the first meeting is next week.
- Scoutbook Plus can tell you about one Scout at a time, but not what the den needs as a group.
- Den meeting ideas are everywhere online, and none of them know which requirements your Scouts are missing.
- Attendance is a clipboard that lives in the trunk of somebody's car.
- Recording advancement happens weeks later, from memory, if it happens at all.
What it looks like
How it goes, in order
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Import your den
Install the DenBuddy Sync extension, sign in to DenBuddy and to Scoutbook Plus, and pull your den across. Roster and advancement history come with it, so you are not typing eight names and four years of history.
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Read the gaps
Gap analysis shows every Scout against every requirement for their rank. If the den is new, Bobcat is at the top because nothing else counts until it is done. Now you know what the year has to cover.
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Plan Tuesday
Drop the adventures most of the den still needs onto the timeline, set the block lengths, and let the coverage meter tell you whether the meeting is full or just busy. Start from a community plan or an Akela draft if a blank page is the hard part.
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Run it, then record it
Publish, print the QR for the door, and work down the run view. Afterwards the record sheet starts with everyone who attended pre-checked, so you uncheck what did not happen and export a CSV for Scoutbook.
The parts you will use most
Turn Tuesday at 6:30 into a run-ready agenda
Den meeting planner
Build the agenda from the requirements your Scouts still need, with block times, materials and a coverage meter that tells a full meeting from a busy one.
Your roster and advancement, without retyping any of it
Scoutbook Plus import
The DenBuddy Sync extension reads your den from Scoutbook Plus in your own browser session and brings it into DenBuddy. Reads always; writes only when you press Send.
A link and a QR code, no accounts at the door
Parent check-in and attendance
Publish the meeting and DenBuddy hands you a check-in link and QR code. Parents mark their Scout present. Nobody signs in, and no Scout has an account.
Youth protection is built in
- Scouts have no accounts and cannot be messaged.
- Check-in is parent-mediated and carries no full last names.
- DenBuddy reads Scoutbook Plus always, and writes back only when you press Send.
DenBuddy is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Scouting America. Cub Scouts, Scoutbook and adventure names are trademarks of their respective owners.
Questions before you start
I have not been trained yet. Is this going to assume I know the program?
No. The adventure and requirement pages explain what each one asks in plain language, and every meeting plan lists the materials and the timing. Do the official training when your council runs it. This gets you through Tuesday.
Do I have to move off Scoutbook?
No, and you should not. Scoutbook remains the system of record your council requires. DenBuddy reads from it and hands work back as a CSV you upload.
What does it cost for one den?
Nothing. One den is free forever, including gap analysis, the planner, check-in, the Scoutbook Plus import and the CSV export.
What if I hand the den over next year?
The den's history stays with the den, not with you. The next leader picks up the plans, the attendance and the advancement record as they are.
Somebody else in your pack
DenBuddy for Cubmasters
You cannot plan six dens yourself. You can give six den leaders the same starting point and see which den is drifting before May.
DenBuddy for parents
Check your Scout in at the door, see what they have finished, and know exactly what DenBuddy does and does not hold about your child.
Adventures by rank
Every Cub Scout rank and adventure, with a 60 minute den meeting plan for each one. Free to read, no account.
Plan your next den meeting with DenBuddy
Connect Scoutbook Plus, see what your Scouts still need, and build the agenda from the gaps. One den is free, and nothing in Scoutbook changes while you try it.
Free for one den. No credit card. Works with Scoutbook Plus.