Why Spreadsheets Eventually Fail Every Scout Group

I'm not here to tell you spreadsheets are bad. They're not. I used them for years. Every scout group does.

You start a new group, or take over from someone else, and there's a spreadsheet. Names down one side, camps across the top. Maybe a tab for contact details. Another for medical info. It works. Sort of.

The problem isn't that spreadsheets don't work. It's that they work just well enough that you don't notice them failing until something goes wrong.

The slow creep of chaos

Here's how it usually goes. You've got your master spreadsheet. Then someone needs the medical info for a camp, so you copy those columns into a new sheet. Someone else creates their own version because they can't find the original. A leader leaves and takes their copy with them.

Now you've got three versions. Which one is current? The one on Google Drive? The one Sarah emailed last month? The one on the USB stick from the AGM?

Nobody knows. Everyone assumes someone else is keeping it updated.

The medical info problem

This is the one that keeps me up at night.

A kid joins the group. Parent fills out a form - paper or Google Form, doesn't matter. Someone types that info into the spreadsheet. Maybe they make a typo. Maybe they miss a field. Maybe they put the allergy info in the dietary column.

Fast forward six months. That kid's allergies have changed. The parent updates the form. But which form? The one for this camp? Does that update the master list? Of course it doesn't.

Now you're at camp, a kid has a reaction, and you're scrolling through a spreadsheet on your phone trying to find out what they're allergic to. And you're not even sure if the information is current.

That's not a system. That's a liability.

Nobody wants to be the spreadsheet person

Every group has someone who "does the spreadsheet". They didn't volunteer for it. They just ended up being the one who cared enough to keep it updated. And when they leave? Good luck.

The next person inherits a mess. Columns that made sense to someone five years ago. Colour coding that means something, but nobody knows what. Formulas that break if you look at them wrong.

I've seen groups lose years of member data because the spreadsheet person left and nobody knew how to access the file.

The privacy issue nobody talks about

Let's be honest about what a scout group spreadsheet contains: children's names, birthdates, addresses, medical conditions, parent contact details. That's sensitive information.

Where is that spreadsheet right now? How many copies exist? Who has access? When leaders leave the group, do they still have a copy on their laptop?

I'm not trying to scare you. But if you're responsible for children's data, these are questions you should be able to answer. With spreadsheets, you can't.

What's the alternative?

Look, I know scout groups don't have big budgets. And I know the last thing you want is another app to learn. That's why most groups stick with spreadsheets - they're free and familiar.

But there's a real cost to spreadsheets. It's the time spent chasing missing forms. It's the stress of not knowing if your data is current. It's the risk of something going wrong at camp because the information wasn't where you needed it.

Purpose-built tools exist now. They're not complicated. They're not expensive. They're designed for exactly this problem - keeping member data organised, secure, and accessible to the people who need it.

You don't have to change everything overnight. But next time you're staring at that spreadsheet at 11pm the night before camp, wondering if the allergy list is up to date... maybe it's time to look at alternatives.