The short answer
TacBoard gives your troop one phone number and QR code for photos. Parents and leaders text or upload photos from any outing, they collect in one private gallery shared only by link, and at ceremonies they play on a screen as a live slideshow. Nobody installs an app. A one-time event is $49 (QR) or $159 (text + QR). For year-round troop photos, the $99/month plan keeps the number on.
- Year-round collection
- One number for campouts, booths, service projects and meetings
- Ceremonies
- Bridging, Courts of Honor, Blue & Gold, award ceremonies
- Privacy
- A private gallery shared by link, plus a review queue
- Parents
- Text or scan. No app, no account.
The troop photo problem
Every troop leader knows the problem. Photos from the campout are spread across ten parents' phones, a few end up in a group chat where they get compressed and buried, and when it is time to make the slideshow for the end-of-year ceremony, someone spends an evening begging for them.
Most photo-sharing apps make it worse because each parent has to download something and create an account. TacBoard uses a phone number instead. Parents text photos to the troop's number, the way they already text each other, and every photo lands in one gallery with the sender's name on it.
Live slideshows at ceremonies
The ceremonies are where the photos pay off. Run the stream on a TV or projector at:
- Girl Scout bridging ceremonies, investitures and Gold, Silver and Bronze Award ceremonies. Show the year's photos while families arrive, then let them add photos of the ceremony itself.
- Scouts BSA Courts of Honor and Eagle Scout ceremonies. Load photos of the Scout's path, from Lions or Tigers to Eagle, and let family and leaders add their own.
- Cub Scout Blue & Gold banquets and Pinewood Derby. Parents text race photos and the screen becomes the scoreboard everyone watches.
- Service unit and council events, such as camporees, cookie rallies and volunteer recognition dinners.
Photos you collected over the year are already in the gallery, so the slideshow builds itself. Press Display Live on a laptop connected to the screen, and the year's photos play in a loop alongside new ones.
Privacy for youth groups
Troops work with photos of minors, so privacy comes first.
- Private by default. The gallery is not public or searchable. Only people with the link can view it.
- Leaders control the screen. An automatic content filter checks every photo and message. Anything it flags waits in a queue where you approve or delete it, and you can block a sender.
- You know who sent what. Each texted photo carries the sender's name.
- Easy removal. Delete any photo at any time, for example if a family has not given photo consent.
Follow your council's and your organization's photo policies. TacBoard makes those policies easier to follow, but it does not replace them.
Getting your troop started
- 1
Choose how long you need the number
For one ceremony, pick a one-time plan. For year-round photos, the $99/month plan keeps the number active, and you can cancel after the ceremony season.
- 2
Send the number to families
Put it in the troop newsletter, the welcome email and the group chat description. Ask everyone to save it as a contact named after the troop.
- 3
Print a card for the camp box
The free sign shop makes cards with the number and QR code. Tape one inside the troop trailer or the cookie booth cash box.
- 4
Show it at the ceremony
Connect a laptop to the screen, open the gallery and press Display Live. See the display setup guides.
- 5
Share the gallery with families
Send the link after each event. Hosts download the whole gallery in one click.
A year of troop photos on one number
A troop's year has a rhythm, and the same number works for all of it. By the end-of-year ceremony, the slideshow is already built.
| Season | Events | Photos to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Recruitment night, first meeting, fall campout, popcorn sales | New members, the campsite, first service project |
| Winter | Cookie season, Klondike or winter camp, Blue & Gold, Pinewood Derby | Booth sales, race heats, the cookie tally board |
| Spring | Camporee, service projects, Earth Day cleanups, award projects | Badge and award work in progress, community service |
| Summer | Summer camp, high adventure trips, bridging and Courts of Honor | Camp photos, the ceremony itself, families |
For the ceremony, open the gallery's Live view and the whole year plays on the screen, with photos from the ceremony itself joining the loop as families text them in.
Tips from troop leaders
- Make one adult the photo lead. They keep an eye on the queue and remind families to send photos after each outing.
- Ask for photos the same day. "Text your photos tonight" works far better than a request a month later.
- Give older scouts the job. Scouts working on photography or communication requirements can help curate the gallery under a leader's supervision.
- Use the gallery for recruitment. A few photos from the gallery, with families' permission, make a strong recruitment flyer or social post.
- Keep last year's gallery. Galleries do not expire, so returning families can look back at earlier years.
Pricing for troops
| Plan | Price | How guests send photos | Own phone number | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QR Code | $49 One time, per event | Scan a QR code or open a link, upload from the phone's browser | No | Events outside the US and Canada, smaller budgets, younger crowds |
| SMS & QR Code | $159 One time, per event | Text photos to the event's own number, or use the QR code | Yes, active until 30 days after the event | Weddings, awards nights, memorials and any crowd with older guests |
| Unlimited SMS & QR Code | $99/month Monthly, cancel anytime ($198 due at signup covers the first two months) | Text or QR code | Yes, stays on while subscribed | Venues, schools, associations and planners running events every month |
Every plan includes unlimited guests and photos, the live photo stream, a private gallery that never expires and the free sign shop. See pricing
Many troops cover the cost from cookie or popcorn proceeds, or split it across families for the end-of-year ceremony.
Frequently asked questions
Do parents need to download an app?
No. Guests never download an app or create an account.
Can the whole troop use one number all year?
Yes, on the Unlimited plan ($99/month). One-time plans keep the number active until 30 days after the event date.
Who can see our troop's photos?
Only people you share the gallery link with. The gallery is not public.
Can leaders approve photos before they are shown?
An automatic content filter checks every photo and message. Anything it flags waits in a queue where you approve or delete it, and you can block a sender.
Does it work for troops outside the US?
Text-message uploads work in the United States and Canada. QR code uploads work worldwide.
Can families download the photos?
Yes. Families can download photos one at a time from the gallery link. The leader who owns the gallery can download all of them in one click.
Last reviewed by the TacBoard team.