Topic
The adults who keep a unit running: chairs, treasurers, advancement coordinators and chartered organization representatives. These posts cover budgets, fundraising, recruiting and boards of review.
129 posts · 2008–2020
Showing 51–100 of 129 posts
Tis the season for all units… in the Central Minnesota Council to complete their recharters. Begin the caroling and pass the eggnog. The new committee of Cub Scout Pack 68 is about to learn how it is done. The recharter was one of the things on the agenda at last Monday night's Pack committee meeting.
It has been an interesting fall as we work to reorganize the leadership of Cub Scout Pack 68 and carry out the new program. It has also been fun and rewarding. The boys have been telling their parents they are having fun.
A reader asks: I would really like to hear how various troops handle money. While I am certain there is no "one" right way to handle Scouting and money, I feel we can learn from sharing each other's methods. How is the money collected, who collects it and when is it collected?
You may not have noticed, but earlier this year the Scout shops and Supply Division replaced the Troop Committee Guidebook with a new edition. The previous version, item 34505B, was originally published in 1998 and was reprinted several times since. The new version has a bright red and green cover with photos of Scouts in
Every Unit within the Boy Scouts of America has a Charter partner or Charter Organization. These organizations come from within the community in which the unit belongs. It can be a Church, a School, or a Civic group like the Elks, the VFW, or Lions Club just to name a few.
A New-Unit Sales Kit called "Strengthening Your Organization Through Scouting" and the Chartered Organization Resource Guide have both been redeveloped for use by local councils to focus specifically on properly researching, planning, and making productive visits to multiple prospective chartered organizations.
Here's what the official resources say about Courts of Honor: The Guide to Advancement 2013: 4.2.1.4 The Scout Is Recognized When the board of review has approved his advancement, the Scout deserves recognition as soon as possible. This should be done at a ceremony at the next unit meeting.
As the Cub Scout program year came to a close last May our cubmaster stepped down from his position. His youngest son has graduated out of the pack. That left the pack without a cubmaster. It also left the pack without an active pack committee.
Before we begin the primary topic of this column I would first like to introduce myself. My name is Mark West, I am 23 years old and have been involved with Scouting since the second grade (1997). In August 2006 I earned my Eagle with Troop 780 which is located in Castle Rock, Colorado (Denver…
This month is the beginning of the new 2014-2015 program for the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68. The Scouts got together one Saturday last month and plotted out their monthly themes and activities for another year. A few of the traditional outings made it in, and a few new ones joined the program.
Amy sent in this question: My son has completed his requirements and a scoutmaster conference for his next rank. He has requested a board of review but was told he cannot have his board of review until school starts and regular meetings resume in September, two months away.
Time for a few more answers to your questions, this time about Social Security numbers on adult applications, the criminal background check and how to become a merit badge counselor. I don't like giving out my Social Security number. Why is it required on an adult application?
Nora sent in this question: Our Boy Scout troop requires that Boy Scouts request a BOR by phone call at least two days in advance. At our last meeting, the Advancment Chair and some committee members conducted a BOR for one of the Scouts.
Sir Ernest Shackleton's board of review for the rank of World Explorer assembled one evening and began reading over his application and supporting documentation. He earned all of his merit badges on Captain Scott's Antarctic Discovery Expedition in 1901–04, and clocked his leadership tenure as the leader of British Antarctic Expedition in 1907–09.
If you've been reading for a while, you've picked up on our monthly summary of things the committee chair needs to give attention to for the following month. We finished up the year last month with the March version, so …
Yep. It is that time of year. Boy Scout councils are conducting their annual Friends of Scouting campaigns to raise money to support the local council and its program. Our district executive from the Central Minnesota Council visited our troop's court of honor on Monday, March 24th.
Cub Scout Pack 68 held their Blue and Gold Banquet last night, Tuesday March 25, at the American Legion in Melrose. Pizza was brought in with hot dogs, chips, and desserts provided by the families. The Cub Scouts were pretty excited to receive their achievements during the award ceremony.
Click image to view e-Letter The March 1 edition of the Finance Impact Department's e-Letter has been published and is now available online. In this issue, the national office announces the new Friends of Scouting (FOS) recognition program, which recognizes BSA local councils that showed an increase in FOS net on June 30, 2014, over…
You've heard of a fire triangle, right? It's the geometric illustration of the three elements a fire needs to ignite: heat, fuel and oxygen. Remove one, and the blaze goes bye-bye. Inspired by this simple illustration, Michael Dulle created what he calls the Scouting triangle.
I would be willing to bet that most young men who go before their council Eagle board of review are a little nervous. I know that many of the Boy Scout from Melrose Troop 68 were when it was their turn.
________________________________________ Dear Andy, I'm a Scoutmaster and find myself with a bit of a dilemma between a Scout and a small group of irate parents. This Scout is presently Life rank. He's just about completed all requirements for the Eagle Scout rank.
Decisive answers to questions about Scouting finances can be difficult to find. While researching an answer to an email question I found this PDF document: Fiscal Policies And Procedures For BSA Units dated August 2013, that provides answers to most common Scouting financial questions.
Students pore over countless study guides for their midterms, but where's the study guide for Scouting's biggest evaluation? Right here. The Eagle Scout Board of Review study guide, created by two Pennsylvania adult leaders, will better prepare your prospective Eagle Scouts for this potentially stressful final step in the journey to Eagle.
Copyright Scouter Mom - A resource for adults and youth involved in Scouting Reader Shelley asked I'm a new Troop Committee Chair and was wondering if anyone has some great questions that they ask their Scouts during their Board of Reviews?
Don Bennett directed Eagle Scout boards of review like a film director creating his latest masterpiece. He challenged the Eagle candidates with expertly crafted questions all with the goal of making the young man see just how his time in Scouting has formed who he is.
It takes a village to recruit new Scouts, and here's the latest example of that Scouting village uniting for the greater good of the BSA. Packs, troops, teams and crews are invited to celebrate with the LDS church on the evening of Tuesday, Oct.
August is almost here. Summer is flying by, fall is in sight, and with it, a ramp-up in Scouting activity. Here are some things the committee chair needs to be on top of as we get busier: Many troops (packs …
You’ve probably wondered what your Pack Committee does . You know you have a Cubmaster, and you assume that he or she is in charge of the pack. I think of the Cubmaster as the “face” of the pack . He or she interacts with the Scouts and runs the pack meetings.
Here's the latest ScoutCircle presentation on the troop committee. Every month the virtual round table at ScoutCircle.org features a presentation and question and answer period. This month our guest was Frank Maynard , committee chairman who maintains a blog at Bobwhite Blather .
Join us on Sunday March 10th at 9 PM EST (6 PM PST) for a presentation and question and answer session at scoutcircle.org . Our guest this month is Frank Maynard, a long-serving Committee Chair for a troop of 65+ boys in Michigan who also serves committees at the Cub Scout and District levels.
The last two posts to the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast contained the first and second parts of an eleven year old Boy Scout Leader Fast Start Orientation vhs tape I have in my Scouting collection. This post features part three, the last part of that training tape which covers the Troop Committee.
One of the things that I’ve prided myself on is the running of an efficient committee meeting. Part of that ability stems from having a meeting agenda BEFORE the meeting, but even better, using that same agenda for the meeting minutes.
November 16, 2012 Thursday 1900-2045 Denali District District Committee Meeting Attendance: Travis Ransom, District Executive Cliff Crismore, Council Scout Executive Mark West, Unit Commissioner District Finance Chair District Advancement Chair District Chairman District Camping Chair District Training Chair Agenda Overview: District Commissioner Update: Prospects for District Commissioner Position Recharter Trouble Units (ie.
I don't give Friends of Scouting much thought throughout the year. In fact, I don't really ever think about it until the campaign comes around and forces me to wonder what everyone else wonders. The bad news is that I still don't have a clear understanding of how FOS benefits my unit even after another…
One of the great strengths of the Boy Scouts of America is its unique relationship with churches and civic and educational organizations throughout the United States. Scouting is provided for young people through a collaborative endeavor with various community and religious organizations that adopt the Scouting program as a means of meeting their needs and…
Forget that sit-down with the hiring supervisor at Subway. When it comes to life-changing interviews for a teenager, you can't top the Eagle Scout Board of Review. For some Scouts, the thought of answering a barrage of questions from adults is worse than a trip to the dentist.
Let's talk money. Two big changes coming up next year will impact every registered Scout unit: What is now known as the " unit charter fee " will change its name to the more-descriptive " unit liability insurance fee ." The cost of this fee will increase from $20 a year to $40 a year.
Effective Jan. 1, 2013, what is now known as the "unit charter fee" will be renamed the "unit liability insurance fee" and will increase in cost from $20 to $40 yearly. As a result, the new fee will begin with units that have December 31, 2012 charter expiration dates (a charter period beginning Jan.
A recent article aimed at the new committee chair listed a few things that I've found to be helpful when starting the job or any job in Scouting. But what are the actual responsibilities of the committee chair? Hopefully if …
I received a call this morning from a father of one the Boy Scouts, who is also a troop committee member, asking if I was going to attend the troop meeting tonight. He and his family would be gone on vacation next week and his son would not be able to attend the committee meeting…
So you've just stepped into the job of Committee Chair for your pack or troop. Now what? Committee Chair is an important role – indeed, the unit can't function properly without one – but there are ways in which a …
For those of you new to Boy Scouting, please understand that it is not an advanced Webelos Program. Indeed, it is quite different. Unlike almost every other youth program, Boy Scouting is youth led and youth run. That's right, adults do not run a Boy Scout Troop.
How can a Pack transition from a model where the Cubmaster does all of the work to one where the Pack Committee shares the load? [ This is a content summary only. Click on the article title for full links, other content, and more! ]
Larry Geiger has served as a Scoutmaster for two different troops so that means he has transitioned in and out of the Scoutmaster role more than most of us. I asked him to write about these transitions and offer his advice.
Our district is holding its annual merit badge pow-wow in March and I've been handing out registration forms for the last couple weeks. One boy, a Life scout, asked me if it would they would let him sign up for three required merit badges (the pow-wow rules say a max of two).
As with many of us we wear multiple hats in Scouting. First and foremost we wear the Dad (or Mom) hat, then the hat appropriate to our unit, like Scoutmaster or Committee Chair. Then there often times is some District level hat, whether that is part of the District Training team, a District event, or…
It is said that when one door closes.. another door opens. Much as one chapter of a book leads to the next chapter we had a door closed last night opening the door or moving on to the next chapter in the history of our Troop.
IN THIS PODCAST Scoutmaster panel discussion; three new documents from the B.S.A. Phone-in question: "Where does the Scoutmaster's responsibilities end and the Committee's responsibilities begin? LINKS Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops Guide to Advancement 2011 Evaluating Positions of Responsibility New Eagle Project Workbook Walter's post ‘Changes to the Eagle Process' Troop Committee Challenge online…
My son passed his Eagle board of review in late September and I was invited to join the district advancement committee to review Eagle projects in mid-October. A few days later, the new advancement book was released, so I've been reviewing it in detail.
The troop committee was called to a local restaurant for a special meeting on September 13th. As the troop's assistant scoutmaster I was invited to attend. So was the district executive. The scoutmaster was not informed of the meeting. The troop had a problem.
