ScoutNut

The absolutely best skit for Tigers is The Invisible Bench. It can accommodate any number, so no shows, or small dens do not affect it. It is fun to fall down and roll around on the floor. The lines are simple, repetitive, and VERY easy to learn. You can even add younger sibs. The boys LOVE it!!

Sounds like you need a new Secretary, a new Treasurer, and a written Pack budget that makes sense. You, as CC, can replace volunteers at any time if necessary. It also sounds like you need a written agenda for your monthly Pack Leaders meetings. Include time at the end of the meeting for each person to add any comments, or business of their own. Keep discussions moving, cut off people if necessary (Yes, thanks, you can bring that up for more discussion at the end of the meeting, now back onto the topic). NEVER SOLICIT VOLUNTEERS VIA EMAIL!! You know your families. Pick (or put together a committee to pick) out 3 or 4 people who are felt would do the best job for each open position. Start with the top candidate and ask them FACE-TO-FACE to accept the position. Give them all of the info and help they need to make their decision. Keep going down the list of possible candidates until you get one to say yes. Cultivate a relationship with your Charter Organization and it's Representative. A good relationship with your CO and COR can be a big help. Make sure that ALL registered adults are fully trained for their positions.

Talk to your CC and COR. Be honest on your application. Since it was only once, did not involve children, and if your Charter Organization approves of you in spite of this, you have a good chance.

I really fail to see what you are getting at. How does any of that show that BSA allows gay youth members? The NY times, and Scouts-L, are not BSA web sites. Stories and comments by writers and folks on a discussion board have nothing to do with BSA policy. How does a Scout who is removed from a leadership position because he is a homosexual translate to BSA allowing gay youth members? Exploring is not Boy Scouts. As a matter of fact it is not any kind of Scouts at all. It is Learning For Life. LFL is a separate organization which is not bound by the same rules as BSA. LFL specifically states on it's Exploring site the following - "Color, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, economic status, and citizenship are not criteria for participation."

Unless the requirement specifically states it can not be used for anything else go right ahead. Just use common sense, and keep in mind we are trying to expose the boys to as many different things as possible, not simply run thru requirements as fast as we can.

So, if you don't trust a BSA National web site, then what is the point of asking for a link? Whose web sites would you prefer over BSA National's? Since you don't seem happy with the red numerals, wear the tan ones.

One of the best ways to recruit is peer to peer. Have the boys in the dens invite the boys in their classes to a den meeting or event. Now that Fall winds are blowing, a kite making and flying activity is fun for all groups. Ask at your council if they have any of those recruitment postcards from a few years back.

If you read the info on the "Cub Scouts 2010" page then you should already know BSA National's position on this. It is not a new "trend", it is supposed to be the new Cub Scout program starting next year. There have been many discussions here on the Fast Tracks program which you can find if you do a search. Some people love it, some do not. I am in the latter group. As another optional resource, like Program Helps, it is fine. However, as the one and only way to do the Cub Scout program, nope, not a fan.

While part of the Charter agreement is for the CO to provide meeting space, for many CO's that does not include den meetings, only Pack meetings. You can hold a den meeting anywhere. Library, park district, church, community meeting room, park picnic area, even in the home of one of the leaders.

ScoutManage, while a bit cumbersome to set up, is not really all that hard that you need an IT person to do it. I set up our entire Pack of 38. Took some time, but not bad. I learned what was what, and what/how I wanted it, as I went. Trust me, I am NOT an IT professional! I like the calendar, the email capability (allowing attachments would be nice), the ability to upload files and pictures, and, for us, the ability to add Pack specific awards.

How many Wolf Scouts? How many Bear Scouts?

Your wife (CC) needs to sit down NOW with the FD and the head of the church that is supposed to be paying for the Charter for the Pack. This needs to be straightened out THIS WEEK if possible. Your wife also needs to find out exactly who has turned in applications, and who has not. She needs to find out who has signed the applications since there is currently no charter. Or, is there a charter? You mentioned a school? Perhaps the school PTO was/is the original Charter Organization? What a mess. No wonder the DE was let go.

The Field Director (FD) is your DE's direct supervisor, and the one to cover your District as Acting DE if your DE is let go. If the DE is no longer employed by the Council there is little he can do to help (not that he was ever such a big help). I would stick with working with the FD. Don't worry about selling popcorn at this point. Until you have a valid Pack Charter, a Pack number and a Pack checking account you can not do any money earning. Tell the families that there are some organizational delays and they will have to be patient. HOWEVER - If the Scouts all have their Handbooks, they can be working in them NOW, at home, with their families. Even the Webelos can be working on Bobcat and reading thru their Handbook to get an idea of what there is to do.

With your CO (the church) also planning on chartering the Troop this could get sticky. Call your District Commissioner (ask your DE or look at your council web site for contact info) and have him/her attend the meeting you are having with your COR. It might be beneficial if the head of the church (Pastor?) was present also. You need to find out what the church's position is on this whole thing. They need to be reminded that they have a commitment to the Pack as well. I still wonder why it is that these folks never made a go of recruiting/keeping any other boys in the Pack for the last 4 years except the few in their own son's den. I would make sure whoever ends up leading the 4th grade Webelos makes sure to take their boys to visit as many OTHER Troops as possible. I get the feeling any Troop run by this bunch will be scary.

>>"Folks, again, please look at the joining requirement. A boy who is 10 years old can join a troop if he has earned his arrow of light.">"So please turn the flamethrowers on our DE, it was his decision."

I have used ScoutManage and liked it. It is web based and fairly flexible.

Keep in mind that no matter what your DE says, these boys are NOT registered members of your Troop. If they are registered at all, they are registered as Cub Scouts. Be very careful that these boys not be awarded ANY Boy Scout level awards until they are officially members of the Troop. It could very well mess them up if/when they go for Eagle. They can not be registered in your Troop until 1) they turn 11 years old, or 2) they finish 5th grade.

Helping the community fair organizers is community service. Promoting the Troop is not.

>>"there is about $800 in the account for the tiger and cub scouts. The rest of the money is for the webelos. I also learned that this group of parents has gotten together and decided to start their own troop after the boys cross over in Feb. They are using the rest of the money in said account as their seed money.">"They say they will also be taking the pack's camping equipment when they form a troop, but that we are welcome to borrow it. "

You can't do anything until your Pack has a Charter. Without that you are not yet a Pack. What "paperwork" has not been done? Are you talking about the Charter paperwork not being signed and paid for by your Charter Organization? I really don't understand how you got to this point without having a Charter Organization. That is usually one of the FIRST things that is done. Are you saying that the youth have not all turned in paid registrations to the CC? Are you saying that there are prospective leaders who have not turned in paid registrations to the CC?

Once the charter has been signed and paid for, most things should be in place, including all registrations. You stated that everyone has done the online training. The whole point of training online is to minimize delays in getting the boys the program they signed up for. The National site has LOTS of helps for new den leaders. Including Program Helps and Fast Tracks meeting outlines. The den leaders should get their stuff, and their Scouts, together and start their meetings. For your Wolf den that has 2 assistant leaders, they can work together and get the den off and running. They don't have to wait for an "official" den leader. Who knows, they may decide they can do it themselves once they get going. The following resource, "The Pack's First Three Months", is a bit dated, for Tigers especially, but might still be useful - http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/13-010-E.pdf

Your wife (CC) might find these resources on the BSA National site helpful - http://www.scouting.org/sitecore/content/Home/CubScouts/Leaders/PackPlanningResources.aspx Pay particular attention to the "Planning Your Ideal Year of Cub Scouting", and "Pack Budget Template". Your Pack is owned by your Charter Organization (CO). The CC should contact your Charter Organization Representative (COR) as to how they want the checking account set up. Usually they will have the name of the CO, then the Pack number (Whoville School PTO - Cub Scout Pack 1234) and use the CO's tax ID number, with the head of the CO, and/or the COR, named on the account, along with the Pack CC, Treasurer, and sometimes the Cubmaster (CM). Your wife (CC) and the Cubmaster (CM) need to start working together to get the Pack and the dens moving. This is their job. Yours is to start holding meetings with your Bear den NOW! Get together with your other Bear leaders. Sit down with the council & Pack calendars, and the Bear Handbook, and plan your year (or at least the next 3 months). Part of that planning process is to decide how much you want to charge for den dues. If your Pack has a central meeting place, with storage, everyone might be able to share basic supplies. If not, you will need to start collecting stuff like paper, crayons, glue, etc. Get your Bear families to pitch in with stuff from home.

I'm with Shortridge on this, as that was my first thought after reading this - "But the SM and I had discussed how there was no reason not to meet on the "minor" holidays," This is a tug of war between adults with the Scouts caught in the middle. Find out what the SCOUTS want to do, and proceed from there.

Personally, I don't feel that a "memorandum of mutual support" means a whole heck of a lot past the political objectives. Practically, there are only 2 AGH Troops in the entire state of Illinois. Neither of which are in my council. There are 8 GSUSA Troops in the school where our Pack is chartered. If we are going to "actively seek" working with another youth organization those GS Troops will be it.

This is a CM who has left you a Pack with only 1 Scout in it. His excuse can't be he could not get families to register as this Fall's registration netted the Pack 21 brand new Scouts! He also left $3,000 in the treasury. What the heck have they been doing, or not doing, with the boys that there is that much left? Now he wants to take 1/3 for that for 3 boys, 2 of which are his sons. His reasoning is that they worked hard for the money. Why didn't the Pack spend the money on the Scouts in the Pack, while there was a Pack? Then there is the comment that you made in your other thread. You stated that your DE said this man has not done much with the pack the last couple of years. I would be REAL careful accepting anything he, or his wife, have to say about how things should be run. As for the Pack budget, to give you an idea, we made about $3,200 last year, and had 38 Cub Scouts. That amount paid for the entire year for us. We charged no additional Pack dues. The Pack pays for all handbooks, awards/recognitions (any and all-no restriction), den number patches, neckerchiefs, Webelos Colors, Scouts entrance fees for Pack activities, buses to go to minor league baseball game and hockey game, costs for Pack Overnighter, rockets for Scouts who make their popcorn sales goal, costs for special presenter at Pack meeting, subsidized part of the cost for the Blue & Gold Banquet to keep the cost down for families, and many more things throughout the year. So, for 22 Scouts, that $3,000 could do a good job toward helping your Pack with startup costs.