TundraHawk

Thanks, Semper. The packs I have been involved with unfortunately look like the "100 scouts and 10 volunteers" packs that you mentioned but on a smaller scale. Both my husband and I thought that required volunteer support of some sort was not unreasonable at all -- it's good to know that we aren't alone in our thinking! This is definitely a topic that will be addressed at all of our recruiting nights. I think this type of involvement from the parents will be so beneficial for several reasons: - I'm hoping that if the parents are involved, they will develop more of a sense of ownership of the pack. This, in turn, will help foster a deeper interest to see the pack succeed. - The scouts love to see their parents helping out. I know my son loves it when I can come to the school and volunteer in his class. - More ideas on how we can run things, activities/service projects the pack can get involved in, etc. - Spreading the workload will make everyone more productive.

How would your feel if your pack required parental involvement, where at least one parent per scout would be required to help out in some way with the pack? I have read where some packs do this and think it may be the way to go with the new pack we are starting at my son's school. I'm not saying that they have to assume any type of leadership role, especially for those new to scouting. There are so many ways one can get involved -- DL, ADL, committee member, helping with various activities (B&G, PWD, etc), even volunteering to help with their sons' den during den meetings. As of right now we have three volunteers - myself, my husband, and one other mom (not even enough to charter). I've seen how packs are run when only a handful of folks are made to do every job; the quality of the pack suffers, and those running the pack are overwhelmed and burned out. Do you see folks running for the door in search of another pack if this is required of them, or do you think most parents would be willing to help? Unfortunately, many parents that I have met think that scouting is a great babysitting tool and have no desire to get involved. (Of course I know all the parents will need to be trained in their positions and coached along the way.)

Bryan, this was the main topic of one of our recent roundtables; folks from different troops brought in either their by-laws, troop policies, or parent handbooks. I have a copy of one parent handbook that I thought would be particularly helpful to a new parent. It included items like: Committee Chairman's statement (welcome letter) General info on troop (meeting day/time/location, summary on how a troop runs, names of volunteers) Parent expectations Uniform (parts of, placement of patches) Overview of Scout Oath, Law, Slogan, Motto Financial info (dues, fundraisers, camp costs) I'm working on the same thing, only at the cub level. I'm thinking back to when my son first joined - what questions I had, etc. - and am applying it to our parent handbook. Hope that helps a bit.(This message has been edited by TundraHawk)

The first pack we were with had a pretty limited budget so they charged the parents an extra $10 if their son wanted to participate in the Academic & Sports program. They also limited how many a scout could earn in a year (I believe it was 10/yr). I'm trying to figure out how to deal with belt loops with our new pack. I've seen some boys rack up a number of belt loops and pins in a single year -- I know two Wolves that have more than 20 belt loops and probably 1/2 dozen or so pins. The cost adds up very quickly, especially for a pack with limited funds.

I don't know if I have many suggestions, but I can sympathize with you. I once had a parent on our pack committee make the comment that being a den leader is "nothing" and it takes little to no time - I only wish I could see what type of den leaders those folks would make! Like you, both my husband and I expand on the achievements, and it takes A LOT of work. Not surprisingly, my husband's Wolf den was the strongest den in the pack. I know you said that you have asked for help in the past, but maybe you can get the parents together (as they are picking up their boys from one of the meetings) and tell them that you cannot continue (and hence, the den cannot continue) unless you get some help. Sometimes in a "do or die" situation, one or two parents will volunteer. Don't feel like you are letting down the boys. Scouting should be a FAMILY oriented activity, and those parents are letting down their boys by not helping the den/pack. Also don't put pressure on yourself to continue onto next year. Your family must come first.

johndaigler -- I've always been told/have read that Tigers can begin working on their Bobcat as soon as they earn their Tiger rank. Actually, the Tiger handbook even mentions that the boys should "keep your Bobcat badge in a safe place. After you graduate to a Wolf den, you will wear the badge on your blue Cub Scout uniform shirt." (from the Tiger handbook printed prior to the Tiger uniform changes) I wonder if this has changed?? foto - Most likely we'll have more new scouts than existing scouts after our recruitment so if we work on advacements we will definitely have to be creative and present the information in a new way to keep boredom at bay. I certainly agree that our new scouts will have plenty of time to finish up their rank through the summer. I think a lot will depend on the parents - if they seem gung-ho about the program there should be no problems, but many new scout parents I've dealt with in the past expect everything to be done, achievement-wise, at den meetings. Y'all have given me some great food for thought -- thank you!

Has anyone ever been involved with a pack that utilizes scout accounts? In my son's former pack, they did away with scout accounts because of the problems it created -- I'm not sure if it truly was a hassle or rather just someone unable to keep up with the work (before we arrived the old CM ran the pack like a one man show so many things suffered). In a related thread, OneHour described how only a handful of scouts in his troop do the majority of the fundraising; that has been my experience with cubs. In addition, NONE of the money raised by these boys actually went towards summer camp, etc. It simply ended up in our pack's general fund.

**double posted by accident - my apologies!** (This message has been edited by TundraHawk)

Thank you so much for all the wonderful ideas!! I've already talked to one parent, and it looks like we've decided to do a garage sale this spring. This will be held about two months after our first recruitment. I don't want to have to ask the new scout parents to help with a fundraiser that involves selling anything, especially so soon after they have had to pay for registration, uniforms, etc. Of course we will need to conduct other fundraisers in the future so I have written all the ideas down! Thanks for the reminder about the paperwork - that is one thing I am a definite stickler about (drives some folks nuts...LOL). I have never had to pay much attention to the financial side of a pack until now, and I'm doing my homework!

I really appreciate the input...thank you! acco40 -- If all goes well, it looks like we'll be doing a recruitment in March and again in May. I hate that they will run so close together, but hopefully in March we will be able to pick up a few boys to start up the pack and the May recruitment will help bring in a few more, along with our new crop of Tigers. I have yet to deal with having a scout earn rank over the summer so this is new territory for me! In my limited experience, I've always taken it that the scout must earn it by the end of the school year (May/June) and an extension could be granted on a case by case basis. johndaigler -- We definitely would not let them have a head start on the new rank, but I thought we could go ahead with the Bobcat (even with the Tigers...very soon to be Wolves) since it is required for everyone. Then once summer roles around, they would be given their new rank handbooks and neckerchiefs, and they'd be free to work on their new rank. I certainly don't want to rush these new scouts to earn their rank (too much, too soon) but at the same time I want to encourage any little go-getters. If we have a new scout that is really interested in earning the rank, we could allow him to use the summer.

We are planning a recruitment night in mid-March for our new pack. We will have several current scouts but most, of course, will be brand new to scouting. As of right now the scouts who will transfer in are one Tiger and two Wolves (all have already earned their rank). How would y'all proceed for the next few months until they all crossover (Tiger to Wolf, etc.) on June? Since the new scouts won't have time to earn their rank, I was thinking of working on a non-rank related award (our council has a area-specific heritage award, etc.), plus working on their Bobcat. In packs that I have been involved with in the past, our Tigers earn their rank by Blue & Gold so they are working on the Bobcat from Feb-May --- would y'all see this as a problem (starting out with the Bobcat for the brand new Tigers)? Any thoughts on how you would do things differently?

Lynn, I was in charge of our fall school recruitment night this past year. We had two "brag" tables. I made two displays using those trifold poster boards (that kids typically use for science projects). One display was educational in nature...had pictures of the different ranks, the Cub Scout motto, Cub Scout promise, etc. On that table I also had the handbooks for each rank, the mini Boy's Life mags, etc. The other display was pictures of all the boys having FUN...day camp (bbguns and archery), our crossover campout, and the raingutter regatta. We had a few boys bring in their past regatta boats and PWD cars. The prospective scouts LOVED this table. When your DE does the your Feb recruiting, make sure he also recruits some more volunteers for your pack!

I need ideas, ideas, and more ideas for fundraising for a new pack! Besides popcorn sales and carwashes, I've never really been involved in fundraising for any activity (be it scouts, little league, etc.). What have been y'all found to be your most successful fundraisers?

Rixkidz, does your unit have a commissioner? Maybe you can get everyone together w/the commissioner and try to hash things out. At least he/she would be a neutral presence that might be able to lend a hand or give you some insight. I can sympathize with your situation. My husband and I recently left a pack, somewhat due to all the internal fighting among the volunteers.

Anarchist, it looks like you have a great system going! Our old CM had a similar system but on a much smaller scale. They were the clear bait/craft boxes with the dividers. I "inherited" the system when I became in charge of advancements. Although we had a few arrow points, rank patches, etc... most of the items were belt loops and service stars. How are you able to keep extra rank, activity badges, etc. on hand? Our council is incredibly strict on how we purchase these (cannot buy unless they are given the advancement report)?