New Cubmaster in uncomfortable position regarding donations (Long)

[Beavah]

Yah, what Lisabob said is true, eh? But it sounds to me like you're more in a small-town kind of environment where it's goin' to be easier than all that. Yeh just need the pastor to agree to shift the charter to da VFW. Or yeh just get the VFW to charter a new pack and yeh transfer all the adults and leaders over to it. That'll make the DE happy, he can show two units in your area for a whole year!

 

I'd still keep up good relations with the pastor and the church, eh? And everyone else yeh come in contact with. In smaller towns, the sole pack (and hopefully down the road a troop) very much is the "town's pack/troop". While da church or VFW may hold the charter, everyone feels ownership.

 

Beavah

 

[Sharpy]

The VFW Meeting later this evening, update on that soon..however I received the roster in the mail today from the district.

 

It shows the pastor at our CO as "Chartered Organization Rep" and "Committee Chairman"

 

The other 2 committee members are:

 

1. a parent of a 3rd grader who was to be den leader for a Bear/Wolf den. He never responded to my calls to get it off the ground. Never did anything, not involved at this time in any way.

 

2. a parent of a Tiger Cub in our den, I have know her near all my life an am confident she has no idea she has been listed in this role.

 

I am shown as Cubmaster and my wife as den Leader.

 

The list of boys shown as Tiger Cubs, are the boys who initially signed up in December at the school intro meeting. A third of these have not participated and their parents have indicated to me that they lost interest before the first meeting.

 

It shows two youth members of a Wolf den that does not exist...

 

Most disturbing to me personally, is it shows the begin date for Boys Life to be 05/01/2009...I have been questioned by several parents about this subscription that was paid last December and repeatedly asked the DE about it and the DE has always given me the same answer...that we should have the first issue "this month"...now I find the truth is far from that. Is it suppose to take 6 months to get this subscription started?

 

This is very unsettling, all this fraud and dishonesty is not what I expected...

[NWScouter]

I'm going to take the DE side right now about the charter information. He was acting on information he got at the start of the unit. He had a list of adults and youth that were interested. And he was by the information that the unit was chartered in December trying to get started quickly so that it would count for last year it all fits. First Boy Life issue can take five months or longer to get going (why? I don't know), you'll get a full year. The DE believed that these people would be active and you most likely don't know that there is no method to automatically remove people if the are not active. Unless you transfer them to another unit, while you can change their position with your CO's approval, they will stay on until time for rechartering. Then if you don't pay their fees they're gone.

He needed the positions filled or there could be no unit. One thing I would do right aways is get the Charter Organization Rep (COR) postion filled by a seperate person. Then you would not have to hunt down the Pastor every time you need to bring on or change an adult's position.

 

[scoutldr]

In my way of thinking, an adult can only show up on the charter IF:

 

1. They are recruited and agree to serve.

2. They sign and submit an adult leader application, with SSN.

3. The COR and CC approve the application by signing it.

4. The appplication is forwarded to Council with appropriate fees.

5. The Council subjects the applicant to a National criminal background check with a positive result.

 

Someone please explain to me how all that can happen without the applicant's knowledge and consent. To do anything else is fraud, plain and simple.

[NeilLup]

Hello Sharpy,

 

You've gotten some good advice. Thank you for doing your part to create a good Cub Pack.

 

A few thoughts:

 

1) You need to get to know some of the District volunteer leadership in addition to your professional District Executive. If you have a Unit Commissioner, contact him or her and get them involved. If not, and probably even if you do, the suggestion of going to a Roundtable or two is excellent. Try to meet the Roundtable Commissioner and the District Commissioner. If the District Commissioner is not there, get his or her name and phone number and give him or her a call. Don't complain, just indicate that you are getting this Pack restarted and would like some help and a friendly person to talk with and get guidance from. Maybe you need to get to know your District Training Chairman too.

 

2) I hesitate to suggest this as it may open a big can of worms. I have heard, but personally have never done it, that it is possible to have two chartered organizations for one unit. This would mean that you could have both the church and the VFW as your sponsors. This would likely require the cooperation of your District and Council and you may not get that.

 

3) Important point here. The swamp that you started out to drain is creating a great Cub Scout Pack. It is not taking possession of the Scout House, fixing it up, etc. If, for example, your church would provide a good meeting place, you would not need to meet at the Scout House and you could concentrate on your Pack. I believe that the BSA now recommends against property like your Scout House specifically because of problems like the ones you are observing.

 

4) Your DE is out of line but I have a bit of sympathy for him. In my council, we have some units with treasuries with mid five figure war chests who maybe give $100 per year to the council and then demand all kinds of service. But that's not your situation. As I read matters, you did not ask for donations, you were offered them. Do not in any way feel you are acting inappropriately or in an "unScouting" way by accepting these donations.

 

5) Cub Scouting is supposed to be fun for the adults as well as for the youth. Don't let this administrivia and other such stuff keep you from the fun. It is not wrong for you to bring your DE up short by saying "Listen, I'm trying to get this Cub Pack going. I'm also trying to learn what Scouting is about and what Scouting people believe in. I'm not enjoying myself and I don't like what I'm having to do and what I'm seeing. Do you really want a strong Cub Scout Pack here or not?"

 

Do good things for kids. Have fun. Everything else is fluff and means to the end.