Pack Merger?

[HateTheUniform]

Has anyone ever been involved in the merger of 2 packs before? Our pack has been approached by another for a potential merger. They are getting small and think that joining with us will help keep the scouting program alive for them. I think our Pack is close in size to theirs, perhaps slightly bigger, but we are faced with a smaller group in a couple years when our Webelos dens (which are 75% of our Pack) graduate so we think this might be worth considering.

 

Just curious if anyone has ever been through this and what the experience/issues might have been. This is by no means a done deal for us but a little practical knowledge might help us evaluate whether we want to take this on.

 

I would appreciate it if when you respond you address my topic and not take this thread down a bunny trail on recruitment suggestions or anything else.

 

Thanks

[FScouter]

Packs don't merge. One dies, and others pick up the kids and maybe leaders that want Scouting. I'd be careful about picking up leaders from a dying pack without knowing why they lost their boys. Quality, trained leaders don't equate with a dying pack.

 

Good luck controlling which way the bunny hops.

[Eamonn]

Packs Merging. As far as I know this just can't be done. The Chartering Organization "Owns" the pack. So unless the Chartering Organizations merge, it just can not be done.

It has nothing to do with how big or how small any of the packs are. Or what the Leaders think. Sure you could all leave one pack and join the other leaving behind everything that belongs to the one pack. Ever Leader would need to fill out a new Leader Application and would need to be approved by the new pack.

I wonder what message you would be passing on to the youth.

I wonder if I would think that the leaders were living up to the Scout Law?

No!!Change that, I know what I would think.

Eamonn

[Bob White]

Packs as well as other scout units are a youth activity of the chartered organization. You can no more merge two packs than you can the choirs from a Catholic Church and the Presbyterian church down the street. Scout units are OWNED by theur Charter organization.

 

The leaders of a unit have no authority to end a charter organizations charter. The members can all quit and join another pack. But the CO still owns the charter, the money, and the equipment.

 

And by the way I am very proud to wear the uniform.

 

Bob White

 

[Twocubdad]

Dear HateYourUserName:

 

For the reasons described above, it's not technically possible to truely merge two units. One would dissolve and one survive, or possibly both would dissolve and a new unit created. But those are issues that can be worked through.

 

Yet there is nothing which prevents two groups of rational adults deciding that they can better serve the youth in their units by combining the two units. If you reach an informed decision that merging is best for the boys, and can get the chartered organizations to agree, then so be it. Don't, however, expect to get a lot of warm fuzzies from your DE and district leaders. Their goals are to enroll more units, not see them diminished.

 

There are many good reasons for having two units, some of which are being discussed in the current thread "Need Some Help" Don't take it as a light decision or a quick fix. Joining two weak units doesn't necessarily make one strong one.

 

I also love my uniform.

[Bob White]

Twocubdad reminds all of us of an excellent point. When you combine the resources of two units you inherit the weaknesses of both. Presuming the cause of the merger was that one or both units were in trouble all you have done is spread the desease to another group hurting it as well.

[HateTheUniform]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback on this topic. Very helpful.

 

HTU

[fotoscout]

We actually have two Troops in the area that tried this. For three years they met as one. Two troops, two SMs, they shared the chores, and two committees that met as one. It worked well. Unfortunately it did not help their recruiting in the long run. They had hoped that together they could recruit more kids from there respective areas, and them split again. But that didnt happen, so now they are in talks to dissolve one unit and move forward with the remaining unit.

[Eamonn]

I wonder why boys join different troops?

I wonder why different Organizations choose to charter different troops?

I have no idea how two Scoutmasters share the chores?

"Hey Jim it's your turn to do the Scoutmaster Conference, I'll sit in and be the Scoutmaster for the PLC this month, you did it last month."?

I think I know why it failed!!

Eamonn.

[Hunt]

My son's pack went through this--the pack was small, the CM was moving away, virtually all the involved leaders had Webelos-aged scouts, etc. The CO was an uninvolved PTA, a number of active scouts quit en masse (over the Dale decision), etc., etc., etc. Those of us who remained approached another pack at a local church about merging. The district authorities STRONGLY urged us not to merge, but to maintain both packs and just meet jointly. This was really a fiction, because only the pack at the church truly functioned after that, although there were boys in both "packs." In retrospect, it would have been better to simply transfer those who were interested in continuing into the church pack--we would have avoided a lot of hassles.