I need some advise.

[arichardson71]

This may be a little twist to what you are used to hereing. I have been a scouter now for a couple of years and had recently moved to the area that I currently live. After I moved here I transfered my cub scout boy to a Pack here. The first pack meeting I went to it was all but dead, after some prompting from the CC, who was running the meeting, I questioned her as to why things were running the way they were. It turns out that the Pack had died a few years prior and was resurrected a year ago and the start of the school year. They started off ok but like usual, they got to butting heads on how each one of them thought it should be run. So the CM stepped down to become a DL, the Treasurer, 2 DL and some other committee members had a falling out and quit before the end of the year.

After the CC(who was also the now treasurer and Bear DL) found out my previous experience with scouting she asked me to be the CM. With some hesitation with what I just heard I decided to accept the position because ultimately it came down to providing a fun and stable pack program for the boys.

 

When I took this on I made a commitment to stick it out through thick and thin. So far so good as far as the program goes, everyone included the parents are learning and having fun. We have only lost a couple of boys due to moving and one because of what I am getting ready to say.

 

Come to find out why most of the problems in the past occured was because of the then Bear Leader (this is the same person as the CC when I joined). Not that I have any problem with this, this person is a very head strong, independant woman that was the most experienced at the time (her son was in it the year prior)in scouting and she had a warped idea of how everything should be run. Fortunatly (Lord forgive me) for all of us, her son at a camping trip yelled out that it was not his idea to be in the scouts that it was all her idea and he wanted to quit, this of course imbarrased her to no end. I made it available for her to step down from her positions and leave gracefully as much as possible.

 

So anyway, sorry to make this a long post, now I am also the treasurer and take care of most of the committee responsibilities, my Webelos 2 leader is current filling in the CC position but at the end of this year she will be leaving with her boy. Now what I have is a bunch of gun shy parents that really do not want to get involved with the Pack Committee, especially as the CC because of what has happened in the past.

 

My question to you, knowing now my situation, is how do I/we try to get the pack committee running like a true committee with what has happened. It is not really getting unbearable to me yet, but I can see it coming because I am also an ASM with a troop with my older boy and I also sit on the district activities committee. My main goal in this is to get this pack running as well as any other pack and feel good about it when I leave in a couple of year with my younger boy. What these boys and future boys deserve is a well run program that has full (or at least majority) backing of a well run committee.

 

Once again, I am very sorry for the long post

 

YIS

 

Andy(This message has been edited by arichardson71)(This message has been edited by arichardson71)

[SemperParatus]

Your problem is a very common one...recruiting adults to take on leadership positions and help. Currently, you are serving as the CM, the Treasurer and basically the Committee. Essentially a one man show. Perhaps all the other parents aren't really gun-shy, they are just taking it easy, enjoying the entertainment of watching you work like a dog. This forum is full of threads on advice regarding recruiting. I would suggest that you check them out.

 

I really could not follow who is the CC now, but it probably does not matter since you say you "take care of most of the committee responsibilities". The recruiting probably has to start there and then work your way through the rest of the committee positions (starting with Treasurer next).

[arichardson71]

Semper,

 

After reading it I am not sure who it is either!!

 

Actually, the "Acting" CC is the Webelos 2 Den Leader, she does a good job but she will be leaving in the Spring.

 

I will start reading some of the other threads, thank you.

 

BTW, They all know that I need some help, they just won's step up to the plate. They are too "busy", sometimes that makes me sick, if you could see my schedule I would be classified as a busy man.

[gungho4scouts]

Check with your local council if they have anything on "Extreme Volunteer Recuiting" from the UofS. Basically it's a poster board with baseball size cards on one side with the positions name, and on the other is the description of the position and duration. The Scout Shop may have the same type of cards in stock for the "higher" level positions to use as an example.

 

It seems like a great way of showing parents all the jobs it takes to run the pack, and allows them to explore different positions they might have an interest in without feeling pressured if approached.

 

If your council doesn't have anything, I can email you the documents.

 

 

 

[Cubmaster-Fred]

Andy,

 

Your situation sounds like the one I inherited 18 months ago. All I can say is hang in there, and keep the boys coming back.

 

What I did was watch and see which parents were always there and willing to help. Then when I felt the time was right I dove in and got them signed up. Ensure that you stress to the adults that you need them and that you are only asking them to do one thing.

 

 

When I took over I had 1 TL, 1DL and 1 WL and no MC. I was the CM and Wolf DL and committee for about the 1st 6 months. The 1st MC that signed on was my Outdoor Activity coordinator. He is still with us. I still need a treasurer to this day, cannot find someone to take on that responsibility, so we all share it.

 

The Pack now has IH, COR, CC, 3 MC, CM, CA, 1 WL, 1 WA, 2 DL, 5 DA and 1 TL. There are also many parents who help out when they can. Like others have said, and I have found out, if the boys are having fun and wanting to attend then the parents will become involved.

 

Remember we must always give the best program possible to the boys.

 

YIS

Fred

[Eamonn]

Andy

You seem like a very nice chap. You do however need to stop doing what you are doing. Look at all the hats you are wearing.

Take a weekend off, look at everything that you are doing.What with the pack the troop and the district. I would suggest that you are trying to take on too much and that you need to take a long hard look at where you really would do the most good. This might mean giving up some of the hats.

Sit down and look at where your problems are. Look at what needs to be done to fix the problems.

Then grab a pen and paper and write down some goals. Some will be long term goals some will be short term. Some of these goals might be very personal. Things like: I am going to be more organized. Some of these goals might need to be shared with other members of the pack or even the entire pack and the parents.

Don't take on too much, but do list things that you know can be done. Set time limits.

Take one night a week to review how you are doing and where you are at. Involve the other adults in the pack, set them tasks that have to be done. Make them accountable, phone them and ask how is such and such coming along. Don't let them off the hook.

You are the leader, stop rushing around like a March hare and start leading.

Eamonn.

[jens3sons]

Andy, I too agree about setting up goals for the pack. However, the top priority would be first making sure your CubMaster is doing all he is supposed to be doing as the CM. Find out the direction he wants to make the pack "go", and then the two of you sit down and write out the goals of the pack, and then present it at the next committee meeting.

I can tell you from experience some other things that might help out. I went from not only a "one person pack" (The CC did EVERYTHING you could possibly imagine...which wasn't necessarily good for the pack), to not only my district not up to speed but our council as well. Despite all the problems I inherited, I had a goal and direction in mind. I wore both the CC hat and CM for all of last year, but focused on recruiting the people I knew would benefit the pack. I did EVERYTHING for the most part for the first year because I was told I could. I quickly found out I couldn't! Anyways, one of the best things that helped me through this, was, regardless, I was excited about the whole scouting program and what it could be. I showed my excitement to the boys and to the parents. Get crazy about scouting! Be enthusiastic about it, and let your parents know 2 things.

1. You don't need to re-invent the wheel! There is sooooo many resources out there to help get things moving. Use the Program Helps, and make sure you know the key contact people in your district and council and plea to them for help as well. Make them come to recruitments and to meetings if need be. Attend Roundtables and have leaders attend also.

2. When recruiting parents, I also make sure I let them know that one of the often unspoken benefits, is the friendships that not only their boys will make, but the parents will make as well. I had a family who was going to move out of our area and send their sons to another school, but when they thought of NOT what the school gave their children, but what their PACK!!! and baseball team gave them (all the boys on the team are in the pack) and the friendships the parents had made in both, they knew they just didn't have the heart to move all of them out of town!!!!

Keep being excited about scouting, invest some heavy time into the pack now, and it will pay off in the future. I went from a 3 person Committee Meeting to now 10-15 people attending consistently. I went from a pack that doesn't camp at all to one who is now planning our 2nd camping outing. I went from me doing everything, to now, me making sure everyone is doing the job they are supposed to and assisting when necessary.

If getting excited isn't enough, then during the pack meeting plead to your parents, tell them how many hours you spent the last week just on scouting stuff. Tell them you have a family also, and other responsibilities and that you can't do it all alone. It is not a one-person pack, it is all of their pack and they all need to participate on some level. Give out small (managable) tasks at first, and once they see it wasn't that hard, they will be willing to do another thing and another, and so on. Good luck!

Yours In Scouts!

Jens3sons

[arichardson71]

I want to thank everyone for your responses to my plea, I think by actually talking about something is the beginning of a healing process.

 

Eamonn, I believe that I am a nice guy, too. After reading a few other topics here I have found the root of the problem. Sometimes I am so nice of a guy that I will do something myself rather than asking another to burden their life with the task. This has actually been an eye opening experience.

 

I have called the CC and asked her to call a special meeting of the Committee this week. With this meeting I am going to get back to what I do best, I am just going to be the Cubmaster so I can concentrate on giving these boys the program they deserve. I have done some recruiting for the Pack Committee and should have several new members show up on Thursday, this should allow me to give up all of my committee duties.

 

I will let everyone know how everything goes.

 

Thank you so much

 

YIS

Andy