What committees do you have for your Pack

[mjengels]

In our pack we only have the Sec/Committee Chair - same person, Advancements person, Treasurer/ Fundraiser -same person, Cub Master that does not even come to the meetings. What are we missing! The den leaders never show up. How do you get everyone one to show and participate. There are not very many parents involved.

Thanks

[ScoutNut]

I don't know how you can accomplish much with only the CC, Advancement, & Treasurer at your meetings. How does the Advancement know what to purchase or who needs what? How do you plan Pack meetings?

 

We usually have the CC/COR, the CM, the Asst CM/Advancement, UC, at least 1 Leader from each Den & 1 or 2 misc committee members. The CM brings the info from the Treasurer who usually does not attend.

[jens3sons]

mjengels....I am CC for our pack, sometimes I feel overwhelemed from all the different committees we have in our pack, and I have recently refused to be on the new committee, as I am involved in all the others. However, when I took the CC position, I would maybe have 3 people show up for the monthly meeting. I made it manditory for one person (preferably one of the den leaders) to show up, and if they could not, then it was imparitive that they send one of their parents to the meeting. (I was doing about 6 committee meeting over the phone each month and it was getting to be waaaaay too time consuming). Once things started to get underway, a "wild fire" seemed to spread through our pack, and now it is incredible how much better our pack meetings etc, seem to go....all because people are showing up to the meetings!....But to answer your question, other than Advancements, treasurer, and the den leaders for the monthly committee meeting...the other committees we have formed are: 1, Pinewood Derby Committee. 2. Blue and Gold Committee. 3. Crossover Committee, and newly added 4. Camping Committee.

Hope this helps!

Jens3sons!

[mjengels]

I dont know how we survive either. I'm thinking we are not going to.

How do you get the den leaders/parents to mandatory come. Our CC does not want to say much because she says they are all volunteers and if she forced them to come they would quit and we would have no one. How do we get these people to get involved? Our CM does not even do much he does not take charge heck he does not even go to the meetings and if he does the does not say one word. CM does not even go to the round table meetings. Our CC gives him everything to do and say and he just reads the paper at the Pack meeting. As for planning the meeting the CC and I plan all the meetings and tell the den leaders the adjenda. As for the advancements the den leaders email the advancent person what they need. Is there any kind of layout to follow or procedure I can see online and read. This is getting to stressful and my son loves cub scouts. But it's getting to me having to do everything. Our leaders can't even get together to go and get trained because trainging 1 hour away and they are to busy. How do I find comminted members for our troop. any suggestions.

Thank you for your help.

[jens3sons]

Ok, this is the 3rd time I have tried to reply to this, hopefully it works this time! (Hubby kept shutting down the dsl on me). Anyways, like I said I am the CC of our pack. I took the position when we were in need of both CC and a CM. (The pack at this point was 61 years old.) I couldn't stand to see the pack disban because no one would step up. The CM stepped up knowing he would only be involved for about a year's time as his son would be crossing over at the end of the year. He rarely showed up, except for the pack meeting. Those were very sad pack meetings, esp. when the knock-knock joke book came out, and boys didn't want to attend the monthly pack meeting! I knew it was all on my shoulders, and I knew I couldn't do it all alone. I knew my first year would be my hardest, and that I would need to recruit, recruit, recruit! I at this point (instead of the CM) would have to decide the direction the pack would "go" and recruit accordingly.

A few things really helped out (this may get a little long, so settle in)...the first was during the one meeting when I was asking for parental volunteer for Scouting For Food this one mom ended up taking up 20 minutes of the pack meeting asking questions regarding what would be involved, and then ended up NOT volunteering! At that point I lost it mentally, but still kept my composure and said..."Look, at the end of tonight, I will have put in 17 hours of volunteering for this pack this week alone, and I still have activities going this weekend. I am one person and CAN NOT do it all! My name is in these pack meeting notes 11 times! Those are all the different things I am involved in! I also can NOT keep doing 6 different committee meetings over the phone each month...it is not fair to me, and it is really not fair to my family! I don't mind helping out, but I need other people to help as well!" The mom still didn't help out, but another man came up to me and said he would do the Scouting For Food. After that, I spent the rest of the year recruiting for the positions I needed to fill, but people were less likely to say "no". I found positions that would suit them well and fitted them in to them.

I finally recruited a new CM (after I had already had one hooked, lined and sinkered, only to have him move across country). We set goals for the pack and worked off of our goals for the year. We now have about 10 people attend committee meetings regularly. Yes, we are still the only 2 to attend round tables, but we are going, and learning every step of the way. There are times we get others to attend, but most times it is just the two of us.

The CM and I also had a vision of setting up a website. We got my husband to create one for us, and it really helps in giving our people information they need. Of course every month families lose pack meeting notes or applications they need to fill out, and they are all there on the website. There are also links for many other sources, especially to the district and council websites. If you are interested our website is: www.ilpack64.com It might give you some ideas.

As far as training is concerned, it should always be top priority. It is in our pack, however, I do not have everyone trained yet...but I look at it as, I have a ton more trained this year than I did the year before, and we will get there. I try and make it mandatory for all new leaders to attend training. You harp long enough, and they will go for it just to get you off their case "squeaky wheel" type of thing. Remind parents that they can attend other districts' training if they are unable to make your district's training dates. I try and stay focused on the positive changes that have occured instead of the ones that aren't still accomplished yet. It will all fall into place...really!

I have parents coming up to both the CM and myself thanking us, and telling us what a great job we are doing and how much better the meetings are going, and their sons' can't wait until the next one! Every month the CM and I think to ourselves "Nailed it again....how are we going to top this one!"...but somehow we always manage to! The boys are having a great time learning the values of scouting...and that is what it is really all about!

So that said let me summarize by saying:

1. Don't give up.

2. Set goals.

3. Get on "Fire"

4. Recruit, recruit, recruit!

5. It will be hard the first year, but you can do it!

Yours in Scouting,

jens3sons(This message has been edited by jens3sons)

[mjengels]

Thank you sooooo much for this wonderful information. I know things have to change soon. I'm going to pass your info on to the CC and her and I will talk about things. hopefully get things in the right direction.

Thanks again I will let you know how we make out.

 

[briantshore]

From what I have read, you have the same problem that a lot of packs have. I have a idea that may work. I am still trying to get my Cubmaster to go along with it. At you next Pack meeting, do everything to get all the parents to come, even if you have to offer a door prize.

 

A SKIT

 

Have a large box placed in the front of the room. Have a rope tied around it, and a sign that says

Pack XYZ Programs. After the meeting is started, have the active leaders come forward and try to move the box by pulling on the rope. With a great deal of effort they are not able to budge the large box. At this point you talk among yourselves, trying to come up with a idea on how to move the box. You finally come up with a idea to lighten the load. You then open the box and start to pull out smaller boxes that have sign on them. They are

marked, Pine wood Derby, Service Projects, Blue and Gold Banquet, Cub Day Camp, Awards-Advancment, Finances ect. After you feel that you have lightened the load, you show that you are finally able to move the box.

You then explain to the parents what they need to do so that the Pack is able to move forward. Pick up the box that says Blue and Gold Banquet. You explain that you need 4 people to plan and organize this one project for one day of the year. Have those people listed for that committee. You then pick up Pine wood derby and say that I need 4 more people for this one project for one day next year. You give each committee a list of things that they must do to accomplish there mission. Point out that they are doing it for the boys that are sitting in the room. They are not doing it for you. I think that when they are put on the spot in front of the boys, you may get the results that you seek. Depending on the size of your Pack will determine how big the commmittee is. After that each committee must report there progress about 3 months out from the date of the event.

Good Luck Brian