An oddball question

[msnowman]

I wasn't even sure where to put this post so I figured I'd start here and if necessary a mod could move it.

 

Do you expect your Den Chief to take part in a Pack fundraiser?

Our Pack is having a pie sale Saturday. Nephew has been a DC for my group for 2 years (not that tenure should matter). He doesn't sell flower bulbs when the Pack does but is looking forward to doing his hour at the Pie Sale. I had planned on going anyway, since I am the Web DL & incoming CM. I would never discourage a DC (or anybody else who wanted to help) from taking a turn at the Sale booth. However, I did wonder if DC's routinely help their Packs/Dens in fundraisers.

 

YiS

Michelle

[Eamonn]

Most DC's in our area seem to not be the older Scouts (15+)

Many have parents who serve in Dens.

They attend because they have little say in what they do or where they go!!

Eamonn

[CalicoPenn]

It all depends on what is meant by "take part". The Pack shouldn't expect the Den Chief to sell items like flower bulbs, popcorn, etc. - he's not one of the boys in the Pack and should be doing things like this for his own unit.

 

The Den Chief is a leader in the Pack, and should be helping out with Pack/Den fundraising in a more administrative/training role - within the Den he serves (not the Pack as a whole) - similar to what a Pack would expect a Den Leader's role to be. This means helping the Cubs develop sales skills/techniques (perhaps with role playing exercises), helping them keep track of what they've sold, encuraging them to go for bigger/better prizes, etc. He should be willing to take a turn in a pie sales booth, or at a car wash - again as part of the leadership team of the Den (and if it doesn't conflict with a Troop activity).

 

While the Pack should not expect the Den Chief to do any selling, if the Den Chief is enthused about it, and sees the fundraiser as helping his Den/Pack (many Den Chief's feel that the Pack they serve is their Unit too - in addition to their Troop), and if the fundraiser isn't in conflict with his own Troop's fundraiser (example - if the Pack and the Troop both sell popcorn, the Den Chief should never sell popcorn for the Pack - his sales should be for the benefit of his Troop), then I see no problem with a Den Chief taking his turn in "sales" - if the Den Chief volunteers to do so (in other words, you shouldn't be asking/expecting him to do so). It's always a good idea to make sure the Scoutmaster has no issues with it, and most won't because they know the value of the program too.

 

In the Pie Sale booth, if the Den Leader and other adults are actively selling pies, then there certainly is room for the Den Chief to actively sell pies. If the Den Leader and other adults are mainly supervising the Cubs, then that is the Den Chief's role as well (think about how storefront sales of popcorn/GS cookies are done - the adults may be standing behind that card table ready to help give out change or put together the order, but it is the Scouts that are doing the actual asking for support).

 

If the Pack has a unique sale (such as a flower bulb sale) that doesn't conflict with the Den Chief's Troop's fundraiser (the Troop doesn't also run a flower buld sale AND the Troop isn't running some other kind of fundraiser at the same time) and the Scoutmaster doesn't have any objections, AND the Den Chief volunteers to do so, there shouldn't be a problem with the Den Chief taking an order form to wherever he might take it (school, troop meeting) to take orders for the Pack (similar to how a Den Leader/Parent might take an order form for their child/Pack to work) but by the same token, he shouldn't expect any reward for it (such as earning some kind of prize) other than the feeling of doing something nice for the Den/Pack. In other words, he should be considered as having an "adult" role in fundraising for the Pack and not a youth role.

 

Your nephew has made the choice not to sell flower bulbs, and this choice should be respected (he shouldn't be expected to sell flower bulbs). He should, though, be helping the Cubs in his Den succeed in their sales. He's also volunteered to work the pie sale booth and is looking forward to it (sounds like enthusiasm for me) - sounds appropriate to me.

 

CalicoPenn

[msnowman]

Thanks for the replies. That was pretty much what I thought, but I wanted to check in for second, third, further opinions.

 

His Troop does few fundraisers beyond popcorn, so conflicting there isn't a worry. And I would never ask him to skip a Troop anything for a Pack/Den anything...that would be entirely unfair to him so scheduling conflicts are also a non-issue.

 

Though he chooses not to sell flower bulbs (fine by me, that's his decision to make, not mine for him), he does help with the fundraiser by helping me sort and pick orders when the product comes in. I think he's proud of the fact that I tell him "You know how to do this since we've done it a half dozen times together". I put my trust in him to know what needs to be done...he trained his first assistant this year. No errors. So many ways for a boy to learn and grow.

 

YiS

Michelle