What Does Your Troop have RESULTS

[purcelce]

This is by no means scientific just my observations, opinions, and comments. I got a few PM from folks too. This is by no means a guage of an average or quality troop. Each Troop has it's own personality, just like all humans. So for your reading and Scouting pleasure I give you Cary P's results.....

 

 

How many boys registered?

How many boys active?

Troops run from 5 to 105 in membership. Looking at my numbers and using my math it looks like the average for active is 70% - 80%. That's good

 

How many Patrols?

Patrols range from 1 to 9. Looks like the 8 members per Patrol is here

 

Does your troop go to summer camp in or out of Council?

Good news is all Troops go to summer camp. About a third of the Troops rotate in and out of council

 

Does your troop go to Dist/Council Camporees?

Yes for the most part

 

Does your troop support FOS? YES (That should make DS and Commandopro happy)

 

Does your troop sell Popcorn? If not, what are your fundraisers?

Most of the Troops sell Popcorn, and everyone does some type of fundraiser

 

Does your troop use NSP, FCFY method?

Some do, Some dont, some use it when needed.

 

Does your troop have a Venture Patrol?

About 20% have a Venture Patrol

Does your troop have a feeder pack?

Most have a feeder pack

 

How does your troop recruit non-Cub Scouts?

Most do other types of recruiting. This is good news.

 

Has your troop seen your Unit Commissioner in the past 6 months?

Is your Unit Commissioner helpful or a pain?

50 55% have not seen their UC. Those who do say he/she is helpful for the most part. It looks like the Commish Service needs some work BSA wide.

 

Does your troop leaders attend Roundtable?

About 95% of the Troops send somebody to RT

 

How many members are on your troop committee?

Ranges from 4 to 30.

 

Is your troop boy led?

All are boy led or attempting to be boy led

 

[Bob White]

"Does your troop use NSP, FCFY method?

Some do, Some dont, some use it when needed."

 

WHAT? You aren't by any chance a little biased on this are you purcelce

 

I count 26 responses

23 saying yes to First Class Emphasis

17 saying yes to New Scout patrol

 

That would seem to me to be a lot more substantial than "some do, some don't" wouldn't you say?

 

Of the 9 troops not using the New Scout Patrol, 4 of them have fewer than 12 active scouts.

 

More than 44%

 

Of the 17 Troops that do use the NSP only 3 Had fewer that 12 active scouts and one of those was a new unit.

 

17%

 

Still think NSP has no direct coorellation to retention?

 

Bob White

[purcelce]

Bob what is your beef with me?

 

Here are some of the "some use it when needed"

 

From mk9750

"Does your troop use NSP, FCFY method? NSP Sometimes, depends on size of incoming class."

 

From Laura T

"Does your troop use NSP, FCFY method? FCFY- yes, tried NSP, failed - hopefully will try again "

 

I also got a few from posters who sent me a PM that stated they only use if they have a enough new scouts to form a NSP. I will not post those PM's here.

 

To me that counts as some use it when needed.

 

Did I say NSP has no direct coorellation to retention? NO. The fact is some troops use it, some do not use it, and some use it when the situation warrants.

 

Am I bias about the NSP...I was but, I've seen it work. So I'm for it.

I don't mind getting my chops busted in jokingly kind of way, but I consider your remarks a little on

 

Please stop putting words in my mouth. I don't want to start a war over something I didn't say. All I did was make an observation.

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob White]

Not trying to put words in your mouth , I am trying to putmeasuarable numbers in your report. You were pretty specific about other items but glossed over this. There was no need for a subjective report on these two questions. There was a specific number of responses and specific, measurable answers.

"Some do, some don't" gives the impression of a near 50/50 split and the actual response was far from that.

 

I did not mean to imply that you thought there was no coorelation, that was a retorical question aimed at anyone who up to now has not accepted the relationship.

 

I apologize for that confusion.

 

[LauraT7]

Thanks for the update on your poll - that's some interesting info - I think I'm gonna save it somewhere, it might come in useful someday.

 

As I had said, our troops only attempt at NSP failed last year, because WE (the adults)failed to properly support and plan a program for it.

 

As Bob pointed out - this has affected our retention. We got 8 new Webelos last year - 3 have left the troop and one is practically inactive. He may come back after football - but I doubt it.

 

I have asked our SM if I could be the advisor to the NSP - I like the younger boys, and I think my son will do better if I am NOT the advisor to his patrol any longer. Our SM hasn't 'decided' - but I think he's going to go for the idea. We have a couple of older boys that would be great at being a Troop guide or instructor - if THEY had a little support in the job.

 

I think with a plan and support, it WILL work.

 

Laura

[AnneinMpls]

G'mornin all

Just starting to get back in the swing of things after the holiday break...

 

Bob, I definitely agree with you're wanting to get clearer on the data. I'd be interested in how close your numbers are to what Purcelce ended up with, given that there were private responses reported.

 

I also think that Purcelce's analysis may have some merit - "we use it when we need to" to me sounds like, when a smaller troop has new Scouts, then they can put together a new scout patrol. I'm still working out how to fit NSP into the premise that "patrols gather to form a troop" - in the small (patrol-size) troop, implementing NSP might smack of dividing rather than gathering. What I'd rather see is folks doing some hard recruiting to fill a full NSP

 

Also, the Social Scientist in me has a deeply felt need to chant "correlation does not imply causation!" whilst smacking myself in the head in ablation for sins against research methodology

 

In other words, it is yet to be determined in some *other* study whether small troop size is caused by not using the NSP - and keep in mind that a 1:1 corelation is a very rare thing in the social science world so direct causation would still be mitigated by many other factors.

 

What I'm begining to think is NSP needs to go hand-in-hand with strong recruiting in order to impact overall troop size. By itself, it probably does a fine job at *retention* of new scouts. We just need more data - mayhaps the BSA has this data?

 

Purcelce is doing real good playing Fantasy Social Science here, and properly prefaced this by saying it was an informal poll. Still, the numbers are interesting to look at.

 

Peace out,

Anne in Mpls

[purcelce]

No worries Bob

 

As for percentages and such. I guessed. Didn't use any math or any other scientific measuring (see my opening "disclaimer).

 

 

Things look good, except on the commisioner side. That's where I'm going with this. This will make some good talk at Commish College at the end of the month.

 

[hops_scout]

Laura, I wouldnt expect him to return if he hasnt already from football. We are already half way through our basketball season; football's long over.

[LauraT7]

tells you how much i know about sports - doesn't it!

 

LOL! ;-)