Cubmaster problems

[Blondie88]

Hello,

This is my first year in scouting with my son, however I was very active in my brothers pack when he was a child. My pack and I are having issues with our cub master. We've done none of the effects we should have like the blue and gold banquet, pine wood derby,ect. We sold a ton of popcorn and the boys haven't received prizes, every single belt loop is a challenge to complete die to his road blocks, when we do earn them he doesn't purchase them. This month he doesn't even want to gave a pack meeting. Myself, the Webelos leader and a few parents are fed up with his lack of leadership or organization. I've offered to help plan things, buy badges and loops, email or pick up things, he refuses help. What should we do. We are a small pack. The committee chair is in agreement with us but he is new to being the chair and we do not know how to proceed. Thanks in advance for your reply.

[qwazse]

The committee chair and the charter organization representative need to get together and decide if the cubmaster should be replaced.

Missed events and sales awards, however, can't possibly be all of his fault. Somebody besides the CM should have been responsible for the popcorn drive. Somebody else should have been in charge of the the B&G banquet. Yet someone else in charge of PWD. You all get together, set the date, and he shows up with a song and a cheer and appreciation for his den leaders.

 

Den leaders ensure opportunities for boys to do what they need to do, Not sure how that's his responsibility.

 

Basically, he's only dropping the ball on awards which the boys did earn. Solve that problem. If he's not ordering them. Appoint someone else to do it, and just get his signature on the paperwork.

[MattHiggins]

I would meet with your chartered organization representative. The chartered organization decides who holds leadership positions. Sometimes (sometimes often), they aren't that involved, but I'd start with a conversation there. If not--or maybe also--I'd contact your district executive and your pack's unit commissioner.

 

Is the Cubmaster trained?

 

These things can get ugly--at least ugly enough to not be worth the drama. So, another option is to start a new pack. I'd see that as a last resort.

[Krampus]

We've done none of the effects we should have like the blue and gold banquet, pine wood derby,ect.

Most packs plan their year our in July and August. Should be a committee made up of the CM, CC and all the Den Leaders and other parents.

 

We sold a ton of popcorn and the boys haven't received prizes

This should be defined BEFORE you sell popcorn. There should be someone (not the CM) in charge of the popcorn program and prizes. The Pack treasurer should manage the money, not the CM.

 

every single belt loop is a challenge to complete die to his road blocks

When I was DL me and my assistant planned the BLs and how we would complete them. We then told the advancement chairman when we were done and they would go get the awards. The CM had ZERO involvement. His role is the pack meeting, not managing your Den. Sounds like the CC needs to talk to him.

 

when we do earn them he doesn't purchase them.

You need a separate advancement chair OR have the DLs manage their own awards.

 

This month he doesn't even want to gave a pack meeting.

That's his job. If he punts that, have your own Den meeting and make it special.

 

Myself, the Webelos leader and a few parents are fed up with his lack of leadership or organization. I've offered to help plan things, buy badges and loops, email or pick up things, he refuses help.

As others above have said, sounds like the CC and COR need to get involved, as well as getting other parents involved. The CM should NEVER have that much control of a pack. They are a glorified emcee, not much more. The CC needs to let the CM know what his role is. This and this are good places to start.

[meyerc13]

Coming from a formerly dysfunctional pack, it sounds like your Pack needs a lot of help.  As others have stated, most of those things shouldn't be the Cubmaster's job.  In my Pack, when I became Cubmaster, I was stuck doing many of those things but gladly would have handed them off to others.  Over 3 years, I recruited and coached a Committee and have slowly but surely shed those non-CM jobs that I was doing.  In your Pack, it sounds like not only is the CM doing a lot of things he shouldn't be doing, but he doesn't want to give them up, yet isn't doing them well.  I can understand that last part, when the CM starts trying to take on all of those jobs, it becomes too much and he can't juggle it all.  So no fault on him on that count, but I think his mistake is that he needs to let go but isn't.

 

Since it sounds like you and your Committee Chair are equally in the dark about who should be doing what, you could reach out to your Unit Commissioner.  Your District staff should be able to tell you who that is if you don't know.  The UC can come in and coach all of you on the Pack Organization Chart and who should be doing what.  Since, like most Packs, you probably don't have a big enough Committee to have all of the named Committee positions filled, you may have to share some tasks, but in no case should the Cubmaster be doing all of that.

[blw2]

The only thing I can think to add is to ask

Do you even have a functioning committee?

Could it be that your CM is not getting the support that should be given to the pack, and so it's left to him to do everything?

 

I never let things get quite as bad as you're describing... but I have a twinge of sympathy in my gut for this CM (potentially)

When i was CM

we had a CC but he was honesty not very engaged and I ended up wearing many of his hats

I did not have an ASM to lean on

We had a couple folks on committee but they were almost completely disengaged.

We had a good core of den leaders, but they only did so much.... and honestly , I did my best to shield them from the extra work of committee stuff as much as I could, because I figured they had full plates with regular meetings (although some weren't as regular as I would have liked)

And the few times we tried to call parent meetings after things got bad, nobody showed up.

 

My point in all of this is taht sometimes you have to let things slide. A cubmaster can only wear so many hats, and if others aren't picking up their jobs or aren't even willing to take the jobs that are not being done, then some things just have to slip.

[SeattlePioneer]

I agree  ---contact the COR.

 

Unfortunately,  few CORs have much of an idea of what they can and should be doing.

 

As a COR myself,  I led opposition to an ineffective District Chair and District Commissioner.  BSA rules REQUIRE that a district nominating committee recommend district leaders each year,  although this requirement is widely ignored.  However,  as a COR I did insist on a district nominating committee be appointed,  and they found new and highly effective leadership for the district.

 

 

In Scouting,  pretty much all adult leaders quit.  It mostly just a matter of how long it becomes before people get exhausted and can't do their job any more.

 

I began as an adult leader in 1981,  and I'm getting darned exhausted myself.  I've been shedding various jobs in recent years so I could do what was left competently.  I expect to continue that pattern some more.