recharter

[Cubmaster Jerry]

Tis the season for recharter. For comparison sake, I'd like to get a feel for what is "normal" - if anything at all really is - when it comes to how many boys are lost over the course of the year.

 

Many of you might recall me mentioning my unit and how large it was - and is. In September, after tallying the new boys from School Night, we had a roster of about 135. Historically, before my arrival, I am told that my unit experienced losses of about 40%. This figure included not only those who dropped but those who graduated. I felt that was excessive. Mainly because at the end of last year, those who graduated made up about a quarter of that leaving a drop out rate of about 30%. So, that became my mission this year - to increase the retention rate.

 

Well, the numbers are almost all in for this year and and it seems that we made some small progress. Our drop out rate, not including those who graduated is about 25%. Our total roster loss at recharter time will be about 40% but we have a large graduating class.

 

Raw numbers look like this: Initial roster size: 135, Graduated Webelos: 20 (15%), Total dropped out: 35 (26%).

 

My mission for next year will be the same as it was this year.

 

How did you guys do?

 

Jerry

[EagleInKY]

We had an unusually bad year, due to an outgoing cubmaster that tried to sabatoge things.

 

Started the year with: 70 Cubs.

Less Web IIs that graduated (12)

Lost over summer: ~(10-15)

Roundup, added: 25

Attritition (new Cubs): (10)

Attritition (others): (10)

 

That leaves us around 45-50 on the roster. Usually we do a little better in roundup and lose a few less through attrition.

[Eamonn]

I really wish that all of our numbers were based on rechartering numbers plus the numbers that new units bring in.

It wasn't a great year for the NE-Region

In December 2004 Total Traditional membership was 609,582.

In December 2005 Total Traditional membership was 570,635

A loss of 38,947 (-6.4%)

It seems that we lost:

22,073 Cub Scouts (-6%)

8,243 Boy Scouts(-4.2%)and Varsity Scouts(-3.3%)

8,631 Venturers (-19.5%)

I don't know what is going on in Venturing?? To lose 19.5% of the members, when we are only reaching such a small number of the total available youth?

The other number that stands out is the Tiger Cub down from 54,566 to 49,334 a loss of 9.6%.

I know that there was great hopes for Tiger Cub recruitment. Sadly it doesn't seem to have worked.

Of course given time these low Cub Scout numbers will filter through to the other programs.

We can squawk all we want about not wanting to see Councils sell off assets but if we don't get a firm grasp on our membership numbers and do something to turn them around things will only get worse.

I don't think we can blame National or the Councils for the decline in membership. We are the sales team, we are the delivery team, we are the recruiters.

Before we take a name off a charter please give the Scout or his parents a call and invite him back.

Eamonn.

[ScoutNut]

We usually do pretty well staying between 30-40 boys. This year we ended up ahead of the game.

 

For the 2004-2005 year we had 35 boys. Of those, we had 4 move & 3 cross to Boy Scouts. After all was said & done, this year we ended up with 40 boys, a 14% total increase.

[purcelce]

When it came to recharter time we had 37 youth on the books.

 

We dropped 4 due to not wanting to be a part of the crew.

One aged out.

One moved.

 

We have (HOLY SMOKES I just counted) 39 youth on the books.

 

 

Since we rechartered: One aged out. 2 will age out this year.

Picked up 5 new members (1 female)

 

In the bullpen:

Have 1 female and 1 male waiting to complete 8th grade.

Have two leads on female youth who are intested in joining.

 

Other tidbits since recharter:

Crew activies participations range at about 50 percent or more.

4 Crew members are registered with other crews.

4 are away at college and make it events when they can.

3 Crew members are officers in OA lodge. (Chief, Vice Chiefs)

2 Crew members are officers of the Council TLC. (VPP & Sec)

1 bronze award earned. 2 members are close to finishing.

1 member close to completing gold award.

3 have earned eagle, 3 more going in front of the board this month (they are getting eagle thru their troops)

12 youth going to Ely on crew super activity, 4 are females,

2 youth going to Philmont with council contingent.

10 or so will be on summer camp staff.

6 going to NOAC.

Planned crew events include 4 campouts, several day trips, fundraisers and service projects.

 

A few new crews in the area have started up and they are active and growing.

 

I say we are doing all right.

Cary P

Advisor Crew 805

 

 

 

 

 

 

(This message has been edited by purcelce)

[Cubmaster Jerry]

Before we take a name off a charter please give the Scout or his parents a call and invite him back.

 

Absolutely! My CC and I as well as the DLs have made A LOT of phone calls this year. We just want to make sure that it isn't something about our program that drove them out.

 

Jerry

[rkfrance]

Our council would say the first thing to be looked at is splitting the unit. National's recommendation for the size of a Pack is 60, Troop is 40. Too much beyond these amounts creates chaos and an impersonable atmosphere.

 

I won't say your unit is too big. I don't feel 40% is a high number. In our area, most units run 30-35%. The bigger units run around 40%. I just know from recent discussions with our DE and commissioners what our council is focussed on. They are really looking hard at the numbers I gave above to keep as norms.

[Cubmaster Jerry]

Yep, working on final plans for a split of my unit as we speak. I may realize that our attirition rate is "normal" but it is still discouraging. As it is, about a third of this years rate is from boys who paid at SNFS and just never showed up for anything. Can't figure that one out.(This message has been edited by Cubmaster Jerry)

[Backpacker]

I think Eamonn may be right saying "we are the salesmen for the program."

 

A 30 -40% loss may be typical, but if it is then the BSA will be in serious jeopardy very soon. There is a lot of competition for our kids out there as we have discussed before in other threads and lately scouting seems to be on the losing end.

 

In my crew of 45 this year 10 aged out/went away to college, by word of mouth we picked up 15 new Venturers so we continue to have good fortune as we begin our fourth year. I attribute this to great youth and adult leadership and a diverse program that appeals to a broad base of teens. This year the crew is equally split with males and females and I think this mix keeps bringing in more members. There are only three other, non LDS, crews in my council,are very specialized, and they have less than 10 members each. The LDS units will not participate with the other crews because they have female members which they do not allow. I feel that National is still trying to figure out what they want Venturing to be. I have had my DE bring someone from regional and national Venturing to observe and talk with me and the teens at our crew meetings twice now. I just hope that BSA membership does not continue its current downward spiral. I still feel that more publicity on a local and national level highlighting positive contributions, like Good Turn for America and other positive things, would help turn things around.

[clydesdale115]

CMJerry - Your situation of losing kids somewhere between School Night and Den night happens in our Pack as well. We are Bears now, and in our tenure in this pack, we've seen 1, 2, and even 3 Tiger dens fall apart each year. Before they even get started, they've fallen through the cracks. No parent steps up to lead, no one sets-up the first den meeting with the newbies, whatever.

It may be that Scout Night is not a fair representation of what we do each week. And often the parents do not fully appreciate that this is a family program - the commitment is just not there from the start. If we can't get them off on the right foot at the beginning (Tigers), the shakier dens won't make it. We have to do a better job of "welcoming" our new boys and parents/leaders - we sign them up, then ... nothing. We've gone from a high 2 years ago of about 120 boys (proudly hailed as the largest in our Council - whew!) to about 58 boys now (13 Webs 2 just graduated).

clydesdale115

[fotoscout]

Here is one thought on retention...... We see den size going up, because we have fewer adults willing to do the DL job. Consequently, when you have a bad DL, the odds of losing a larger number of boys is increased. Not rocket science.

 

I've seen this happen in too many Packs. Everyone really needs to keep an eye on each other if you want to enhance retention. Many Committees and CM's focus on the Pack program and forget about the Dens. Spend time with the Dens and your retention will increase.

 

As for my own unit, we rechartered with 51 boys as opposed to 55 last year.

 

[msnowman]

We started Sept with 4 Tigers, 2 Wolves and 1 Bear. We lost 1 Tiger but gained one so we still have 4 Tigers. We have added another Wolf and another Bear. We have zero Web I's or II's.

 

YiS

Michelle

[Eamonn]

I know I must be getting old.

Tonight was R/T night.

There are only four Venturing units in the District. (I'm counting the Ship as one.)One never has done anything,one is really good, but they never send anyone to R/T and one was started with some older boys from a Troop, they never did very much and the same leaders who are Troop Leaders serve the Crew.

As we follow a different program and we are the only Ship in the Council I don't see any real reason for my attending R/T.

I was asked to attend tonights meeting to present a Scouter with his Wood Badge beads.

It was awful!!

It started at 7:30 with some Cub Scouter's wearing hard hats doing the opening which was good. Then there was a quick pledge and then came the announcements. Gone was the sheet that I used to have. At 8:30 these were still going on. February should be the final clean up of Cub Scout rechartering and the big time for Boy Scout rechartering - There was no sign of a charter??

I listened to the plans for Scouting for food, Klondike Derby, Spring Camporee, the Cub Scout Olympics which aren't till June. An explanation of how Camperships work and how to fill the campership forms. This led to a very long explanation most of which was wrong about the camp budget.

I couldn't get over the fact that Charters weren't even mentioned.

I asked the District Commissioner what had happened? I remember when I was District Commissioner, I nagged, moaned, brow beat, threatened, begged, pleaded to get these darn things in on time. We had clinics before R/T meetings and I paid for pizza to be delivered.

She said that we don't do charters at R/T meetings anymore it takes too much time!!

The other person helping with the Beading is a great pal of mine. He had served as District Chairman up until about six years ago.

It was a cold night. Way too cold for a parking lot meeting so we went back to my house.

We sat shooting the breeze.

I said how when I was chairman I had a goal of us not being the smallest District and how pleased I had been when we went over 1,000 youth members.

Sad thing was from talking with the people at tonights meeting, it seems we will be lucky if when the charters come in if we have 400.

Talking with the Scouter's there tonight I didn't hear one person who had a plan that if I were a Lad I would think was exciting.

It seemed as if they were all just going through the motions. No enthusiasms no spark.

Mind you after that much time spent on announcements my spark was fading.

Eamonn.

 

[Oak Tree]

Our pack is now running around 70, but my first year as Cubmaster it was about half that size, and through some random chance, we had 100% retention. I say it's random chance, because even though we run a pretty good program, there's no possible way to expect to have no one drop out, no one move, etc.

 

Since growing to around 70 boys, we've typically lost about 12 boys in a given year, so we have about 83% retention. (We'll always add a few new recruits, too, but that's not what I think we're talking about here. There's a difference between recruiting and retention.) But if we hit 30% losses in a given year, we'd take that as an indication that something was wrong somewhere in the program. Obviously, I'm not counting graduation here. In a stable pack program, roughly 20% of your boys would graduate each year, but that's expected. The real question is how many of the eligible boys sign up again.

 

My experience is that retention problems are strongly clumped into problematic dens. My strong den leaders lose very few boys, but some of the weaker ones will lose half their den.

 

Oak Tree