Tips for a new committee chair

[Bronco]

For those of you that have been around the block - what 3-5 things would you say to a person that is going to be stepping into this role in a few months?

 

Both in general and perhaps something specific that may not apply to everyone but would be helpful to read anyway.

 

Thanks!

[Nike]

Depends on what kind of unit you're taking over, but:

 

1) Have a long talk with your adult program leader and get on the same page.

 

2) Do you have a budget and are you ready for recharter? If not, get hopping.

 

3) Is there a calendar through June? For packs I really believe in having your pack meetings themes and activities laid out 6 months in advance so you can get volunteers and gear.

 

4) Mentally inventory your volunteers and parents. Get to know them and see how they work together before deciding on anything but urgently needed change.

 

5) Resign yourself to everyone having your e-mail and phone number and establish reasonable expectations of how long it will take you to get back on a call or issue. I really like it when the CC takes care of the adult problems and the CM/SM deals with the boys.

[Scoutfish]

As a New CubMaster this year, I can offer one piece of advice. And honestly, this piece of advice might not even be somthing you should "technically" handle, but as CC,,,it's still within your area of operations.

 

As a new CubMsaster, I found out that our camping program was ...to be kind..lacking. At least on the council camp side of tings.

 

Our previous CM and other previous leaders ( most have crossed over by now) just didn't do much on the council side. They stuck to pack stuff.

 

It wasn't so much they were against council camps or oppertunities, but that they followed what the previous set of leadership, CC and CM did.

 

So I am still in the process of making every oppertunity known to our leaders and parents too. They may not be interested, may not care or may not participate, but they will know about it.

 

At leadership meetings, I bring up every fun day, every event, every oppertunity that our council or other councils offer.

 

Used to be when I started within this pack 3 years ago that nobody did anything. At least half of them just werent aware of the oppertunities.

 

Well, I'll put it tis way: I managed to get our participation numbers up enough that the DE asked me to be the Camp Promotions chair for the district.

[John-in-KC]

Everything Nike said!

 

Get to know your Chartered Organization Representative. Find out what the unit can do to help the Chartered Partner. Conversely, don't be afraid to ask for help from the chartered partner.

 

Get to know your Unit Commissioner. If you don't know who that is, contact your District Commissioner and pester him for the support you need.

 

Go to District Roundtable. Get to know the other volunteers in the area, both in the units and working District stuff. Every problem you've seen has probably been seen before. No sense reinventing the wheel.

 

Remember: KISMIF works for adults too!

[BrotherhoodWWW]

I'm guessing from your other posts that you are now or will be a Troop CC. The Scoutmaster should become your best friend! The COR should also be on your speed dial list and someone you are in frequent contact with. You and the SM need to share the same goals and vision for your unit; if they do not you need to work out the differences to a point that they do. Your job is to make sure the committee and parents give the SM resources and support so that he can enable the BOYS to run their program. Instead of asking for volunteers make it personal and ask specific people to do specific tasks. This makes it much harder to hide in the back. Make sure someone from your unit represents the unit at the district level, should be the COR but that does not always happen.

[Bronco]

BrotherhoodWWW wrote: You and the SM need to share the same goals and vision for your unit; if they do not you need to work out the differences to a point that they do.

 

You are correct, I will be acting as Troop CC. I've done the Cubmaster and Pack CC thing in the past and I realize this is a whole different animal.

 

What I'm struggling with is just how much the Troop CC is involved in the actual details of the Troop program. Our current committee is fairly out of touch with what is going on in the troop as very few members have children (or grand children for that matter) in the troop.

 

Our current SM is the parent of a boy in the unit and I get along fine with him. I know he has struggled at times dealing with the current composition of the committee.

 

Some examples of what I am considering:

 

I'm not happy with how our troop handles the Web to Scout transition on a yearly basis - is it ok for me to get directly involved in this process and set things in motion that will make for a much smoother transition?

 

I think we could do a much better job with the outdoor program. I know the boys are responsible for running the program - but I don't believe they understand all of the options that are available to them. Is it ok for me to sit down with the SM, create a menu of options then let the boys populate the yearly calendar with those choices and their own choices? I'd be ok if they picked nothing I suggested - I just want them to know it's an option for them.

 

I've contacted a few friends in other units and asked to attend their committee meetings to get an idea of how they are run as well.

 

In response to some of the other posts:

 

Sorry I wasn't clearer on which CC I was going to be. Thanks to those that gave me advice related to Cubs.

 

Our COR while a nice guy falls into the same disconnected group as the rest of the committee. Any time I've gone and asked him for advice I get stories about scouting in the 40's and 50's.

 

I'm well versed in tapping people for different roles - I plan to do that after hanging out for a month or so just to see how things settle out. When I took over as Cubmaster/Pack CC years ago all the old timers almost instantly vanished/stopped helping out when their buddy stepped down as Cubmaster. I'm expecting the same thing to happen again even though the person I'm replacing isn't the same as last time.

[Scoutfish]

 

For all the typing I did,that is what I meant to say.

 

There may be many things a troop/ pack is not doing...simply because they are not aware of the oppertunities.

 

That's the way it was in my pack. Not that the leaders or parents didn't want to do them or didn't care...they just weren't aware of them.(This message has been edited by scoutfish)

[Eagle92]

Lots of good advice. Here's my input.

 

1) In addition to talking to the SM talk to the SPL and/or PLC to get their vision of whatthey want from the troop. Boy Scouts is suppose to be Scout led, not parent led.

 

2) Recruit parents and community members to take on roles on the committee so that you are not a 'one man show"

 

3)Recruit parents and community members to take on roles on the committee so that you are not a 'one man show"

 

4) Recruit parents and community members to take on roles on the committee so that you are not a 'one man show"

 

2-4 is kinda important The more folks you have involved, the easier your job will be and the better the program can be. Just make sure that the committee understands that this is Boy Scouts, and not Cub Scouts, and that the Boy Scouts will screw up, make mistakes, etc etc, so they should not interfere with programing and let the PLC run it.

 

 

[Nike]

If you're concerned the Troop isn't outdoorsy enough, raid your state and neighboring state travel offices for brochures about cool places to hike, boat, bike, cave, etc. Weed out to where you can reasonably drive to and tell the boys to get creative.

 

Also, use the new Medal for Outdoor Acheivement to challenge them to plan camping weekends or expedition trips that would fulfill the requirements.(This message has been edited by Nike)

[Eagledad]

Hi Bronco

 

I used to help guide Troops that kind of lost their way when I was on the District Committee. Most didn't loose their way because they were bad managers, most got lost because they just didnt know how.

 

My advice for every Troop CC Ive worked with is take the Scoutmaster Fundamentals Course with the SM and learn what the program is all about. In fact, I would suggest you call the District Membership Chairman and ask them to provide the course jsut for your unit and invite all the committee adults and all the ASMs into the course. Then the discussions can be more directed to your program.

 

The NUMBER ONE problem I find with units that loose their way is they dont have a vision or goal for each adult to focus on for the big picture. So each adult kind of does their own thing without understanding how the fit in the big picture. They eventually start working against each other and the unit becomes dysfunctional. By getting everyone to take the SMF course, everyone is brought to the same understanding of the program.

 

What is very important is that you develop an understanding of the vision in the program so that each person has a goal or direction to work towards. Now the BSA actually makes that easy, do a google and review the Scouting Vision and Mission Statement, and the Aims and Methods. You can see there is a goal and there is a plan to reaching those goals.

 

See, the Scoutmaster is responsible for the program. But the CC is responsible for the holding the Scoutmaster accountable to knowing and understanding what the program should be. Its not your job to run the boys side of the program, but it is your job to know where they should be going. You know the vision and goals, now develop a plan with the SM and hold the performance of the program accountable to the vision or goals. How do you know if they are performing? Go back to the Vision and Mission.

 

Start off simple, make sure the boys are first having fun. I have seen troops get so caught up in getting their troop to the vision that they lost the fun in the adventure. The word fun should be mentioned a lot. In fact I told the boys that at anytime something isnt fun, CHANGE IT. Im not a believer that we have to do some of the boring stuff to reach the fun stuff. Keep it simple and keep it fun. Oh, remember that adults are great at complicated. The more they get involved, the more it will get complicated. Keep it simple, keep it fun.

 

A simple method for starting out is have the SM, ASMs and all the boys in the PLC use the SPL Handbook and PL Handbook. Those are simple guides that everyone can understand for running a simple program. As things get more complicated, then boys and adults review the handbooks and see how they can make simple changes that fit in the program.

 

OK, I meant for this to be a quick easy read, but as usual I got carried away. I will let it go now and wish the best. You are in a great place right now where you can influence young men for the rest of their lives.

 

I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry

 

[John-in-KC]

Bronco,

 

At the end of the day, a Troop Committee has three big jobs:

 

- Resource the Scoutmaster's program. Example areas:

-- Transportation

-- Annual Budget

 

 

- Provide administrative support to the Scoutmaster.

-- Advancement coordination.

-- Fundraising manager.

-- Membership/recharter bubba

-- Equipment coordination.

-- Treasurer (in my neck of the woods, law requires an adult on any account which has a minor on the account).

 

- Provide specialist mentors for youth members who have Warrant Offices (aka POR).

-- Membership/recharter and Advancement bubba provides resources to the Scribe.

-- Equipment Coordinator provides resources to the Quartermaster.

-- Treasurer receives money from Patrol Leaders (dues and LT camp payments).

 

Now, is this precisely from the literature? No, but I think it's the concept the literature describes. The youth creates the program. The SM mentors the youth in creating the program, is accountable to the Chartered Partner for its execution, and ensures the program supports the Methods of Scouting. The Committee supports the Scoutmaster in the program.

[Aquila calva]

Hello Bronco,

 

You already have a lot of good advice above.

 

Recruit as much adult leader help as you possibly can. See the Troop Committee Guidebook for the necessary committee positions. Since you were a Pack CC you may already be familiar with these positions.

 

In addition to getting on the same page with your Scoutmaster (who will handle the program with the PLC) and your Chartered Organization Rep. (who is the representative of the owner of the troop) your next best friend on the troop committee will need to be the treasurer. Make sure the troops financial management is in order. Check signers should be you and the treasurer. (Some troops also include the Scoutmaster, but I think this is not a good idea in most medium to large troops. It may be necessary in small troops.) Make sure the bank accounts are all set up properly according to policies of your Chartered Organization. When reviewing the bank accounts take off any check-signers who are no longer active in the troop. Sometimes, it could be best to close the old accounts and open new checking/savings accounts to be sure there are no old blank checks floating around (yes this happened to me years ago and the banker said lets close the old accounts and open new accounts for your group). Make sure the treasurer provides a detailed financial report to the committee every month. At the beginning of your tenure as CC, you should at least audit the books yourself so you feel comfortable with the existing accounts. Be prepared to recruit a new treasurer, if necessary.

 

Put together a troop calendar for the next year (the troop secretary can help with this). Put on this calendar the troop meeting dates, Roundtable dates, school holidays, all the District and Council activities your troop may participate in, the dates for next summers long-term camp, and any high adventure trip dates that have already been planned. Add the dates for any money-earning projects your troop does such as popcorn and/or wreath sales. Include all the Council Order of the Arrow activities your Scouts and leaders my want to participate in. Talk with the SM about this calendar to be sure he is comfortable with it. Then give this to the SM, who will take it to the PLC. These program leaders should choose the dates for the monthly campouts and other troop activities such as lock-ins. Add all these camping dates to the calendar. Specific camps and activities can be added during upcoming meetings of the PLC. It is important for Scout families to at least know the dates well in advance. (There are a lot of school and sports activities to consider, too, in our all-to-busy lives.) It is the committees responsibility to be sure all the troop activities (campouts, lock-ins, etc) have the necessary adult leadership. These adult leaders need all the necessary training to help conduct the program activities (follow two-deep leadership, transportation requirements, etc.)

 

All the committee members should be trained with Troop Committee Challenge and all the adult program leaders (SM and ASMs) MUST be trained in Youth Protection (now required in order to register as an adult leader).

 

Over the next couple of years get as much Scout training as you possibly can. Sign up for Wood Badge as soon as you can.

 

Have fun with your sons (and Venturing daughters) in Scouting. They are the reasons for your work.

 

Best wishes for the New Year!!

 

[Bronco]

Am I missing something or is there no way to quote on these forums? Maybe it's a Firefox thing...

 

Aquila said:

 

"Recruit as much adult leader help as you possibly can. See the Troop Committee Guidebook for the necessary committee positions. Since you were a Pack CC you may already be familiar with these positions. "

 

I'm already farming the Sr. Web leaders to fill in the gaps for me in committee and in Troop Leadership as ASMs. There are a lot of parents that will get involved once they realize there is a need - due to the avg. age of the committee, many of the people that would be involved get the feeling that it is all 'being handled' and they don't need to get involved. That will change quickly. I'm thankful for my time as Cub Master/CC of the Pack as I'm already on a first name basis with just about every family in the Troop - something that can't be said for 90% of the current committee.

 

"Put together a troop calendar for the next year (the troop secretary can help with this)."

 

So this IS the responsibility of the committee? I've suggested several times that the boys need serious guidance with this issue - but I'm always told 'If we do that it isn't boy run.' As I said before - I don't care what they do - I just want to be sure they know of every option they have.

 

"All the committee members should be trained with Troop Committee Challenge and all the adult program leaders (SM and ASMs) MUST be trained in Youth Protection (now required in order to register as an adult leader)."

 

I think the need for Troop Committee Challenge will be the reason several of the current members of our committee will quit, they won't want to deal with the hassle. I've completed it already.

 

"Over the next couple of years get as much Scout training as you possibly can. Sign up for Wood Badge as soon as you can. "

 

I'm 3/5 of the way complete on my tickets - Wood Badge has it's place and I really enjoyed the experience but to me it wasn't the be all end all of true leadership and mentoring young men. I'm fully trained and have actually run courses at our council University of Scouting. I must say however, that these forums are THE biggest resource I have. Looking back at my own experience as a boy - the early to mid 80's - are closer to what I see several posters here talking about as ideal vs. what I'm seeing now.

 

My biggest concern is sitting on my hands long enough to let the dust settle from me stepping in before I start to make wholesale changes. The current CC has been in place for at least 10 years. When I joined this charter organization the pack was a 'family' pack - maybe 20 boys - I grew it to 40 and it now sits around 50. The Troop in turn was a 'family' troop that is now close to 40 boys, neither the adult leadership nor the boys have truly stepped up...yet.

[John-in-KC]

One caution: Let the Scoutmaster make decisions on hiring ASMs. They are responsible and accountable to him as the chief program guy for the Troop. You have a chop, but ASMs have to be able to work with and for the Scoutmaster.

 

BTW, 40 youth members is not a bad number at all. As Beavah points out often here, the right size for a Troop is often determined by the size the Scoutmaster believes he can deal with.

[Aquila calva]

You have a lot of good experience as a leader already. Now you are in a position to lead and inspire others to be great leaders, too.

 

Putting together a troop calendar is a group effort. The more the Scouts can do on their own the better. If the SM can work with the SPL and PLC to do the whole thing from scratch that will be great. If the secretary (Scribe) of the PLC can keep the calendar updated, and bring copies to every PLC meeting, and then update it after the meeting, fantastic! The same calendar needs to be reviewed at the troop committee meeting so appropriate adult leadership can be planned, funding can be reviewed, etc.

 

Another thing I found to be really helpful when working with the troop committee is to always type up an agenda for every meeting, listing all the adult committee positions. Everyone who has accepted a position on the committee comes to every meeting knowing they will be acknowledged for their respective agenda item. They can report or not, but the members will have a chance to report to the rest of the committee. Everyone will quickly discover who the workers are.

 

Work by consensus as much as possible. We only vote on things if it involves spending a significant amount of the troop's money. It works well.

 

A 40-member troop will have five or six patrols. This is getting to be a large troop. Our normal summer camp campsites usually have tents and cots for 32 Scouts and leaders. Forty Scouts, plus adults, is getting large. Your troop will need a lot of active well-trained adults and well-trained Scouts.(This message has been edited by aquila calva)(This message has been edited by aquila calva)