Forming our own Chartered Organization?

[Basementdweller]

Your a second year webelo leader right?????

 

What does the committee say???

 

 

[shortridge]

A few things:

 

>> Provide a meeting location.

>> Provide unit leadership, taking seriously the CO's role in the selection of the committee.

>> Represent your unit at the district and council levels, with the COR voting on and advocating for issues that would affect your unit.

>> Promote the unit (e.g., recruiting opportunities).

>> Recommend service projects.

 

AlFansome hit it on the head. You can't have a CO that's hands-off but provides you with more benefits than you're already getting. Far, far better to find a like-minded, established CO to work with than to try to create something that won't last.

[ScoutNut]

What - exactly - is your Pack's "frustration" with your current CO?

 

What is it that you feel you are not getting from your current CO?

 

 

[Lisabob]

I was a leader in a "friends of" pack for a few years. The leadership basically mirrored the PTA leadership at a local elementary school. Few of them had kids in the pack. Many of the kids in the pack attended other schools. Maybe once upon a time there was a lot of convergence between the two groups, but not anymore.

 

On the plus side, they didn't meddle in the pack's business.

 

On the negative side, they provided us with nothing since they had no physical location or assets to speak of, they didn't want to get involved when some nasty internal leadership stuff starting happening, and it was a pain to get them to sign stuff.

 

So here's my suggestion: Before you go down this road, you need to have a good conversation with some folks who were affiliated with your pack back when the pack changed over from being a "Friends of..." group to being chartered by your current CO. Find out exactly why they changed over to the church as CO.

 

You should also talk with your DE about how to establish and build a good relationship with a CO - what you expect, what they should expect, how to ensure good communications, etc. Most DEs will do quite a lot to help you improve an existing relationship, if asked.

 

 

[robertwilliams]

>> What does the committee say???

 

We don't have a committee other than the CM, CC, and DL/ADLs. The CM and CC were frustrated at the overall lack of support so I'm just going with that.

 

>> Provide a meeting location.

>> Provide unit leadership, taking seriously the CO's role in the selection of the committee.

>> Represent your unit at the district and council levels, with the COR voting on and advocating for issues that would affect your unit.

>> Promote the unit (e.g., recruiting opportunities).

>> Recommend service projects.

 

These are pretty much the things I want, too (except that we have a good meeting place that works most of the time). In addition, I want some continuity of leadership so that the pack thrives long after the current leadership is done. When all is said and done I'll have been with this pack for 7 years, so it's near and dear to my heart.

 

My only concern is that a CO with a lack of experience running scouts, or some sort of agenda, might actually harm the program more than it helps. But nobody on this thread has really warned about that or told any horror stories, so it's probably an unfounded fear.

 

Lisabob - thank you for the good advice. I will see what I can find out about why we dropped the "Friends of" CO, and try to get some traction in either improving the relationship with our current CO, or in finding a new one. I know our DE has discouraged us from using a "Friends of" CO.

 

[5yearscouter]

Well I don't have a real problem with self chartered units, as I'm IH/Exec officer of our Cub Scout Pack and have been for 6 years. I've passed COR off to a dad who will be in the pack for at least 7 years more, who has been with us for 2+ years and can see the "big picture." That is the hardest thing, to choose a COR who isn't so involved in their own scout's den, that they can't see outside of that to the whole pack level view and can keep things on an even keel.

 

For a "parents of" type CO one of the biggest issues is that you can't give the unit a place to meet, so you must go find one. That means scoping out the local meeting rooms, schools, churches, community centers and seeing what you have available as a primary and ideally a back up location for pack meetings, and hopefully something for den meetings if den leaders can't or won't meet in their own homes.

 

If your current CO seems invisible and isn't very responsive to signing paperwork, then I would go talk to the COR. Well I would actually sit down with CC, CM and the committee and den leaders, figure out what you want from the CO and then discuss this with the COR (CC is the person to do this).

 

Note, you HAVE to have a committee of at least 3 people. Committee Chair, and usual are secretary and treasurer. There may be more (Advancement chair, outings chair, etc) but there have to be at least 3 for the pack to exist. It's probably someone who is acting as a den leader or asst den leader but who is actually registered as committee.

 

I understand more than just the charter paperwork signed by the CO, you also need all leader apps signed by the COR--who if it's someone at the church that you have to go find everytime, who is not readily available to sign apps, then that can be an annoyance. Getting a relationship with the COR person, knowing where they work or live, their hours they are at the CO (if they are, like pastor or deacon or other) and the best way to reach them if you have issue or need apps signed. Having some kind of relationship between at least CC and the COR will make these things easier. Especially if you end up needing them to help the CC take care of a big issue within the unit--like firing a volunteer.

 

MOST COs dont' seem to take an active roll in choosing leadership, providing program continuity or other real hands on stuff. Some churches like LDS do that, and take a very big roll in running the program, but I really don't think most pay that close of attention.

[raisinemright]

We were part of a self chartered unit till about a year ago when we moved. For the most part it worked just fine, but we had deeply ivolved parents at many levels. My only advice is to develop an outside the Pack advisory board to be your COR. Ours never had that and when inevitable problems arose which should be handled by the COR, there was no one.

 

I've been recommending an outside board to our unit for several years and could never get them to jump. It should be made up of people outside the unit but familiar with scoutings purposes.

 

The other thing is to make sure that you stay on top of leadership succession. Have a new Cubmaster waiting in the wings, same for Committee Chair.

 

Have fun.

[fred8033]

"The school where most of our boys attend lets us meet there and we do some service projects for them. So at least we do have some support. "

 

Sounds like a good situation. Most CO's would expect a benefit of people coming to their place and/or meeting there. If you don't meet at the CO, then there is no real relationship to start.

 

If you want to continue meeting at the school, I'd talk to the PTO or create a "friends of" group. Heck, I'd bet you could get a good relationship going between the PTO and the scouts. That would be pretty healthy.

[SeattlePioneer]

Who is the current Chartered Organization Rep? There has to be one to be rechartered.

 

 

Frankly, you sound like a terrific prospect to be the next COR and provide the long term leadership and build the relationship with the Chartered Organization. And if you do it, the pack probably isn't going to have to worry about untoward interference either.

 

It would also give you an opportunity to work at building a better relationship with your Chartered Organization.

 

I've been doing that for several years, looking for ways to wworm the pack into being a real part of the parish community of the Catholic Church that charters my pack. It's something that takes time and care.

 

If you are lucky, you might identify someone in the CO community who would take an interest in the pack ---perhaps someone who was a pack leader several years ago.

 

But most chartered organizations don't have racks of skilled and experienced leaders ready to deploy as needed.

 

I say again --- YOU are the best candidate to fill the leadership position you want filled!

 

 

[desertrat77]

As a UC for two units that fall under this type of home-grown CO, I'm not in favor of the concept.

 

First, they provide even less support than the traditional CO. Sign some papers and accept the charter. Unit level leaders do everything else.

 

Second, there is a potential conflict of interest if the CO has to intervene in a unit issue.

 

Third, the appearance factor is not good. Just a fake umbrella to charter the troop. A missed opportunity to work with the VFW, or Lions, etc., for community goodwill.

 

I'm working to find "real" COs for my units. Frankly, it's tougher than I thought to find potential/willing COs, so I have some understanding as to how these things come about.

[ScoutNut]

>>"We don't have a committee other than the CM, CC, and DL/ADLs. The CM and CC were frustrated at the overall lack of support so I'm just going with that.">"I want some continuity of leadership so that the pack thrives long after the current leadership is done."

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Scout Nut,

 

 

excellent comments, I'm afraid. Their usually aren't easy answers. That's my experience, anyway.

[Jay K]

What you should do, in my opinion, is ask/pester your District for a Unit Commissioner.(UC) The UC can interface with the Chartered Organization Representative(COR) and the UC is the person that should provide the support that you seem to be looking for. Stay put with your CO.

My personal experience is: The less the Chartered Organization (CO) interferes, the better. There is a commitment that a CO makes to become a CO. That's basically to provide a place to meet. They are supposed to select and provide adult leadership, but in most cases, that doesn't happen, it just takes place within the Unit. As far as paperwork, we, the unit works up the charter and presents it to the COR for signatures, and that's about it.

Another comment about multiple packs under one CO in this thread: I asked my District Executive (DE.) My DE said : "One PACK per CO."

Jay (Trained Unit Commissioner.)

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Jay,

 

 

Unfortunately, Unit Commissioners don't grow on trees around here. Good ones even rarer. Wrong agricultural zone I suppose.

 

As I understand it, District Executives are supposed to meet with the Institutional Head of each Chartered Organization each year and complete a standard report on the contact.

 

That suggests you could bug the DE about doing that visit and raising some of these issues.

[Oak Tree]

>> Provide a meeting location.

>> Provide unit leadership, taking seriously the CO's role in the selection of the committee.

>> Represent your unit at the district and council levels, with the COR voting on and advocating for issues that would affect your unit.

>> Promote the unit (e.g., recruiting opportunities).

>> Recommend service projects.

 

Ha!

 

Except for the first. The CO should definitely provide a meeting location.

 

Beyond that, realize that it's going to be up to the people in the unit to run the unit. You need to provide your own leaders. Find them, recruit them, select them, deal with them.

 

Promoting the unit is also the job of the unit. Sure, the CO might allow you to run a notice or something, but it's really the job of the unit, along with any opportunities that the district provides.

 

A CO might have some service project opportunities, but you can find those pretty much everywhere.

 

Voting at the council level? Hardly anyone does that and nobody really expects it.

 

I want the CO to provide a location, sign papers as needed, and be available to intervene if something goes way off track. The other things are gravy. (Nice, tasty gravy, yes, but still gravy).