How many District and Council Events do you have?

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Amangi Mizin,

 

 

Thanks for the benefit of your experience in recruiting council volunteers.

 

 

My district is way short of volunteers, and we haven't been succesful in doing much recruiting, either. That's been a problem for me as District Membership chair, too.

 

Your #4 of starting people off with easy tasks is oft given by BSA of course, but your post caused me to consider how that might be applied to recruiting additional membership volunteers, which I've had little success at doing.

 

Now I'm thinking that it might be wise to invite people to attend a recruiting night that I or the District Executive are conducting. An additional person is always welcome there, and it would be an excellent introduction to a Membership activity for new people.

 

Getting someone started at that might lead on to additional support activity or to aiding units with their membership events.

 

Sometimes it's helpful to have a new context to apply old ideas. Thanks for taking the time to reply to my earlier questions.

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Amangi Mizin,

 

 

Thanks for the benefit of your experience in recruiting council volunteers.

 

 

My district is way short of volunteers, and we haven't been succesful in doing much recruiting, either. That's been a problem for me as District Membership chair, too.

 

Your #4 of starting people off with easy tasks is oft given by BSA of course, but your post caused me to consider how that might be applied to recruiting additional membership volunteers, which I've had little success at doing.

 

Now I'm thinking that it might be wise to invite people to attend a recruiting night that I or the District Executive are conducting. An additional person is always welcome there, and it would be an excellent introduction to a Membership activity for new people.

 

Getting someone started at that might lead on to additional support activity or to aiding units with their membership events.

 

Sometimes it's helpful to have a new context to apply old ideas. Thanks for taking the time to reply to my earlier questions.

[Tokala]

Amangi, as a Council VP of Program I can understand your situation. A couple of observations:

As much as it causes distress that the commissioner staff seems disfunctional, I would not step in and put program people into those positions. I'd work it from the Council and District Commissioners and get them to get their people involved, trained, engaged, or whatever we want to call it. Things can get messy when people cross responsibilities, even if someone is failing and others are trying to cover for them.

 

I found that when I became VP of Program that I had people in place and running things that had the jobs for years. They may not have been trained or didn't care to be trained because for them it was a status job only. I have worked to find people that aren't "mainstream" volunteers and recruited them for key positions. For example, our training chair told me that they were stepping down. I recruited someone that was involved with training, but wasn't considered an "insider". What people didn't know about this volunteer is that she coordinated and managed most of the training for Neilson Media. She was more qualified than any "career" volunteer Scouter and has a better grasp on the overall training situation.

[Tokala]

Amangi, as a Council VP of Program I can understand your situation. A couple of observations:

As much as it causes distress that the commissioner staff seems disfunctional, I would not step in and put program people into those positions. I'd work it from the Council and District Commissioners and get them to get their people involved, trained, engaged, or whatever we want to call it. Things can get messy when people cross responsibilities, even if someone is failing and others are trying to cover for them.

 

I found that when I became VP of Program that I had people in place and running things that had the jobs for years. They may not have been trained or didn't care to be trained because for them it was a status job only. I have worked to find people that aren't "mainstream" volunteers and recruited them for key positions. For example, our training chair told me that they were stepping down. I recruited someone that was involved with training, but wasn't considered an "insider". What people didn't know about this volunteer is that she coordinated and managed most of the training for Neilson Media. She was more qualified than any "career" volunteer Scouter and has a better grasp on the overall training situation.

[Amangi Mizin]

@ Tolka,

Nice to talk to another VP of Program... Its more difficult than you think as the Council Commissioner is my father.

 

I'm not having difficulties with my volunteers but as you know, council events reap no benefit "on paper" toward JTE. We can put on the best Merit Badge University or Parent and Pal Cub Scout weekend but that doesn't keep the kids involved in their units it takes a quality unit program. My committees want to reduce our council events and concentrate on unit program to keep kids engaged and involved. Perhaps those are portions of the commissioners duties but does any council truly have a core of commissioners who help build program, help with finances, makes sure units are advancing, and keep leaders trained and up to date in each of their units? Its a lot to expect out of one commissioner.

 

I think of it like this; If you consider a unit a car then my committees would be tools for the mechanic who is the commissioner. The mechanic can assess the situation and pick which tool he needs to fix the car but the mechanic has to have the tools. Almost like a matrix style management where each committee has a chair but each member can be pulled onto a project(unit program issue) lead by the commissioning staff. But thats a perfect world with a functioning commissioner. Not always the case.

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Amangi,

 

 

I think you underestimate the importance of what you do.

 

I'm now in my fifth year of rebuilding a pack in a low income area from having a single Cub to about thirty.

 

Especially in those early years, having district and council programs available was a very helpful tool that made it possible to rebuild the unit when I had very little help doing so.

 

I suggest that quality council program help with the council JTE and with all the district and unit JTE scores as well.

 

 

Personally, I wouldn't try to stretch your volunteers into entirely new areas of responsibility. I'd be more inclined to work with your father in recruiting and training additional Unit Commissioners.

 

If you have Committee Members interested in doing more, they should be welcome to become UCs themselves, would be my bias.

 

 

 

[SeattlePioneer]

Hello Amangi,

 

 

I think you underestimate the importance of what you do.

 

I'm now in my fifth year of rebuilding a pack in a low income area from having a single Cub to about thirty.

 

Especially in those early years, having district and council programs available was a very helpful tool that made it possible to rebuild the unit when I had very little help doing so.

 

I suggest that quality council program help with the council JTE and with all the district and unit JTE scores as well.

 

 

Personally, I wouldn't try to stretch your volunteers into entirely new areas of responsibility. I'd be more inclined to work with your father in recruiting and training additional Unit Commissioners.

 

If you have Committee Members interested in doing more, they should be welcome to become UCs themselves, would be my bias.