Monthly Check Lists	Pack Meeting Help	Boy's Life is an excellent publication for your Cub Scouts.  Inside are articles worth reading, not only for boys but for adults.  When he was a Cub Scout, our son earned the Pedro reading patch, by reading a book and submitting a one page book report.  And yes, it did take a few "Did you finish writing that book report yet?"  He finally finished it in the nick of time, mid December, and he mailed his report to Irving, TX.  One day, weeks later there was something for Neal in the mail.  His eyes really lit up the day he got his patch in the mail.  This is a program I encourage everyone to share with his or her den families.  I also encourage a subscription to Boy's Life for each scout, and I am not paid to say that  BB Oct. '98
Pack Meeting Planner	Pack Meeting Fun
Tips for Pack Meetings	Communication
CS Highlights 2003-04	Adult Attendance
Den Assignments	Charter Renewal
Quality Unit Award	Chartered Organization
Leader Inventory	Pack Committee
My Den Leader Taught Me	7 Things I Learned as a CM
Roundup	Parent Agreement	Why Parent Want to be Leaders
Recruiting Leaders	Pack Size	Good Will Projects
Purposes of Cub Scouting	Training Tips
Language of Scouting	The Pack Trainer
Parental Involvement	BSA Family Program
Pack Newsletter	Only One Hour a Week
Parents & Families	Scouting's Values
Planning For Success	Annual Program Plan
How to Plan a Pack Program	How to Use Themes	Summertime Pack Award
Summertime Activities	Pack Finance	Personal Information Form
Special Pack Activities	Service Projects	Conservation Projects
Scouting Forms

• Excessive Den Leader "turnover'“.
• Programs not related to a theme
• Pack meetings built around "outside" entertainment
• Small pack committee
• Month - to - month planning
• Pack meetings with delays, indecision, weak leadership
• Poor parent attendance at pack meetings
• Rapid turnover of Cub Scouts or transfer from den to den
• Boys and leaders not in uniform
• Lack of communication between leaders, parents, and Cub Scouts

PHONE TREES: When you need to  get the word out fast. One person is designated to call a contact in each den and they in turn call each family in their respective dens. This is NOT a job for the den leader. Make sure that the lists are kept up to date and protect your members' privacy.

EMAIL: May be a good alternative or a supplement to a phone tree. Keep your address list up to date and use a consistent format to work with everyone's spam filters. Have a plan to handle people who don't have email or who never read theirs. There are services that offer free private mail groups that can be set up to send email to everyone on your list.
Two organizations that offer this:
Smartgroups
Yahoo Groups
 

LEADERS MEETINGS:    AKA Committee meetings, etc. It's where the pack program gets planned and job assignments are sorted out. The more leaders and parent who attend, the smoother things will run.

PARENT MEETINGS: The pack leadership should hold one of these at the start of the year to ensure that all parents are aware of how the pack runs, what they can expect from leaders and what they should do so that their boys get the most out of Cub Scouting. Den leaders should also hold meetings to explain Den rules and procedures and to enlist parent help.

NEWSLETTERS: Pack newsletters can list upcoming events, den reports, advancement lists etc.

WEB SITES:The best ones feature photos of recent activities, especially camp and other outdoor stuff. Free web site space is available from several organizations. Some come with a lot of advertising. Check out some of those on the Scout Links page.

Check out:
TAPO - Free web sites for Cub Packs.
PacksOnline -Creating a Web site for your Cub Scout pack

Look at a few examples:
CUB PACK WEB SITES

PARENT GUIDES: The council provides a good one in the pack roundup kits but some packs have their own that includes local pack policies, phone numbers etc.

CEREMONIES: Every ceremony should contain a special message about something important for either boys or their families. Give considerable thought to what you want your ceremonies to tell everyone. Remember, you will have just about everyone's undivided attention for a few moments.
 
 

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PACK NEWSLETTER Ideally all of the pack's parents will attend every pack meeting and keep abreast of what's going on and what's planned. In real Life, that's not likely to be the case.
So a pack newsletter, issued about once a month, is a good channel to keep parents informed about the pack's activities and plans. Also, Cub Scouts who have advanced in rank or done a special Good Turn can be recognized by having their names in the newsletter.
A pack newsletter does not have to be an elaborate, printed production. It may be nothing more than a photocopied single sheet. Every issue should include short articles covering coming events and the names of boys who have advanced.
Each den might contribute an article (short, perhaps 50 words) about its activities for the month. A different den member may be assigned to write it each month.
Assign a pack committee member other parent as editor, another as typist and a third as production person.  The newsletter may be mailed home or distributed to parents at the pack meeting. It is not recommended that boys be asked to carry the newsletter home because likely to be lost, misplaced, or forgotten.

Cub Scout and Webelos Scout Program Helps 1993-94

For Pack Meetings - we rotate all sorts of jobs through all the dens.  With the number of dens we have this year, our pack meeting jobs are:
• Opening (setting up the chairs and performing the opening ceremony),
• Gathering Activity (games... for the cubs and siblings to play before the Pack Meeting),
• Song group,
• Skit group,
• Closing (putting things away and doing closing ceremony),
• Greeters (leading people to their seats, directing kids to the gathering activity).
If we had more dens, we'd think up more.
We used to have every den do a song or a skit - but the kids were spending too much den meeting time preparing and the pack meetings were too long also!  This way - they do a better job with their skit if they only have to do one every 4 or 5 months.  Even the tigers participate.
Each den is also responsible for bringing an applause to the pack meeting and leading the pack with it.  Our den leaders are responsible for rank ceremonies, except the Cubmaster does Bobcat.

Tell us more about your *spirit stick*?  What does it look like?  How was it made?
 

It is just a long piece of wood from the Lowe's or such.  Ours is about 8' long and 2"x2".  Length can be as long as you want I suppose.  Has to fit into cars but the longer the more impressive.  I decorated the first 6-8 inches with the pack # and year on it and I put a Garfield on there since he was our spokescat this year.
Then each den that wins the spirit stick takes it home and decorates their 6-8 inches.  (divided length by number of times someone will win it so everyone gets to decorate about the same amount each time)  The boys and leaders get very creative on this.  If it is a tiger den, it usually comes back orange.  Sometimes there are feathers, beads, leather, wood burning, etc.  Just try to secure it all so nothing gets knocked off as it is handed from den to den.  Boys usually put names or initials on it, their den # and rank.
This is our second year to do it.  I wish I had a scanner so I could show you a picture of last years completed one.  It really looks cool and a good keepsake for the pack.  I have to give credit to our local roundtable leaders because this is where I got the idea.   We have fun with it!

Sheri neglected to let us in  on how a den wins the Spirit Stick but I imagine that each pack would make its own set of rules.

RTGuy.

WHAT IS UNIT RECHARTERING?

On June 15, 1916, the United States Congress granted a federal charter to the Boy Scouts of America. This charter can be found in the United States Code, Title 36 (Patriotic Societies and Observances), Chapter 2 (Boy Scouts of America)
As stated in the U.S. Code regarding the BSA: "The purpose of the corporation shall be to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which were in common use by Boy Scouts on June 15, 1916."
The Boy Scouts of America renews its federal charter each year through a formal reporting to Congress. They (the BSA,) in turn, have granted charters to sponsoring (chartered) organizations. And like the BSA and the U.S. Congress, these chartered organizations must report to Scouting once each year to renew their local charters.
Chartered organizations are issued a charter, effective for one year, to operate a Cub Scout Pack. The charter year is not necessarily the same as the calendar or program year (the current Pack charter indicates the charter expiration date.) In the months prior to the charter expiration date, the District Executive, Unit Commissioner, Pack Committee, and Cubmaster all play an important role in the preparation and execution of the rechartering process.

 CASCADE PACIFIC COUNCIL CHARTER RENEWAL

Paper based charter renewal and Online Renewal Preparation
Forms and other information to help with your charter renewal process. This information will also need to be gathered before completing the online charter renewal.

Online charter renewal
The starting point for online charter renewal. Includes tips, tutorial and charter renewal.

 

On June 15, 1916, the United States Congress granted a federal charter to the Boy Scouts of America. This charter can be found in the United States Code, Title 36 (Patriotic Societies and Observances), Chapter 2 (Boy Scouts of America)
As stated in the U.S. Code regarding the BSA: "The purpose of the corporation shall be to promote, through organization, and cooperation with other agencies, the ability of boys to do things for themselves and others, to train them in Scoutcraft, and to teach them patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred virtues, using the methods which were in common use by Boy Scouts on June 15, 1916."
The Boy Scouts of America renews its federal charter each year through a formal reporting to Congress. They (the BSA,) in turn, have granted charters to sponsoring (chartered) organizations. And like the BSA and the U.S. Congress, these chartered organizations must report to Scouting once each year to renew their local charters.
Chartered organizations are issued a charter, effective for one year, to operate a Cub Scout Pack. The charter year is not necessarily the same as the calendar or program year (the current Pack charter indicates the charter expiration date.) In the months prior to the charter expiration date, the District Executive, Unit Commissioner, Pack Committee, and Cubmaster all play an important role in the preparation and execution of the rechartering process.

This very important meeting is a time for review, a time for long-term planning, and a time for growth. It should occur about 45 days prior to the reregistration date.

Who Attends?
The following people should be invited to the charter renewal meeting: the unit commissioner, chartered organization head, chartered organization representative, pack committee chairman and members, and all other pack leaders.

Who Is Responsible?
Either the chartered organization representative or pack committee chairman presides, unless the head of the chartered organization prefers to do so. The unit commissioner and pack committee members all have important parts in the meeting.

What Happens?
The Charter Renewal materials explain the details of what should be included in the charter renewal meeting. The information below will give you a general idea of what to expect:
Review of membership inventory and inspection.
Review of unit operation, including membership, program, advancement, outdoor activities, training status of leaders, pack budget plan, etc.
Identification of pack needs. Individual committee members may report on their specific areas of responsibility and make recommendations for improvement.
Did the pack qualify for the Quality Unit Award?
Complete application for charter renewal.
Make plans for the charter presentation ceremony.

FILL IT OUT - DROP IT OFF!

Your council service center provides a computer printout for the annual rechartering of your pack. It includes information concerning your chartered organization, committee, leaders, and boy roster, including Tiger Cubs and their adult partners. The rechartering application requires only that you cross out the names of individuals not reregistering and incorrect information. Write in the correct facts immediately below to update the information.
Secure two signatures (that of the organization head certifying all adults, and that of the Cubmaster certifying the boy roster). Forward the application to the local council service center with the necessary fees. Additions to the pack roster are made by simply attaching registration applications for each new member.

THE CHARTER RENEWAL  PROCESS

THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Ninety days before the charter renewal date, (first week of October) the professional Scouter renews the annual charter agreement with the executive officer of the chartered organization. During the visit, they:

Discuss the success and needs of the unit.

Review the role of the charted organization and the local council.

Consider key unit personnel to determine replacements, additions, and recognition.

Sixty days before the charter renewal date, (first week of November) the commissioner and unit committee conduct a membership inventory of youth and adults. Contacts or visits should be made to inactive youth and adults. Every effort should be made to recruit additional youth and adults so the unit re registers with no loss in membership.  (SPECIAL NOTE: See the roles and responsibilities of the committee's membership and reregistration chairperson.)

Forty-five days before the charter renewal date, (third week of November) the commissioner and unit committee chairman conduct the charter renewal meeting, which includes identifying youth and adults to re-register, completing forms, and collecting fees. The executive officer of the chartered organization or the chartered organization representative approves all volunteers and the unit leader certifies the youth to be registered. Participants of this meeting should include the commissioner, chartered organization representative, executive officer of the chartered organization, unit leader, and all other unit volunteers.

Thirty days before the charter renewal date, the commissioner submits the complete charter renewal application to the council service center. Thirty days after charter renewal, a formal charter presentation is conducted.
 

HE DROPPED OUT OF SCOUTS

He dropped out. This sentence is repeated again and again as pack and troop leaders fill out their recharter forms. Boys who were active as Tigers, Cub Scouts, Webelos or Boy Scouts are dropped from our rolls as one of us draws a line through their names.

How do we feel about that?

First, remember that each of these boys WAS a Scout. For whatever length of time, each of them was exposed to the gifts that Scouting offers a boy. He was urged to do his best, to help other people, to give good will, and to do his duty to God and country. We should feel happy for him, whether he was a member for 12 years and earned his Eagle with palms or was active for only a few months.  For that period of time, Scouting was part of his life.

We did our best for him, didn't we?

Yet, each of us has a duty to ask: why did he drop out? What could we have done to extend his Scouting - to keep him living the ideals of Scouting? Each time we draw that line through a boy's name, we must ask why.

Did we fail him in some way? Was he expecting something we didn't provide - or couldn't provide? Did we fail his family somehow? Were they aware of how important Scouting can be to their son's growth and development?

We are told by those who have studied this, that most boys stay in Scouting if the program is active and continuous. Boys tend to drop out when there is a break in the program or when leadership lapses.  As leaders, we must strive to ensure that our program is the best we can provide and is led by competent, trained adults.
 

2007 Centennial Quality Unit Award

The Centennial Quality Awards program is designed to recognize units, districts, councils, areas, and regions in achieving excellence in providing a quality program to a growing youth population in America at all levels of the Boy Scouts of America.
The Quality Unit Award may be earned only once in any twelve month period. The period (charter year, calendar year, school year, etc.) is to be determined by the pack committee.

 

 
 

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THE CHARTERED ORGANIZATION

AND THE PACK

The relationship between the unit and the charter organization is a two way street. They do something for you, but you need to do for them, too. One great way to improve or restart any relationship is to bring good will to the table.
Ask the pastor (priest? ???) or whoever is in charge for a meeting. Let Your boys benefit because they learn about helping others, and they earn service hours towards recognition and advancement. The church benefits because they get something done. The pack benefits because they've gained greater visibility from the church.
There's a BSA publication called "Role of the Charter Organization Representative" or something like that. Get a copy for your COR. Ask them to come to your committee and pack meetings. Include them in some ceremonies if they're willing. All along, you nurture that relationship!

CT-Sean

CO REPRESENTATIVE

• Responsibilities: The chartered organization representative's responsibilities are to:
• Help recruit the right leadership for the unit.
• Encourage unit leaders and committee members to take training.
• Promote well planned unit programs.
• Serve as a liaison between the units and the organization.
• Organize enough units.
• Promote the recruiting of new members.
• See that boys graduate from unit to unit.
• Assist with the rechartering.
• Suggest Good Turns for the organization.
• Encourage the committee to hold meetings.
• Cultivate organization leaders.
• Encourage outdoor program activities.
• Emphasize advancement and recognition.
• Bring district help and promote the use of district personnel and materials.
• Use approved unit finance policies.
• Encourage recognition of leaders.
• Represent the organization at the council level.

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This is the time to take inventory of all your leaders. Who will be staying on for the coming year? Who will be going on to Boy Scouts with their graduating Webelos? Who will be moving away from the community? It is much easier to recruit replacements and to enlarge your committee right after your Blue & Gold banquet, before summer comes. Take a few minutes at your next committee meeting to fill out this worksheet.

Instructions:
Use this worksheet  to ensure that your Pack has enough leaders to make your next year's program year successful.

• List the numbers of boys in each grade from your current Charter or your Pack Records.
• Fill in the number of Den Leaders and Assistants your pack will need to provide great den programs for these boys.

  These positions should be filled by your April or May Pack Meeting when Tigers and Cub Scouts move into their next phase of the Cub Scout Program.
 
 

DEN LEADER INVENTORY

Number of boys  Now In:	next year's Den	DL		Asst DL's:
		Need	Filled	Need	Filled
Grade 1	Wolf
Grade 2	Bear
Grade 3	Web-1
Grade 4	Web-2

PACK LEADERS FOR NEXT YEAR
List the names of the people you expect to fill the following positions next year. If you are not sure, leave it blank.
Your Commissioner and District Membership Team are available to help recruit new leaders.

POSITION	NAME	PHONE
Committee Chair
Cubmaster
Roundup Coord.
Tiger Coach
Den Ldr Coach
Committee Mbr
Committee Mbr
Den Leader
Den Leader
Den Leader
Den Leader
Den Leader
Den Leader
Web DL
Web DL
Web DL

Start at your Blue and Gold Banquets to take a good look at the leadership needs of your Cub Pack.

• As you approach the end of your Webelos year, consider which of your present Pack leaders will be going on with their graduating sons to Boy Scouts?
•  Who will replace them? When will they be trained? Will the Pack's program continue with no interruption?
• Who will lead the new Dens as Tigers graduate to the Wolf program, Wolves to Bear, and Bears to Webelos? This will occur in most Packs in April or May.
•  Who will be in charge of Roundup, Tigers, the Pack's camping program?
•  Its time to take stock. The Blue and Gold is an excellent place to look for new leaders. All the parents are there and it gives us the lead time to do a good recruiting job.

Scouting.org: Selecting Quality Leaders

 
Remember:

LEADERSHIP FOR DENS

Make sure that every den in your pack has adequate leadership.

That means a Den Leader, and at least one registered adult Assistant Den Leader. All leaders should have completed Cub Scout Leader Basic Training.

There should be two adults in attendance at all times at every Den meeting and other activity.  One of them should be the Den Leader or Assistant Den Leader.  These requirements provide greater safety for Cub Scouts, and comply with the BSA Youth Protection plan.

When leader is registered with the council, we are assured that he or she has the approval of the Chartering Organization and  background checks are positive. Registered leaders are informed, they receive Scouting Magazine, Compass Points and other communication. They are more likely to be trained and attend Roundtables and POW WOW. They are IN the loop.

This year, set a goal for 100% of the dens to have at least one assistant leader.  Your Tigers, Cub Scouts and Webelos deserve the best quality leadership.

Bill

What My Den Leader Taught Me:

My Den Leader taught me RELIGION -   "You better pray that will come out of the carpet." My Den Leader taught me LOGIC:   "Because I said so, that's why." My Den Leader taught me about WEATHER -   "It looks as if a tornado swept through this room." My Den Leader taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS    "If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you; would  you listen then?" My Den Leader taught me about HYPOCRISY    "If I've told you once, I've told you a million times                don't exaggerate!!!" BB

What do your committee members do?

This varies from year to year, depending on how many register. We treat all registered leaders as part of the committee. But, those registered specifically as MC have specific jobs beyond general planning.
This charter year, we have 3 MC. One is the pack treasurer, one is developing and will maintain a web page, and provide general background help, such as refreshment stand at pinewood derby. The other is our advancement person/popcorn chair/whatever else she agrees to help with.
We have several non registered parents still with us who also function as traditional MC slots. They simply choose not to register for whatever reason.
One oversees the planning for Blue and Gold.
One is almost always available to be an extra adult at camp. One helps out with popcorn sorting and other background work.
Basically, whenever we can, we find something to draw the parents in. It may be as a helper to the son's den, it may be as a finder of craft items, it may be as a driver, whatever works to further peak their interest, we are in favor of.
In an ideal world, den leaders and assistants would only be responsible for their own den meetings and their "show yer stuff" parts of the pack meeting. The committee would handle the behind the scenes stuff and the business end of the pack.
We aren't there yet, may never get there, but we seem to be having fun as we travel the path together all the same.

CT, Kevin Pate, Norman, OK

 

LINK: The Pack committee

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PACK COMMITTEE Organize your pack Committee to make it easier for the parents of new Cub Scouts to fit into the Pack structure. One way is to create a bunch of subcommittees, each of which is responsible for some major function such as:
Finance—could include the treasurer, FOS chair, fundraising team, budget team etc.
Service Projects—would organize Good Will Good Turn, Scouting For Food, Chartered Org. projects, community projects, etc.
Camping—organize Day Camp, Resident Camp, Scoutrageous, pack and family camp outs.
Membership—organize Roundup, Charter renewal,  Webelos transition, Boy's Life.
Recognition—handle advancement, leader recognition, applications for Summertime Pack Awards, Quality Unit Award, National Den Award, Blue & Gold, etc.
Derbies—responsible for the equipping and organizing pinewood, space, rain gutter and other special pack races.
Tours and Field Trips—makes the arrangements, files the tour permits, and leads a series of exciting pack activities.
Communication—prints the pack newsletter, web page, organizes a phone tree or email list.
These are just suggestions. You can probably think of other subcommittees and other ways to organize.
Each family would be expected to supply a parent to be either a registered leader or a member of one of these subcommittees. This way, a newcomer to the pack would not  feel isolated and could take on a job knowing they would be part of a team that will give support and ideas.
Its important that every parent contributes in some way to make the pack go and to set an example for their sons to follow. Its also important that we help parents overcome any fears or misgivings about taking on these responsibilities.
 
 

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LEADERSHIP SELECTION

Details are found in Selecting Cub Scout Leadership, No. 13-500.
Leadership Selection Steps
Appoint the selection team.  May include Pack leaders, Chartered Org. people, or others.
List and appraise the prospects. Who would be the BEST person to do this job. Don't say “No” for anyone. Assume that they all will say “Yes” and they will make the time to do a good job.
Make appointments with the prospects. Don't recruit over the phone. Go see them face-to-face.
Call on the prospects. Go with a job description, a list of reasons why they might say “Yes,” and if possible, the person to whom the prospect would say “Yes.”
Welcome the new leaders. Announce it at a pack meeting with a formal induction ceremony, write it up in your Newsletter or Web Page.
Conduct Fast Start Training. Take them to Basic Training and Roundtable, and sign them up for Pow Wow.

 

LEADER'S LIBRARY

Cub Scout Leader Book BSA Family Book Cub Scout Leader How-To Book Staging Den and Pack Ceremonies Cub Scout Program Helps Webelos Leader Guide Guide to Safe Scouting Den Chief Handbook Cub Scout Song Book Cub Scout Fun Book Cub Scout Magic Group Meeting Sparklers

 

 

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SEVEN THINGS I LEARNED AS A CUBMASTER.
(In the order I learned them.)




1.  Protect and Retain Den Leaders.  The program runs on DLs. Do anything to keep them happy and productive. Don't let anyone pile extra duties on them. They are not someone's personal messenger, or delivery boy and especially they are not your wait staff at the Blue and Gold Banquet. Their only job is to lead the den.
2.  Outings are Worth the Effort. As a pack, do something special every month  over and above the pack meeting. Tours, hikes, service projects, picnics, and especially pack camp outs – these sorts of things make the difference between ho-hum and WOW!!!
3.  Recruit Every Parent. Every parent must do something for the pack or den. He or she must be the role model for their boy to help make the pack go. Every boy deserves to see his parent be a Cub Scouting Hero. The longer I do this, the more value I see in parent participation:  for the pack, for the family and for the boy.
4.  Be Nutty! Lose your inhibitions and have uproarious FUN. Do all the zany songs, cheers, run-ons and stunts. Wear crazy costumes and play outrageous games. Do this a lot in Cub Scouts because as the boys get close to Boy Scout age they lose much of their appreciation of madcap humor – especially  by their parents.
5. Cute is a Four-letter Word. Cute stuff has no place in Cub Scouting. Boys at this age have no interest in being cute or being with people who want them to be. One of our den leaders would summarily veto any program idea that evoked the word “cute.”  Every pack needs someone like her.
6. Den Chiefs are Gods. Den Chiefs don't make your job much easier, but they do make the Cub Scout experience better. They require coaching and direction to be successful but when they succeed they bring a unique spark to a Cub Scout's life that no one else can.
7. Games and Ceremonies are all You Need. Everything in a pack or den meeting should be either a ceremony or a game. If you can't make announcements, setting up chairs, craft projects, or anything else be one or the other, then you are not reading the right books.
bill, the rtguy
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Pack School Night Chair By the end of May (at the very least),  your Pack should have appointed a person to lead your fall Roundup program. The duties of the Pack School Night chair are:

Attend the district School Night kickoff.

Contact the school's principal and secretary to make arrangements for the following:

Review all the Recruiting Material available from National and our Council.

Securing the building for a school night for Scouting.

Promotional flyers to be distributed to all boys one week prior to the school night.

Arranging for an in-school visit with the boys to promote Cub Scouting.

Conduct the school night schedule as outlined in the School Night Unit Coordinator's guide.

Follow up on new Cub Scouts to ensure that they become active in the pack and see that every parent is asked to take a specific responsibility with the pack.

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Q. I have been appointed Coordinator for new Cub Scout and Adult Leader recruitment for our local Pack. What should I do?

A. Congratulations, it's wonderful that you are getting started this early. Anything you can do in April or May will make things easier in September and reduce pressure and tears in December. I hope that some of the kids that you recruit this fall become Eagle Scouts down the road. You will have started them on that trail.

SCHOOL RELATIONS: Cement relations between the pack and the school you will be recruiting from. Service projects, cookies for the school secretary, talks with the principal, relations with volunteer coordinators, school site committee, parent associations. Sell the facts that Cub Scouting is an educational program and that we stand strongly for ethical behavior and character development, that the Webelos Activity Badge program compliments the grades 4 and 5 curricula. Be visible, helpful and cooperative. You will need to set dates and get permission to recruit from the school.

DISTRICT AND COUNCIL HELP. Check with your DE and District Roundup Coordinator. They have a packet of things like flyers, posters, yard signs, Parent Guides, New Leader Guides and Bobcat Trail pamphlets for you. Get a good supply and be ready to use all of it. The district can also supply some human help like the DE going into the school and doing a rah rah talk to the kids, great, but some parent from the school should set it up and be there too (preferably in a Scouter uniform.) In August, the district holds a Roundup kick-off - be sure to attend with some of your key helpers.

START PLANNING NOW. State your objective: hopefully to recruit DL's and other leaders. Collect your resources: get commitments from every leader in the pack to be there. Delegate jobs like putting up posters and yard signs, greeters at the door, entertaining the kids while the most persuasive person in your pack sells the program to the parents. Line up displays of pinewood derbies, etc. and especially camp photos. If someone can create a Power Point presentation of your activities, that's a winner. Check for help from neighborhood Scout troops. Don't wait to get these things lined up. Do it now!

MAKE AND ACTIVITY SCHEDULE. Get your annual plan down on paper and have copies on hand for your recruiting night. Hopefully it includes all sorts of neat activities. Have a budget so you can inform parents what it's going to cost them.

BE VISIBLE. Your pack should do things during the summer that will be seen. Things like parades, picnics, rainwater regattas in a local park, media coverage will all help sell your pack program. Make sure that your uniforms, flags, banners etc. are seen.
Remember there probably is a sizable Home school population in your area. Typically they favor Scouting. Let them know you exist.

RECRUITING FLYERS. If you can distribute flyers, give some thought on what you want printed on them. Certainly the time and place of your pack's recruiting night, phone numbers and email in case they can't make it. How about registration fees, leader's names, program highlights? What do you think your neighbors will want to know before they show up? The Council will print your message on the flyers if you have the copy ready when your order them.

LOOK SHARP. On your recruiting night, try to look well organized. Have the room set up well in advance. Everybody should know their roles and be on hand a bit early. When the new folk arrive, they should be greeted at the door or even the parking lot. Give them registration forms, and other handouts and have them sit by grades so you can easily form dens later. Be ready for one parent to show up with kids in more than one grade. Be ready for siblings of all ages. Start things off with a stirring flag ceremony. A Webelos den or a Boy Scout patrol probably. Pull out all stops. It's your first impression. You may want to do a couple fun sparklers to get things rolling, especially if you have a good song leader or cheer master in your your pack. Tell them about your program. I have seen Webelos do great jobs reporting on summer camp and other activities. If possible separate the kids from the parents and then sell the program to the adults. Don't be negative. Sell the values of the program. Sell the ideals. I strongly believe that most parents love their kids and are willing to put out a lot of time and effort it they believe your program is worth it. Show them that it is. Let them know that everyone will be asked to help and that you expect them to say yes. Tell them about support like training and literature.

FULFILL THE PROMISE. Make sure that before the evening is over, both boys and adults are invited to some special activity. Our council runs a special open house at our Cub Camps in October just for new recruits called the Stampede. The kids come and shoot bows and arrows and bb-guns and other stuff and the parents stand around and gawk. We promised those kids that Cub Scouting is fun and adventure, let's make sure they get some as soon as possible.

COMPLETE THE PAPER WORK. Before they leave collect registration forms and money. Turn it in as soon as possible so that each boy is covered by your pack insurance and starts getting his Boy's Life on time. Do follow up calls to those who didn't make it.
 

Parent Agreement

I have read the  Cub Scout Promise and I want my son to join the pack. I will assist him in observing the policies of the Boy Scouts of America and of his pack's chartered organization. I will: While he is a Tiger Cub, serve as his adult partner and participate in all meetings and activities and approve his advancement. While he is a Cub Scout, help him and approve his Cub Scout advancement. While he is a Tiger Cub, Cub Scout or Webelos Scout, attend monthly pack meetings and take part in other activities; assist pack leaders as needed.

This is printed on the 2nd page of
the boy's Application to Join the Pack.
Parents are required to sign the application signifying
that they have read this and agree to it.
 
 
 

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ROUNDUP IDEAS

Roundup is a special time for boys and for the Cub Packs they join. Its special for the boys because it marks a great milestone in their lives. It is special for the packs because it is the renewal point in the cycle of members and leaders. Here are some ideas to help make your roundup successful.
 

• Recruit a parent to Chair the Roundup. Send him or her to training. No excuses.
• Plan your Roundup. Assign duties to as many leaders and parents as possible.
• Attend the district Kick-off. Send everyone who can walk.
• Work with the schools. You should set a date for your Roundup between Sept. 6 to 23. Help stuff first day envelopes or whatever help you can offer your school admin.
• Date for a school visit  - Set it a couple days before your Roundup. Inform our DE and order flyers.
• Message for the back of the flyers. Include, date, time and place, the cost of joining, phone contacts and any other special items you want. Ask your school about any need for non English information - the Council has a fairly good selection.
• Boys wear their uniforms on the day of the school visit - especially the Webelos. Work up a plan so that a present member can earn a HI segment if he recruits a friend to join.
• Locate your Fast Start tape. If you can't find it, ask the DE for a replacement. Or log onto the web at: http://www.bsa.scouting.org/cubscouts/faststart/
• Posters and signs go everywhere: school bulletin boards, supermarkets, yard signs.
• The Pack Roundup Guide has a great agenda, but don't be afraid to add your own special twists.
• Have lots of displays, adults and boys in uniform, friendly greeters, and an impressive opening ceremony.
• Recruit Parents.
• Parent Information forms are a great resource. Use them.
• Turn in all Applications, with fees pro-rated though December.  He's not a Cub Scout until you do.

The following DVD is available to support recruiting:
Cub Scout Recruiting DVD  #13-118 (2004 release)
Three chapters -

• Tiger Cub /Cub Scout Recruiting  - fast moving clips of Cub Scouts doing fun stuff. Tigers still in Orange but otherwise very good.
• Webelos Scout Recruiting - a bit more serious presentation. Keeps pretty well at a 10 year old level and doesn't talk down or patronize the kids.
• Parent Orientation and Recruiting - an excellent presentation on why parents should get involved and consider being leaders.

I'm not sure how it is being distributed but I would recommend every pack use this in their recruiting if possible.  I would guess that a good way to start would be to bug your council - especially your DE to get one for you.

 

RECRUITER STRIP

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts may be awarded, and wear, below the right pocket on their uniforms, the Recruiter Strip shown above There are NO formal requirements for these strips.  Each Unit establishes the procedure for awarding the strip.  Usually, a Recruiter Strip is awarded to a Cub Scout or Boy Scout the first time he is successful in getting a friend, relative, classmate, or other acquaintance to join his unit. Typically, only ONE strip is awarded to a boy while he is a Cub Scout, and another may be awarded while he is a Boy Scout.

 

SEVEN REASONS TO TURN IN APPLICATIONS
1. HONESTY: When I tell a boy that he has joined Cub Scouts, or tell parents that they are leaders, I want to tell them the truth. They are not members until their registrations are accepted by the Scout Office.
2. BOY'S LIFE: I want my Cub Scouts to start receiving their copies of Boy's Life as soon as possible. It's not fair to make them wait any longer than necessary.
3. SCOUTING MAGAZINE: The new leaders in our Pack need the information and ideas that are in Scouting   Magazine to do their jobs.
4. COMPASS POINTS: Our FOS donations pay for CPC to send Compass Points and other mailings to all our  registered leaders. It lets them know about special training and other programs in our council and district.
5. DISTRICT SUPPORT: Commissioners, trainers and other District volunteers use our Pack membership lists to offer help and support to our leaders.
6. MEDICAL INSURANCE: When a boy or adult is registered, our Pack Medical Insurance automatically covers them  for Scouting Activities.
7. LIABILITY INSURANCE: My leaders are covered by the BSA Liability Insurance when they are engaged in  Scouting Activities.  It is in effect, only when they and the Cub Scouts are registered.

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SPRING ROUNDUP

I have to admit that I ran the idea of the idea of a Spring Roundup through the Pack Committee first. The committee enthusiastically backed the idea.
We came up with a fee to cover the new scouts registration fee (BSA registration, Boys Life), their book (Wolf or Tiger), their T-shirt (Tiger T-shirt or Pack T-shirt for other Scouts), a Scout Belt, and a little more to cover most of the new Scout's summer activity cost. In other words, a one time summer fee and parents did not even have to go find the Scout Shop . (The parents really liked this approach) We gave each Scout who signed up that night their Rain gutter Regatta kit and invited the new Scouts to our Pack Graduation, which was a week later.
 At Pack Graduation, we gave each Scout his Cub Scout belt and T-shirt to change into. You should have seen the faces of the new Scouts when they saw their new uniform. During the Graduation, we had an induction ceremony for the new Scouts. Boy, were
those new Scouts excited. Rain gutter Regatta is this weekend and the new Scouts should have a ball.
We signed up 7 Tigers and 2 Wolves, which increased the size of my pack from 12 boys up to 21 boys. The leaders and I were really pleased with the success of the Spring Roundup.
 By the way, we told the new Wolf parents that they won't have to buy the full uniform until August.
Will we do a Spring Roundup again? Most definitively.

CT - Chuck Wagner, Pack 471
CM, Step by Step School/St. Anne's School, Tomball, TX

 
 

Have you ever climbed a mountain? Do you know how to save a life? Can you survive in the wilderness? Have you ever lived in a igloo for a weekend? Do you know how to build a bridge out of a few trees and some rope? Boy Scouts Do

 

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WELCOMING NEW FAMILIES We give all the new boys their first neckerchief and slide, the Tigers get their shirt instead of the neckerchief.
I set up a campsite in the school cafeteria including a tent, outside the tent is a cooler, a battery lantern, a backpack, folding table and chair, anything I can find available. In front of the tent I set stack 6-8 small logs in the log cabin style. I put a utility/work light inside the logs so that the light glows orange through the plastic cover. I put a large (camping style) pot on top of the stack of logs. Inside the large pot is a smaller pot that I have already put the shirts, neckerchiefs, and slides into. Between the two pots, inside the large one but outside the small one, I add chunks of dry ice.
I tell a story of the Cub Scout colors, explaining the meaning of the colors. As I explain the meaning of Blue, I hold up a clear plastic gallon container filled with blue colored water and pour it over the dry ice getting the steam effect. Then I explain the Gold color and do the same with yellow colored water for more steam. I then call the boys (older boys first works best for us since they can sit still longer after their turn) up and reach into the boiling pot to pull out their neckerchief/shirt. The looks on the boys faces when the pot started boiling were great, but the looks on the parents faces were even better.
The problem is, after you start with a ceremony like that, how are you going to equal/top it at future meetings.