Leaderboard

Here's the deal, and I am not trying to be a negative Nelly here. As a former pro, I know what the job entails, and appreciate the good DEs. What do I mean by good DEs, I mean, and in no particular order. 1. They listen to volunteers. 2. They are more focused on The Movement in general, than FOS. 3. They appreciate the volunteers. 4. They are courteous towards the volunteers. I give every new Pro the benefit of the doubt when they come aboard. I have even talked to them about situations and challenges they will be facing when they work with volunteers. For the past

In my experience I think the #1 thing that a professional scouter can do to help the council/district/units is to constantly recruit new volunteers and encourage every unit to participate at the district level either through the COR or a COR delegate volunteering on a district committee.

I like these. One thing I then do “back for the pros” is my list here. I’ve had pretty good DEs, so YMMV. For me, by doing these things, when I need their help/resources they have been there. 1. Listen to the DEs. 2. Fully support FOS so the DEs don’t have to push a rope on something that is important to them, but we don’t want theM to focus on it. 3. Really work your own issues at the unit level and only involve DEs when needed. Leverage the resources by not burdening them with items that don’t need to be handled by them. 4. Support your council camps, camporees, and other co

Don't use fundraising as a decision factor. It's noise; annoying yes, but still noise. Key factors are fun and involvement and a healthy environment.

Back in the day when it was under $30K, buddy of mine calculated how much we averaged an hour, and that is not considering summer camp. It was under $3/hour. As for vacation, what's that? Seriously for the 16 months, I had 1 day off, besides holidays. And I only got that day off because when I showed up to summer camp, there were too many staffers. So those of us not needed were sent home AFTER we showed up on Sunday. It would have been nice if they told us Friday afternoon, or even Saturday morning before we left. Since I had no plans for Monday, and the girlfriend was off on Mondays, we

Those salaries are pathetic. Less than $20 per hour, based on a 40 hr work week. And how many DEs will be successful working ONLY 40 hrs a week? And expected to work most nights and weekends? No wonder there is low quality and high turnover.

It wasn't just DEs that were insulting, but also FDs, DFSs, and one SE. And what really ticked me off about the SE was that the only reason the event he did this at was a success was the hard work and dedication of one volunteer, who also contributed his treasure knowing Council would not reimburse him, that he ignored. While I have seen a few Pros that care, most of them lately seem to be recent college grads and want a job. At least in my neck of the woods. As for treating volunteers with respect and thanking them, that is a must. When I was a DE, there were times that the volunte

This is true. As a roundtable commissioner, I can do so much better of a job with a few other roundtable Commissioners. I love how our DE brainstorms with the district commissioner and chair for new resources.

What a new DE needs to become a good and effective DE First, the right attitude. Should know what the program(s) is and have had some experience with it as a youth and perhaps as a volunteer. Second, accept and try to live up to the Oath, Law, motto and slogan. No one manages to do this all of the time… well, maybe Jesus… Third, be totally open and transparent with your volunteers, share your goals, vision and concerns with them and ask them to do the same with you. Whatever goals and deadlines you have, be professional and keep them in balance. I held a meeting in December

I have found that money goals were the easiest to reach. When I came to Syracuse in the summer 25 years ago (yes I am old) my predecessor had raised less than $8k in the 'family campaign, with a bit of cleanup we got to about $9.5k but within a couple of years we were raising well over $30k. It was a combination of recruiting the right volunteer to head up the FOS campaign and improved service and visability. Just like respect, support needs to be earned.

Things clearly have changed since you "retired". I provided the current Scouts BSA joining requirements that went into effect April 18, 2022. While you are correct on the disabilities portion, it is not relevant. The question is about the earliest point someone in Cub Scouts (or not in Cub Scouts) can join a Scouts BSA troop, not how long someone can stay a Cub Scout.

I did appreciate my DEs and got to know them on a personal level. Ours spent almost the entire summer at Camp and was even seen cutting firewood so the Council could sell it. He showed up at almost all of my training sessions to help out. All of my classes were full, but I ended up training more from other Districts as I did my own. Sadly, some fellow volunteers just viewed the DE as a "spy" or the "fun police" to interfere with our programs. I did appreciate my DEs and got to know them on a personal level. Ours spent almost the entire summer at Camp and was even seen cutting fi

@fred8033 They never updated that FAQ. Shocking. here is the current youth application with a revision date of 04/2023. https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/524-406.pdf I agree the wording is somewhat ambiguous, but it's been clarified elsewhere (by some national volunteer somewhere) that the intent is that it must be on or after March 1 of the 5th grade school year. The idea behind this particular clause was that a kid not already in Cub Scouts would be allowed to join at the same time as their buddies already in Cubs would be crossing over.

True, there is less opportunity for movement but also moving up, when it happens often means relocation and for many that means selling one house and purchasing another which is expensive. I served in multiple councils and had a total of 7 residences. (2 mobile homes and 4 homes and 1 rental) Honestly, if I had it all to do over I would probably not go into professional scouting. Easier hours and less stress in many other jobs. My engagement with volunteers gave me many positive experiences and I do feel that many thousands of youths gained positive experiences and personal growth due to my ef

On top of that, higher positions aren't available for DE's like there used to be. After the lawsuit, everyone had to cut positions and "do more with less". Instead of spending 3-4 years as a DE, there are waiting 5-7 years just for a spot to open up to get promoted.

Starting salary range for DE is not much higher in metro areas. Southern New England, it's set at about $42,000/year. To put that into perspective, my local Dunkin Donuts is hiring at $17/hour to start. The Taco Bell a town over has a big help wanted sign out, starting wage up to $19/hour. Turnover is and has been high in my council and neighboring councils for as long as I've been involved as an adult, and I would say that the majority who have come and gone that I have interacted with have been good individuals, they just have come to realize they can make more money and work a less stressfu

No, the joining requirements for Scouts BSA changed on April 18, 2022, and are as follows: At least 10 years old, currently in the fifth grade and register on or after March 1 or At least 10 years old and have earned the Arrow of Light Award or At least 11 years old (but not yet 18)

New Mexico: All councils are equal opportunity employers. In addition to offering a competitive salary of $35,600 – $44,000. Mississippi: In addition to offering a competitive salary of $40,000 Indiana: In addition to offering a competitive salary range of $38,000 – $40,000 based on experience

Sounds like you have experienced a couple of professionals that lacked the temperament and/or training for their position. One of my volunteers told me that the reason she and so many others worked so dilligently for me and for Scouting was because I always said THANKS! That little word means so much to volunteers. I have seen it make the difference between them doubling their efforts or walking away. Volunteers do 'their thing' for many reasons but often it is because of a core belief that they are making a positive difference for kids and for their community. There are a lot of professionals

- A focus on unit service. And everything viewed through that lens... - Recruit, train, and support COMMISSIONERS to implement the unit service support. This is the Unit Commissioners' purpose. But in the eight councils I have been involved with over my adult years, only one did this well, and Scouting was most successful there, of all others experienced. (But that was also in the late 80's and early 90's.) - Low cost, high impact training for unit leaders. (And encouragement/recognition for unit leaders who complete more advanced training.) I know it is hard enough to get prog

With these numbers, I am not surprised of the difficulties. 2 scouts is not a den, 4 barely. Not to sound harsh, but these numbers do not make viable dens, let alone a pack. The pack needs to either fold or merge IMO.

Scouting is on it's way out. Not anytime soon but the trends point to the end. National will die before most LC's due to huge debt and little cash on hand. There will be many council mergers and more camps sold in the next few years. The best way to continue scouting is to eliminate National and have LC's vote on standards and rules. No National needed. Sell Summit and National offices.

In my area, to get into the selective private middle schools you just need to ensure your $25,000 check doesn't bounce.