Krampus

We give an annual inventory and financial statement to our CO.

Great advice!!!

No, but I know units that have. I would build a "friends of" organization now and put any spring sales revenue there. Check with a tax attorney to see how that would work. I know of one unit that did that.

[insert BSA noting their membership numbers 'increased' but not why]

For our unit it goes something like this (see below). It is not written in stone, but typically is followed: SPL: Star and NYLT ASPL: FC PL: FC Any Troop Position: FC Any Patrol Position: Scout All potential leaders must attend our TLT done twice a year.

Our unit used to do things "on demand" but that usually meant the scout was think planning in advance and taking other things in to consideration. In a large troop we found that on demand did not work over time. The scouts became accustom to instant gratification. By going to a schedule for SMCs and BORs we found the scouts became much better at managing their affairs and the troop/patrol overall. Since life is based on schedules rather than instant gratification, we figured this was the best approach.

All BORs below Eagle are done by the advancement chairmen. We try to batch them to match when SMCs are done. We hold SMCs on the first and third Monday of the month, BORs are usually on the same dates BUT Scouts passing an SMC one night may have to wait 2 weeks for their BOR. EBORs are done in the unit. We invite the district rep. We usually have several week's notice. Only Scouts who are within their 90 day post 18th birthday deadline are sped up. I'd say we usually know 4 weeks ahead of time of when an EBOR is. We have about 9 a year, give or take, so about once a month or less. If possible we will batch these as well.

Down again this AM...lol

The problem now a days is that the people who consider themselves leaders THINK they are good leaders. We've evolved as a society as to promote our own agenda at the expense of another's. There's no accountability. Look at the professor in Missouri as a most recent example. I disagree with the person from the Kennedy School. We know how to grow good leaders. The Tao of Leadership is an excellent tome on the subject. Problem is, egos of leaders get in the way of being good leaders...and the expectation that ANY leaders is somehow without fault tends to taint them.

Love it...validation!

ROFL...I hear you. This sounded like more a tax and accounting question though. If it were me, I would go that route. There's nothing BSA can really know that a good accountant won't This is tax law and book-keeping.

Agreed. In my area some scouters will use it as a benchmark to label your troop an "Eagle Mill" if you are what they think is significantly above the 4% "average". Oddly enough, the actually number of Eagles per unit should be more of a determinant in whether a troop is considered a mill (it that even matters). To my unit the issue has always been about the quality of the candidate, not the number or percentage.

I've heard the "4 out of 100" before too. I recall this article from last year which has recent rates higher. All time is 2%. Anyone remember what change was made in 1990 to cause a full percent jump in 1991...and a doubling by 2005? Or is the record decline in membership part of this "increase"? http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/03/30/what-percentage-of-boy-scouts-become-eagle-scouts/ EDIT: Compare the raw totals against the percentage increases, then compare against membership declines and you'll see why the % is increasing. It's an optical illusion. Since 2002 the deviation is roughly 4,000 eagles year to year, but membership dropped 3-4%. http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2015/02/19/number-of-eagle-scouts-per-year/

DE or council? Please. This is something an accountant or tax professional should help with. @@seldon wants real answers, @@Sentinel947.

Fred, what would you call a unit who has leaders that don't double check forms, double check online systems, don't review ALL pertinent information during an SMC and allow something as BASIC as the entry age to scouting go unchallenged? Wonder what else they are not checking? Med forms? Food allergies? Range safety? YPT? C'mon. Let's stop excusing very bad mistakes and call them what they are! We CAN be good scouts AND still call a spade a spade. This wasn't a simple miss. This was a series of misses where the unit leaders had many chances to catch this. They didn't. If they were doctors or airline pilots would you want them in charge? C'mon!

It is a shame the SM is like this. Here is my advice for your son. This is the same advice I give my SPL and his PLs: Look at the troop calendar. Plan the next 1-2 months of meetings. Try to align the troop meetings with any monthly themes you might have. For example, if the monthly theme is orienteering try to make the troop meetings orienteering themed. Using the Troop Program Features documents, come up with ideas for skills, games and activities for your future meetings. Using the Troop Program Resources document, come up with other activities or games for your meetings. Using the Troop Meeting Plan template develop the troop meeting plan for each meeting. Using the materials and ideas from the Troop Program Features and Troop Program Resources to help populate the meeting plan. Make sure to assign one patrol responsible for set up, one for flag ceremony, and any others for other activities. The PLs should work with their patrols to organize how they will accomplish their assigned task. When done, share the meeting plans with all PLs, the SM and the other Scoutmasters. This should put the lazy SM in his place and demonstrate that your son DOES have what it takes despite the SM's inability to do HIS JOB effectively. Sorry, I get a bit angry at adults who put it all back on the kids. Boy led DOES require adult involvement. Wow!! I didn't realize it was the troop committee chairman who was called the bad names. Does she realize SHE is in control of the SM's fate? If she wants she can kick him out with the troop committee approval. Better have someone willing to step in though. The SM leads the boys, but he serves at the pleasure of the TC and the charter organization.

We join to get closer to our own kids. We stay because we believe in helping those who want help, grow and become good citizens. Well done!!

I would offer this advice to anyone with suggestions about the troop operations: Talk to the SM about your "vision". He may share it. He may be trying to implement it and not know how. He may have tried and failed. He may not know how. He may disagree. The point is, the SM may be simply maintaining the status quo simply out of survival instinct or for any one of a number of other reasons. While the SM in the OP may NOT be open to change or comment, my guess is that the majority of SMs will be.

I can't honestly say where any of the "requirements" for PORs came from. I don't recall them being around when I was a scout. Maybe I wasn't paying attention. I do see locally where many troops say you can't be a Den Chief unless you are (x) or you cannot be SPL unless you've been to NYLT or are at least Star. That got me thinking how many of the troops represented here have similar policies and how closely they may adhere to them. My unit has a few but they are guidelines. If I have a TF who is a rocking leader he can run from PL despite not being FC.

Not to hijack the thread but does anyone have rank level requirements or training requirements for any PORs? For example, must be FC to be PL, must have NYLT to be SPL? And if you have of these requirements, do you stick to them or are they flexible?

ig·no·rance (ˈiɡnərəns/) noun: lack of knowledge or information. "he acted in ignorance of basic procedures" synonyms: incomprehension of, unawareness of, unconsciousness of, unfamiliarity with, inexperience with, lack of knowledge about, lack of information. No way this was ignorance. This was incompetence. It was ineptitude.

Gotta agree (what's that, two times for us? ) Rude behavior towards the kids is enough. Rude (perhaps lewd) comments about a female member? Nope, if I were TC we'd be having his meeting tonight. Unacceptable.

I found this gem from a few years ago. Read BW and BP's responses. Ah, memories....

ROFL...if you say so.