Jump to content

Jameson76

Members
  • Content Count

    1503
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    54

Posts posted by Jameson76

  1. Certainly the horse it out of the barn on this one, but, going forward you may want to set clear expectations for rank advancement.  You are the SM and responsible for the program.  For Star / Life / Eagle other the MB's, all the requirement sign offs you may want to be done by the SM.

    In our unit for Scout / TFoot / Second Class / First Class the requirements are signed off by Life or Eagle Scouts.  Rank requirements are signed off by SM for Star / LIfe / Eagle.  They go to their specific ASM for the SM conference for Scout / TFoot / Second Class ranks.  SM handles those for 1st / Star / Life / Eagle.  If their specific ASM is not available any ASM can step in.  If we are on a campout or summer camp and SM is not there, then an ASM handles.

     

  2. This is one of the reasons I only work at the unit level.  I do volunteer and serve on my terms.  I would say the leaders in our troop (60 + Scouts and 12 + active leaders + committee) are on the same page.  The District Chair and DE wanted to do a meeting on FOS, we said no, send us a flyer with detail and we will distribute.  Then they wanted access to our parents e-mails, again, nope.  We'll handle it

    Popcorn, nope.  Camp cards, nope.

    Focus is program, outings, etc.  I enjoy mentoring the youth, seeing them succeed.  Helping them deliver program to their peers.  Way way back in the day did some district stuff.  Really unfulfilling and felt most meetings were checking a box for some meaningless District set of goals.

    Lo these many years have really just had a great time being a Scout.  Only real council interaction is at summer camp.

    • Like 1
    • Upvote 1
  3. 2 hours ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

    What is the primary reason for councils to exist??  You should really explore that question. 

    Well, do you raise money to have a Scouting program (volunteer thinking) OR do you have Scouting to be able to raise money (professional thinking).  When well over half you expenses are salaries and compensation and not focused on program, it's an issue.  My council's largest group is dedicated to raise money, so they can have more staff to, well, raise money

    1 hour ago, yknot said:

     Scout management, from what've experienced at the council and national levels, is ten years behind comparable outside corporate environments.

    You are being kind, it's like any management thinking is from the 30's and 40's of layered management (many layers) and nobody really makes a decision, they just sort of meet about it.  My council has a lot of staff and a well paid SE (sorry CEO).  He has 1 direct report.  Then there is the ASE who have 3 or 4 Sr Field Directors, then the SrFD have FD, then they have Sr DE's, then they have DE's.  A lowly DE has 5 to 6 levels of management to the CEO, and they do not have that many staff.  My company has 10,000 US staff.  Warehouse guy has less levels than that to our US CEO

    1 hour ago, yknot said:

    I would also argue that a lot of these people would be unemployable at even their current salaries in the private sector. 

    Many have only worked in the BSA, that is the entire Senior Management team.  You lock step and say yes sir (or maam) to the higher ups and toe the line

     

    • Like 1
  4. 1 hour ago, 1980Scouter said:

    Wow. That is crazy salaries for a non-profit.  I agree that maybe 75k might be low in some markets. I was thinking of my area.

    Well - 

    That explains the focus on FOS, popcorn, and camp cards.  Guess all of our fair share is needed to support their lifestyles

    • Upvote 1
  5. You can find the 990 form for your council.  For my council latest one I could locate was 2019

    Revenue - $14.3 M.  These top 6 staff (less than 10% of the total staff) account for $1.594MM in costs or 11% of the budget.  SE pay is not in fact a misprint

    • SE / CEO
      • Reportable compensation - $459K
      • Other compensation - $159K
      • Total - $618K
    • Deputy SE
      • Reportable compensation - $189K
      • Other compensation - $70K
      • Total - $259K
    • Director of Development
      • Reportable compensation - $155K
      • Other compensation - $38K
      • Total - $193K
    • Director of Field Service
      • Reportable compensation - $151K
      • Other compensation - $33K
      • Total - $184K
    • Director of Field Service (another one)
      • Reportable compensation - $146K
      • Other compensation - $30K
      • Total - $176K
    • Director of Accounting
      • Reportable compensation - $101K
      • Other compensation - $63K
      • Total - $164K
    • Thanks 1
    • Upvote 1
  6. Out unit does not sell popcorn, camp cards or FOS.  When we look at the council roster of staff roughly 30% of the folks are specifically related to "development"  I was at a troop event and the area director advised that scouting was a success due to amount of money raised at a dinner

    When they list a new person coming on as a DE, they list FOS, popcorn, and camp cards as their main functions.  Then ONLY time we see our local DE, it's about money.  Honestly not sure what the guy does 40 hours per week.  We have maybe 20 units in the district.  3 of those at our CO.  Basically 1 day per week should be focused on "assisting" our units.  Yeah, guess he's out raising money.

    We don't bother the council and they don't bother us.  We did speak with one field director.  I advised if he could advise on # of Cubs / Scouts / Explorers in the council in 1975 and the number of council staff (Pro Scouts, rangers, admins, etc) and the # of  Cubs / Scouts / Explorers in the council at the start of 2022 and the number of council staff (Pro Scouts, rangers, admins, etc), then we could see how they are managing overhead and discuss.  We're still waiting

    • Like 1
  7. The BSA has never been overly transparent on their numbers or their math.  Lately they don't seem to report their numbers or generate an annual report.

    Their math is suspect at best.  They always report that only 5% of Scouts get Eagle.  This number is generated by XX Eagles in a year divided by YY Scouts registered at that time.  50,000 Eagles, 1,000,000 Scouts (now Scouts BSA) and you have 5%.  Challenge is that a good number of Scouts are Scouts for multiple years.  Not a big deal but I think it speaks to the casualness the BSA has with actual data.  No way diminishing the Eagle rank (I am an Eagle Scout), but let's report the number honestly.

    Now with the bankruptcy / LDS / COVID and other impacts that have been long in the making the total membership is well under 1,000,000.  

    Some basic numbers from press reports middle of last year

    • Decline in membership in the Boy Scouts of America from 2019 to 2020
    • From 1.97 million Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts to 1.12 million
    • Associated Press reports that BSA membership has fallen even further since 2020—to about 762,000
    • For purposes of comparison in the BSA peaked in 1972 at 6.5 million members
    • As recently as 1998 membership was 4.8 million

    If as noted in the slide that membership is under one million, a lot of work to do

     

    • Upvote 1
  8. 3 hours ago, Armymutt said:

    The requirement says, "With your parent’s or guardian’s approval, connect with another Scout or youth your own age who has an identity that’s different from yours. (This means a trait, belief, or characteristic different from you.)

    A trait can be something simple as hair color.  Surely the Scout has a sibling or friend who has a different color of hair than he/shoe does.  Perhaps framing the situation like that will gain the parents' permission.  This approach can effectively nullify any intentions from the MB developer that the parents might have objections to.  I don't know of too many parents who would object to their children talking to each other.  

    Our unit has had some discussion on this requirement.  In our mind the key phrasing and verbiage is "who has an identity that’s different from yours"

    At it's most general, the definition of identity is "the fact of being who or what a person or thing is".  This really could quite literally be anyone, other than an internal dialogue.  All of us have some different traits, beliefs, or characteristics than someone (anyone) else.  It is not saying a person of Christian faith must speak with an atheist.  That would be enlightening no doubt, but not required.

    They (the scout) should have the conversation with someone else, no more, no less than the requirement asks

    • Upvote 2
  9. Has National BSA just stopped publishing annual reports and membership numbers?  Last one I can find is 2019

    • CUBS - 1,1176,119
    • Scouts BSA - 798,516
    • Ventures - 42,571
    • Explorers - 101,243
    • Learning for Life - 145,463
    • CO's - 80,756

    My council does not seem to publish any numbers.  If you are lucky enough to hear one of the chosen professionals (the great unwashed and holy) they seem to determine success by money raised.  Also they all seem to be getting promoted.  I guess that means more cash for them.  Never see them and not sure how they positively impact the program, but I digress.

    So how many Cubs / Scouts BSA / Ventures / Explorers are there now (or end of 2021).  I guess that is a state secret

     

     

     

    • Upvote 1
  10. One observation is that our local soccer / baseball / basketball youth sports leagues do not do any marketing, but seem to have a bunch of participants.

    Honestly the best marketing is word of mouth, youth having a positive experience, inviting their friends.  Our troop runs an Instagram account with 1,000 followers and a Facebook page with close to 500 followers.  Not sure this translates to youth joining.  This does give us a positive image in the area.  For the Scouts it does give them a platform to show their friends what they do in the Troop.

    For the BSA we do face image headwinds after several years of lawyer ads asking if YOU were abused by the BSA.  That is a tough one, and while probably not front and center for families, it is in the back of their minds.

    Overall it would be good to have some central marketing and (dare I say) brand awareness.  Focus on what we do well.  In our council we seem to have waaaay more council staff working on raising money than raising awareness.  That may be the root of the issue.  Volunteers and "pros" have a different idea of what Scouting is about.  Is it a program (volunteer mindset) or a cash cow (pro mindset).

    • Upvote 1
  11. @ScoutcrafterHave you read Lord of the Flies by William Golding?  The patrols should sort of work like that.  Though I would suggest to try to avoid the Scouts dropping boulders on the other Scout's heads.

    Truly the SCOUTS run (or should run) the program.  In the case of the new / crossover Scouts it is tough to have one them be the patrol leader due to lack of experience.  In our unit the crossovers are in the new scout patrol / program and older scouts from the troop are their "patrol leaders" for the spring and their first campout.  First meeting in the fall they get rolled into the regular patrols.

    The bestest new scout gets to keep the replica of Piggy's glasses to start fires with.  SPL keeps the conch

  12. 9 minutes ago, malraux said:

    Yeah, its just a pointless formality before announcing that coed dens work for Cub Scout aged youth.

    Which will then become ALL dens are coed (who doesn't like families right??), which will then morph to "piloting" coed troops (and there already are they are just separate on paper), and then ALL troops will be coed and it will not be an option to be single gender, because that's not inclusive.

    Should just get on with it and let it shake out

    • Upvote 1
  13. For my council you cannot find the information.  Any stakeholders report just note Scouts at camp.  Most of this is extolling the wonders of all the fundraising they do.

    Fully 25% of the staff employed are involved in fundraising.  Ask how the council is doing, you will get fundraising numbers

  14. No more silent swimming or stalking.  Good times.  Also enjoyed the start a fire with no more than 2 matches and then cook a meal on said fire with no utensils

    We also had to hike uphill both ways to the camp, in the snow, carrying a canvas tent

     

    • Haha 1
  15. @Cecille25

    To be clear

    • Your son was at the camporee with his troop
    • He was wearing a troop shirt that was pink
    • This troop shirt is from the same troop he (your son) is a member of at this time
    • The SM and ASM for the troop (your son's troop) harassed him for wearing a pink troop shirt
    • The adults involved are the SM and ASM for the troop that produced the pink shirt
    • Everyone involved is in the same troop (your son's troop)
  16. On 1/14/2022 at 9:07 PM, 1980Scouter said:

    I truly believe in the elimination of the council office. Limited staff can work out of the camp or remotely.  Much less overhead and cheaper to operate. Money could be spent to maintain the camp in good condition. 

    This is always the question, doe we raise money in order to have Scouting, or do we have Scouting in order to be able to raise money.  I am in a large council and largest part of the professional staff is fundraising, development, etc.

    On 1/14/2022 at 7:02 PM, gpurlee said:

    Is it time for the BSA to change its top leadership model?

    Yes

    During the challenge with the Chartered Organizations (UMC) the BSA did nothing.  Our council did nothing.  Basically they don't care about the units.  They would much prefer to not even have actual units out doing things.  Much easier and less messy just to have some photos of Scouts doing things.  All that is needed is a some cub packs (they're always cute) and some Troops to generate an Eagle or two to trot out.  Then all is good, donors are happy, and the cache of "Scouting" pays off.

    There was an event for a troop and the council field director (one of many middle management types in the council) who told everyone that he knows Scouting was strong and growing due to the amount of money raised at the council dinner.  That's the metric for success, cash.  Not units, not participants, not nights camping...it's cash

    Hardest number to find is how many actual Scouts (Cubs / Scouts BSA / etc) is the council serving

    • Like 2
  17. As has been noted, the challenge is the Council / District feels the units are there to support them, not the way it should be; the Council and District supporting the units.  In our unit we have asked the question, what value does the council actually bring to our unit on a regular basis.  There are the normal answers DE support (we never see the DE), ability to bring Scouting to the under served (that seems like a good cause until you really dive in and see what that actually is)

    In recent years there was the pandemic and the Council offered little to no input or advice, during the bankruptcy there has been zero communications on what is going on, with the issue with Methodist Churches as continuing chartered partners no guidance or support, when the registration basically doubled there was not real input or details on why.  We are a large council, staff of close to 70, and the marketing and support is non-existent.  An impossible task would be to find out how many ACTUAL youth are in the Cubs / Scouts / Explorers.  That data is nowhere.

    I was at a celebration of a troop's long tenure a couple of weeks back.  They had a Field Director there, and he spoke and was talking about how he knew Scouting was strong.  I expected some details on new units, youth involvement growth, nights camping....nope...indicator was about how much money was raised in X hours at a big council dinner.  That's your metric, money being raised.  

    You owe them nothing and you were generous to make a donation.  

    DE deserves no further thoughts on your part.

    • Like 1
  18. 1 hour ago, Better4itall said:

    I hear that if you are quick you can make breakfast in basecamp.  Great way to have a big finish!

    In the 80's we did the sunrise and were in basecamp about 8:30 or so.  When we walked in they thought we were trailbound, what with packs on and whatnot.  Then they sniffed us

    They did let us go in and grab breakfast.  We had to loiter about to check in.  My crew was an older group, hiked 3 to 4 miles an hour and I was much much younger.  We arrived at many trail camps early.,  Good napping and hanging out with staff that trek

    • Upvote 1
  19. 18 hours ago, fred8033 said:
    • Position specific expectations
      • Does the candidate SM have a trailer hitch that can pull the troop trailer?   :)

     

     

    Always entertaining discussion on towing the trailer.  Have run across units held hostage by the Trailer Haulers that are able to dictate when and where the troop camps due to their "contribution"

    Glad our troop trailer is smaller, our gear is stored in a shed, and can be hauled by any SUV / truck.  No extra requirements for hauling.

    • Like 1
    • Upvote 2
  20. Camped at a state park.  The troop built survival kits, we built 'boats out of boxes, painters tarps and duct tape and there was a race.  Also played putt putt, and also ran a cross country compass course.  The weather was perfect and much hammocking.

    When we got back on Sunday had an afternoon Eagle Court of Honor for 5 of our recent Eagle scouts

    • Like 2
    • Upvote 1
  21. 23 hours ago, fred8033 said:

    Glad to hear the current state of art in the original post.  It's good news.  It is the BSA direction too.  This is a reflection of ten years of huge evolution with technology.  

     

    10 years, huge evolution?  I am just a realist, and the BSA has continually lagged.  National has been way behind since the 80's and 90's.  There were computers and ways to link things, they just were inept and inexperienced.  Not sure what all those board members are doing, obviously not offering advice.  They were way behind the ball on on-line applications, most councils were still booking weekend campsites manually in 2010.  When just a spreadsheet would have been better.  Most summer camp registration software is home grown or at best cobbled together.

    The BSA has over 230 franchises (local councils) and thousands and thousands of PAID professionals, regional staff, and national staff.  No coherent plan or ability to link things.  Scouting.org is cumbersome at best.  Scoutbook as has been noted is a 3rd party program the BSA bought, but does not support.  We only sort of moved to on-line recharter last couple of years.  Eagle applications are still handled manually on some BSA system, why isn't that on-line?  

    As I noted, at no time has BSA leveraged their size and experience.  Do not blame the bankruptcy on technology lapses, it had been that way for a years.  What it comes down to is the professionals that run the organization appear to not care about the customer experience of the volunteers that deliver the program.

    • Like 1
×
×
  • Create New...