Splitting up the Cubmaster and Committee Chair Duties

[mdlscouting 10]

The Cubmaster immediately before me was a one-woman show. She was effectively Cubmaster + Every position on the Committee. She ran every camping trip, she organized everything, and as expected, she got burned out.

 

Since I became Cubmaster, I have recruited a number of Committee Members, and delegated a large number of the roles, but not everything. My biggest concern is the Committee Chair, and I'm trying to figure out how to split this role up from the Cubmaster Role. (As head of my Church's Scouting Ministry Committee, I'm also effectively COR, but that's a whole different discussion.)

 

There is a huge amount of overlap between the Cubmaster role and the Committee Chair Role, I'm trying to figure out how to split it out.

 

 

***Stuff that is Unique to the Committee Chair, and not shared by the Cubmaster***

 

■Supervise pack committee operation by

1.Calling and presiding at pack leaders' meetings.

2.Assigning duties to committee members.

3.Planning for pack charter review, roundup, and reregistration.

4.Approving bills before payment by the pack treasurer.

■Conduct the annual pack program planning conference and pack leaders' meetings.

■Maintain adequate pack records and take care of pack property.

■If the Cubmaster is unable to serve, assume active direction of the pack until a successor is recruited and registered.

■Appoint a committee member or other registered adult to be responsible for Youth Protection training.

 

 

***Stuff that is Shared by the Committee Chair and the Cubmaster***

 

■Maintain a close relationship with the chartered organization representative, keeping this key person informed of the needs of the pack that must be brought to the attention of the organization or the district.

■Report to the chartered organization to cultivate harmonious relations.

■Confer with the Cubmaster on policy matters relating to Cub Scouting and the chartered organization.

■Ask the committee to assist with recommendations for Cubmaster, assistant Cubmasters, Tiger Cub den leaders, Cub Scout den leaders, and Webelos den leaders, as needed.

■Recognize the need for more dens, and see that new dens are formed as needed.

■Work with the chartered organization representative to provide adequate and safe facilities for pack meetings.

■Cooperate with the Cubmaster on council-approved money-earning projects so the pack can earn money for materials and equipment.

■Manage finances through adequate financial records.

■Develop and maintain strong pack-troop relationships, sharing with the troop committee the need for graduations into the troop.

■Work closely with the unit commissioner and other pack and troop leaders in bringing about a smooth transition of Webelos Scouts into the troop.

■Help bring families together at joint activities for Webelos dens (or packs) and Boy Scout troops.

■Provide a training program for adult family members.

 

***Stuff that is so generic that it applies to all Cub Scout Leaders***

 

■Complete pack committee Fast Start Training and Basic Leader Training for the position.

■Support the policies of the BSA.

 

If I'm looking to recruit a Committee Chair, how does this division of responsibilities sound? Basically, I'd tell them "These 5 items are what I want a Committee Chair to do", but I may ask them to work with me on the rest of the list.

 

 

 

 

(Yes, I know that in the by the book scenario, the Chartered Org handles this sort of thing... But I don't have the luxury of relying on that to happen, because I'm effectively wearing the COR hat as well.)

 

 

 

[5yearscouter 52]

Honestly if you are wearing the COR hat, and overseeing so much of the committee kind of things, it makes sense for YOU to take the CC job.

and recruit someone to do the cubmaster job. Also if you were actually registered as COR, you couldn't also be registered as cubmaster on the program side, but you could be coregistered as cc.

 

you can write it up however you wish, but overall, cc and cubmaster need to be a team that works well to lead things, see eye to eye on policies within the pack and both have a good overview of the running of the pack. Cubmaster really needs to focus on the pack meetings and activities and work with the den leaders to help them be effective in their dens. It's hard to be a fun cubmaster and also be looking over the whole thing from COR level.

[mdlscouting 10]

It would make sense, and that's why I originally tried to get my current Assistant CM to take over as CM, and I do CC / COR. He's a very enthusiastic scouter, but wasn't willing to commit to it.

 

The problem is that everyone in the pack sees the title of "Cubmaster" as the Giant Blob of (Cubmaster/CC/COR/Every other Committee task that is not otherwise delegated).

 

Nobody has ever seen it done the right way, so they don't believe me when I say it can be separated.

 

I can't get anyone to take the title Cubmaster until I can first figure out how to untangle Committee Chair, etc. from that title, and make it it's own role. It's going to be a multi-year process.

[CalicoPenn 729]

Here is the Cubmaster's role (From the BSA's website):

 

Conduct a pack program according to the policies of the BSA.

 

Complete Cubmaster Fast Start Training and position-specific Basic Leader Training.

 

Attend monthly roundtables.

 

Plan and help carry out the Cub Scout program in the pack. This includes leading the monthly pack meeting, with the help of other leaders.

 

Help the pack committee with a year-round recruitment plan for recruiting boys into Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouting, and Webelos Scouting.

 

Know about and use the appropriate and available literature, including Boys' Life and Scouting magazines, Cub Scout Program Helps, and the Webelos Leader Guide.

 

See that the pack program, leaders, and Cub Scouts positively reflect the interests and objectives of the chartered organization and the BSA.

 

Work with the pack committee on (1) program ideas, (2) selecting and recruiting adult leaders, and (3) establishing a budget plan.

 

Guide and support den leaders. See that they receive the required training for their positions.

 

Help organize Webelos dens and encourage graduation into a Boy Scout troop.

 

Help establish and maintain good relationships with Boy Scout troops.

 

Maintain good relationships with parents and guardians. Seek their support and include them in activities. Involve male relatives such as uncles and grandfathers so that Cub Scouts will have additional male role models.

 

See that Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos Scouts receive a quality, year-round program filled with fun and activities that qualify the dens and pack for the National Summertime Pack Award.

 

Guide Cub Scouts in goodwill and conservation projects.

 

See that the responsibilities specified for the assistant Cubmaster are carried out.

 

Help the pack committee chair conduct the annual pack program planning conference and the monthly pack leaders' meetings.

 

Work as a team with the pack committee chair to cultivate, educate, and motivate all pack leaders and parents or guardians in Cub Scouting.

 

Take part in the charter review meeting and annual charter presentation ceremony.

 

Request den chiefs for all dens and, after selection, see that they are trained. Recognize the den chiefs at pack meetings.

 

Conduct an impressive graduation ceremony for Tiger Cubs.

Meet with the unit commissioner, Webelos den leader, and Scoutmaster to establish plans for the Webelos Scouts' transition to Boy Scouting.

 

Help plan and conduct impressive Webelos graduation ceremonies involving parents and guardians, the Scoutmaster, the Webelos den chief, the Webelos den leader, and the troop junior leaders.

 

Conduct impressive Arrow of Light Award ceremonies.

 

Encourage high advancement standards for all Cub Scouts.

 

Help bring families together at joint activities for Webelos dens (or packs) and Boy Scout troops.

 

Support the policies of the BSA.

 

I don't see anything in there about maintaining a close relationship to the COR or reporting to the chartered organization, do you? I don't see anything in there about working with the chartered organization to provide a safe meeting place, do you? I don't see anything in there about providing a training program for adult family members, do you? I don't see anything in there about managing the finances, do you?

 

I think you need to print out both "job descriptions" again, and instead of trying to split them up between the CC and the CM - have the CC do the stuff on the list for the CC and the CM do the stuff on the list for the CM. Where there truly is overlap (ie Support the Policies of the BSA), then both of them do it.

 

The key is, both the CC and the CM have different responsibilities, and if they meet the responsibilities for their own job descriptions, a bit of magic happens - they magically end up supporting each other, and the entire unit, without having to struggle to work at it.

 

Print out that CM job description and hand it to your ACM - tell him those are the responsibilities and everything on the other list will be yours - and that might change his mind.

 

Another little hint - let him recruit an ACM that he can delegate some of those Cubmaster responsibilities to and while he's doing that, you recruit and Assisitant Committee Chairman to delgate some of the CC duties to.

 

Try it - it works - and you'll wonder why you never insisted that the prior CM do it the Cub Scout way all along.

 

[Nike 94]

Long Answer:

The Cubmaster directs the programming and the den leaders.

 

The Committee Chair oversees the administration of the pack's business by the Committee.

 

The Committee supports the program the Cubmaster develops.

 

Short Answer:

If if requires a signature, it's most likely committee business. If it's got glue, a moving object, or fire, it's most likely program.

 

 

 

[Eagledad 2779]

What does the National say the responsibilities are for each position?

 

And, I have found that the program runs smoothest when the adults take on the responsibilities that best fit their personalities. I know several very successful packs where the CM's only responsibilities is running a fun Pack meeting. Do what works best.

 

Barry

[Twocubdad 665]

I think you have a long putt, depending on the personalities of those involved. Your role as defacto COR is going to put you in the middle of a lot of committee stuff. Normally, an active, involved COR is a good thing, but at this point greatly conflicts with your goal of separating CM from CC functions. I think that's why CC and COR are the only two jobs which are officially allowed to be held by the same person.

 

But that's where you find yourself.....

 

Two suggestions, though -- first, your CC job description is too narrow. Start by thinking about what you want the whole COMMITTEE to do, not just the CC. Handle money, submit budget/financial reports, track advancement records, purchase awards and badges, handle recharter and membership recruitment, organize non-program side of campouts, getting folks trained, on and on and on.

 

Sure most of that stuff should be assigned to subcommittee chairmen, but it's still the responsibility of the CC and depending on the size of your unit, may be the CC's direct responsibility. The real split you're trying to establish is between program and administration, not CM and CC.

 

Secondly, leave your COR hat at home as much as possible. For example, since you have to sign adult apps as COR, the temptation will be for you to volunteer to collect the apps, too. Or recruit the volunteers. Don't. As CM you don't have a role in processing apps, so stay out of it. To help make the point, you may want to tell the CC to get the Institutional Head to sign the apps instead of the COR. It's also easy for you to assume campouts are program. No, what the Scouts do on campouts is program, signups, food, equipment, transportation, etc. are admin/committee functions. Make them handle it.

 

Yeah, it's a little contrived and bureaucratic, but I think you need to clearly establish the job descriptions, or you will always muddle along with a weak committee structure and you running everything.

[mdlscouting 10]

Ok, Round 2.

 

I'm going to strongarm my Assistant CM, and tell him I cannot do both CM and CC/COR. I've tried getting him to be Cubmaster before, but he said he couldn't do it.

 

Either he needs to step up as CM, (And I'll recruit a couple Assistants for him) or I put it up to everyone at a Parents Meeting, and take the first person to raise their hand.

 

My Assistant CM wouldn't do it before, because he was afraid he couldn't do it perfectly. I know he's the best available person to do it. It's up to him to either step up and do it, Help me find someone else to do it, or else we just wait and see who raises their hand at the Parents Meeting.

 

I feel like I'm being a jerk about it, playing a game of chicken with the future of the pack, but I've got to do something.

[5yearscouter 52]

Ask him to do CM for 6 months(or til December, or pick a key date in your unit) and to recruit and train his replacement and new assistant CM.

 

Explain that right now, you need to get the committee side under control and separate out all the jobs and find people to do them.

 

Give him the short cubmaster list-- plan and run pack meetings, be the front man for all awards and pack activities, check up on den leaders and their programs, sign youth applications, things like that--make it the short list of things a cubmaster really needs to do to make the pack go. anything adminstratively like, put on committee side for now. Sure cubmaster may end up doing more, and often needs to do things like campout sign ups and payments and permission slips, but let that happen naturally if it has to, not because you say cubmaster has to do those things.

 

Then work to back yourself out of a job.

Financial stuff, get a fundraiser chair, and a treasurer

recordkeeping, communications, awards, website, ull in someone for each of those all under someone that may be a secretary, or just under committee chair.

Get an outings chair whose job it is to recruit helpers for the cubmaster's events. They may cross back and forth between helping with program at the cub level, or just accepting the money and permission slips, or making the reservations.

Keep your eye out for the person who seems to be able to see the big picture of how all these people fit together and can communicate with the cubmaster. get that person as CC.

Then you figure out if you really are COR, or find out who has that job and who should be in that position.

and then find which of the above jobs you really want.

But once you can really see the big picture in the pack of how things fit together well on each side, you may struggle to JUST do the one thing on your plate.

 

[BSA24 10]

This is a drastic solution and sometimes has poor results, but there is always the option of just stepping down entirely and seeing if everyone else steps up to fill the gap.

 

Sometimes no one fills the gap because you are filling it all the time, and as long as you will pick up anything that's dropped, there is no need for them to do it.

 

Sometimes calling into the committee meeting and saying, "I can't be there" is good for the other folks to stretch their wings. I've also seen Cubmasters just up and resign at a parent's meeting and say "Someone has to take my place. I'm done." I've seen units collapse because no parents were willing to do it, and maybe the unit shouldn't really have existed if no one would support the CM. I've also seen the parents suddenly dig in and step up to help out.

 

I would try other suggestions here before you go that far.

[DeanRx 69]

Welcome and My didn't you bite off a big piece to chew on....

 

I'll make it a simple as I can:

 

1) CM and CC must work well together - they will make or break the unit.

 

2) CM = PROGRAM. If it has to do with the program, i.e. meetings, outings, camping, service projects... then it belongs on the Cubmaster's plate

 

3) CC = BUSINESS. recharter, running committee meetings, management of sub-committee leaders (i.e. popcorn sales, Blue n gold, etc...) - those are the Committee Chair's duties.

 

If its about the boys, then its the CM.

If its about the addults that support the boys, then its the CC.

 

Best of luck.

 

Dean