Those durned professionals!

[acco40 95]

The relationship between volunteers and professionals can be a thorny issue. Many volunteers are jealous thinking that "hey, how come he gets paid to do the same stuff I do for free?" Of course, many do not realize that they DO NOT do the same stuff. Many expect "perfection" out of the professionals because after all, they are professionals while "we volunteers" are allowed to err because we are "just" volunteers. For better and for worse, look at what the professionals have do deal with. Volunteers range from highly educated to no education, highly motivated to very little motivation (or worse, the what is in it for me crowd), volunteers who do "it" for the betterment of all, to those who do it only for their own son, and on and on. Volunteers run the gamut ofthe spectrum.

 

Similar dynamics exist for some charitable organizations. Many legit charitable organizations rely on a wide range of volunteers (who work for free) but also have a few highly paid staff members. There may be some resentment on the part of the volunteers toward the paid staff regardless of the quality of work and the contributions that the professional staff make. C'est la vie.

[Eamonn 61]

Hey Dave,

I too thought of you today.

I had a meeting with Sysco, the food company.

As is my norm. I started on one of my pet peeves. - American Cheese.

The Area Manager, send the Lady who was with him out to the car, she returned with a big box of Wisconsin Cheese.

I am now the proud owner of a big box of Italian cheese from your neck of the wood.

I will update you - If I ever get Her Who Must Be Obeyed, in the mood for pasta.

I wonder if a bottle of chianti would be a big enough hint ?

[dsteele 20]

Eamonn: (for I know that's who you really are.)

 

I'm glad someone gave you some cheese made in Wisconsin. It really is very good. But I'm not sure Italian cheese from Wisconsin is our best foot forward.

 

Most Wisconsinites would call it Eye-talian cheese. And if you can't pronounce it, in my humble opinion, you've got no business making it.

 

Call me, Eamonn. I can't find your phone numbers without going to the office and I'm on vacation, so I'm not about to do that.

 

DS

[packsaddle 753]

If she doesn't want the Chianti, I'll take it. But, ahem, it is also made in Wisconsin, isn't it? Just trying for consistency.

[NWScouter 9]

Eamonn, I just read somewhere today that for about twenty years the US Board of Geographic Names around 1890s spelled Pittsburgh without the h. You should fell at home there as it is name after British PM.

On the main subject - I know good DE's and I know bad DE's just about in the same ratio as Scouters. The lucky thing is the the good out weigh the bad by a durn long shot.

 

 

[Eamonn 61]

You know ow them Brits drop dare H's

[RuddBaron 10]

This is a bit late, but I wanted to say that, when I was a boy, I knew my DE from Webelos on up. When I got involved with the OA, I worked more closely with him. He was always extremely supportive. The only difference to me is that he got paid to play Scout. (Of course, there are some problem professionals.... )

[OldGreyEagle 5]

::rubbing eyes:: Rudd, you are going to have to explain this one to me, and type slow as I cant read or think too fast.

 

In the uniform section you seemed to imply lower uniform costs could be achieved by lowering executive salaries, then right here you talk about what a grand guy this DE was/is. Should his salray have been cut to lower your uniform cost? I may not be understanding this so please help me.

[RuddBaron 10]

I can see the confusion! The uniform costs don't bother ME that much. And, local-level executive salaries don't bother me much, either.

 

The executive salaries I was referring to were the NATIONAL level salaries. From what I have seen (and I could be wrong), they are quite high. For example, a listing of non-profit CEO salaries listed the Chief Scout Executive's salary at over $300,000. That's around what I recall the President of the US getting. The money has to come from somewhere. Moving it down to $200K would save over $100K. But, in part the high salary is needed to attract the caliber of administrator needed to run the day-to-day side of BSA. While I do not know all of BSA's national-level finances, we would not be the first non-profit corporation to have some waste at the expense of the members.

 

So, in summary, IF there is a true need to lower uniform costs, then, since national sets the price, some national-level costs are going to have to be cut or lower surplus accepted. The question is whether or not the gain in welfare to the Scouts by paying less for uniforms is greater than the loss in welfare to BSA as a whole. If so, then net welfare increases and BSA as a whole is better off, even though the Chief Scout Executive might have to take a salary cut. If not, then net welfare decreases, and BSA is better off maintaining its present pricing and looking for new ways to help Scouts raise the money for uniforms.

[dsteele 20]

My wife had to listen to me vent about this topic and now it's off my chest, so you good people don't have to listen to much more than a vapor.

 

I would trade my salary for the Chief's (who I call Roy) except for the fact that I am unwilling to live with the 24 hour security detail that he has to live with . . . and all for 300K for giving his life to support more than 3,000,000 Scouts.

 

There have been death threats against the Chief Scout Executive since Ben Love in the late '80's.

 

I've had no death threats -- only someone who threatened to come to my house and "knock some sense into me" with a baseball bat.

 

DS

[RuddBaron 10]

I'd like to think Roy doesn't do it for the money.

 

Death threats? News to me. Please enlighten, if you wouldn't mind.

 

[dsteele 20]

I once jokinlgy referred to the office of the Chief Scout Exeuctive of the Boy Scouts of America as the "Pope" of Boy Scouting.

 

It would appear that others see it to be reality. My understanding is that Chief Scout Executive Ben Love was stalked by the father of a young man who died on the trail at Philmont and that Ben's life was threatened.

 

When I was a young man at PDL -- I we visited the office of the Chief. A member of my class actually sat at his desk (he was out) and put her feet up on the table.

 

Now there is bulltet proof glass around his office. There have been death threats against all of the Chief Scout Executives since Mr. Love by extremists in the homosexual and atheist groups. The Cheif is under heavy security. I don't like it, and suspect he doesn't either. He's a great guy.

 

DS

[Eamonn 61]

Man Of Steele.

If the job becomes vacant.

Don't take it.

We like you here with us.

Heck 300k Or all that good cheese??

[RuddBaron 10]

I wonder if the National President suffers the same way. Perhaps not, since the Chief is a lot more visible to the non-Scouting public. I did notice a lot of security at the National Scouting Museum, right next door to HQ. I would expect there might be some attempted defacing by the groups you mention, especially of the Rockwell paintings.

 

Now...I wonder if similar threats have gone out to Regional and Council leaders, both professional and volunteer.

 

Either way, not to be callous, but if he is actually killed, we'll get a new one. The organization won't suddenly shrivel up and die.

[nldscout 18]

I for one beleive that the CSE is worth every penny he is paid. If you want quality leadership, you have to pay for it. Compare his salery to some of the other large Non-profits.