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"Staffing the District Committee"


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There is a very good on line course "Staffing the District Committee" which applies to the Commissioner service as well.

 

I recommend it.

 

Here a link that may take you to it:

 

http://olc.scouting.org/courses/dcom/course.cgi?marker=0&courseid=30&euid=K06FF61444AB4094B931133062915570&SessionToken=K398D154F9524BC5AD5154909200099301380E91113C406A8C64853017327033

 

 

If that doesn't work, you need to go to myscouting.org, click on e-learning and look for "Staffing the District Committee" as a supplemental course.

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My District Chairman and I recruit new volunteers in a cooperative manner.

 

If we get a volunteer, then we determine where the "best fit" is for that person and their circumstance.

 

Working as a team, we have radically grown both the Commissioner staff, and the District Committee ... and Commissioners are Commissioners -- not there to help the Membership Chair.

 

 

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We find we get "enough" not alot to help with the program side of the district (that's where I am as Training chair). But few want to step into the positions that have anything to do with the "numbers" game such as "Friends of Scouting", financial, Membership.

 

I guess no one finds in our district find hard-push sales "fun". Or the DE breathing down your neck for the numbers "fun". Or the need to drive around the whole district and using your own dime to fuel your vehical to get to each unit to push items "fun".

 

For some reason we have it in our heads if we are going to spend time volenteering to do something, we have to see the "fun" in it.

 

So my DE trys to push those of us in program int the empty positions, but we are hard to budge. My DE was trying to move me into programs.. I don't think it's a good fit. I tend to be very shy until I know you well, and that's a job for a person who is your best frient the minute they lay eyes on you. Also I live 30 minutes outside of the district I serve and at the bottom of a long narrow district. I could not drive all around the district, too much time and gas. I also just have an personal intrest in training. Always have.. Luckily our web guy at the last meeting opened his mouth at how well he headed his units membership drive, and that he enjoyed it. I knew the little radar my DE had swung on me was pulled off and landed on him.

 

So just curious with UCEagles comment

"If we get a volunteer, then we determine where the "best fit" is for that person and their circumstance."

 

Do you really look for "Best fit" or rather try to "fit" them into where you need them?

 

How about everyone else? Is your District top heavy with helpers for program, but not for the other side (is there a cumulative word for the other side)?

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Moose --

 

Yes, my District Chair and I try to find the "best fit."

 

Now, we will try "targeted" recruitment, when we are looking to fill specific positions, but in general, we both sit down and discuss what the prospect is interested in, and slot them in a sub-committee that best suits their needs - while other sub-committees may go wanting.

 

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UCEagle - good for you!

 

I see my early morning typing went a little wonky.. I definately wasn't awake when I wrote that. More then an hour has passed so I can't edit either.

 

Where I said My DE was trying to move me into programs.. I meant into the Membership Chair's position. I know that didn't make sense to the reader since I just went on & on about enjoying being in the program area.

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Here in the District I serve, the last combined Commissioners/District Committee meeting was held to discuss membership. There were approximately 7 people at the meeting and that included the DE and the Council Chairman.

 

We supposedly have about 20 UC's but only two showed up and one, when asked what units he was a UC for said "I'm a UC?"

 

YiS,

 

Rick

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SP- I took the training about a year back. I remember it. I was new to the committee at the time, but it seemed kindof pie in the sky..

 

Maybe it is my personal position of not living in the district I serve, but just going out into the community, and asking people who have nothing to do with scouting to be on the district staff?.. I can see maybe if you know they are alumni.

 

Our DE asks all the time for leads to fill the positions. I have never seen anyone offer suggestions, even those who live in the community.

 

Of course we don't run our District committee the way they suggest. I have people who help me with the training. But, for the District committee, I am the sole representative of the District Training staff. No one cares to give up a night a month to go.

 

But, it is the chicken & Egg problem.. The room we are in couldn't deal with holding small groups of seprate committees meeting. We have one conference table we all sit around.. With out the room, why should others come to listen to everyone elses reports? But without the need for a larger room that breaks out the committees, their is no need to change where we currently meet.

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Hello Moosetracker,

 

Thanks for your comments on the training module.

 

I thought it was useful myself. It's given me a finer eye to size people up and look for programs they might be interested in supporting.

 

For examplem, a couple of years ago I encountered a woman who was Tiger Cub Den Leader for her pack, and she seemed like an able person. I pitched her on being the "Chief Tiger Cub" for the district the next year, when I thought she might help train and coach new Tiger Cub Den Leaders.

 

She didn;t want top do that, but this year she has taken on the onerous job of being the Cub Scout Day Camp Camp Director, and has done has done an excellent job at that.

 

I also find our combined District Committee/Commissioner meetings to be rather boring, with people talking about stuff of interest to their specialty, but not to everyone. Often the meeting has gone on for 90 minutes ----too long for my taste.

 

Our committee has done brainstorming sessions and identified scores of people thought of as prospects to approach to help with district activities. I don't that anyone has actually TALKED to these people, but they've been identified!

 

I'm getting better at sizing up people's interests and finding them areas they would be interested in helping. Because of the internet training, my interest has been meeting the interests of potential volunteers, not filling slots the district needs filled.

 

So anyway, that training has been useful to me.

 

 

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This isn't new really, I had the same basic training back when I was District Membership Chair in 1997. I recruited my replacement and a couple of others. We had a subcommittee meeting before the District Committee just like it was suggested on this training. Our group made huges leaps and bounds in helping to the district program. Some of the policies we developed then are still used today. But most of the other committee chairs didn't recruit or lead subcommittee meetings and District Committee as a whole struggled.

 

As for the recriting, everyone I recruited for the Membership committee in 1997 eventually became chairs for other committees. As was said, if you can read people and place them in the right place, you will likely have those volunteers for a long time.

 

Barry

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I only did the online training a few years back because everyone said it was so frustrating. On my second time through I believe I figured out the computer program and how to game it.

 

I also don't see why anyone who isn't somehow connected to Scouting would want to volunteer for district in an official, non-MBC capacity. The model seems to be the last vestige of the days when "club men" ran everything, and you actually not only knew who your upstanding citizens were you actually had a passing acquaintance with them.

 

District seems to be the place where a lot of administrative back-ground support occurs.

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