Happy Holidays, as the year draws to a close I reflect upon the past 12 months for our country and our local Scout families. While I have only been back in Boston for 6 months I was immediately struck by the tight knit feeling the Boston Minuteman Scouters share. It’s clear that Scouting is a community. I am touched by the outpouring of support and genuine love that is expressed for each other as some of our families struggle with unemployment, personal grief and tragedy. I am also glad to share in our personal triumphs and successes. Please keep posting on face book. While I cannot attend them all, I appreciate all the invitations to the Eagle Courts of Honor, Blue and Gold events and camping trips.
I understand the deep commitment that it takes from you to make Scouting come alive for your unit. Please, take time to enjoy the holidays with your family.
Thank you for everything you do to make Scouting a special program for so many youth across the Boston area. I am blessed to be back here in the Boston area to serve in your efforts to deliver the Scouting program.
What does “The Council” do? What’s a council report card?
There is probably formal text about the ROLE of a Boy Scout COUNCIL somewhere in all the documentation from national office, however, I’d much rather share my personal mission for our council. I am driven to help make Scouting thrive in every Boston area community. I spent much of my first few months asking you the question – “What can be done to help make Scouting thrive in your community?” Please read my past blogs to catch up with the open and public dialogue about your responses.
I believe people want Scouting to thrive. Therefore, my role is to coordinate resources – and help provide clarity, direction and inspiration to achieve our common goals.
Your most common responses:
• Internal Communication
• Visibility
• Recruitment & Retention
• Resource Allocation
• Camp and Outdoor Program
• Training
• Ease of Participation
• Finances
• Camp Facilities
Below you’ll find a “status update” and some future actions
1. Internal Communication: Our team will be light and nimble with a clear focus on unit and parent customer service. As we grow we will add staff that has a direct and immediate impact on serving you. Our volunteers who make the program come alive for so many boys. The first example of that is Heather Sheehan. Heather joined the team this September as our receptionist and has quickly become a pleasant and helpful voice resource to scout leaders and parents.
2. Internal communications, training and ease of participation: Joe Macone and the communications committee (our web page) are developing new processes and procedures for volunteer content creators to enhance the speed and accuracy of our most critical internal communication. Joe Havelick has developed the first of a series of online training search tools that’ll help make the enormous library of Scouting information and dates more accessible and relevant to all leaders. Please look for updates and changes starting in the first quarter 2011. Please provide any comments or thoughts about how this search function would help you or other parents.
3. Internal communications / Focus groups: You set direction! We have hosted a total of 15 open attendance focus groups for Scout leaders on a broad range of topics, including popcorn, High adventure, and Scouting in general. These focus groups will become a standard part of our ongoing communication.
4. Visibility: Below are just a few recent articles and press clippings from the month of December – more to come. In the first quarter we SHOULD see a marked increase in the major media outlets as well as incentives and trainings for units to increase their local presence.
a. PRINT
b. TELEVISION
c. RADIO
5. Resource Allocation and Camp Facilities: The archery range project at Storer is a great example of what can be done when we all pull together. The project was FULLY FUNDED before the first shovel went in the ground; it’s being built through an enormous volunteer effort and should be completed on time and under budget! Thanks to Tim Roache and all involved in the project. Check out the updated pictures
a. Quartermaster Building Project: About 15 volunteers have begun the project of clearing out the work shop at Sayre to create a clear and accurate inventory of all the council resources. This project will decrease waste and increase the council’s value to all units and programs.
b. Resource Allocation: Many of our outdoor committees have agreed to start working together for a common mission to develop year-round programs to support Scout units and outreach to outside organizations. This change will create resource efficiencies.
c. Resource Allocation: I hope that after 6 months, everyone can see that all the council resources we have are there to serve one purpose – to help Scouting thrive in our communities. Human Resources are charged with direct unit and volunteer services, physical resources (camps) are charged with supporting and expanding the Scouting program, financial resources are spent to expand Scouting and support those involved. Your direct feedback helps keeps these initiatives on track.
6. Finances: When we all pull together we can accomplish results that previously seemed “out of reach” Popcorn sales up 16% Congratulations! Corporate Fundraising up $100,000 from last year. Through those two campaigns and some significant heavy lifting from the remaining staff and volunteers we achieved a balanced operating budget for 2010. We are NOT out of the woods, (still have a tremendous debt – and brutal cash flow problems) but that is a heck of a step in the right direction. We’ll share the year-end financial statements by the end of the first quarter.
7. Recruitment and Retention: This process is on-going. We will continue to conduct focus groups, secure additional funding, develop “ease of participation” initiatives, and improve camp program and facilities in a comprehensive approach to increase retention and recruitment.
How you can help
1. Provide Feedback! Please take a moment to take the 2010 year end Scouting survey. Please share your full thoughts.
a. Online Survey
b. PDF Cub Parent Survey
c. PDF Unit Leader Survey
d. PDF Roundtable Survey
e. Please mail the PDF’s to Strategic Plan, 411 Unquity Road, Milton MA 02186 or e-mail to ceaton@bsaboston.org
2. Camp: It has always been my opinion that Scout Leaders need to take their boys to summer camp that best supports their year round efforts and goals for their youth. It is the council’s responsibility to provide the best possible program and facilities to support those efforts and goals. Therefore I would never endorse a campaign that asks scout leaders to attend one of our camps “because it is ‘our camp.’” Instead I would ask that you articulate your needs as a volunteer and provide that feedback so we can build camps and programs that best serve your needs. As we develop those camps and programs we’d hope that leaders would simply remain open to the idea that Boston Minuteman can – and will become – the best option for your summer camp program.
3. Friends of Scouting: We are all in this Scouting program together. We succeed and fail together. Clearly for the past 40 years Scouting has struggled across the country. (maybe a little more in some areas than others) We will only reverse this trend by working together. Our goals for Friends of Scouting annual campaign revolve around participation. When you are approached, please participate as you are able, and encourage others in your Scouting community to do the same. For my part, I’ll lead the staff and board campaigns as well as leverage and stretch every one dollar contributed to provide two – three dollars in value to our Scouts.
4. Best Practices: One of the unique functions of a council is the ability to gather best practices and act as a clearing house for good ideas. We all know some communities host 100+ boys in a Cub Packs, 60+ boys in a Troop as well as, vibrant Venture crews salt and peppered throughout the council. If Scouting already thrives in your community – we need to “pick your brain” so we can synthesize your success into repeatable and trainable actions for other volunteers. Please share your successes.
Thanks for your time – sorry this was a bit long. I’m looking forward to seeing you around the campfire and along the trails.
Chuck Eaton
Scout Executive, CEO
