HELP!
I’M A CUBMASTER/COMMITTEE CHAIR!
This guide is a supplement to help fill some of the gaps not a replacement for
training. As a new
Cubmaster or Committee Chair our first advice is to take the available
training.
Leader Essentials and Leader Specific training is offered by your local
district or council. Check their websites for class locations and dates.
We've added
some examples of things we use to run our pack and
instructions for setting up a new unit.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.
With thanks to all of our Cubs and their
families. Thank you for helping us:
*Do our best!
*Do it for the boys!
*Pre-hike the hike!
*Have fun with a purpose!
*K.I.S.S.M.I.F. (Keep It Safe and Simple, Make It Fun)!
Special thanks also to “The most important adults in
Cub Scouting,” our Pack’s wonderful Den Leaders, who bring so much to the Cubs
and their families!
Dave England
Pack 615 Cubmaster
Even though I had been a den leader for two
years, taken all the training and regularly attend the monthly Roundtables when
I took on the task of starting a new unit I ran into several problems and turned
many times to my mentor for assistance. This person has been very helpful
to me and so I suggest that you try and find a mentor. You can find a
mentor by attending your local Roundtable meetings. This is a great place
to not only ask questions and see how others are running their units but it's
also a great place to find people who have been running units for a long time or
started units.
The first thing that any new
unit needs is a Chartered Organization. It's great if you can get this setup
before you hold a roundup and have boys who want to join, but it can be done
after. The
William D Boyce Award has a checklist of steps for starting a new unit.
But in my case we held a
roundup and then went shopping for an organization who would charter us.
One of our families was a
member of the local Rotary
club so we used this contact to approach the Rotary and establish the formal
relationship. Local churches, community organizations like the
Kiwanis club, business and
private schools are often used as Chartered Organizations.
BSA
Fact Sheet 02-507
has an example list of
potential resources. BSA does not support the use of public schools and
public school agencies like the PTA as these become targets for law suits.
Not all banks operate with the same rules.
Small banks might be easier to work with and offer free accounts. The
rules for opening a bank account vary by bank. One bank I tried to use
wanted incorporation documents and several other items that might be appropriate
for a business but not a small scouting unit. So shop around until you find a
bank that is willing to work with you to open the account. A reasonable
list of requirements for opening a bank account are:
-
Tax ID - you can get this by completing
IRS
form SS-4. I've included an example on how to complete one of these forms to make this easy for you. See
the IRS
website for information on how to fax the form the the IRS.
-
Meeting Minutes - Minutes from a meeting
where you vote to authorize your Committee Chair and Treasurer to open an
account and have access to the account.
-
Letter from local council or Chartered
Organization - I had a little problem with this one but finally got
something from my District Executive that said Pack 615 is authorized to open a
checking account.
Another form that you should file once a year
at tax time is a
Tax Exemption
form 1024. I have included an example of the
form that I used.