So basically it was a, “we have your promotional fishing poles, come get them. Also this renewal schedule change is going to be a hot issue, so come hear about it”. Okay, I’ll bite.

Gotta say, it was frustrating to watch. The volunteer district commissioner was trying to run it and the Council people were back-seat driving. I just wanted to scream, “shut up and let the man talk”.

The meeting opened with a word-for-word review of “S.A.F.E”, read from the website. Thrillingly awkward. The topic was the new recharter/renewal schedule. This could have been a pretty concise email.

The conversation became dominated for a time by some people pretty ripping mad about the Movo AI agent named “Sam” who didn’t address itself as an AI agent. - okay, I get it, you want to air grievances, but in the middle of the district commissioners pitch on renewal schedule changes isn’t the time. These folks somehow also refused to hear council mentioning that was fixed already.

At some point some council lady I didn’t recognize wanted to thank those people airing grievances for getting 20-30 new scouts every year, and mentioned that it was probably due to prompt replies to invitations/applications. It felt somewhat tacky, placating and pushing some narrative. I only got 7 but I responded to every invitation/application within 4 hours. I worked really hard for my 7.

I’m not sure what I expected, but it was pretty underwhelming and not a good use of my time. Honestly, with all the gushing over impressive membership growth numbers, I felt pretty inadequate. It was a meeting that was held because someone felt like a meeting needed to be held; not because it was necessary.

I'm taking over as treasurer this year. I was named treasurer in September, but with popcorn and the start of school, there hasn't been time to get me on the account yet. I will be added to the account and get access to everything this Saturday.

I'm under the impression that everything has been pretty lax so far, but i would like to keep very clear records of where all our money is going to help build next year's budget. I know they have a spreadsheet where purchases are logged, but I don't think there's any tracking of cash purchases. For example, we paid for the kids to attend a haunted hay ride put on by the troop kids, but no one got a receipt or wrote anything up. When I asked how many kids we ended up paying for, the CC said 24 but didn't seem sure if themself.

Also, while I'm here, if kids earned having their registration paid through popcorn sales, has anyone heard of waiting to pay some of this registrations until next year rather than reimbursing families who had to pay due to a deadline or being new to scouts? Some kids were paid if their due date was later and they were already in scout book.

I've served at a school PTO where we did a hop-a-thon, where the kids jump around, have a good time. And each family can pledge money for their child that's donated to the PTO. When I look up rules and policy regarding this we aren't allowed to solicit money directly from people, has anyone done something like this?

Also there seems to have been a more acceptable policy with soliciting for items that would be donated to a raffle. Anyone have experience with that?

Essentially I want to have this really fun activity for the scouts and I was thinking of making it open to the public as well as partly a recruiting effort, but just for kids to have fun.

My daughter and I are attending a Council event next weekend for Webelos and AOL Scouts. No one else from her pack, den, or the local troop are attending.

Food is not being provided. Can anyone recommend some meal ideas for the two of us? I’d rather not bring a ton of equipment. I have never built a fire by myself and my experience cooking over a fire is super limited.

Is there guidance from Scouting about fire safety specifics? Previously my group had either a fire guard or at least someone who acted like one but they moved on to the next level and now it’s absolute chaos. I had multiple 5yos trying to get INTO the actively burning fire pit. Is there a hard rule that under 8 is observing only? No adding to fire?

I’m curious if den leaders in larger packs are starting to get creative with how they run meetings. My scout is now a Webelo is getting completely checked out completing the required adventures. And he’s not wrong, he’s been doing bobcat, physical fitness, citizenship, etc., since kindergarten with very little change. As a leader in a Webelo and Tiger den, I’m getting bored myself basically running the same meeting for both dens. I would love to pick and choose parts of those required adventures and add in more of the adventures that would make things more interesting for the kids. Thoughts?

How is your Assistant Den Leader helpful to you? Specifically, what do they do before den meetings/during den meetings, etc.

I’m doing youth protection training. The youth protection video says that youth children can only tent with the same sex parent/guardian. So my daughter can’t go to camps if we don’t have her tent with another kid? Her mom’s not in the picture and she’s often the only girl…

I'm having a lot of trouble researching the rules for AOL camping with the potential new BSA Troop. My AOL den has been invited to an upcoming BSA campout. Are the parents of AOL scouts allowed to attend? Do the scouts sleep in tents together?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. The rules seem polar opposite for cub scouts versus BSA and trying to wrap my head around this transition period.

Anybody have any experience in one of the test councils with this pilot program for 4 and 5 year olds? Is this starting too young and leading to program fatigue? Particularly wondering what your thoughts from those of you who are fellow currently registered Cub Scout volunteers and leaders or current parents or Cub Scouts.

I have a pack of like 40 kids, and we like to do 2 overnighters a year. One as an outdoor camping trip in spring and an indoor camp in late fall/winter. We are doing Toledo Zoo this fall. We have done Silversides and Kalamazoo Airzoo in the past. But with 40 kids, adults, and siblings we are reaching a group size pushing 100. I know the Airzoo will not accommodate that many for some reason. (The place is huge ... idk) Silversides is always cool, but I am looking to see if anyone has any other ideas/ locations to try. For the Cubs and parents, outdoor camping isn't really an option for this time of year. There is always Cabins at like D-Bar-A but I would like some variety. I like to budget like $50-70 per scout for this trip. Thanks.

My kids are new Wolves. We went to a Council summer resident camp this summer and just did an overnight family adventure program at the same camp. Between the two experiences, my kids will have completed the Wolf archery adventure requirements after demonstrating the whistle commands.

What I’m unclear on is the process for approval. These adventures are greyed out in Scoutbook, seemingly indicating that only certified instructors can sign off on them. Is that correct?

We have a leader who does not have any kids in the Pack. Can they bring their older kid who is a member of a troop to a Pack campout? I've read all of the rules and haven't found anything explicit. It is mentioned several times that Cub Scouts is family camping, so I don't see an issue with it. The kid isn't very active in the troop so it is uncertain if the scoutmaster would officially designate them as a den chief.

So my 2 sons just joined Scouts, Lion and Bear. Our pack is very small, 8 kids total (3 new this year, 2 are mine). Leadership is just the cub master and his wife as committee chair. They seem very excited to have new members and I can tell they are definitely trying. They wanted me to get my clearances done "just in case" I wanted to volunteer or whatever. None of the other parents seem to be moving forward with that. After talking with the committee chair recently it seems her and her husband are hoping I'll take over as cub master in a few years when their son moves to the troops so the pack doesn't just fold. I guess our town had a pack before but it folded and they got it going again last year. I went ahead and did the youth safety training, and I have my clearance/fingerprinting from my kids school. So I really could easily jump in a position. However I'm hesitant to jump right in or get their hopes up to much... My boys just joined so I'm not sure if it's something they will want to stick with. I believe they might but you never know. I have done a lot of research on cub scouts but I'm sure there is still a LOT I don't know. Plus I'm still nursing my baby so I'm afraid of the time commitment. My husband is way to busy to be able to volunteer but is willing to help where he can for events. My plan is to try and hold off on committing to a leadership position to see how things go. But I do want to help with because I'm sure they are in need of help. So any advice on how to go about everything?

I was just wondering if the whole pack could participate in the 10,000 for the Troops. Our pack has no Webelos this year. I’ve finally planned ahead this year and want the Pack to participate.

Thoughts and comments would be appreciated. TIA

Pretty much the title. Trying to recruit a new one within the pack but need to verify if they need to be a fully registered adult leader or is SYT sufficient. Thanks!

I’m gearing up for my first year as Cubmaster at camp. What’s the general responsibility? I’ve heard of campfire vespers. Being available to answer questions and put out small fires. I’m helping with dinner and plan to prep our dish washing station. My son is in the Webelos den and I’d love to spend as much time with him as I can as our days in Cub Scouts are numbered.

Edit: this is a council event weekend. I don’t need to run program other than communicate it.

I’m currently serving as a Cubmaster, and I’m trying to figure out whether what we’re experiencing is normal or if I have legitimate reasons to be concerned.
Over the past couple of months, several things have raised some red flags for me:
No budget for two years. Our pack has operated for the past two years without an approved annual budget. I’ve raised concerns because I believe we should have a clear understanding of our finances, especially when planning camping trips, activities, and other events.
Multiple bank changes. Our pack has gone through approximately three or four different bank accounts or banking changes over the past couple of years. I’m not suggesting anything improper is happening, but that seems unusual for a Cub Scout pack.
Trail’s End Popcorn Portal access removed. After questioning some decisions involving popcorn sales, storefront opportunities, and fundraising, my leader access to the Trail’s End portal was removed. I was told to step back because the individuals managing popcorn had everything under control. However, families continue reaching out to me about limited storefront opportunities, and I’ve noticed potentially profitable locations being passed over.
Limited access to the new bank account. I’ve been informed that I will not have direct access to our pack’s new bank account, although I will receive bank statements. I understand that being Cubmaster doesn’t automatically mean I need to be an authorized signer or have control over the account. My concern is whether we’re maintaining appropriate financial transparency and accountability.
Inconsistent committee decision-making. Some decisions are put to a vote among whoever happens to be on a committee call, while other decisions seem to be implemented without a vote. It feels like there isn’t a consistent process for determining which decisions require committee approval.
I want to make something clear: I’m not trying to take control of the committee, the popcorn fundraiser, or the pack’s finances. I understand that the Cubmaster, committee chair, and treasurer have different responsibilities.
However, as Cubmaster, I’m responsible for helping deliver a quality program for our Scouts. It’s difficult to plan activities, camping trips, and other events when we don’t have an approved budget or a clear understanding of what the pack can financially support.
I also believe that asking reasonable questions about fundraising and finances shouldn’t result in having leadership access removed.
I’m not accusing anyone of stealing or mismanaging funds. I’m simply concerned about transparency, accountability, and how decisions are being made.
My questions for other Cubmasters, committee chairs, treasurers, and experienced Scouters are:
Is it normal for a Cub Scout pack to operate for two years without an approved annual budget?
Is changing banks or bank accounts three or four times in a couple of years unusual?
Should a Cubmaster have access to financial reports beyond bank statements, such as budgets, income and expense reports, and fundraising summaries?
Is it normal for a committee chair to remove a Cubmaster’s access to the popcorn leader portal, particularly after concerns have been raised?
Should major decisions like changing banks, restricting leadership access, or making significant financial decisions require a committee vote?
At what point should concerns about financial transparency and pack governance be brought to the chartered organization representative or council?
I genuinely want our pack to succeed. We have great Scouts, dedicated parents, and a lot of potential. I’d much rather spend my time growing the program and creating opportunities for our Scouts than dealing with internal disagreements.
Am I overstepping my responsibilities as Cubmaster, or are these legitimate concerns that should be addressed?
I’d appreciate hearing how other packs handle their finances, committee decisions, and leadership access.

I thought this might be a helpful way for den leaders to reference their dens level when looking for what religious awards are available. Please let me know any additions or corrections!

Lion: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sg9DZe3gUERFtocd4Wt4E4iHw6k-2ACSFpF95s-M0QE/edit?usp=sharing

Tigers: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SAzK1ORyZJKSZdojSVhX4bruwRD64Baem-kY-v9exHg/edit?usp=sharing

Wolves: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YFcKjQa0ZHwE2YmT8eUpfHxzl4T0z49Agk8ZoTc74E4/edit?usp=sharing

Bears: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CvA6Lt-zoJUqAa4Ksxzs6oi47XGRQKXKZsfdEGX61vA/edit?usp=sharing

Webelos/AOLs: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1KlV1sDrKgFS30eUOhnFH_U3ZPwwe1wb1coh2ULjxWz0/edit?usp=sharing

My 7 year old daughter heard about the scouts in school and has been asking to join the since last week. I had a few questions that I was hoping to get answered.

What is the joining process like, I assume it is online now and I just sign up and pay the fees, but after that do I just show up to a meeting with her? For that matter how many girls are in the scouts now, she wouldn't be out of place or anything?

What is the time investment? While her mother and I have free time, I would end up having to be the one to do a lot of the outdoor activities with her and am afraid she would have to miss a lot of things if I can't always be available.

Is there anything else that I should know or consider?

Edit:

I'm taking her to the local pack meeting tonight. They don't seem to have any girls her age but there are some older ones.

Edit 2:

We went to a meeting with the local Pack, and I talked to other parents and the local sub/pack/den leaders. She spent her time playing with the kids her age (den?). They meet every Wednesday and occasionally have outings that they plan though this month they didn't have anything more than a hike because of Spook-o-ree.

My daughter still really wanted to join and was really excited about it, so I registered and paid her fees. They said there was no hurry to get the uniform and everything and that the only time they really wear the whole thing is when there are parades or things of the sort, the rest of the time they tend to wear partial uniforms or class B uniforms.

My daughter's interests are that she wants to camp, fish, hike and look at animals. (Her other interests are art, video games, anime and fast amusement park rides.)

My hope is that she'll make some more friends and come out of her shell around people more often since she can be a little awkward and unsure of things around anyone she doesn't know well.

Our first activity of each school year is a Pack Hike at a large park. We split into dens. Den leaders lead there dens with scouts and parents in all different direction. Great time to chat with the parents u don’t know. How kids handle the little freedom with an open path and a parent with will tell you all about their personality.

Campout second, we do a rotation of activity for a few hours. One is always a hike.

Third hike is over a train lift bridge and through an abandoned railroad tunnel.

Fourth hike is through the Xmas lights at the same local park as the first hike.

This is all done before Xmas. Our retention increased last year and the kids are always asking when they can do the next one.

Half are part of the Den Schedule. Half are optional weekend events.