Volunteering with Pack 680

Quick information:

• Pack 680 relies on parent volunteers to have a successful Cub Scout program.
• Parents turn over every 3-4 years.  We must always be recruiting.
• Volunteering allows you to experience scouting in a new way.
• Our philosophy is many hands make light work!

Have you been recruited?

• Download Pack 680’s volunteer guide to find details about job descriptions.
• If you were asked to register, apply online at my.scouting.org to start an online adult volunteer application for Pack 680.
• While you’re there, take Youth Protection Training – it’s required for all leaders.

About Religion and Adult Leaders

The Boy Scouts of America officially recognizes faith in God as a core piece of the Scouting program.  The Scouting program is non-sectarian, but units observe religious faith according to the chartering organization and their own beliefs.  Pack 680 adds a Catholic character to our activities, including prayers and participation in church services.

We welcome (and have) non-Catholics in our pack, and no one is required to take part in distinctly Catholic ceremonies or activities in conflict with their personal beliefs (per the BSA Charter and Bylaws).

Conversely, all adults associated with the pack are asked to maintain a supportive or neutral orientation towards Catholic teaching on faith and morals during official Scouting activities and interactions with the boys.

Den Leaders and Assistant Den Leaders

Den leader is the most consequential volunteer role in the program.  Without a den leader, a den will eventually disband.

Sometimes two parents will agree to be co-leaders.  This takes some pressure off the main person.

BSA and the pack support our den leaders!  New den leaders should:

• Register and complete Youth Protection Training at my.scouting.org
• Complete den leader training at my.scouting.org
• Get the den leader guide for your rank.  These walk you through being a den leader and include plans that tell you exactly what to do for each meeting
• Attend Council-wide training (BALOO, Pow-Wow, and University of Scouting).  Pack 680 will pay your fees
• Ask the pack leadership for help when needed

Committee Members

The pack’s administrative duties are spread to as many adults as possible to prevent burn-out of any one leader.  Keeping these positions filled are vital to having a functioning pack and allowing the Cubmaster to focus on the program.

 There is committee member training at my.scouting.org – you don’t have to jump in cold.

Parents Committee Positions

For full descriptions, see the Pack 680 volunteer guide.

• Committee chair: Sets agenda for and leads committee meetings. Liaison with parents and chartered organization and reserves facilities. 1-2 hr/mo time commitment for the committee meetings, but also includes ad-hoc communication with the FACS Board.
• Secretary: Takes notes during committee meetings, creating a history of discussion and decisions. 1.5 hr/mo commitment.
• Treasurer: Good for people with accounting and finance skills. Holds the pack checkbook, tracks income/expenses, and maintains the budget. Also writes reimbursement checks and deposits funds. About 2 hr/mo, sometimes a bit more.
• Advancement chair: Purchases awards, patches, pins, and belt loops from the scout shop before pack meetings. One of the more fun jobs.
• Derby chair: Maintains and sets up hardware for pinewood derby, raingutter regatta, cubmobile races, and crossover bridge. Must like lifting! Woodworking skills a plus.
• Fundraising chair: (the Popcorn Kernel) Holds and manages popcorn inventory as well as tracks the money. Good for people with large vehicles, some garage space, and Microsoft Excel skills. Steady (but manageable) workload from August to December.
• Membership chair: Processes membership applications and med forms. Good for people who like paperwork, binders, and giving out free T-shirts. Light recruiting duty. Work primarily occurs in January, May, and September.
• Outings chair: Makes reservations and arrangements for outings. Good for people who like using the phone. Small spurts of work throughout the year.
• Religious emblems chair: Distributes religious emblem books, collects them, and gets them to the Diocese. Coordinates the annual scout mass with the Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. Most of the year this is no work, but 1-2 months a year it’s quite busy.
• STEM activities chair: Plans one pack meeting per year (the STEM event) plus looks for opportunities to inject STEM into den activities. Probably the coolest job we have.
• Webmaster: Updates dynamic content on the website. Must know enough html to not break the site (like the cubmaster did). Very small time commitment (minutes per week) but technical skills are needed.

Ad-Hoc Volunteer Opportunities

These are temporary positions focused on a one-time event.  These are a great way to help out with no long term commitment.

Positions

• Blue & Gold Banquet coordinator: Organize a parents committee to provide a theme, food, and decorations for the annual BSA birthday banquet.
• Day Camp coordinator: Register interested scouts and parents, handle payments/reimbursements, manage paperwork, coordinate carpools and chaperones, take pictures, and have fun.
• Goshen Camp coordinator: Register interested scouts and parents, handle payments/reimbursements, manage paperwork, and lead the Webelos patrols at week-long camp.
• Camp Snyder coordinator: Generate interest and ensure interested families all register for the same date. Optionally handle registration and payment.
• Camp fundraising coordinator: (the Camp Card Captain) Obtain card inventory from NCAC, distribute cards to families, and recover funds & leftover cards. Microsoft Excel skills a must.
• Summer Bowling coordinator: Make reservations and food arrangements at a local bowling alley. If visiting the bowling alley at Fort Belvoir, coordinate gate access.
• Wreaths Across America coordinator: Generate interest, disseminate information, serve as on-site leadership for the pack, and take attendance/pictures.
• Scouting for Food coordinator: Obtain bags/maps, assign areas to dens, create flyers, and distribute bags/flyers to den leaders. Must also coordinate with Troop 680.
• Parents needed to run STEM Night stations: Just respond to the email asking for volunteers.
• Parents needed to judge derby cars and rockets: The cubmaster or a den leader will tag you on-site and ask for your judging services.
• Piano player for Christmas caroling: If you can play Christmas carols on the piano, please make yourself known!