Cubmaster 101
Presented by Bill Mulvihill
Vice Chairman, Programs – Huguenot Trail District, Heart of
VA
Who am I?
Involved in BSA for over 30 years (Eagle Scout)
Presently serving on Huguenot Trail District Staff
6 years as a Cubmaster: Pack 861, Bon Air
Presbyterian Church in Heart of VA Council and
Pack 184 Transatlantic Council
Former Den Leader, ASM
Have planned over 60 Pack meetings
Dad of a Eagle Scout and Life Scout
What this presentation is not…
Short! (We will run out of time…)
The “right way” to be a Cubmaster
Learning how to manage conflict
The presentation of your dreams! (Well, I guess
maybe…)
What this presentation is…
What I believe the basics are
Nothing more than tips and suggestions
Situations and experiences that I learned from
A pointer to good online resources
Hopefully, a time where we can share ideas
Agenda
Intro
What is the Cubmaster’s job?
Working with the Charter
Organization
What is a Pack Meeting?
Recruiting (Scouts and
Leaders)
The Pack Meeting Plan (Agenda)
Event Planning
Den Duties (Assignments)
Do you know what your dens are
doing?
Do you have a monthly leader
meeting?
Working with the Pack Committee
Diplomacy and Crisis
Management
Who is your Unit
Commissioner or DE?
Leader Training
Webelos
Communication
Who is the Cubmaster?
The Ruler of the Pack (no, but many will think
you are)
The Glue that holds everyone together
The energy that keep the pack running
The grease the keeps things smooth
The face of the pack
The one everyone blames
The chief evangelist!
Cubmaster’s Job
Read The Cub Scout Leader Book
Responsible for Pack Program (not by yourself)
Chief Goofball and Crisis Negotiator
Plan the Monthly Pack Meeting
Cultivate a strong Webelos program
Have your finger on The Pulse of the pack
Have a regular leader/planning meeting
Build and cultivate relationships (scouts, families, schools, charter
organization and more)
Work with your Committee Chair, Charter Rep, District Executive (DE)
and Unit Commissioner
Use Your Resources
Can’t sing?
Find it hard to be silly?
Bad at planning?
Don’t think you are very creative?
Use Your Leaders and Families!!!!
But… Leave your comfort zone
and Have Fun!!!
What is a Pack Meeting?
(Oh my, soooo many words….)
The monthly pack meeting brings together boys
from every den, their leaders, and their families,
to participate in a large-scale event that serves
as a showcase for everything the boys have
learned and done in their individual den
meetings.
The pack meeting gives the boys a larger
experience beyond their own den, and helps
them to connect their individual activities to the
entire Cub Scouting program.
Meetings are boooooring!
A monthly show for your pack families!!!
Fest, The Big Show, Cub Theatre)
(Cub
There should be:
Songs
Skits
Jokes
Awards
Rank advancement
Short announcements (use a newsletter)
FUN!!!!!
Mix it up! Some families have been there for years!
You NEED an agenda!!!
Consistency is good; but change is also okay (find a balance)
Keep it simple
Keep it as short as possible (75 min in my book)
Be flexible!
Have a copy on hand
Get every den involved
Get parents and leaders involved
Cubmaster is the Ringmaster not the star of the show!
Pack Meeting Tips
Always have a Plan B
Did you confirm the guest (or verify that they had
been confirmed)?
Always have an agenda! (Did I already say that?)
Set expectations (Stage Area, Behavior for scouts
AND guests)
Does every boy get something? (Bead program)
Do adults get something? (Bead program, thank you
gift)
Do you have a treasure/goodie box?
Den Duties (Assignments)
This is what I use:
Gathering & Setup
Opening
Prayer
Song
Skit
Spotlight Den
Den Choice (Song, Skit, Cheer)
Jokes or Run-ons
Closing & Cleanup
Monthly Den Duties
Publish the duties ahead of time
Remind leaders at your leader meeting
Come up with an easy rotation
Send email reminders!
Be ready to fill/change as needed
I give my dens 5 minutes each (they can use less)
Get every den involved!!
Public speaking is an important life skill!
Keep what works, change what doesn’t!
What Are Your Dens Doing?
Where and When do they meet?
Do you ever visit them?
What Go See It trips are they going on?
Have they filed a Tour Plan?
Are the scouts earning awards and advancing?
Have you asked about any problems?
Do Den Leaders have assistants? Den Chiefs?
Do You Have a Leader Meeting?
Having a regular leader meeting is worth it
Make every den have a representative
Make it face-to-face
Get Den Leader feedback on recent events
Plan for upcoming events
Get a report on den health
Help resolve issues
Inform your leaders about additional awards
(National Den Award, STEM NOVA, Emergency
Preparedness and lots more...)
Gather feedback for the Pack Committee
Working with the Pack Committee
Attend the monthly Committee Meeting
Give a Cubmaster Report
Work hand-in-hand with your
Committee Chair!!!
Let them handle the Business
the Pack
of
Help recruit new members
Have a New Parent Welcome
Program
No, you should not feel
like this...
Working with Your Charter Organization
Build a relationship with your Institutional Head
(IH), if possible
Try to attend some Charter Org events
Look into doing a yearly Service Project
Build a relationship with your Charter
Organization Representative
Remember the Charter Organization basically
owns the pack
Recruiting (Scouts & Adults)
Market your pack year round
Use the tools the council provides (flyers, lawn signs,
posters, banners, business cards, and more!)
Make sure you have a recruiting program for new scouts
Have you been assigned a school or two?
Have you tried to run a boy talk? (Huh? What's that?)
Help identify potential leaders and event hosts
Can you help in leader recruitment?
Make families feel welcome!
Return phone calls and email!!!
Event Planning (and Attending)
DO NOT do it all yourself!!!
Don’t be afraid to let events fail
Do you know who your event hosts are?
You do NOT have to attend every pack event
(there is only so much of you to go around)
Spend some time with your own family while at
events (even the Cubmaster gets to enjoy the
event)
Make sure you get some food!
Boy Behavior
Become familiar with the normal behavior for
each age group
Do not be afraid to set expectations (make sure
you are clear)
Do not be afraid to reprimand (but be calm and
fair)
Make sure your leaders understand this as well
Have you tried a Pack Theme of the Year?
The boys CAN do it!
Diplomacy and Crisis Management
As in any family, problems and tense situations
can arise
Be careful not to jump in too fast
Try to listen as much as possible
Folks WILL come to you looking for solutions
People can get very nasty, do your best not to
respond in kind
Don’t be afraid to go to your Unit Commissioner,
DE, Charter Organization Rep or others for help!
Your Unit Commissioner and DE
Have you met them? You NEED to do that!
You WANT your Council Office to know you (at
least your name)
Have you met your area's Program Impact
Executive?
Invite them to pack functions
Is your Unit Commissioner on your email list?
Leader Training
Your goal is to encourage EVERY leader to be
trained (trained standards have changed in
2012)
You NEED to be trained
Mandatory training for direct contact leaders
Do you have a pack trainer?
Do you have any training for parents?
Know who has/has not been trained
Look into Wood Badge… It is THAT good!
Webelos
What are the Troops in your area?
Do you know who the Scoutmasters are?
Roundtable and Council/District events are good
places to make contacts
Where are your Webelos bridging to?
Are you making sure that Webelos is a strong
program?
How many of your Webelos Bridge?
Communication
Do you have an email list?
Do use use online groups?
Do you have a website?
You REALLY need a Pack Newsletter!
Do you have a yearly calendar?
How often do you communicate to your pack?
How much face-to-face time do you have with
pack families?
Have Fun
Just an hour a week, right? (Yeah, a Scout Hour!)
Don’t do this for your son, the boys or the pack…
Do it for YOU!
If you are not having fun, you need to change
things
If you do it right, you will be compensated more
than you ever expected!
Great Resources!
Everyone needs help and ideas!
Resources
Complete your Training!!!
Wood Badge
Monthly District Roundtable
University of Scouting (duh…)
Cub Scout Talk Yahoo! Group
Cubmaster Chat Yahoo! Group
Scouting.org Website
Our Counsel Website (and email lists)
Your District Website
Your unit Website
Great Online Resources
Pack Meeting Info from BSA:
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Activities/pack.aspx
Simple Pack Meeting Planning Document:
http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34-37.pdf
My University of Scouting Website:
http://cubmaster101.com/
Major Helps
Baloo’s Bugle (my secret sauce)
http://www.usscouts.org/bbugle.asp
Cubmaster Resources from the BSA
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/Cubmaster%20Resources.aspx
Den and Pack Meeting Resource Guides
http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/CubScouts/Leaders/DenLeaderResources/DenandPackMeetingResourceGuid
e.aspx
MacScouter
http://www.macscouter.com/
The Virtual Cub Scout Leader’s Handbook
http://webspace.webring.com/people/wu/um_10831/home.html
The Scouter Mom
http://www.scoutermom.com/
Thank You!