BAY AREA COUNCIL DISTRICT OFFICERS ORIENTATION BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA

WHO IS THE BAY AREA COUNCIL?  Parents & Scouts  Unit Committee Members  Unit Leaders  District Committee  Unit Commissioners  Council Executive Board  Executive Committee  Professional Staff

Bay Area Council  2 counties in East Texas  Galveston (Headquarters)  Brazoria  4 geographical areas (Districts)  Coastal, Northern Star, Cradle of Texas, Thunderbird  District serves as a support system for the charter organizations  Not a policy making entity  $1.5 – 1.7 mil. budget  Council made up of:  Executive Committee  Executive Board (policy making body)  Council owns the assets of the Corporation

Bay Area Council (continued)  Professional Staff of Council:  manage the assets of the council  recruit volunteer manpower  serve as campaign manager for the Investment in Character Campaign  provide quality service to charter organizations and grow the membership in the program  Scout units in the District are overseen by:  District Committee  Commissioner Staff  District Chairman  top volunteer in the district  District Commissioner  serves as the quality control person  District Committee  sub-committees and a staff of unit commissioners (will be reviewed further in the agenda).  Not a policy making or governing body  Only Council Executive Board has the authority to make policy and govern

Any Questions to this point?

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE…. ORGANIZATION…

ORGANIZATION District Chairman Commissioner Staff Membership Finance  Program  Activities  Advancement  Camping  Training  Venturing / Exploring

District Chairman  Key person (with clout) in the community  Recruits the best manpower available to serve on District Committee.  Member of the Council Executive Board.  Team player and council supporter.  Accepts and supports the goals of the council and district:  Growth in Membership  Investment in Character.  Presides (with the District Executive) over the District Committee meeting each month.  Meets with the District Executive and District Commissioner  Key 3 Monthly meeting  Discuss district topics  Develop the district committee agenda

District Chairman  Serves as a partner with the District Executive  Must be in constant communication with each other to stay informed.  Committed to the district goals  Journey to Excellence  Recruit chairman  District sub-committees  Ensure completion of District goals  Annually appoint a nominating committee  Nominees for district officer positions  Nominees for members-at-large.

District Commissioner  Must be approved by the Council Executive Board  Ensure healthy program in the scout units  Recruits staff of unit commissioners  1:3 ratio (commissioner to units)  Serves as the quality control expert  Committed to district goals  Journey to Excellence  Conducts a Unit Commissioners meeting  Each month  Ensures a quality Roundtable meeting  Each month for Unit Leaders.  Maintains a healthy & positive relationship with unit leaders

District Commissioner (continued)  Attends the monthly district committee meeting  Support local and national policies, procedures and practices  Is a team player  Attend Council Commissioners meeting  Every other month  Assistant District Commissioner may attend instead  Stay in constant communication with the District Executive  Have a good working relationship  District Executive  District Chairman  Understand and support the vision of the Council

District Executive  Provide professional coaching  Follow their lead!  Don’t reinvent the wheel!  Propose plans and agenda  Pencil drafts for consideration  Suggest & implements action plans  Recruiting district personnel  Give inspiration and encouragement

District Executive (continued)  Regular contact with heads of chartered organizations  Keep district records up to date  Arrange for the council’s office services  mailings  meeting notices etc.  Develop his / her own work schedule  Work with and support volunteers  Provide vital behind the scenes administrative Skill

Key Leadership Information  Each District Officer  Serves a one year term.  Key District Leadership  Reviewed annually for effectiveness and support of the Council vision  May be removed by Council Executive Board  Nominating Committee  Standing Committee  Set up to review effectiveness of the current District Leadership  Must be approved by the Council Executive Board  District Executive  Consults with nominating committee  Review each District Member at large for continued service  Current District Leadership does not appoint their replacements or is involved in the nominating process

Key District Meetings  Key-3 Meeting:  District Chairman, District Executive, District Commissioner  Occurs once per month before the District Committee Meeting.  District Committee Meeting:  Occurs once per month  Operating committee chairman, District Chmn.,  District Commissioner and District Executive.  Commissioner Staff Meeting:  Occurs once per month  District Commissioner, Unit Commissioners and District Executive.  Roundtable:  Occurs once per month  Information and training meeting for unit leaders  Conducted by Roundtable Commissioner and Roundtable staff

District Committee Meeting: Worksheet  Call to order  Opening ceremony and/or invocation  Keep this short and simple  Welcome, Introductions and Recognitions  Ask committee chairman to introduce the new members of their committees  Training feature of the month  No longer than 20 minutes  Highlights of the job that needs to be planned and executed tonight  Touch on the highlights of this month’s work plan for each committee  Announce time allowed for the operating committee meetings  As each item is discussed, be sure an assignment is made, accepted, and recorded on the work plan in each committee meeting

District Committee Meeting: cont’d  Unit Service  Specific unit needs requiring operating committee assistance  Operating committee meetings  This will occupy the major portion of the evening  Reports and plans of operating committee meetings  What was accomplished in the past month?  What plans have been made to accomplish during the next months?  Reports of special committee and selected chartered organization representatives.  District Executives Report  Other business  Hold an open forum if time permits  Closing ceremony  Adjournment

Commissioners Meetings:  Nerve Center of Council’s Commissioner operations  Major purpose:  Motivate and support district commissioners  Maintain a high level of unit service in the districts  Council commissioner presides  Who Attends:  District commissioners  Assistant council commissioners  Scout executive  How often do we meet:  Monthly  Purpose:  planning, training, and reporting.  Assistant council commissioners can be assigned specific responsibilities  roundtables, training, conferences, etc.

Discussion Items: (Commissioner Meetings)  A timely training topic  A district-by-district review of such items as commissioner recruiting, unit re-chartering, and unit visits.  Chance to hold districts accountable.  Future council activities  FOS campaign  Summer camp promotions  Scout show  Special projects.

Discussion Items: (Commissioner Meetings)  Opportunity for district commissioners to report on:  health of their units  Give specific statement on unit coverage  Special unit service projects  Major needs of the district.  Roundtable activities and attendance, commissioner training programs, and other special commissioner- related business.  A review of potential dropped units needing high priority commissioner lifesaving.  Problem solving  At least once a year, make a list of problems that have been confronted by district commissioners. Select a problem for each monthly meeting. Break participants into work groups of three to six persons to devise solutions for the problems. After 15 to 20 minutes, reassemble and have groups share their solutions. The staff adviser includes a comprehensive list of solutions in the meeting minutes.

Ultimate Goal  Achieve Journey to Excellence Gold Level  Council benchmarks  Council goals  Health markers for BAC

District Committee Member -Other Key Points  Team players  Agents of the Bay Area Council  Pledge support to Council:  Resources  Financial commitment (annually)  Adhere to the policies, procedures and practices of the BSA

Required Paperwork  Minutes  District Committee meetings  District Commissioner meetings  Person responsible : The District Exec.

Summary  Recruit Youth  Organize Units  Give good service  Recruit people with influence  Recruit people to give money  Recognize “your volunteers”  Scout meetings  District banquets  Scouting events