Dan Beard Council National Commissioner - Don Belcher Podcasts Monthly Visits

Monthly Visits – Why Are they important? l Role of the Unit Commissioner l How we measure success in that role l How we execute against that role l Monthly visits ties all of these pieces together l Single most important responsibility of UC

Monthly Visits Role of the Unit Commissioner l Make every Unit successful l How do we measure success? l Is Unit a Quality Unit? l Has Unit’s retention improved? l If both of these are happening – your Units are certain to be successful l Clear definitions exist for Quality Units

Monthly Visits How can you ensure success in each Unit? l Regular monthly visits – see what is happening l Places you in a position to bring your help and support to the unit

Monthly Visits You can’t just Fly By! – It means “boots on the ground” l It doesn’t mean that every visit has to be to the Unit itself l Monthly visits could include: l Unit visit l Committee meeting l Roundtable meeting

Monthly Visits Visits have to be face-to-face l You have to see what is actually happening in a Unit l We know something about kids l You have to be there and see that the “kids" are having fun! l If they are having fun l Membership is up l Retention is up l Advancement is going on l Strong leadership l Kids invite friends to attend l When they are not having fun l Kids will vote with their feet – Leave Scouting!

Monthly Visits Role of Unit Commissioner l Coach l Counselor l Helpful addition to the Unit leader l Ensure Unit leaders are keeping the kids engaged Unit Commissioners don’t have all of the answers l They should know who to contact for the answers l Use all of the available resources l Are exposed to successful Units

Monthly Visits Typical Unit Visit l Talk to Unit leader in advance l Make sure the Unit leader understands that you would like to come & observe the Unit l Ask if you can help with anything l After relationship is developed it is probably not necessary to notify in advance l You are not there to grade them l You are there to help and support them

Monthly Visits Commissioner’s Worksheet l Review before Unit visit l Don’t check off or fill in during the visit l Keep in mind those areas you are going to focus on during the Visit l Are the kids have fun? l Who’s leading the meeting? – Only adults? youth leading? l What about advancement – is it happening? l What does the membership look like? l Growing?/Declining?

Monthly Visits Commissioner’s Worksheet (Cont’d) l What does the retention rate look like? l Improving? l Stable? l Getting Worse? l How can I help this Unit? l After the meeting summarize your findings l Review worksheet with your ADC or DC for recommendations

Monthly Visits Unit Self-Assessment l Each Unit goes through this process annually or semi- annually l Unit Self-Assessment: l Unit Leader – how do I feel about the progress I am making in this Unit? l Quality of program the kids are getting? l Advancement status? l Membership status? l Retention status? l Are the camping/outings taking place as scheduled? l Unit leader assesses his/her own performance l UC assists the Unit to make them successful

Monthly Visits Units Need Physical Contact l Meeting people – seeing what is going on l We are challenged with re-invigorating growth & retention l Make sure every unit is successful l Unit Commissioner does this by visiting Units monthly l Being in a position to provide help & support

Monthly Visits Keeping track of all of our visits l Vitally important that there is a measurement system l No big national system – each Council has their own system l Setting expectations for our Unit Commissioners: l Make a minimum of one Unit visit in some form every month l Measurement System – Make sure we can follow-up and correct issues that need support and some help

Monthly Visits “ I do not believe that there is a single more vital role in building the success of the Boy Scouts of America than the work done by the Unit Commissioner ” “ Unit Commissioners are making a difference in the lives of our youth ” - Don Belcher, National Commissioner, BSA

Monthly Visits Final Thoughts l If in every Council... in every District... we set expectations of monthly Unit visits l... if we measure these visits... If we have a reporting process... and we follow-up on these visits l... we will dramatically & positively effect he Quality of Commissioner Service and will contribute significantly to the revitalization of membership growth and retention l... That is our job as Commissioners!

Monthly Visits Discussion