Pack Yearly Planning Things You Should be Working On Now

Why Plan?

To ensure time and funding are used wisely. Evaluate the past year’s areas of success and needs for improvement Ensure major events are spread out across the calendar / Ensure fun activities are occurring through out the year Keeps parents informed of what to expect Allows leaders time to coordinate den meeting plans with the pack’s goals and events

Planning Cycle Monthly: Each monthly Pack Committee meetings can be used to drive part of the planning process. Annually: Once per year in the spring, establish the basics of your annual plan by filling in plans for each month. Ongoing: Leaders should work to finalize the details of activities occurring in the next three months. One month before events, details should be completely finalized.

Spring Planning Meeting

What to bring: Current roster of scouts and leaders Cub Scout Leader Book Pack Budget for the previous year Current Treasurer’s report Calendars from school district, council, and chartered organization Copies of Unit Advancement Reports Completed Family Talent Surveys Parent or boy surveys (if applicable)

Steps in Planning Evaluation – what did we do well, and what could we do better? Goal Setting – what do we want the pack to achieve this year? Program Features – What events will allow those goals to be fulfilled? What themes or special features should we incorporate? Calendaring & Assignments – when are we going to execute the program events that will fulfill our goals? Who will carry out the program? Budgeting – what financial resources do we need to make the program happen? Review- if one or two people are creating the calendar; review with all leadership for final changes and approval Communication – no plan is complete until you have informed your Scouts and parents. How and when will you communicate your plan?

Evaluation

Questions to Ask? Performance/Quality What awards did the pack and leadership qualify for this year? Did you earn the Journey to Excellence Award and the National Summertime Pack Award? Have you set goals to earn them during the coming year, including completing the Journey To Excellence form? Service What service projects did the pack perform this year? Was at least one of them for your Chartered Organization? Membership How many Scouts do you have?, How many joined?, How many are still with the pack? Do their parents and families come to the pack meetings?

More Questions??? Advancement What percentage of your Scouts advanced this year? What other awards did the Scouts earn? (i.e. World Conservation, Outdoor Activity Award) Sports and Academics Belt Loops & Pins Camp How boys attend camp? Leadership What leaders are leaving? What positions would you like to add? What % of leadership is trained? Do you utilize den chiefs? Finances How much money did it take to present the pack program this year? What is the cost per Scout of your program? Did you reach your fundraising goals? Did you continually have to conduct additional fundraisers to keep cash in the bank account? Are the dues or fees you collected sufficient to pay for the pack? Do you have a sufficient, but not huge, surplus to carry the pack into the new program year? Have you prepared a formal budget for the pack, and tracked your expenses?

Goal Setting

Setting Goals Now is the time to set goals for the pack. You know what your weaknesses are. How are you going to address them? You know your strengths. What will you do to enhance them? What milestones should the pack reach this year? Think in quantifiable terms. Set numerical goals for membership and retention. Determine what awards the pack will attempt to earn. What percentage of leaders do you need to have trained? What leaders need to be recruited to serve the boys you will recruit? How many boys will advance in rank? Budget?

Program Features

What are you going to include in the pack program? Outings and field trips Camping Special events (Blue & Gold; Pinewood Derby, etc.) Committee & parent meetings Pack meetings Attendance at District and Council events Service Projects (including at least one for your Chartered Organization) Recruiting dates Participation in leader training/Roundtables/University of Scouting

Calendar & Assignments

Things to Keep in Mind: Set the dates for your meetings and events. Avoid conflicts with school, religious, and council events. Dates can always be adjusted later, if plans change or new opportunities present themselves. Chairs and staffing for each event/outing/fundraiser should be made as early as possible. Provide reminders as events approach on the calendar. Every parent should sign up for at least one event that interests them. This ensures everyone has a stake in the success of the pack, and will reduce the workload of the leaders  Announce the event one month in advance, and again as the event approaches.

Budget

Finance Questions How much money did it take to present the pack program this year? What is the cost per Scout of your program? Did you reach your fundraising goals last year? Did you continually have to conduct additional fundraisers to keep cash in the bank account? Are the dues or fees you collected sufficient to pay for the pack? Do you have a sufficient, but not huge, surplus to carry the pack into the new program year? Have you prepared a formal budget for the pack, and tracked your expenses?

Review

Considerations: Safety: Is every item on the plan age-appropriate and on track to be conducted safely? Compelling: Is there a good reason for everything in the plan? Time: Does the event work with the rest of the schedule? Spacing: Is the event so close to other events that pack leaders will be overloaded? Scale: Is the event best done by individual dens rather than the whole pack?

More Considerations… Legacy: Will the event be memorable for all the right reasons? Reputation: How will the pack be seen within the community? Quality: What quality targets should a pack aim for this year? Special opportunities: Are there any special or new opportunities the whole pack should pursue this year? Retention: Will the plan support retention and growth? Funding: Is this the best use of funding, and is funding available? Advancement and awards: What pack activities will support rank advancement and awards?

Communication

Pack Communication Share your plan with parents and scouts Create and distribute a pack handbook Distribute calendar at the pack’s summer events Inform the parent’s of the pack budget Provide regular updates to parents and Scouts via newsletters, your pack web site, , and/or phone trees.

Future Steps Hold regular committee meetings to refine and execute the plans you have made. Collect data (attendance, advancement, finances, etc.) for next year's planning. Evaluate as you go along, to make sure you're meeting your goals, and everyone is having fun. Continually communicate changes and upcoming events to families and Scouts.

Lastly, HAVE FUN!!!!!!!