It seems like we just got done with School Night for Scouting (see earlier Rally and SNfS blogs) and it is time to start thinking about the next phases of the membership process – wring-out and re-charter. And while they are very different, one helps the other (and you):
Wring-Out
Wring-Out is the very simple process of ensuring that everyone that you (the Pack/Troop leadership) thinks is on your rolls are actually registered with BSA and vice versa. It should literally take you 5 minutes to do, because typically, the only request is that you email a copy of your unit roster to your Commissioner or District Executive. From there, someone at the Council office will compare your roster to what is in the BSA system. Inevitably, BSA will find someone on your roster that they don’t have paperwork on but is active in your unit (solution: fill out an app).
The only key to success with Wring-Out is to NOT pull your roster from the Scouting.Org or ScoutNet websites – because that is exactly the same database that Council pulls their list from. Whether you use Packmaster/Troopmaster or you keep a manual Excel/Word file, just send what you have – and your districtf/council team will take care of the rest.
Wring-out usually takes place between late-October and mid-November. In other words, after recruiting season but before the holidays. And there is a secondary benefit – if you reconcile your membership lists in the Fall, then Re-Charter gets much, much easier (because your roster already matches BSA’s).
Action Item – Email your internal roster to your Commissioner and/or District Exec.
Re-Charter
Every year, every BSA unit has to renew their charter and membership roster with the BSA. This year, the fees go up to $24 per member (youth and adult) and for those in my Council (Circle Ten), all of the districts re-aligned their renewal dates, so that all of the units are on the same schedule. For my district, Five Trails, we all re-charter by the end of January. Note: BY the end of January, not ON the last day of January.
For most units, the challenges to rechartering are:
1) Collecting the fees. Some units pay the re-charter fees through the fund-raising for the previous year. Others collect an annual check that includes the BSA fees plus some unit-specific dues or other amounts. For those units, setting up an ‘event’ in their website system (e.g. MyPack.US) allows you to collect dues in the same way that you collect fees for a campout or other activity.
2) Reconciling the Roster. If you just did Wring-Out, than the rosters should already match! If not, you’ll need to print the Council’s roster, compare it with yours, chase down the apps yourselves, etc. See why Wring-Out is helpful?!?
3) Adult YPT. This one can be tricky, for three reasons:
- The online BSA training expires every two years
- The in-person YPT training doesn’t typically show up on the online training inventory
- No matter how many times you beg, some adults just get really “busy” and procrastinate renewing their online training – which can hold up the whole unit.
Get Started Now (please)
If you are a January re-chartering unit, November (now) is the time to start – by doing your wring-out and starting to chase your YPT adults.
If you are registered as the Committee Chair or Unit Leader (Cubmaster/Scoutmaster), BSA’s new website has some great tools for you. Log on to http://My.Scouting.org click on your unit and then “Tools” – to see the ‘Training Manager’. Click on the YPT section of the Training Manager, and it you can generate your own report of whose YPT is due to expire. You can also see who is ‘fully trained’ according to the role that they are registered in with BSA.
Or, if you are in Coppell, I can send you an inventory of adults and their YPT status, from the Commissioners’ view. Please email me if you need the list.
Action Item: Get an inventory of your adults’ YPT status – and start encouraging those who need it to renew (now).
The holidays are a busy time for Scouting (and Schools and Families), so please prioritize notifying those adults who need YPT to get it done early – before Christmas. And then you’ll be ready to re-charter in January.
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