Volunteer Positions

Note: Underlined positions are required for a pack to stay active. Other positions are optional, but we would like someone to take on those roles to help the Pack flourish.

Leadership Positions

There are a number of Leadership Positions available. More about positions can be found here: SA - The Pack Committee

• Key Three - These are the three main roles in the Pack Committee: Unit Leader, Committee Chair, Chartered Organization Representative. Without these roles the Pack cannot operate.

  • Chartered Organization Representative (COR) - Acts as our pack's liaison with our Chartered Organization (Moose Lodge). Position Specific Training is required. THIS POSITION IS FILLED BY OUR CHARTERED ORGANIZATION.

  • Committee Chair - Conducts monthly pack leaders' meeting to help plan program. Leader meetings are often held for a half hour or so after Pack Nights or occasionally as separate meetings (usually in August). The Committee Chair ensures that committee members give adequate support for running the program to the Cubmaster and Den leaders. Helps recruit additional leaders as needed. Position Specific Training is required.

  • Cubmaster - Conducts monthly pack meeting. Aids den leaders by coordinating monthly programs for all leaders. Attends monthly pack leaders' meeting. The public 'face' of the Pack. Has one or more assistants.

• Committee Members - Treasurer and Secretary are also highly recommended. There are other committee roles as well.

• Treasurer - Attend monthly pack leaders' meeting to help plan program and take care of finances. Handles payments to third parties and reimbursing other leaders' expenses. Balances checkbook and reviews monthly bank statements.

• Secretary - Attend monthly pack leaders' meeting to help plan program, take notes, disseminate information, compile newsletters, etc. Ideally the Secretary would be able to document our Scout year also, through pictures and possibly an end-of-year slide show or video.

• Assistant Cubmaster - Assists the Cubmaster with coordinating and running the monthly pack meeting.

• Pack Trainer - The Pack Trainer should ensure that all volunteers in the Pack are trained for their position. This includes both Youth Protection Training and Position Specific Training. Web access to Pack training information will be available as well as information about training opportunities. The person filling this role will be responsible for encouraging anyone who is not trained for their position to complete their training. Training is available for most positions online and at area training events. It would be good, but is not required for the Pack Trainer to attend monthly district roundtable meetings on the second Thursday of the month from 7:00 to about 8:00 (at the Sycamore United Methodist Church). Position Specific Training is recommended. SA membership is required.

• Other roles (see below): Advancement Chair, Outdoor Activity Chair, Membership & Registration Chair, Fundraising Chair, Public Relations Chair, etc.

Den Leaders - required for all active Dens.

Meets 1-3 times monthly for about one hour with a den of six to eight Scouts. Dens are co-ed except for the Arrow of Light Dens. Any Den with a female in it will need a registered adult female leader present (they don't have to be the Den leader though). We have a monthly Den Adventure Night on the 1st Monday of each month at the First United Methodist Church of DeKalb, but additional Den meetings may be held in den leader's home, a Scout's home, a church, library, park, or other suitable place. The den leader determines the time, day, and location of den meetings that is most convenient for him or her. Attends Pack leaders' meeting. Position Specific Training is required. SA Membership is required. Can have one or more assistants and parent helpers. General time commitment is about 1-3 hours per week.

Any Den with Scouts will require a Den Leader.  Empty Dens do not require a Den Leader.

• Arrow of Light (Webelos 2) Boys Den Leader - Arrow of Light is for 5th Graders. This is a continuation of Webelos, with new Adventures. Usually, these Scouts are already familiar with the program and are preparing to become SA Scouts.

• Arrow of Light (Webelos 2) Girls Den Leader - In preparation for the crossover to Scouting America Troops, boy and girl Arrow of Light Dens are technically separate Dens, though they will still cooperate on some activities as needed. 

• Webelos (1) Den Leader - Webelos is for 4th Graders. Occasionally we get new Webelos, but most Scouts will be familiar with the program.

• Bear Den Leader - The Bear Den is for 3rd Graders. Occasionally we get new Scouts as Bears, but most will be familiar with the program by this age. 

• Wolf Den Leader - The Wolf Den is for 2nd Graders. There are usually a few new Scouts in a Wolf Den, however many Scouts will be familiar with the program by this age.

• Tiger Den Leader - The Tiger Den is for 1st Graders. Tiger parents are required to attend all Den and Pack meetings with their Scout. Many of these boys and girls will be new to Scouting this year.

• Lion Den Leader - The Lion Den is for Kindergarteners. This is a simplified, casual Scouting experience just for younger Scouts. These kids will be new to Scouting this year. Lion will have a trained Leader to lead meetings, however, parent involvement is encouraged.  Lion parents are required to attend all Den and Pack meetings with their Scout.

Administrative/Committee Positions

These are additional positions that are recommended. These are considered Committee Member positions and registration with SA is recommended. None of these are required, although Popcorn Kernel is critical for our main fundraising event.

Popcorn Kernel - The Popcorn Kernel is responsible for coordinating the annual popcorn sale, attending training, picking up the popcorn order, communicating with the Pack about the sale, tracking the money earned, ordering awards, scheduling storefront sales, and keeping the Scouts enthused about the program. Training is provided and this is a very important, but fairly time-intensive, position for the first few months of the Scouting year, particularly at the very beginning of sales in August and early September, final sales at the end of October, and distribution of popcorn in mid-November. Popcorn Sales cover about 70% of our Pack expenses for the year (Scout dues only cover about 30%), so encouraging great sales is vital to ensuring we can provide a great program. Position Specific Training is recommended. SA membership is not required but recommended.

Membership & Registration Chair - The Registration Coordinator will manage new Scout sign ups, annual Scout registration (in September), Pack rechartering, and getting necessary signatures for new volunteers. This position will help coordinate our fall recruiting efforts (school visits, School Night for Scouting, new family orientation meeting, etc.). This will require contacting our Chartered Organization Representative (at the Moose Lodge) to get signatures any time we have new adult volunteers and when it is time for the Pack to be rechartered (every December). The Registration Coordinator can turn in registration paperwork at the monthly roundtable meetings. Position Specific Training is recommended. SA membership not required. This is a year-round position, with most of the work needed in August, September, and October.

Advancement Chair - The Advancement Chair manages the advancement & awards earned by the Scouts. Helps plan and conduct awards ceremonies. Collects, compiles and stores advancement records (in Scoutbook). Purchases awards to be given to the Scouts.

Outdoor Activity Chair - The Outdoor Activity Chair assists Cubmaster in planning and executing outdoor activities. The chair ensures that a properly trained adult is in attendance at any outdoor activity and knows and carries out SA outdoor program policy.

Fundraising Chair - Aside from our annual popcorn sales we sometimes do other fundraisers, like selling ice cream, beef jerkey, etc. Scouts isn't about fundraising, but we do participate in activities that have expenses. If we can do additional fundraising (especially casual fundraising, like dining out opportunities) we can have some of these additional expenses paid for and do more as a Pack!

Public Relations Chair - The Public Relations Chair ensures that the pack's activities are visible to the public through local media contacts, social media posts, etc.

Parent Coordinator - The Parent Coordinator is responsible for getting signups, collecting money, and disseminating information for Pack outings and events throughout the year. These are things like the Pinewood Derby, Space Derby, Raingutter Regatta, Blue & Gold, Pack Picnic, Pack Campout, and other events. Youth Protection Training is recommended. SA membership not required. This is a year-round position.

Event Coordinators & Committees

For these positions Youth Protection Training is recommended. SA Membership is not required.

Pack Night Activity Coordinator - This position is responsible for making sure we have an activity for the Scouts to do during the Pack Night. This can be a game, craft, service project, or any other activity to keep the Scouts occupied for about 20 minutes while the Parent Meeting is going on. Many Pack Nights will already have an activity planned by a Den, or the leadership (like the Carnivals that the Bears need to put on, or the Pie Throwing at the December meeting), but it's a good idea to always have an activity ready just in case. It's also useful to have a brief activity that Scouts can do as they arrive while they are waiting for the meeting to start. This is a year-round position.

Hiking Coordinator - The Hiking Coordinator is responsible for planning the location of our monthly Pack hike. This is usually a 1-3 mile hike at a location within an hour of DeKalb (usually within 30 minutes, but occasionally further out for a special hike). The Hiking Coordinator will also be responsible for recording who went on the hike and the distance of the hike. This is a year-round position.

Raingutter Regatta / Other Derby Committee - One or two parents are needed to plan, organize, provide information to the dens and run the November race event. We generally alternate two years of each event and then switch to the other event. Other Pack leaders will also help out. Responsibilities include:

• Attend leader meetings August-November

• Reserve date and location (mid to late November, Moose Lodge/Mason Lodge/Other Location)

• Purchase (to be reimbursed) and pass out kits

• Coordinate food (potluck snacks, maybe pizza)

• Registration & Voting

• Decorations

• Prizes (patches for participants, medallions for voting category winners, trophies for winners)

Blue & Gold Committee - One or two parents are needed to plan, organize, provide information to the dens and run the February dinner event. Other Pack leaders will also help out. Responsibilities include:

• Attend leader meetings October-February

• Reserve date & location

• Send invitations

• Coordinate food (catered meal, potluck snacks)

• Coordinate entertainment

• Prizes and Awards for Leaders/Volunteers/Scouts

Pinewood Derby Committee - One or two parents are needed to plan, organize, provide information to the dens and run the March/April race event. Other Pack leaders will also help out. Responsibilities include:

• Attend leader meetings January-April

• Reserve date and location

• Purchase (to be reimbursed) and pass out kits

• Coordinate food (pizza and potluck snacks)

• Registration & Voting

• Set up Pit Shop for adjustments & repairs

• Decorations

• Prizes (patches/ribbons for participants, medallions for voting category winners, trophies for winners)

Pack Picnic Committee - One or two parents are needed to plan, organize and carry out this June event.  Responsibilities include:

• Attend leader meetings April-May

• Reserve date & location (Afton for the first weekend of June?)

• Coordinate food (grilling hotdogs/brats, potluck snacks)

• Coordinate outdoor events (hike, sports, games)

Flag Day Campfire Program & Flag Retirement Ceremony Committee - A newer tradition with the Pack, this event is open to other Scouting units in the area.  One or two parents are needed to help plan this June event.  

• Attend leader meetings April-May

• Reserve date & location (FUMC or Moose for June 14 for 2-3 hours)

• Coordinate food (potluck snacks or s'mores)

• Help plan skits and songs (not necessarily perform them).  This may involve working with Dens to have them practice a Den Skit.

• Invite other Scouting units.  Packs to attend, Troops to help perform skits and songs.

• Help collect flags that need to be retired

Pack Family Campout Committee - One or two parents needed to coordinate den level camp sign ups, money collection, campsite registration, and general camp information for this September event.

• Attend leader meetings April-June

• Reserve date & location (Chief Shabbona/MacQueen/Rock Cut/White Pines/etc., for 3rd or 4th weekend in Sept)

• Coordinate food (Saturday dinner)

• Coordinate outdoor activities (hikes, games, campfire)

Leader Meetings

Leader Meetings are open to all leaders and parents interested in helping out. They are usually held for about 30 minutes after a Pack Night, although in August, and sometimes January, the meeting is usually a separate meeting.

Guest Speakers & Activity Ideas

We are always looking for interesting subjects to present during pack meetings, outings for the Pack to go on, and other activities. One of the goals of Cub Scouting is to introduce boys to different learning experiences that they may not find in school or other activities that they participate in. If you have an interesting hobby or skill or profession that you would like to share during a pack meeting, an idea of a place to visit or an event to attend, or a service opportunity for our Pack, we would like to know!