Purpose of the Commissioner Staff
“Commissioners are district and council leaders who help Scout units succeed. They coach and consult with adult leaders of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews. Commissioners help maintain the standards of the Boy Scouts of America.”
Unfortunately our district has been lacking in commissioner staff and the duties have fallen on a few brave men. However, your new staff would like to make some changes. The following positions are open and their job descriptions are included. If you are interested please contact us!
Unit Commissioners
This can actually be a fun position. It can be exciting to visit other units in our district and see how we can help them succeed. Every unit should be striving to earn Gold in JTE and it is our job to help them succeed. Unit commissioners will focus on the following four primary areas:
- Supporting unit growth through the Journey to Excellence.
- Contacting units and capturing their strengths and needs in Commissioner Tools.
- Linking unit needs to district operating committee resources.
- Supporting timely charter renewal.
Currently we are in need of about 4 or 5 new commissioners. There is training coming up soon so contact our Training Committee for more information.
Assistant District Commissioners
Ideally, one for each county that John Ross represents would be great. Each is responsible for an assigned share of the units in the district, and the unit commissioners who serve those units. Assistant district commissioners are often assigned a geographic or specialty area of the district. They work closely with the district commissioner and district executive. Major responsibilities include:
- Recruit enough unit commissioners to serve their assigned units and areas.
- Conduct personal coaching and orientation sessions for unit commissioners.
- Maintain regular contact with their unit commissioners to provide guidance in unit service needs.
- Serve units with no assigned unit commissioner.
- Help unit commissioners evaluate and improve their unit service performance.
Assistant Roundtable Commissioners – Program-Specific ARTCs
It is the responsibility of the Roundtable Commissioners, for each program, to recruit enough individuals to meet the specific needs for the size and program type of their Roundtable. There are no limits to the number of Assistant Roundtable Commissioners that can be on the Roundtable Team.
- Highlight rank and merit badge advancement that is related to program feature presentation through displays, handouts, etc.
- Present information that will assist troops with their advancement procedures (boards of review, etc)
- Periodically present information that will assist units in conducting courts of honor
- Involve as many different units as possible in presenting this information
- Present information concerning district and council Eagle board.
Assistant Roundtable Commissioner – Media Specialist
- Become familiar with the program features, special activities, and emphases (e.g. FOS, summer camps, recognition dinners, etc) to be featured at each roundtable.
- Work within the District Marketing Committee to help provide promotional information that support the program features, activities, and emphases and prepare PowerPoint presentations for use at roundtable.
- When appropriate during each roundtable, use PowerPoint presentation to explain a theme, activity, or special emphasis.
- Develop a library of scouting, patriotic, inspirational, or mood music to support the roundtable program or to create a desired mood for roundtable participants.
Resources for Commissioners
- Unit Commissioner Fast Start– This new online fast start training is an orientation designed for all commissioners to learn about the job responsibilities for a unit commissioner. This ‘fast start’ training is designed to be taken by all commissioner within the first few weeks of agreeing to be a commissioner. Other training opportunities will be provided by your local council and district to support your job as a commissioner. This is only the introduction of your new position in Scouting. You should also take other training courses shared in the Commissioner Fieldbook, working directly with your local district and council commissioners.
- Unit Visit Tracking System 2.0 (Log in at Myscouting.org site)
- Products for Commissioner Identity
- National Commissioner’s Podcast
- Basic Commissioner Manuals
- Other Commissioner Resources
- Roundtable Support
- The Commissioner —A newsletter for the council commissioner, the council Scout executive, and council professional advisor to commissioners
- Commissioners at the Philmont Training Center
- National Meeting Presentations
- The Marketing Toolbox
- Journey To Excellence
- Council and District Operations