Are you building a new program or taking over an already running program?
My wife, our primary president, suggests:
In addition to JD Lessely's post which is correct, and points you to the scouting handbook and CHI, remember to contact your local Scout district.
Ask them when their local "roundtable" training meeting is held locally. The local roundtable training meeting in each area (in utah) I've been in is a huge help, and will have seasoned scouters to help you get going. These are usually from all charters, not just LDS packs and troops. Attend these with all your leaders, and find out when your leaders can receive their required local training.
How it works in our ward:
chain of command:[INDENT]
A counselor in the bishopric is oversees the cub scouts, then the
Primary presidency , who is over[INDENT]
- cub program and the
- 11 year old scouts.
[/INDENT]
(The president has charge of the 11 year old scouts (per CHI) and my wife assigned a counselor to oversee the Cub scouts.)
Cub Committee Chairperson, CubMaster, and assitant cubmaster.
These are the "glue" in our pack, and oversee's the whole program. These two positions are vital and will really help if they are experienced and energetic.
Denleaders, webelos leaders
[/INDENT]
The meetings:[INDENT]
Cub committee meeting, monthly: Vital that all attend! The cub committee is made of the den leaders, the Cubmaster, the cub committee chair and the primary counselor. The bishopric counselor is invited. The primary president attends quarterly or as needed, but the counselor is there each month.
Roundtable meeting, monthly. A training and resource meeting held by the district scouting council.
Pack meetings, held monthly, with all boys, leaders, parents and siblings (it's all about the fun! The awards, the advancements! Goofy cheers!)
Den meetings, held weekly, except the week of pack meeting, often at the ward house or in a leaders home
[/INDENT]
Budget:
If you have questions here, have your primary president consult with the stake primary president and your bishop. Your local scouting office will tell you what the typical den will cost, awards and camps, etc., and this can be obtained at roundtable. We have created a spreadsheet that calculates what we will need to budget each year that factors in day camp costs, awards, etc. I can email that to you if you send me a private message.
Although we are an LDS charter, all cub scout-aged kids in the neighborhood are encouraged to attend, and invited by primary president working closely with den leaders. These are funded by our ward as well.
Other:
Ask at your local roundtable for the other items: Blue and Gold, Pinewood derby, scout-o-rama, etc.
Combining: To get a "critical mass" of boys, we've combined our pack with two other adjacent wards. The committee chair and the cubmaster usually rotate through the three wards, with den leaders called from any ward. One ward is assigned to be the "agent" ward over the pack. The three primary presidents come to cub committee meeting quarterly, with the three bishopric counselors invited and they sometimes attend.