Q4 2008 Status Report

MEMBERSHIP – The Q-4 overall strategy is to continue filling open leadership positions, expand chartered organization relationships and increase membership.

III A03- As part of the Fall Roundup, over 90% of the current chartered organizations have been contacted and seven additional new organizations approached. (95%)
IV A02- Call Program content and a 12 Step Procedure have been established for contacting current & potential Chartered Organizations. (100%)
IV C03- A Speakers Bureau program structure plus local speakers have been established and work continues on analyzing BSA materials, developing an organization contact list and standard local presentation content. Speeches have been made to some service clubs, in 2008. (80%)
II A19- A new person has been recruited for the VP of Marketing position on a Council level basis and we expect to have a positive response, within a week. Additional Marketing District Committee chair positions have been filled. The New Horizons District Marketing Chair has been selected and is currently working with their district committee. Blue Heron & Shiawassee Districts are currently prospecting for an individual in their service areas who can fill this position. The new District 01 (Baden Powell-Norwegen Pine) has a Marketing Chairperson recruited and the decision is currently pending. (70%)
I D10- The total population in the TPC market declined in 2008 and therefore the total-available-youth (TAY) declined by 2000. As a result, the total Membership (-1.3%) & Units (-2.1%) also declined. However, due to increased efforts and Strategic Plan initiatives by the Membership Committee the actual TPC density improved to 10.74% from 10.58%. Current Fall membership totals are 6833 youth and 229 Units for 2008. There are over 2550 volunteer leaders in the Council. (100%)

FINANCE – The Q-4 overall strategy is to continue adding leaders in the Finance area, utilize new marketing tools and increase funding for proper cash flow and reserves.

II A03- The Funds Development Committee is partially organized, with a structure, position descriptions and some members. We are still seeking a VP of Development to take leadership of this committee. Meetings will begin on 02-25-09 and will continue for a total of 5 times each year. The VP of Endowment is also still vacant, with 4 individuals declining the opportunity. (50%)
II A 08- The Finance Committee was enhanced and includes the VP of Finance, Council Treasurer, Budget Chairman, Audit Chairman, Investment Chairman and the Compensation & Benefits Chairman. All of the Finance Committee positions are filled and the 1st meeting took place 01-14-09. The committee will meet a total of 5 times each year. (100%)
II A 13- In 2008, Friends-of-Scouting (FOS) contributors received 7 or more contacts from the Council, which met the Strategic Plan goal. The contacts included a Pledge request, payment Thank You letter, recognition items for payment, Annual Report with letter, Strategic Plan marketing piece, Holiday Postcard and before 01-31-09 they will be receiving their contribution annual statement. Those FOS contributors, who are part of the Heritage Society, also received 2 invitations to the Heritage Society event that took place in December at the Sloan Museum. (100%)
IV D02- Our Strategic Plan marketing efforts continued with organizations for additional funding. District Executives are focusing on Service Club presentations, in their service area. Research has been done to identify every Service Club in our three county market. After the presentation takes place, follow up is done to secure additional dollars from the clubs. (Typically, $250 - $1,000 is given.) These gifts are considered “renewable”, therefore we can make "the ask" again year after year. Volunteers and staff are or have researched the top 10 employers is their service areas to identify new volunteers, new dollars and to develop new relationships. (100%)
II C 17- Proper financial controls are being maintained and a new Policy Manual with 75 revised documents was completed and approved by the Board on 12-17-08. The Office Procedure Handbook, along with the policies, have all been updated by volunteers and staff. The Council Treasurer took leadership of this task. The Finance Committee has completed a plan for an internal audit in the months of May and September, with a focus on internal procedures, cash receipts, expense reports, etc. Additions to the Reserve accounts, to improve our financial position by stabilizing the cash flow, were not possible in 2008. In order to meet the 2009 Budget, this will again not occur, but a reserve has been established to meet the interest expense on a line-of-credit used to balance cash flow. (90%)

PROGRAM – The Q-4 overall strategy is to continue training to improve programs, to enhance our 2 camps and to expand organization partnerships.

I A11- Volunteer Leader training inventory lists are being properly maintained and updated, within 48 hours of each training session. In the Cub Scout area, a significant improvement was accomplished, with over 130 new leaders being trained. Boy Scout & Venturing also reported an increase in trained leaders. In every Charter Renewal packet, a form was used for leaders to list their training courses and dates completed, which will be returned for review and follow-up, in all 3 training areas. (100%)
I A14- Ten (10) new Trainers have completed the Trainer Development Course. A new Training Overview and materials were made available to all trainers and we added several new youth trainers. With the initiative of the Strategic Plan for improved training, the total number of Trainers has been increase in Cubs, Boy Scouts and Venturing, with a significant number of training courses in Q-4. (100%)
I C01- Recruitment of new volunteers is being closely monitored and new leaders immediately scheduled for training. Our goal is to assure 100% of Scout direct-contact Leaders go through the training program. Training source information is now available through Counciline, Roundtable and the TPC or BSA WebSites. (100%)
I B05- The Program Committee and Cabinet are meeting on a regular basis to evaluate camp programs and to initiate improvements. A significant effort was made for the production of a camp promotion video, in Q-4. Our VP of Properties has organized a team of 18 people to visit every troop in the Council to promote our 2 camps for year-round use. Venturing met with the Tapico Ranger to finalize the program needs for the Spring. (100%)
I D04- The Districts have developed lists of the top 10 organizations, in their district, for contacts through the Call and Speaker Bureau programs. Scout program materials have been distributed to these organizations and invitations extend to attend monthly Roundtable meetings. (100%)

ADMINISTRATION – The Q-4 overall strategy is to review the status of the implementation process, support Q-4 implementation activities and develop new implementation tracking forms for 2009 Q 1-4.

Status- The VP of Administration has completed numerous status reports for the Steering Committee, Executive Committee and the Executive Board throughout 2008. Additional adjustments have been made in Q-4 and reported for implementation. (100%)
V A10- All Professional Staff have been retained for the coming year, with three being eligible for promotion. Various training materials and seminars have been utilized to enhance the skills of the staff. (100%)
V A05- The VP of Operations coordinated the evaluation of the Council Structure and an agreement was reached on reducing the number of Districts from 5 to 4, within our Council three County area. After Board approval, implementation began in Q-4 and the new structure will be officially utilized as of 01-01-09. The first planning meeting was held by the new consolidated District and over 20 volunteer District leaders attended. (100%)
Status- The VP of Administration continued development, in Q-4, of the Operational Implementation Tracking forms to be utilized in quarters 1-4 of 2009. Additional implementation adjustments were made to improve the communication of Plan objectives and people assignments, which were forwarded to the Strategic Plan Steering Committee. Specific Q-4 results also impacted development of 2009 Implementation Tracking forms to allow of any possible Tasks not fully completed. (100%)