Central Region Area 4 Membership Plan

Approved March 2014Updated May 2015

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What youth want…From the 2009 national survey

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CR Area 4 Mission Statement

The mission of the national Venturing cabinet and the region and area Venturing officer’s associations is to promote and support the Venturing program,

utilizing a standard organizational structure that enables local councils to grow membership by advancing leadership opportunities through communication, program, and administration.

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CR Area 4 Membership Goals

Stop the decline in membership and

experience positive growth in Venturing youth in Area 4

Retain more Boy Scouts in their troops by offering them Venturing activities that keep

them interested and registered

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CR Area 4 Membership Plan

The C4VOA adopted a membership plan on March 9, 2014 and communicated this to all councils.

We challenge each of our 11 councils to create their own Council Venturing Membership Plan

Send your written plan to area4president@CRVenturing.org

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The Problem with Membership

Membership must be everyone’s problem

15% lost in 2013 and 12% lost in 2014

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The Problem with Membership

Membership must be everyone’s problem

17% lost in 2013 and 24% lost in 2014

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The Problem with Membership

Membership must be everyone’s problem

HARD to measure!

One problem is the membership numbers shown are primary registrants as Venturers and do not include those who are primary in a troop and multipled into a crew.

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The Solution

• Only 29 of 72 councils in the Central Region have a VOA.• 40% of Central Region membership (and 60% of councils) are not

represented by a VOA.• The CR lost 7,300 Venturers between 2012 and 2013. • If all CR councils had a VOA, perhaps as many as 3,300 Venturers that

left may still be in the program.

More and Better Quality VOAsCouncils with a Venturing Officer Association lost 9% of their members.

 Councils without a VOA lost THREE TIMES that amount at 27% lost.

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CR Growth 2012-2013

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Why More and Better Quality VOAs?

• Councils with VOAs are paying attention to Venturing.

• As VOAs become more common and existing VOAs become stronger, there will be – Greater opportunities to reach out to non-Venturers

to connect them with the program.– More opportunities for older youth

• VOAs are essential to membership recruitment and retention.

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Time for positive change!

• Venturing changed June 1, 2014.• Each council

– should plan to launch the New Venturing Vision in their districts and to their units and sustain the message.

– should develop a Council Venturing Membership Plan and implement it.

• You have people’s interest now, the timing will never be better.

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BSA National Membership PlanNew positions: Council Membership Chair and Venturing Membership Chair in every crew.

http://www.scouting.org/membership

Could be a good advisor to your

VP Administration

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The new Venturing vision – more than ALPS

• The structural changes in Venturing may be more profound than the hoopla over the new awards.– Although full implementation may not be felt for years.– This is about Administration of Council Venturing in the New Vision.

• A comprehensive Council Venturing Membership Plan in each council – Should address both a structure for success – and specific membership plans (tactics) for recruiting and retention.– Council VOAs are perfectly situated to take the lead.

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Does not have a VOA1. Name a Venturing

Chairman immediately

2. Let the Area advise you on how to form a VOA.

3. Create a Council Venturing Membership Plan.

Has a VOA1. Great!

2. Let the Area help you get stronger.

3. Create a Council Venturing Membership Plan.

Your Council (and Area)

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Council VOA’s top youth

1. Council Venturing President + VOA Advisor– Responsible for overall Venturing in the Council.– A member of the Area VOA (with his/her advisor)– The primary ambassador of Venturing to the rest of scouting.– One of the top two youth officers in the council. This youth and the OA

Chief should sit on the Council Executive Board.

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Council VOA’s top youth

2. Council Venturing VP-Administration + Advisor– The council youth officer responsible for membership.– Works with the Area VP-Administration on membership.– The Associate Advisor–Administration should be chosen with this

responsibility in mind.– This adult could be the Council Venturing Membership Chair or should

work closely with that person. – This officer may also have the training mission of the VOA.

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Council VOA’s top youth

3. Council Venturing VP-Program + Advisor– What keeps them in Venturing? Good Program!– Program will help recruit and retain Venturers

4. Council Venturing VP-Communication + Advisor– Getting the word out and communicating with Venturers is critical or no

one comes because they haven’t been reached. – This is the public arm of the VOA

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2014 Changes – The Key 5

• New Position to be added in 2014+– Council Venturing Chairman.

• Leads to a Venturing Key 5 concept -- with – Council VOA Advisor.– Council Venturing President.– Professional Staff Advisor. – Assistant Council Commissioner - Venturing

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Council Venturing Chairman

• Advise Executive Board status, to guide and support Venturing.– Supports council-level Venturing much like a unit

committee chairman provides support for their unit.– Uses Council Standards of Venturing Excellence to provide

benchmarks of program progress.– Lets the youth lead as advised by the VOA Advisor

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Appoints a – Council Venturing Membership Chair.

to coordinate with – Council Membership Chair, and – District and Unit Membership Chairs.

This ties the Venturing Committee into all membership activities of the council and assures a Venturing “voice.”

Council Venturing Chairman

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Council Venturing Chairman

• Works with the Council Commissioner to– Appoint an

Assistant Council Commissioner-Venturing– makes them a part of the Council Venturing

Committee and the Key 5

This ties the Council Venturing Committee into the unit sustaining process of recharting units and lifesaving units in need. (Think retention.)

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Council VOA Advisor

• Advises the Council Venturing President and the officers of the VOA much like a Crew Advisor does for their own crew officers.

• This is the primary advisor working with youth officers.

• Selected with the same care and consideration as applied for selecting an Order of the Arrow Lodge Adviser.

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Council VOA Advisor

• Supports Venturing through the VOA officers.• Works to make sure all crew presidents and their

Advisors are part of the Council VOA.• Appoints an advisor for each VOA officer that is

appropriate to the officer’s function.• Works with Venturing Chairman to avoid duplication

of effort and maximum cooperation, especially with respect to membership growth and sustainability.

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Council Venturing President

• One of the 2 top serving youth in the council.– To be held in as high esteem as the OA Lodge Chief.– Should serve on the Council Executive Board– Serves on the Area VOA

• Represents senior scouting in public forums as the primary Venturing Ambassador. – Brings visibility to senior scouting and gives younger scouts

a look upward to keep them engaged.

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Venturing Commissioners

A new focus in Area 4 is on Venturing Commissioners including – Assistant Council Commissioner - Venturing

as part of the Council Venturing Committee.– Assistant District Commissioners – Venturing. – Unit Commissioners trained in Venturing and assigned to all venturing

units.

Focused training for Venturing commissioners at the council level will be developed. For now there is a page of information for Commissioners on the area webpage.

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Venturing Staff Professional• Supports council level Venturing volunteers. • Put emphasis on Venturing at the council level much like

the Order of the Arrow. The staff professional is needed to represent and support.

• Membership is the responsibility of the youth officers and the volunteers. The more hands you get the more you free up the staff professional’s time.

• Training developed for the Venturing Professional is available online on the Area 4 Webpage.

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Importance of Crew Presidents

• Crew Venturing Presidents and the Crew Advisors are members of the Council VOA.

• They represent their crew to the Council VOA and in turn receive support from the Council VOA officers.– Focuses concentration on representing and supporting the

membership at the unit levels.– Encourage each unit to have a crew membership chairman who works

with the crew VP-Administration and reports to the Council Venturing Membership Chairman and the Council VP of Administration.

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Successful VOAs have Successful Programs and Training

Hold a Venturing Officer Orientation for your VOA early in their term

– Set expectations, concentrate on Goal Setting and Time Management

Training helps new VOA officers and others to focus on– Youth level (peer-to-peer) mentoring and recruiting.– Council-level (and multi-council-level) programming and training for

Venturing age youth.– Encourage age-appropriate programming for Venturers at District

events independent of programming for Boy Scouts.

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Successful VOAs have Successful Programs and Training

– Keep in mind Venturing does not follow a Boy Scout Troop model. Venturing is stronger if crews Meet Less and Do More!

– Let the youth Lead their Adventures with youth mentors and adult advisors.

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C4VOA Training Resources

http://Area4.CRVenturing.org

Venturing Resources for – Councils– Professionals– Commissioners

Also information on all area training

and fun events.

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Reaching the Crews

• Make every crew, council, and area event is a recruiting and retention opportunity.– All Crews should have a Super Activity every year.– Council wide events (1) training weekend; (2) fun

weekend, (3) banquet (for example).– Start up feeder groups (find a boy scout troop, a girl scouts

troop, form a group of girls wanting to join when old enough).

– Push a “charter organization family of scouting” approach.

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Reaching the Boy Scout Troops

• Tell why every troop needs a crew.– Assists older boy retention in scouting.– Gives opportunity for joint activities.– Gives opportunities for age-appropriate meetings and

activities for senior scouts.– Because older scouts need to flourish

• Make sure registered scouts know they can join a crew for free and can be in multiple crews AND their troop at the same time.

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Reaching the Boy Scout TroopsEmphasize the message: Scouting is a single youth development program, extending from age 7 to age 21, all guided by the same mission, oath and law.

– Age cohorts in Scouting provide age appropriate programming.

– Older youth in Boy Scout troops are well served in extending their activities to beyond the troop activities such as lodge activities with the OA and adventures with older youth in a Venturing Crew.

– Boys that age out at 18 are still “youth” in a crew.

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Our Youth Are Our Strength

• Be vocal about Venturing and its positive benefits.• Youth officers are ambassadors for the program.

Make sure they are advised and mentored to meet your expectations.

• Youth officers should always be ready to talk about Venturing. (Have an elevator speech ready)

• Youth attract youth to our movement. Give them a reason to be attractive.

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How Area Officers Can Help

We can help train and provide resources at – Annual Area Venturing Training Conferences– Annual Area 4 Venturing Committee Meeting & planning

session at Area 4 Conference in October– Visiting or providing resources for your University of

Scouting events– Participating in your College of Commissioner Science – Direct training of your Council VOA officers and advisors – Maintaining a resource on our website at https://

sites.google.com/a/crventuring.org/c4voa/venturing-membership-resources.

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How Area Officers Can Help

• Invite our area officers to your Scouting events. – “Gold Loops” show there is something larger and enhances

the visibility of Venturing to all. – We can teach at your University of Scouting and offer

presentations at your other training events.– We install your Council Officers and provide patches for

your President and their Advisor– We can present your VLA awards– just ask

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WorldFest is an annual fun event that is more than just fun. Join over 300 of your Venturing family in April of each year.

It is a primary recruiting event for you to use as you recruit and start crews. “Join and you can go to WorldFest.”

How Area Officers Can Help

Questions?Michael Gunther, Area 4 Venturing President

area4president@CRVenturing.orgDuane Zobrist

area4chair@CRVenturing.orgSteve Myers

area4aa-communications@CRVenturing.org

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If you build it and tell others, they will come.