Troop Committee Meetings
Excerpted from BSA Troop Committee Guidebook
For Successful Troop Operation
Copyright 1998, Boy Scouts of America, ISBN 0-8395-4505-3

A MONTHLY TROOP
COMMITTEE MEETING
IS ESSENTIAL TO
SUCCESSFUL TROOP
OPERATION.
This meeting is the
perfect forum for
planning troop
program assistance,
solving troop personnel
problems, and monitoring
troop progress.		 Troop Committee Meetings
The committee meeting is attended by all committee members and the Scoutmaster. Occasionally you may want to invite guests such as your chartered organization representative and unit commissioner.
The Scoutmaster is not actually a member of the troop committee, and has no vote. The committee should not forget that its primary responsibility is supporting the troop program. The importance of mutual cooperation between the two groups of leaders is critical for the smooth and successful operation of the troop.
The support and administration of an active troop requires the participation of every committee member. Every member should have a working assignment. This will not only help the troop to operate effectively, but will assure team spirit and promote attendance at meetings. When people feel that it doesn't matter if they attend or not, often they will choose to do something else.
Suggested Troop Committee Meeting Agenda
1. Call the meeting to order - Chairperson
2. Welcome and introduction of new members and guests - Chairperson
3. Approval of previous meeting's minutes - Secretary
4. Reports
  • Scoutmaster (troop progress, actions of patrol leaders' council, disciplinary problems, attendance, monthly outing plans, other troop needs)
  • Secretary (newletter, additional resource surveys)
  • Outdoor/Activities (outdoor plans, special activities, district and council activities, summer camp update)
  • Treasurer (report on current financial standing, money-earning projects, Friends of Scouting)
  • Advancement (troop advancement progress, boards of review, courts of honor)
  • Chaplain (update on chaplain support to troop members, religious emblems program, participation of boys in the religious emblems program)
  • Training (new training materials, youth leader and adult volunteer opportunities for training)
  • Equipment Coordinator (status of new and existing troop equipment and of troop needs, new procedures for safe use and storage of equipment)
5. Old business (reports on task assignments from previous meeting)
6. New business (assign tasks as issues are discussed)
7. Announcements (including date of next month's troop committee meeting)
8. Adjournment
If everyone is prepared, troop committee meetings should not last longer than 1.5 hour. It is chairperson's responsibility to keep the meeting moving swiftly. There is no better way to discourage attendance than to conduct meetings that last too long with too little accomplished. The video The Barbecue: Working with the Troo Committee will also give some helpful hints on conducting committee meetings.
Last revised 9/11/02
John D. McCarthy