The document outlines a membership plan for Venturing in Central Region Area 4. It discusses goals of stopping membership decline and achieving growth. Each of the 11 councils are challenged to create their own membership plan. The problem of declining membership is addressed, noting some councils lost over 15% in recent years. Successful plans involve establishing more and better quality Venturing Officer Associations, as councils with VOAs lost less members. The key elements of an effective plan include establishing leadership positions like Council Venturing Chairman and specific membership-focused roles. Area officers pledge their support in training and resources to help councils succeed.

1. Central Region Area 4
Membership Plan
Approved March 2014
Updated May 2015

2. 2
What youth want…
From the 2009 national survey

3. 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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4. 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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5. 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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6. The Problem with Membership
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Membership must be everyone’s problem
15% lost in 2013 and
12% lost in 2014

7. The Problem with Membership
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Membership must be everyone’s problem
17% lost in 2013
and 24% lost in 2014

8. The Problem with Membership
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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.

9. 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.
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More and Better Quality VOAs
Councils with a Venturing Officer Association lost 9% of their members.
Councils without a VOA lost THREE TIMES that amount at 27% lost.

10. CR Growth 2012-2013
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11. 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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12. 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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13. BSA National Membership Plan
New positions:
Council Membership Chair and
Venturing Membership Chair in every crew.
http://www.scouting.org/membership
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Could be a good
advisor to your
VP Administration

14. 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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15. Does not have a VOA
1. 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 VOA
1. Great!
2. Let the Area help you get
stronger.
3. Create a Council Venturing
Membership Plan.
Your Council (and Area)
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16. 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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17. 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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18. 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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19. 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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20. 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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21. 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.”
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Council Venturing Chairman

22. 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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23. 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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24. 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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25. 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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26. 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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27. 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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28. 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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29. 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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30. 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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31. C4VOA Training Resources
http://Area4.CRVenturing.org
Venturing Resources for
– Councils
– Professionals
– Commissioners
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Also information
on all area training
and fun events.

32. 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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33. 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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34. Reaching the Boy Scout Troops
Emphasize 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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35. 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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36. 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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37. 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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38. 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
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39. Questions?
Michael Gunther, Area 4 Venturing President
area4president@CRVenturing.org
Duane Zobrist
area4chair@CRVenturing.org
Steve Myers
area4aa-communications@CRVenturing.org
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If you build it and tell others,
they will come.