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Home > Districts > North Star > Commissioners

What is a Unit Commissioner?
A Unit Commissioner is a volunteer Scouter who works directly with Scout units and leaders to help them provide the highest quality Scouting program possible. As friends, teachers and counselors to unit leaders, Commissioners represent the ideals, principles and policies of the Boy Scout program while providing the resources of the district and council to the units they serve. The primary purpose of the Unit Commissioner is to help units succeed.

Who can become a Commissioner?
Commissioners are adults with a passion for Scouting who are willing to help one or more units provide a quality Scouting program for their youth members. Prior experience in Scouting is helpful but not necessary. A friendly personality, a desire to help others succeed, the ability to listen, and a willingness to learn are "musts.” Former Scout unit leaders, local business and community leaders, retired adults and others desiring to help support Scouting are great candidates for this position. These volunteers may be just what some pack, troop, team, crew, or ship needs! Those interested should contact the District Commissioner in their District.

What Is Commissioner Service?
Youth experience Scouting in Packs, Troops, Crews, Teams, and Posts. The healthier the unit, the more wonderful things will happen for these youth involved in Scouting. To help make this occur, the Boys Scouts of America provides a program of unit service through adult Scouters specifically commissioned to help chartered organizations and unit leaders to achieve the aims of Scouting by using the methods of Scouting.

These commissioned Scouters wear a shoulder patch with a wreath surrounding the Scout symbol. Commissioner Service is the organization within Scouting that provides a program of unit service. Because of the importance of unit service to the successful delivery of the Scouting program, you will find Commissioners at every level of Scouting. And all of these Commissioners are there as a team to help assure that individual Scouts get the best possible program.

At the national level, BSA has a National Commissioner. Similarly, each Council has a Council Commissioner and Assistant Council Commissioners. However, it is at the District level that you will find more than 95% of BSA's Commissioners serving as District, Assistant District, Roundtable, and Unit Commissioners.

In each District you will find three types of commissioners:

Administrative/Management Commissioners: This includes the District Commissioner and the Assistant District Commissioners. Their primary responsibilities are recruiting, training, guiding, and evaluating the Commissioner staff. In larger Districts you may find that their are line managers and specialty advisors within the Commissioner staff. For example you may have Assistant District Commissioners that manage several Unit Commissioners in a Service Area and others that specialize in re-chartering, training, or the administration of Commissioner service.

Unit Commissioners: Unit Commissioners are assigned to one or more units, which they serve and counsel. In some Councils and Districts, Exploring units are served by Unit Commissioners and in others by Exploring service team members.

Roundtable Commissioners: Roundtable Commissioners provide unit leaders with resources and training in program skills through regularly scheduled roundtable meetings.

Commissioner Responsibility Cards

The Commissioner's Mission
The Commissioners mission is to keep Units operating at maximum efficiency so they can deliver a quality program to a growing membership. The Commissioners role is to develop strength within the Unit by providing program resources, and acting as the liaison between the Unit and the District and Council. This helps Units provide the best possible Scouting program, which ultimately helps assure that individual Scouts have the best opportunity to
1. Develop good character traits
2. Participate and use good citizenship skills
3. Practice personal fitness.

In general, the goals of Commissioner Service through the execution of a successful unit service plan are to:

1.   Help see that the objectives of Scouting are being carried out.
2.   Assure that each unit has strong, competent unit leadership.
3.   Promote regular meetings of unit committees.
4.   Encourage growth in youth membership
5.   Help assure that Scouts and units take an active part in District and Council activities.
6.   Foster a positive relationship between the chartered organization and its unit leaders.

This unit service program is invaluable to both the chartered organizations and the local Council when it is thoroughly understood and wisely administered.

The Commissioner's Pledge
ON MY HONOR: I will do my best to attend the monthly staff meetings and monthly district roundtables:
I will accept basic training as a commissioner and see that my assigned units have qualified, trained adult leadership:
I will secure and wear the uniform and insignia pertaining to my office and will encourage all adult leaders and boys to so do:
I will assist my unit leaders to prepare their annual charter registration papers and see to it that all, of my assigned units register on time:
I will report at least monthly as to my contacts with each of my units by using the commissioner report card, which is supplied by the council:
I will strive to exemplify the ideals of the scout oath and law in all of my service as a commissioner and in my personal life.

Commissioner Training

There are a number of Training and Recognitions opportunities just for Commissioners. These training programs will help you be a better Commissioner. A better Commissioner means you are able to help your units and leaders better and more effectively. The recognitions show that you are doing your job as a Commissioner and learning more.

Fast Start
Fast start is the first step for any new Commissioner and is to be delivered immediately after a new Commissioner registers and before he or she meets with their assigned units. The video is called: Commissioner Annual Orientation; Helping Units Succeed. Videos are available through the Council Service Center Scout Shop in Sacramento, your District's Training Committee Chair, or District Commissioner.

Youth Protection
As one of America's largest youth-serving organizations, our first job is to protect our youth from injury and abuse. We are now offering the Youth Protection Training online. Click here to begin training and learn the facts and responsibilities of youth protection. When you are done, you will be able to print off a trained certificate and we will be automatically notified that you have taken this course.

Basic Commissioner Training & Roundtable Commissioner Training
A new Commissioner should complete the Basic Commissioner Training as soon as possible after taking the Commissioner position. There is general Commissioner information and Commissioner specific information. Roundtable Commissioner have special training to address roundtable needs, while Unit Commissioners get training about visiting their units. It may also be helpful to a new Commissioner to take the Leader Specific training for Cub Scout Leaders, Boy Scout Leaders, or Venturing Leaders if you have not involved in that area of the Scouting Program, but are not required to become basic trained. In this three-part course, you will learn the fundamentals of the critical job of unit service.

Part 1 -- Why Commissioners: Topics covered include Aims and Methods of Scouting, the Commissioner Service Role, Supporting the Unit, and Unit Program Planning.
Part 2 -- Units: The Commissioners Greatest Priority: Topics covered include Unit Committee Functions, Youth Protection, and Quality Unit Operation.
Part 3 -- How to Help a Unit: Topics covered include Counseling, the District Committee, Membership Management, Unit Charter Renewal Process, and Saving a Unit.

Self-Evaluation
In the Commissioner Field Guide, there is a Self-Evaluation form for a Commissioner to evaluate their performance in their Commissioner position. This evaluation will help you determine areas you may need additional training or help from your Assistant District Commissioner.

Commissioner Meetings
The District Commissioner will hold Commissioner Meetings where all of your district's Commissioner will meet and learn about Commissioner stuff. Here, Commissioners learn of important information to take to their units that they may not get for months. There is also some training on important Commissioner functions.

Commissioner College
Go beyond the basics and learn additional skills to help you as a Commissioner. Earn your Bachelors, Masters, or Doctoral degrees in Commissioner Science.

Philmont Training Center
Advanced Commissioner training is available at the Philmont Training Center located on the grounds of the Philmont Scout Range outside of Cimarron, New Mexico. Here weeklong training programs are offered over the summer months for leaders from all over the country. Sharing and learning is outstanding at Philmont. Philmont is also a special place to also include your family. It is Scouting Paradise.

Additional Commissioner Help

Unit commissioners must completely understand where their position places them in Scouting's organizational plan in order that they may be fully effective in knowing where and how to get help for those with whom they work. Help comes from many sources. The most familiar are:

From the commissioner staff
·   Council Commissioner
·   Assistant Council Commissioners
·   District Commissioner
·   Assistant District commissioner.

Other help comes from personal contacts and conferences, commissioner sessions and meetings.

·   From the professional staff through personal conferences. At meetings such as annual   commissioner conference, all hands meeting, etc...
·   From district contacts
·   Routine information at meetings of the district.
·   From presentations made on subjects relevant to commissioner service at meetings within the district.
·   From response to specific requests for such assistance as advancement help, camping and activities information, etc. A member of a district operating    committee or a professional staff member generally makes such presentations.
·   From training opportunities
·   Person-to-person assistance between unit commissioner and unit personnel.
·   From monthly roundtable meetings.
·   From unit leader training courses (Scout leader training).
·   From literature of the Boy Scouts of America Cub Scout and Boy Scout leadership manuals. (Name and display several.)
·   Council helps. (Display leader's program calendar, council and district publications.)
·   Scouting Magazine and Boys' Life.

· Own personal experience. A wealth of helpful information may be gained from experience as a unit commissioner. Alert unit commissioners share highlight experiences with their associates.