Commissioners are district Scouters who help Cub Scout, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Exploring units succeed. They coach and mentor adult leaders, help maintain the standards of the BSA, assist in getting units help from District Committees when needed, and help facilitate the annual re-chartering process in each assigned unit.
Lord Baden-Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, created the position of Commissioner. In the Boy Scouts of America, Commissioners have been a key component of Scouting since its inception in 1910 and, along with professional Scouters, hold the only “commissioned” positions in the BSA.
A typical unit commissioner will have three units to support. That support includes periodic visits to unit meetings or outings as well as acting as a point of contact for requests for assistance from assigned unit leaders. One advantage commissioners have is that their contacts with units are arranged on their own schedule, so commissioners have one of the most flexible jobs in Scouting.
Commissioners can help a struggling unit improve their program, and help a strong unit become even better!!
Being a Unit Commissioner is a very rewarding experience. Fundamentally, Commissioners work with Scout units to assist them in delivering a great Scouting program to the youth their units serve. You do not have to be an experienced Scouter to be a Unit Commissioner (new Unit Commissioners receive training in how to be successful in their roles). Underused assistant unit leaders or committee members, Scouting alumni or interested parents, whether they have had Scouting experience or not, are great candidates for unit commissioner service.
The Buckskin Council has unit commissioner vacancies in all our districts. If you know someone you believe would be a good candidate for a unit commissioner position, please contact your District Commissioner through the “Districts” tab on the council website.