Charter renewal does not have to be a long, complicated process. The key is to BE PREPARED! Committee Chairs should appoint someone in their unit to be the Unit Charter Renewal Leader. This person will receive special training, communications, and materials. This is a committee function and should not be assigned to the Crew Advisor, Scoutmaster, or Cubmaster. Give this person’s contact info to your unit commissioner.
During the summer, your unit committee and youth leaders (if a Troop or Crew) should have approved an activity plan, calendar, and budget for the following year. Your planning should include collecting dues beginning in September so that funds are available to pay the charter renewal fees. There is budget and planning help online.
Always turn in new registrations promptly. Whether it is a new Scout or a new leader, turn in those registrations to the council service center as soon as they come in. Sometimes that wait for “just one more registration” to come in leads to misplaced forms. And remember to attach a copy of the YPT certificate to all leader registrations! A person is NOT a member until the application is processed at the service center.
Before October 1, the Unit Charter Renewal Leader should check the unit membership and official roster. The unit Key 3 (Committee Chair, Unit Leader (Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, Crew Advisor), and Chartered Organization Representative) can print the official roster any time at http://my.scouting.org. Begin to resolve any discrepancies in members, addresses, ranks, etc.
Make sure that all leader’s Youth Protection Training (YPT) is current and will NOT expire before February 1 of the coming year. Remember that YPT expires every two years and must be renewed. The Unit Key 3 can print a YPT aging report any time at http://my.scouting.org. Make it a goal to have all adults in the unit complete or renew YPT prior to October 1 regardless of when they expire. Contact the district training committee to arrange a one hour classroom YPT session for all adults at one time in your unit.
The online charter renewal normally opens October 1 and the Unit Charter Renewal Leader can begin the formal process. October should be the time for gathering needed information and forms, and for entering the information online.
By the end of November, complete and submit your charter renewal to the council service center with necessary materials and fees. You are done!
Units that fail to submit complete packets by the end of November are likely to expire at the end of the year due to lack of time to process the recharter. There is NO grace period beyond the end of the year.
Paying a little attention to your records all year can save you a lot of headaches at year end and make charter renewal go smoothly. If you need help at any time, contact your Unit Commissioner.