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Cub packs have long had special relationships with their unit commissioners, and the best way to create a special relationship is to make the commissioner a member of the Cub Pack family.

As a member of the Cub Pack family, the commissioner is aware of, and invited to, everything that the pack does – whether the commissioner can attend or not. Of course, commissioners should also be included on the pack master distribution list so that if a parent receives a notification or announcement, the commissioner does, too. But in addition to receiving regular notices and announcements, commissioners need to receive specific invitations to pack family events and certainly to such pack events as the Blue and Gold Celebration.

When the commissioner attends a Cub Pack event, the Cubmaster should introduce (or re-introduce) the commissioner to the pack and to all families in attendance. Of course, a “thank you” to the commissioner for assistance to the pack is important – it’s even better to give the commissioner credit for some particular assistance they provided. Help with recharter is one thing that comes to mind.

Thanking a commissioner by email or in person at a pack meeting is always appreciated. But that said, a handwritten thank you note carries special importance for commissioner service. In situations where a commissioner’s thank-you needs to be extra special, a Cub Scout gift, such as Cub Scout art or a special Cub Scout project is always a “homerun”. If possible, the Cub Scout gift or art project should be presented by a Cub Scout, the den, or even the entire pack.

While the above thoughts are only a few ways that commissioners can be treated as members of the pack family, it is also useful for packs to focus on why commissioners do what they do.

Ask the question: why would a volunteer whose own children have probably matriculated to Scouts BSA, choose to remain active with a Cub Scout pack?

Towards the top of that list is that the commissioner wants to have an enjoyable experience. Commissioners find satisfaction when they help the units reach their goals. What could be more fun and more satisfying than working with kindergarten through fifth grade Scouts?

If a unit develops a special relationship with the unit commissioner and makes that commissioner a member of the pack family, they will discover that the relationship pays benefits for all involved. Commissioners can make the Pack Go-Round.