Charter Renewal/ Online Recharter

Written by Nathan Hopper Monday, 13 September 2010 20:26

Help the Dan Beard Council reach it's goal of 100% of units turning in error-free charter packets by December 14, 2012!

Each year, Scouting units (Packs, Troops, and Crews) are required to renew their charters with the Dan Beard Council. A charter is the official agreement between the council and your local chartered organization to provide a program under the auspices of the BSA. The process of renewing a unit's charter reinforces this agreement year-to-year and provides an opportunity to update registration records and qualify for Quality Unit status.

This year, the volunteer commissioner staff has committed to a goal of 100% of correct and complete charter renewal packets being turned in by the on-time deadline of December 16, 2011 -- an ambitious goal that can only be met by the assistance of unit volunteers collaborating with their Unit Commissioners to complete the process promptly.

Why is the unit charter renewal process important?

• It assures that charter partners are delivering the BSA program.
• It improves the quality of the BSA program by providing an opportunity to rescind the charter if needed and ensuring units are being supported by an organization. 
• It helps match unit and council records.
• It ensures insurance coverage and liability protection for all registered members.
• It helps maintain accurate advancement records.

What's new in 2012?

• Direct Contact Leader Training Requirement.
• An "error-free" charter packet requirement.
• Journey to Excellence.

The Charter Renewal Process:

The charter renewal information is to completed by the unit, typically the Committee Chairman or the Chartered Organization Representative. The council prepares a charter renewal packet for each unit, which is distributed at the October district roundtable meetings (packets can also be picked up at the Scout Achievement Center or requested from your District Executive). The packet includes a handbook for completing and "error-free" charter, the unit roster as of October 1, 2012, the charter renewal worksheet, and a Direct Contact Leader Training Validation Worksheet. Before beginning the process, you should carefully read the handbook to understand the process -- be sure to contact your Unit Commissioner or District Executive if you have questions.

After reviewing the instructions, collect the most current information from your members for updating your unit roster and any adult or youth applications for anyone that is not already registered. Next, login to the Internet Recharter system (available October 15, 2012) and follow the screens to complete the online portion of the charter. Collect all membership and insurance fees from your members and prepare the payment to the Dan Beard Council. Obtain signatures from the Unit Leader and Institution Head (the executive officer of your organization), complete the other forms in the packet, and return the packet to your Unit Commissioner by December 14, 2012.

Error-Free Packets:

In the past, many charter packets have been submitted with incomplete information, missing signatures, or incorrect payment -- this causes the charter to enter a "defective" status and it cannot be processed. Defective charters result in additional work for the unit volunteers and Unit Commissioners and can cause the charter to miss the on-time renewal deadline. For the 2012 charter renewal process, the commissioner staff has implemented an "error-free" packet requirement. By striving to educate unit volunteers on the renewal process, providing clearer instructions, and rejecting charter packets with errors, the commissioner staff will be able to most effectively manage the recharter process council-wide.

Charter packets will only be accepted for turn-in after a review by the Unit Commissioner and/or a professional for errors. A packet will not be accepted unless it includes:

• Proper payment
• Unit charter renewal report package complete with signatures
• Conditional charter agreement completed (if needed)
• Required adult applications, including Committee Chairman and Chartered Organization Representative signatures
• Required youth applications with parent and Unit Leader signatures
• Completed Direct Contact Leader Training Validation

Free Rank Advancement:

Units can qualify for free rank advancement patches from the Scout Shop by meeting the Free Rank requirements. This means that rank advancement patches will be given to the unit at no cost for all of 2012 when submitting an advancement report to the Scout Shop. Note that these patches only include rank advancements, not belt loops, arrow points, merit badges, or other achievements. The requirements for Free Rank Advancements have been reduced from previous years and now include:

• Turn in an error-free charter renewal packet by December 14, 2012.
• Attain Journey to Excellence Bronze Status for 2012.

After verification, units that meet this requirements will be notified by email by January 20, 2013.

Charter Renewal Timeline:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Click here to download a list of common questions and answers about the charter renewal process.

Thank you for your help in achieving the goal of 100% error-free charter renewal by December 14, 2012!