Awards Manager

1) Purchase Required Belt Loops 

Once the number of scouts in each den has stabilized you can go to the cub scout store and purchase the required belt loops for each den and rank. Note:  Webelos dens use pins, not belt loops.  You will need to purchase belt loops & pins for the required adventures. (One for each scout in the den) Den leaders might purchase the electives belt loops and pins on their own, or they may request them from you at the end of the year.

Here is a website that lists both the required and elective belt loops/pins for each rank : https://www.scouting.org/programs/cub-scouts/what-cub-scouts-earn/cub-scouting-adventures/

Make a list of the number of belt loops you need for each den. There will likely be extra belt loops from the previous year that should be used.

At the cub scout store, you will find the belt loops sold individually,.  If you need more than 12 of any one belt loop, ask the salesperson and they can get you packaged sets of 12.

After you have purchased all the belt loops, organize them into the den tackle boxes. Each den has a tackle box that they keep throughout the year with all their awards. (Collect the tackle boxes at the last pack meeting in May so you have them to organize in the fall.)

After the tackle boxes contain the correct number of belt loops for each den, give them to the den leaders.

Save your receipt from the cub scout store and request reimbursement from the pack treasurer.

Before the last pack meeting, email the den leaders to see if they need any elective belt loops for the year. Purchase those at the same time you purchase final rank awards for the graduation ceremony.

2) Get Bobcat Badges

All new scouts are required to earn their Bobcat rank badge before they can earn any other ranks. This badge is usually earned towards the beginning of the year and awarded at the October, November or December pack meetings.

Email all the den leaders around a week before each pack meeting in the fall to see if any of their scouts have earned their Bobcat badge. The email should contain the following information:

In the email, remind the leaders that a pack meeting is coming up and you need a few days’ notice to enter Bobcat rank badges and purchase them at the scout shop.  You will also need to know what date the scout earned the award (this is entered in the online system). Give a specific date that you need to hear from them by (I usually said the Tuesday night before the meeting to give myself time to enter the award into the computer and get to the Scout Shop before Friday).

Enter the scouts that have earned their Bobcat into the internet advancement online system.  (See detailed instructions below).  You are required to print out a form and bring it to the Scout Shop in order to purchase rank awards. For each scout earning the Bobcat award, you need to purchase a Bobcat rank patch, a parent Bobcat pin, and a rank card.  (The badges and pins can be purchased in sets of 12, also.)

Once purchased, fill out the information on each rank card for each scout and attach the patch to the card with the parent pin. Bag up the awards in ziplock bags and give to the den leaders at the beginning of pack meeting.  For Bobcat awards, include parent ribbons in the ziplock bag.  Bobcat parents should be given a parent ribbon.  They will put the Bobcat parent pin on this ribbon and wear it to meetings.  As their scout receives more rank awards in the future, those rank pins will be added to the parent ribbon.

** Tell the Cubmaster as soon as you see him before the meeting starts to let him know there are Bobcat awards to be distributed. The Cubmaster will facilitate that process.

3 & 4) Arrow of Light / Rank Badges 

For all other rank awards (Arrow of Light in February and end of year Rank Badges in May) you would follow the same steps as you did for the Bobcat badges.

Email the Webelos II den leaders 1-2 weeks before the Blue & Gold dinner to find out which scouts have earned their Arrow of Light awards.  Email all remaining den leaders 1-2 weeks before the pack graduation in May to find out which scouts have earned their rank badge.  Make sure that the den leaders give you the names of the scouts that have earned their rank badge as well as the date they earned it. Also, at this point ask the den leaders if they need any elective belt loops/pins. Make sure you give a deadline for the den leaders to reply to you so you have enough time to enter the awards into the system, get to the store, purchase all the awards and fill out the rank award cards.

Enter all the scouts into the internet advancement database. Scouts must have earned their Bobcat badge before they can earn any other rank awards. If you’re unable to award a scout their Bear badge in the system, for example, it may be because they never officially earned their Bobcat badge.  Print out the report to take with you to the Scout Shop to purchase all awards. For all awards you need to purchase the patch, the parent pin, and the rank card.

Before the last pack meeting, email all den leaders requesting them to bring their tackle boxes to the last meeting.  (Webelos I den leaders will keep theirs because their pins cover Webelos I and Webelos II.)  Then you will have the summer to re-organize the left over belt loops and pins to be prepared for the fall.