LODGE OPERATING PROCEDURES · Lodge Rules . 1-1 . Lodge Operating Procedures . Revised 02/20/2012 . AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE #470 National Capital Area Council #82 - Boy Scouts of America

LODGEOPERATING

PROCEDURES

AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE #470NATIONAL CAPITAL AREA COUNCIL #82

AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE #470 National Capital Area Council #82 - Boy Scouts of America

1. LODGE RULES 1.1 NAME AND AFFILIATION OF THE LODGE The name of this Lodge shall be AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE #470, W.W.W.

This Lodge shall be affiliated with the National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America, and shall be under the supervision of the Council Camping Committee and the administrative authority of the Council Scout Executive.

This lodge shall conform to all rules and decisions of the Boy Scouts of America and the National Order of the Arrow Committee and shall abide by all regulations stated in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and Guide for Officers and Advisers.

1.2 INSIGNIA AND PUBLICATIONS The totem of the Lodge shall be an arrow and a representation of the Washington Monument superimposed on a shark's tooth. The Monument shall stand vertically in the center of the tooth. Facing the tooth, the arrow shall bisect the Monument at an angle pointing upward from right to left.

The standard for the flag of the Lodge shall be that of an orange rectangle with the Lodge totem on a half red-half blue diamond in the center.

The design of Lodge patches, neckerchiefs, and any other tokens of Lodge membership and the handling of such, shall be determined by the Lodge Executive Committee under the authority of the Council Scout Executive or his designee.

The sale of Lodge and Chapter materials and insignia shall be limited to active (dues paid) members of this Lodge.

Lodge neckerchiefs and Order of the Arrow sashes shall be worn only at Order of the Arrow functions or when representing the Order of the Arrow or the Lodge. They are not to be altered in any way, and only those patches authorized by the National Order of the Arrow Committee may be worn on the sash.

The official Lodge newsletter shall be named the Shark's Tooth.

1.3 REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES FOR ELECTIONS TO MEMBERSHIP The requirements for membership in this Lodge are as stated in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers.

Unit elections may be held at any time between November 1st and June 1st. Units may hold only one election during this seven-month period. An Ordeal candidate shall remain eligible for induction for one year after the date of election.

All unit elections must have the prior approval of the Chapter Unit Elections Committee and must be conducted by one or more active (dues paid) members of this Lodge who are not members of the unit.

Selection of an adult Scouter should take place only when the adult's job in Boy Scouting will make Order of the Arrow membership more meaningful in the lives of the youth membership. Unit adult leaders must meet all the requirements and conditions for membership; District/Council Scouters must meet the same requirements, with the exception of the camping requirement, which may be waived by the Lodge Adviser, Lodge Chief, and the Council Scout Executive.

For unit adult recommendations, each District shall form an adult selection committee of the District Scout Executive, Chapter Adviser, and District Vice Chairman for Program to review and select the candidates for membership. For District/Council recommendations, an adult selection committee of the

Lodge Rules 1-1 Lodge Operating Procedures Revised 02/20/2012


Lodge Adviser, Lodge Staff Adviser, and Council Camping Committee Chairman shall review and select the candidates for membership. The work of these committees is subject to the approval of the Council Scout Executive. Adults may be proposed for membership only one time per year as either unit Scouters or District/Council Scouters, but not both. How they are proposed depends on where they maintain their primary registration. Any election not held in accordance with these rules shall be invalid.

1.4 OFFICERS 1.4.1 LODGE OFFICERS

The officers of this Lodge shall be the Lodge Chief, Lodge Vice Chief for Operations, Lodge Secretary, Lodge Treasurer, and Area Chiefs. The Lodge Secretary shall be known as the Lodge Vice Chief for Administration & Communications. The Lodge Treasurer shall be known as the Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership. There shall be an Area Chief for each NCAC field service area, who must be a member of a Chapter in the field service area. These elected officers must be under 21 years of age during their entire terms of office.

1. Lodge officers shall be elected at the annual Lodge Fellowship or equivalent event. They shall be installed at the first Lodge Executive Committee meeting following their election. Procedures for elections, transition, and installation are set by the Lodge Chief after consulting with the Lodge Executive Committee

2. Lodge officers shall be elected by the Lodge membership except each Lodge Area Chiefs, who shall be elected by the members of those Chapters in his field service area.

3. In all Lodge general elections, each Chapter shall receive one vote per member present up to a maximum of five (5) votes per Chapter. Delegates shall be determined according to the procedures adopted by each Chapter's Executive Committee. All candidates for Lodge offices must receive greater than 50% of those votes cast to be elected. Votes of abstention shall not be counted in the final total of votes cast. In the event that no candidate receives greater than 50% of the votes cast, a run-off election of the top two vote-getters shall be held. If this run-off election should end in a tie, the Lodge Chief shall cast the deciding vote.

4. Candidates for office are excluded from directing elections for that office. The Chair for General or Lodge Executive Committee Elections shall be the first qualified individual from the following list: Lodge Chief, Lodge Vice Chief for operations, Lodge Vice Chief for Administration & Communications, Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership, Lodge Area Chiefs in alphabetical order of their service areas, or an appointed designee by the Lodge Chief.

5. Upon missing two (2) consecutive or three (3) non-consecutive Lodge Executive Committee meetings, Lodge Key Three meetings, or Area Executive Committee meetings without excuse during his term, the Lodge Chief, Vice chief for operations, Vice Chief for Administration & Communications, or Vice Chief for Finance & Membership may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Lodge Executive Committee; similarly, an Area Chief may be removed from office by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Chapter Chiefs in his field service area, a quorum of which shall be fifty percent plus one.

6. In the event a Lodge officer must be replaced, his successor shall be elected by a majority vote of the Lodge Executive Committee. However, a replacement for an Area Chief shall be elected by a majority vote of the Chapter Chiefs from his field service area. The Lodge Chief shall appoint a temporary replacement to serve until the next Lodge Executive Committee meeting. In the event that the Lodge Chief must be replaced, the Lodge Vice chief for operations shall serve until the next Lodge Executive Committee meeting.

7. Training for present and aspiring Lodge and Chapter officers, as well as Lodge and Chapter operating committee chairmen, shall be held at least twice each calendar year. Once at the Lodge Leadership Development event and at the Area Leadership Development events.

8. The Lodge Chief shall create such operating committees and appoint their chairmen as may occasionally be needed. All chairmen must be under 21 years of age for their entire terms of office.



9. The Lodge Adviser shall be appointed by the Council Scout Executive. Advisers to the Area Chiefs shall be nominated by the respective Field Service Directors and appointed by the Council Scout Executive, with the concurrence of the Lodge Adviser. All other Lodge officer and committee advisers are appointed by the Lodge Adviser with the concurrence of the Council Scout Executive.

10. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the elected Lodge officers, immediate past Lodge Chief, Lodge operating committee chairmen and their advisers, Lodge Adviser, a Council Camping Committee member, Chapter Chiefs, Chapter Advisers, Council Scout Executive, and Lodge Staff Adviser.

1.4.2 CHAPTER OFFICERS

1. The officers of each Chapter shall be the Chapter Chief, a minimum of one Vice Chief, and a Secretary. These elected officers must be under 21 years of age for their entire terms of office.

2. Chapter officers shall be elected during the spring. At the discretion of the Chapter Executive Committee, their terms of office shall start at a Chapter Spring function or June 1st. The Lodge Chief or his designee shall install the officers at an appropriate Chapter function. Elected and aspiring Chapter officers shall attend available Lodge training.

3. In the event a Chapter officer must be replaced, his successor shall be elected by a majority vote of the Chapter Executive Committee. The Chapter Chief shall appoint a temporary replacement to serve until the next Chapter Executive Committee meeting. In the event that the Chapter Chief must be replaced, the Chapter Vice Chief shall serve until the next Chapter general election and shall appoint a replacement for the office of Chapter Vice Chief to serve until the next Chapter Executive Committee meeting, at which time a permanent replacement shall be elected by a majority vote of the Chapter Executive Committee.

4. The Chapter Chief shall create such operating committees and appoint their chairmen as may be required for Chapter operation. All chairmen must be under 21 years of age for their entire terms of office.

5. The Chapter Adviser shall be nominated by the District Scout Executive in consultation with senior District officials and appointed by the Council Scout Executive with the concurrence of the Lodge Adviser. Other Chapter officer and committee advisers are appointed by the Chapter Adviser with the concurrence of the District Scout Executive.

6. The Chapter Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers, Chapter operating committee chairmen and their advisers, the immediate past Chapter Chief, the Chapter Adviser, and the District Scout Executive.

1.5 LODGE MEETINGS AND ACTIVITIES The Lodge shall schedule at least two (2) Lodge events (meetings or activities) each calendar year.

The Lodge Executive Committee shall meet at least three (3) times each calendar year.

Special meetings of the Lodge Executive Committee or the entire Lodge may be-called by the Lodge Chief, with the approval of the Council Scout Executive (or his designee). Such meetings may also be called by the Council Scout Executive (or his designee) alone.

Adult Scouters, age 21 or older, do not have a vote in matters of Lodge business.

1.6 DUES AND FINANCES The Lodge fiscal year shall run from January 1st through December 31st.

The Lodge dues shall be determined by majority vote of the Lodge Executive Committee. All dues shall be paid directly to the Council Service Center by each member or through consignment trading posts at Lodge and Chapter functions. Inactive members may be restored to active status by paying dues for the current year.

In the development of the annual Lodge budget, funds shall be made available for Lodge and Chapter



mailings, activities, service projects, and any other projects that will support the Lodge or Chapter. Prior to incurring any budgeted expense, approval must be gained from the Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership, Lodge Adviser, and Lodge Staff Adviser. All approved orders shall be processed through the Council Service Center. The budget shall be approved by a majority vote of the Lodge Executive Committee, and subject to the approval of the Council Scout Executive.

All Order of the Arrow funds shall be handled through the Council Service Center and go through all normal Council accounting procedures. All Lodge and Chapter functions involving finances must go through normal Council accounting procedures.

No Chapter of the Lodge may maintain a treasury, bank account, or similar pooling of finances. All properties in the possession of the Chapters shall be considered to be properties of the Lodge.

1.7 ORDEAL MEMBERSHIP Procedures for the Ordeal shall be as stated in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and Guide for Inductions.

At the time of induction, each new member shall receive the following items:

A. A membership card.

B. An Order of the Arrow sash.

C. An Order of the Arrow Handbook.

D. A standard Lodge pocket flap

1.8 BROTHERHOOD MEMBERSHIP Completion of Brotherhood membership shall be in accordance with the requirements in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and Guide for Officers and Advisers.

1.9 VIGIL HONOR Attainment of the Vigil Honor shall be in accordance with the requirements in the current printing of the Order of the Arrow Handbook and Guide for Officers and Advisers.

1.10 LODGE OPERATING PROCEDURES The Lodge Executive Committee shall, by majority vote, establishes Operating Procedures as may be required to conduct routine Lodge operations.

Each Lodge committee may establish Operating Procedures to govern its activities. Such procedures shall be approved by a majority vote of the Lodge Executive Committee, and copies shall be kept with the Lodge Vice Chief for Administration & Communications.

1.11 CHAPTER RULES AND OPERATING PROCEDURES All Chapters shall be governed by the Lodge Rules and Operating Procedures.

Any questions concerning a Chapter's operation shall be presented to the Lodge Chief and Lodge Adviser for clarification. If the Lodge Chief feels that the case merits the attention of the Lodge, he shall present the case and his decision at the next Lodge Executive Committee meeting. Such decisions are not subject to the Committee's approval.

1.12 AMENDMENTS These Rules shall be subject to amendment at any regular or special meeting of the Lodge Executive Committee, provided that such amendment has been submitted in writing to the Committee at least thirty



(30) days in advance of such meeting. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Committee members present shall be required to pass the amendment.

These Rules may also be amended by a mail vote of the active members of the Lodge. In such case, a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the members responding shall be required to pass the amendment.

In either of the above cases, any approved amendments shall be presented to the members of the Lodge in the next edition of the Lodge Operating Procedures. 4. In a unique situation, a majority vote of the Lodge Executive Committee may temporarily authorize deviation from these Rules, provided written notification of such action is sent to all active members after being passed by the Committee.

1.13 DECISION APPROVALS Any and all decisions of the Lodge Executive Committee or members thereof are subject to the approval of the Council Scout Executive (or his designee).


AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE #470 National Capital Area Council #82- Boy Scouts of America

2. THE LODGE 2.1 HISTORY Amangamek-Wipit Lodge was granted its first Charter on March 12, 1952. The Lodge was originally chartered without a name or totem. In the fall of 1952, the Lodge co-founders, Jack A. Obermeyer (first Lodge Adviser) and Ralph Lutz and other former O/A members residing in the area visited the various Troops in the Council to conduct elections. That fall, three separate Ordeals were held by Nenitco, Blue Heron, and Nawakwa Lodges. By the time of the first Lodge Banquet on December 29, 1952, the Lodge had 89 charter members (77 from the Ordeals and 12 from transfers). At the banquet, the first Lodge Chief, Robert L. Zink, was elected.

In June 1953, the Lodge conducted its first Ordeal on its own. The Lodge name and totem were also adopted at this meeting. The totem selected was an arrow and the Washington monument superimposed on a shark's tooth. The monument stood vertically in the center of the tooth was chosen for the Lodge name and the principal object in the totem because of the large number of sharks' teeth that were found along the Chesapeake shores of Camp Roosevelt which served as the early home for the Lodge. The Indian version of the Lodge name, "Amanquemack," was obtained in a telephone conversation with a Delaware Indian language expert at the Smithsonian Institution. There was no word for 'shark' in the language, only 'large fish'; the 'tooth' part was assumed. The first Lodge patch appeared in October 1953.

On March 27, 1954, Nenitco Lodge provided the first Brotherhood Ceremony for the Lodge at Camp Broad Creek. The Lodge held its first Brotherhood Ceremony on its own later that August. The Lodge's first Vigil, Ralph P. Lutz, was inducted at the 1954 Area III-C Pow Wow held at Camp Rock Enon in May.

Sometime in November or December 1955, additional research was done on the Lodge name. It was discovered that the word "Amanquemack" did not exist in the Delaware language and the name had been written down incorrectly in the original telephone conversation with the Smithsonian. The correct word for 'large fish' was "Amangamek" and the word for 'tooth' was "Wipit." The new Lodge name first appeared in early 1956; it was probably adopted at the December 1955 Lodge Banquet.

The Lodge was a charter member of old Area III-C and hosted the Area III-C Pow Wows in 1956 at Camp Roosevelt and in 1965 at Camp Wilson. In 1973, the Lodge was included in the Area realignment and became an active member of Section SE-1. The Lodge hosted the 1976 SE-I Indian Seminar at Ft. Belvoir, VA, and the 1980 SE-1 Conclave at Camp Happyland, VA. In January 1982, Amangamek Wipit was among the five northern Lodges split off to form SE-9. Later in May, these five Lodges were transferred to the Northeast Region to form the new NE-6.

In June 1988 three Pennsylvania Lodges joined the NE-6; in June 1994 the Section was re-designated NE-4C. The Lodge hosted Section Conclaves in 1985 at Camp Happyland, VA and in 1991 at Prince William National Forest, VA for NE-6 in 1996 at Camp Rock Enon, VA, and at Goshen Scout Reservation, Goshen, VA in 2003 for NE-4C.

Since formation, Amangamek-Wipit Lodge has produced one national vice chief; two region chiefs; two area chiefs and three vice chiefs; eleven section chiefs, six vice chiefs and eight secretaries; one section adviser; two region OA chairmen; six national OA committeemen; one National OA Bulletin editor; and eighteen Distinguished Service Award, 81 Founder’s Award, and 1,728 Vigil Honor recipients. The lodge has been recognized with three E. Urner Goodman National Camping Awards. In recent years, the lodge has consistently been the first or second largest lodge in the Order and has often achieved National Quality Lodge status.

The Lodge 2-1 Lodge Operating Procedures Revised 02/20/2012


2.2 LODGE ORGANIZATION

Figure 2-1: Lodge Organization

2.3 THE KEY THREE 2.3.1 MEMBERS

• Lodge Chief-Representing the youth members of the Lodge.

• Lodge Adviser-Representing Lodge adults and the Council Camping Committee.

• Staff Adviser-Representing the administration of the Council.

2.3.2 PURPOSE

• To make the Order of the Arrow an effective instrument of the Scout camping and outdoor program.

• To direct the efforts of the Order towards assistance in Council programs and goals.

• To give leadership, direction, and inspiration to all members of the Lodge.

• To direct the efforts of the Membership toward the realization of the purposes and goals of the Order of the Arrow.

AREA CHIEF& ADVISER

AREA CHIEF& ADVISER

AREA CHIEF& ADVISER

AREA CHIEF& ADVISER

LODGEVICE CHIEF

LODGECHIEF

LODGE STAFFADVISER

LODGEADVISER

Administrative and ActivitiesCommittee Chairman

& Advisers

LODGETREASURER

LODGESECRETARY

AREA CHIEF& ADVISER

AREA CHIEF& ADVISER

ASSOCIATELODGE ADVISER

OPERATIONS

ASSOCIATELODGE ADVISERADMINISTRATION

Operating CommitteeChairman & Advisers

AreaChapter Chiefs

& Advisers

AreaChapter Chiefs

& Advisers

AreaChapter Chiefs

& Advisers

AreaChapter Chiefs

& Advisers

AreaChapter Chiefs

& Advisers

AreaChapter Chiefs

& Advisers



2.3.3 MEETINGS

Meet at least quarterly, apart from regularly scheduled Lodge functions, to:

• Re-charter the Lodge and evaluate progress using the National Quality Lodge Program.

• Oversee the planning of Lodge events, including program and budget.

• Exchange any recent information or ideas for the benefit of the Membership of the Lodge.

• Any other business that may come before the Key Three.

2.4 OFFICER/ADVISER RESPONSIBILITIES 2.4.1 LODGE CHIEF

• The principle representative and delegate of the Lodge.

• Be responsible for everything that happens or doesn't happen on the Lodge level.

• Consults with and notifies his Adviser concerning all Lodge matters.

• Appoints and removes Lodge operating committees and chairmen as needed.

• Presides over Lodge Executive Committee meetings.

• Has some contact with each Officer and Lodge Committee Chairman.

• Appoints Lodge Event Coordinators and serves as a Key Adviser.

• Represents the Lodge at all OA functions and appoints a replacement representative if unable to attend.

• Defines the duties of Lodge Committee Chairmen, Event Chairmen, and Lodge Officers during the year.

• Conducts Lodge elections and business meetings at the Lodge Fellowship.

• Presides at all Lodge functions. He is to open proceedings and then turn the event over to the Event Chairman.

• Awards the Quality Chapter Program recognition.

• Maintains close contact with other members of the Key Three.

• Serves as a member of the Council Camping Committee Executive Board.

• Serves as a youth member of the council executive board

• Produces the Lodge Plan Book and the Lodge Final Report for presentation to the council executive board.

2.4.2 LODGE ADVISER

• Serves as a member of the Council Camping Committee.

• Maintains continuity between outgoing and incoming Lodge Officers, their program, their goals, and the National OA Policy.

• Reminds Lodge Officers of their responsibilities if they are not doing the job.

• Coordinates the Order of the Arrow's activities with other segments of the Council Program.

• Advises, with other adults, on the proper role of adult members in the OA.

• Is familiar with the current edition of the Order of the Arrow Handbook, the Guide for Officers and Advisers, and National policies.

• Advises Lodge Officers on National policies and procedures.



• Encourages attendance at National Leadership Seminars, Section Conclaves, and National OA Conferences.

• Appoints adult advisers to each Lodge officer and committee chairman


2.4.3 LODGE STAFF ADVISER

• Works closely with Lodge Adviser and Lodge Officers to insure the Lodge fulfills its purpose.

• Watches over the Lodge finances.

• Coordinates OA activities with other segments of Council programs.

• Coordinates Order of the Arrow plans for participation in summer camping program.

• Coordinates Order of the Arrow use of office facilities and equipment with office staff.

• Advises other adults on their proper role in the OA.

• Is familiar with the current edition of the Order of the Arrow Handbook, the Guide for Officers and Advisers, and National policies.

• Advises Lodge Officers on National policies and procedures.

• Encourages attendance at Section Conclave, National Leadership Seminars, and National OA Conferences.

• Serves as liaison to the council Staff.

• Recommends and attains Scout Executive approval of prospective adult advisers.


2.4.4 LODGE VICE CHIEF FOR OPERATIONS

• Assists Lodge Chief with the operation of the Lodge.

• Presides over committees specified by the Lodge Operating Procedures and works closely with the Area Chiefs.

• Presides over the Lodge Activities and meetings in the absence of the Lodge Chief.

• Is advised by the designated Associate Lodge Advisor.

2.4.5 LODGE VICE CHIEF FOR ADMINISTRATION & COMMUNICATIONS

• Assists Lodge Chief with operation of the Lodge.

• Records minutes of Executive Committee and Lodge Meetings and distributes the minutes to all Executive Committee members promptly after each meeting.

• Sends notices to Executive Committee members notifying them of meetings and events, obtaining necessary information from Lodge Chief.

• Working with Chapter Chiefs, prepares and distributes a Lodge/Chapter Officer and Chairman Directory. Maintains contact with Chapter Chiefs to keep Directory up-to-date.

• Submits a calendar of events to the Sharks Tooth editor to help keep the membership informed.

• Signs the master copy of the membership card.

• Is advised by the designated Associate Lodge Adviser.

2.4.6 LODGE VICE CHIEF FOR FINANCE & MEMBERSHIP

• Assists Lodge Chief with the operation of the Lodge.



• Appoints members to the Lodge Financial Committee.

• Prepares Lodge Budget for submission to the Lodge Executive Committee in October of each year.

• Reports the Lodge income, expenditures, and current balance to the Lodge Executive Committee.

• Acts as a resource for Chapter Chiefs in preparation of Chapter Ordeal and event budgets.

• Arranges for and operates Trading Post at Lodge events.

• Reviews costs and sets prices for all Lodge supplies.

• Maintains an inventory of Lodge supplies and reorders whenever the stock level requires it.

• Reprints forms for consignments, budgets, trading post orders, and cash advances whenever prices change or form stock is depleted.

2.4.7 LODGE FINANCIAL ADVISER

• Advises Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership and assists Lodge Adviser.

• Reviews all Lodge budgets, current balance sheets, orders, etc., prior to submission.

• Maintains close liaison with Staff Adviser and Director, Support Services on all fiscal matters.

• Reviews and provides the final closeout of all Lodge and Chapter event accounts.

2.4.8 LODGE AREA CHIEF

• Maintains close contact between the Lodge and all Chapters in his area.

• Assists Lodge Chief with operation of the Lodge and performs duties and tasks designated by the Chapter Chiefs within their areas.

• Devotes major interest to improving all Chapters in his area. He is an ex-officio member of all Chapters and as such should be invited to all meetings and functions (events).

• Installs new Chapter Officers.

• Is responsible for planning and carrying out all area functions (e.g., EXPO).

• Confers with Lodge and Area Advisers on all phases of area operations.

• Hosts a major Lodge Event as assigned by the Lodge Executive Committee.

• Recruits event chairman for the assigned Lodge Event being hosted by the Area in consultation with the Lodge Area Adviser, Lodge chief, and Lodge Adviser.

• Plans and conducts with the assistance of the Lodge Area Adviser three (3) Area Executive Committee meetings annually and an Area Leadership Development event.

2.4.9 LODGE AREA ADVISER

• Maintains close contact with Area Chief to help identify and correct problem areas. Maintains contact with Lodge and Chapter Advisers to provide the Area Chief with an adult point of view.

• Confers with Area Chief on progress of Chapters. Motivates and assists with adult Advisers as necessary. Acts as a resource for Area Chief at area and Chapter meetings, functions, or events.

• Assists in planning area program and provides background and resources as necessary. Assists Area Chief in back-dating for area events.

• Recruits Event Adviser for the Lodge event being hosted by the Area. Appointment is made by Council Executive after approval by Lodge Adviser.

• Assists Lodge Adviser as requested.



• Supports the Area Chief in planning for the Area Executive Committee meetings and the Area Leadership Development event.

2.5 AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS 2.5.1 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

• An award presented by the National OA Committee to those Arrowmen who have rendered outstanding service to the Order on a Section, Area, Regional, or National basis. It is given primarily for dedicated service to the Order and Scouting over a period of years. Adults, young men, and professional Scouters are eligible to be recognized. A limited number of awards are presented every two years at the National OA Conference.

2.5.2 FOUNDER'S AWARD

• A National award for special achievement and exemplary service available for presentation on a select basis at the Lodge level. A maximum of four awards may be presented per year. If two or more are awarded, at least one must be presented to a young man under 21. Only active members are eligible to be considered.

• The National OA Committee must approve the Lodge nominees based on petitions to the National Executive Secretary. Nominees are selected each year by a special Lodge committee of available past Founder's Award recipients and/or youth members not considered for the award that year.

• The awards are presented at the Lodge Banquet and are fully funded in the Lodge budget.

2.5.3 VIGIL HONOR

• The highest honor the Order of the Arrow can present for leadership given in the spirit of service to the Lodge and Council. See the Vigil Honor Committee section for the procedures to be followed. After approval of annual Lodge petitions to the National Order of the Arrow Committee, the candidates are secretly notified and inducted prior to the annual Lodge Banquet. The new Vigil members are publicly recognized at the Lodge Banquet with the presentation of their certificates and sashes (if not previously presented). The cost of the certificates and sashes are fully funded in the annual Lodge Budget.

2.5.4 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AWARD

• This is an award to honor those youth members of the Lodge who, are between the age of 18 and not yet 21, give exemplary service to the Order of the Arrow, Scouting, and their community over an extended period of time. Each year members of the Order of the Arrow and the scouting community will be asked to nominate qualified youth, who by their leadership and service, exemplify the ideals of the Order and are role members for other members. A lodge-level selection committee will consider all approved nominations for the award and recommend those most deserving to the Lodge Executive Committee. While there is no limit to how many awards may be given in any given year, the committee may decide that the award will not be presented that year, or may recommend multiple youth.

2.5.5 CONTEST AWARDS

• A plaque, trophy, un-framed, or framed certificate will be awarded to recognize competition winners. They include recognitions for the following:

o Sports Winners (volleyball, horseshoes, etc.).

o Best Chapter Display.

o Best Chapter Newsletter Content and Layout.

o Quality Chapter Program.

o Lodge Ceremony and Dance Competition.

The sports competition, Lodge Ceremonies, and Dance Competition award winners will be presented at the



Lodge Fellowship and the cost of the recognition items will be included in the Fellowship budget. The Chapter Display, both Chapter newsletter awards, and the recognitions for the three levels of the Quality Chapter Program will be presented at the Lodge Banquet and the cost will be covered in the Banquet budget. Rotating awards are recovered and passed on to each year's new winners. Any other contest award is to be listed in the budget of the event at which it is to be awarded.

2.5.6 EVENT CHAIRMAN/ADVISER RECOGNITIONS

• A plaque to recognize the service of the key people at the Fellowship, Banquet, and Goshen Service Weekend. They will be given at the event for which the Chairman/Adviser served and the cost of the recognitions will be included in the budget for that event.

2.5.7 LODGE/CHAPTER SERVICE RECOGNITIONS

• Any token (plaque, certificate, patch board, etc.) to recognize past year's service. Presentations to Lodge Officers, Lodge Committee Chairmen and Advisers are to be given at the April Executive Committee meeting. The cost of these recognitions will be covered by the proceeds from the patch auction at the Lodge Fellowship and by specific money in the Lodge budget.

Presentations to Chapter Officers, Committee Chairmen and Advisers will be handled on a Chapter basis and will be given at a Spring Ordeal or other spring function. The cost will be covered in the budget for the event or by proceeds from any patch auction.

2.5.8 OTHER AWARDS

• Any other Lodge/Area award or recognition must be approved by the Key Three before it is announced or purchased.

2.6 UNIFORM AND INSIGNIA 2.6.1 SASHES The sash is worn at Order of the Arrow functions and special Scouting activities, when members need to be identified as Arrowmen rendering special services.

An Ordeal sash will only be worn by an Ordeal member, a Brotherhood sash will only be worn by a Brotherhood member, and a Vigil sash will only be worn by a Vigil member. The sash will be worn with the arrow pointing over the right shoulder.

OA sashes should not be worn on the belt. The sash is to be worn only at OA events and special Scouting functions when representing the Order of the Arrow; therefore, when at one of these events, wear it properly over the right shoulder, underneath the epaulet so that the shoulder loop is not covered. When not at an OA event, the pocket flap signifies that you are an Arrowman whose current dues are paid to a Lodge. The universal ribbon pin can also be worn to signify that you are an Arrowman.

Nothing is to be worn on the OA sash except the 50th or the 60th Anniversary Awards. Beaded sashes and sash backs depicting the legend are not to be worn. Also, sashes with Dr. Goodman's or Col. Edson's signature or any other signatures, stamps, or pins are not to be worn. Nothing should detract attention from the Arrow and its true meaning. There is nothing wrong with having any of these souvenir sashes; just don't wear them with the Scout uniform.

2.6.2 LODGE FLAPS To wear a Scout uniform, you must be a currently registered member of the Boy Scouts of America. To wear an Order of the Arrow Lodge Pocket Flap on the uniform, you must pay your current year's dues to a Lodge.

To earn the right to pay OA Lodge dues, you have to be properly elected and inducted into the OA and must be a current registered member of the Boy Scouts of America. You can only wear the OA pocket flap of the Lodge in which you pay dues. Paying dues in one Lodge does not make you a member of another Lodge. Each Lodge is an independent entity.



2.6.3 TRADING There are no restrictions on trading or owning any and all Lodge insignia and souvenir items (i.e., mugs, patches, flaps, neckerchiefs, slides, pins, etc.).

2.6.4 PURCHASING

The Lodge Rules stipulate:

"The sale of Lodge and Chapter materials and insignia shall be limited to active (dues paid) members of this Lodge."

Therefore, only dues paid members of Amangamek Wipit Lodge can purchase our mugs, patches, flaps, neckerchiefs, slides, pins, etc. This does not apply to national supply items like sashes, handbooks, ribbon pins, back patches, etc. It applies to things that say “Amangamek Wipit”, “470”, or has the Lodge Totem (shark's tooth) on them.

2.7 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2.7.1 MEETING PREPARATION

• Meetings shall be held in accordance with the Lodge rules. Regular meetings of the Committee shall be listed in the Council Calendar.

• The Lodge Chief and Lodge Vice Chief for Administration & Communications shall compose a meeting agenda after consultation with their Adviser at least one week in advance of the meeting. The agenda, along with meeting notice shall be forwarded to all members at this time by the Lodge Vice Chief for Administration & Communications.

• Amendments to the agenda may occur before the meeting by notifying the Lodge Chief of the proposed change and obtaining his approval. No additions to the agenda may be allowed at the meeting unless a majority vote of the Committee approves the addition.

• Lodge Executive Committee Meetings shall take place at St. John United Methodist Church, Alexandria, Virginia. If this area should become unavailable, the Lodge Staff Adviser shall obtain meeting space for the Committee at the Scout Service Center or other acceptable location.

2.7.2 MEETING PROCEDURES

• The Lodge Chief shall serve as the Chairman for the meeting. If the Chief is absent, the Lodge Vice Chief for Operations shall act as Chairman. If he should also be absent, the Lodge Chief will designate his replacement.

• Adult members and Lodge Event Chairmen may not vote in any decision or election of the Lodge Executive Committee. Votes of abstention shall not be counted in the final total of votes cast. The Lodge Chief shall not vote except in case of a tie.

• If a member of the Executive Committee other than the Lodge Chief will be absent, he must notify the Lodge Chief of his replacement before the meeting. With the approval of the Lodge Chief, only the member’s representative shall be permitted to act in his stead.

• Members of the Lodge Executive Committee are limited to no more than two votes in any decision of the Committee. If a person is a representative of a Chapter and also an Officer or Committee Chairman, he may vote only twice.

• Agenda:

o Opening - Obligation led by the Lodge Chief.

o A roll call of members shall be taken. At least fifteen votes must be represented and one more than 50% of the votes must be from representatives of the Chapters. If this representation is not present, the meeting must be postponed.



o After the roll call has been taken, the minutes of the preceding meeting of the Committee shall be presented by the Lodge Vice Chief for Administration & Communications and approved by the Committee.

o Reports by each Lodge Officer, Area Chiefs (these reports will include those of the Chapters in their respective areas), and Lodge Committee shall be given and copies of the reports shall be given to the Lodge Vice Chief for Administration & Communications.

o Unfinished business items which have previously been discussed before the Committee shall be continued.

All decisions, unless specifically exempted by the Lodge rules or these operating procedures shall be directed by a simple majority. If a vote ends in a tie, another vote shall be taken. If the 2nd vote also ends in a tie, the Lodge Chief shall cast the deciding vote.

All decisions are first to be called to a voice vote. However, if any member of the Committee requests a roll call vote, the request must be satisfied.

o New business.

o Special presentations, as desired by the Lodge Chief.

o Advisers' minutes (Staff Adviser's minute followed by the Lodge Adviser's minute).

o Closing - OA song.

• All votes (decisions) of the Lodge Executive Committee shall remain in effect at least one year unless the decision is National Council, Local Council, or OA policy or made part of the Lodge Rules.

2.8 NATIONAL ORGANIZATION The Order of the Arrow is described in its primary documents:

Order of the Arrow Handbook,

Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers, and

Order of the Arrow Guide to Inductions.

Additional information is available through the national website, www.oa-bsa.org.

2.9 REGION There are four geographical regions: Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western. This lodge is part of the Northeast Region, which maintains a website, northeast.oa-bsa.org.

2.10 SECTION There are six areas within the Northeast Region, each of which has two sections. This lodge is part of Section NE-6A, which maintains a website, www.ne6a.org.



3. LODGE OPERATING COMMITTEES 3.1 CHOOSING CHAIRMEN All Lodge Chairmen, regardless of the type of committee, are appointed by the Lodge Chief. The following steps are to be taken before the appointment is made official:

• Look for possible Chairmen by asking the previous Chairman and Adviser for ideas. Also consult with the Lodge Adviser.

• Ask the Chapter Chiefs and Advisers of any potential candidates to see if he will be in the area for an extended time. Also be sure that the candidate will be under 21 years of age for at least six months.

• Ask the candidate if he can do the job, based on your description of the duties. Be explicit in your description.

• If the candidate says no, go back to step one. If he says yes, thank him, and be sure he knows about the next Lodge Executive Committee Meeting date and the agenda for his report. Tell him that he has an Adviser and that the Adviser will get in touch with him soon. Tell him the present Adviser's name, and be sure to check to see if the Chairman will be able to work with the Adviser. Tell the Lodge Adviser of the Chairman's decision.

• At the next Lodge Executive Committee Meeting, introduce the new Chairman and also introduce the Adviser, even if it is the same one as before the appointment.

3.2 CHOOSING ADVISERS Advisers are appointed by the Council Scout Executive through the Lodge Adviser (see Lodge Rules). After the Lodge Chief contacts the Adviser and tells him the decision of the new Chairman, either the same Adviser will be kept or a new one must be appointed. The following conditions must be met:

• The boy Chairman must be able to work with the Adviser. If not, the Adviser must be replaced.

• The Adviser must be able to insure that his advising a Lodge Committee will not interfere with his other responsibilities.

• A potential Adviser's Chapter Adviser should be consulted before the appointment. Before any new appointment, the Chairman, Lodge Chief, and Staff Adviser are to be consulted for recommendations.

3.3 COMMUNICATIONS • Responsible for publication of the Lodge Newsletter (Shark's Tooth) at least four times a year.

• Photographs Lodge participation in events for the newsletter.

• Plans and carries out any additional duties as may be assigned by the Lodge Chief.

• Acts as resource and aide for the Chapter Publication and Communications Chairmen.

• Suggests a nominee for Publisher and Editor to the Lodge Chief for appointment.

• Judges the annual Chapter newsletter contest and awards the Best Content and Best Layout Award at the Lodge Banquet.

Lodge Operating Committees 3-1 Lodge Operating Procedures Revised 02/20/2012


3.3.1 Publisher

• Works with the Editor and Communications Chairman to create the Shark’s Tooth.

• Oversees the creation of the Shark’s Tooth by creating the layout

• Plans and carries out any additional duties as may be assigned by the Communication Chairman.


3.3.2 Editor

• Works with the Editor and Communications Chairman to create the Shark’s Tooth.

• Writes and chooses articles for the Shark’s Tooth.

• Plans and carries out any additional duties as may be assigned by the Communication Chairman.


3.4 CAMP PROMOTION/HIGH ADVENTURE • Responsible for preparing an annual publication to guide Chapter Camp Promotion/High

Adventure Teams.

• Solicits new information and changes on locations, etc., to provide annual revisions to the Lodge Let's Go Camping Guide.

• Acts as a resource and aid for the Chapter Camp Promotion/High Adventure Chairmen.


3.5 CEREMONIES • Acts as a resource for Chapter Ceremonies Teams. Organizes and holds the ceremonies training

and competition portion of the Lodge Fellowship and/or Indian Seminar. Obtains competition judges.

• When requested evaluates and critiques each Chapter Ceremonies Team by attending Chapter Ordeals, etc., giving helpful advice and comments as necessary, and making a report to be kept on file in committee records.

• Maintains an inventory of Chapter Ceremonies equipment belonging to the Lodge (paid for with Lodge or event funds).

• Assists in overcoming Chapter shortages of costume materials.


NOTE: It is illegal for any OA member to request or accept cash, gratuities, donations, expense money, or costume maintenance money, especially in return for performing a service to Scouting or the Community. The OA is Scouting's National Honor Society, and the BSA is a non-profit organization. If the only way a Chapter Ceremony Team can sustain its self is by these means, the team will be disbanded and the services will no longer be provided.

3.6 INDIAN DANCE • Acts as a resource for Chapter Dance Teams. Organizes and holds the Indian training and

competition portion of the Lodge Fellowship and/or Indian Seminar. Obtains competition judges.



• Maintains an inventory of Chapter Indian Dance equipment belonging to the Lodge (paid for with Lodge or event funds).

• Assists in overcoming Chapter shortages of costume materials.


NOTE: It is illegal for any OA member to request or accept cash, gratuities, donations, expense money, or costume maintenance money, especially in return for performing a service to Scouting or the Community. The OA is Scouting's National Honor Society, and the BSA is a non-profit organization. If the only way a Chapter Ceremony Team can sustain itself is by these means, the team will be disbanded and the services will no longer be provided.

3.7 MEMBERSHIP • Provides labels for the Lodge Newsletter mailings, Chapter mailings, and membership cards.

• Produces dues forms, membership cards, and membership rosters.

• Mails membership cards and files dues forms for active members.

• Keeps Chapters informed on status of "Active" Chapter Membership by periodically distributing updated rosters.

• Produces all Charter renewal membership statistics.

• Acts as a resource and aid for Chapter Membership Chairmen.


3.8 INDUCTIONS 3.8.1 Responsibilities

• Elections

o Provides guidelines for the annul unit elections for Chapter Unit Elections Committees, paying specific attention to policies and procedures set forth in the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers, the Lodge Rules, and these Operating Procedures.

o Provides forms necessary for Chapter Unit Elections Teams.

o Acts as a resource and aid for the Chapter Unit Elections Chairman.

• Ordeal Administration

o Provides guidelines for chapters, paying specific attention to policies and procedures as set forth in the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers, the Lodge Rules, these Operating Procedures, and publications of the National Order of the Arrow Committee.

o Provides forms as necessary for administration of the Ordeal.

o Acts as a resource and aid for chapters, and conducts Elangomat and Ordeal master training as requested.

• Brotherhood Honor

o Provides guidelines for implementation of the Brotherhood program in the Lodge, paying specific attention to policies and procedures set forth in the Order of the Arrow Guide for



Officers and Advisers, the Lodge rules, these Operating Procedures, and publications of the National Order of the Arrow Committee.

o Acts as a resource for conducting the Brotherhood Discussion and the Brotherhood Hike.

o Develops and implements programs for Brotherhood conversion and provides the Brotherhood letter to news members of the Lodge.

• Other

o Plans and carries out any additionally duties as may be assigned by the Lodge Chief. 3.8.2 Membership Eligibility Requirements

• Youth – In addition to being a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America in a chartered Troop or Varsity Team of this Council and under 21 years of age on the date of the election, a youth must meet the following requirements:

o Be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America

o First Class Requirement –Hold the First Class rank of the Boy Scouts of America, as a minimum.

o Camping Requirement – After registration with a troop or team, have experienced 15 days and nights of Boy Scout camping during the two-year period prior to the election. The 15 days and nights must include one, but no more than one, long-term camp consisting of six consecutive days and five nights of resident camping, approved and under the auspices and standards of the Boy Scouts of America. The balance of the camping must be overnight, weekend, or other short-term camps.

o Unit Leader Approval Requirement – To become eligible for election, a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout must be registered with the Boy Scouts of America and have the approval of his unit leader prior to the election. The unit leader must certify his Scout spirit (i.e., his adherence to the Scout Oath and Law and active participation in unit activities). The unit leader must also certify that the nominee meets all specified requirements at the time of this annual election.

• Scouter – Adults, in addition to being a registered Troop or Varsity Team in this Council and 21 years of age or older on the date of the recommendation, shall be selected as candidates based upon the following:

o Each year, upon holding a troop or team election for youth candidates that result in at least one youth candidate being elected, the unit committee may nominate one adult to the Chapter adult selection committee, composed of the Chapter Adviser, chairman of the district committee on which the Chapter Adviser serves, and the District Scout Executive. Troops or teams having more than 50 registered active youth members may nominate an additional adult for every 50 registered, active youth, or fraction thereof. Recommendations of the Chapter adult selection committee will be forwarded to the Lodge adult selection committee comprised of the Lodge Adviser, the council camping chairman, and the Lodge Staff Adviser. Notification and/or call-out of the adult candidates is not permitted without the approval of the Lodge adult selection committee.

o Camping Requirement – The camping requirements set forth for youth members are fulfilled.

o Not a Recognition – Selection of the adult is based on the ability to perform the necessary functions to help the Order fulfill its purpose, and not for recognition of service, including current or prior achievement and positions.

o Criteria for Adults – The individual will be an asset to the Order because of demonstrated abilities which fulfill the purpose of the Order.

o The adult leader’s membership will provide a positive role model for the growth and development of youth members of the Lodge.



3.8.3 Unit Election Procedures

A Troop of Varsity Team in the National Capital Area Council can hold one election per year between November 1 and June 1. No elections are permitted at Summer Camp. This election must be conducted by a Chapter Elections Committee in Amangamek-Wipit Lodge. Elections cannot be run by a unit leader or by the OA members of the unit in which the election is being held.

Prior to the election, the Troop or Varsity Team leader must certify and list the eligible unit members on the Elections Worksheet. At least fifty percent of the unit’s active, registered members must be present for an election to be held. Every active registered member of the Troop or Varsity Team under the age 21 at the time of the election is eligible to vote for the youth candidates. A unit member may vote for any, all, or none of the eligible members certified by the unit leader. A unit member can also vote for no one. Anyone receiving at least fifty percent of the votes cast will be elected (if the number of ballots turned in is uneven, add one before determining fifty percent). If a blank ballot is turned in, that ballot is counted as a ballot turned in. If no one is elected on the first ballot, a second ballot is immediately held. If again no one is elected, no further election is held that year. The Election Team member will count the ballots with the unit leader or representative present.

Following the election, the results are certified by the Election Team members and copies of the Unit Election Worksheet are distributed to the unit leader and to the Chapter. The unit leader may then announce the results of the election to the unit or he can contact the Chapter Ceremony Team to arrange a calling-out ceremony at a Court of Honor or similar event (e.g. Camporee).

Elections which do not follow these procedures will be invalid and the candidacy, call-out, or induction resulting form the invalid procedures will not be recognized by Amangamek Wipit Lodge.

3.8.4 Unit Adult Recommendation Procedures One Troop or Varsity Team adult (age 21 older) per year may be recommended to the Order of the Arrow Adult Selection Committee, if at least one youth has been elected in the same year. The unit committee recommends the one adult. Only members of the committee 21 years of age or older may participate in the recommendation. A Unit Adult Recommendation form must be completed and submitted to the Chapter Adviser.

Troops or teams having more than 50 registered active youth members may nominate an additional adult for every 50 registered, active youth, or fraction thereof, if at least one youth ahs been elected in the same year.

3.8.5 Call-Out Candidates

The ceremonial “Call-Out” of candidates by the Chapters is encouraged, but is not a requirement for taking the Ordeal.

It is recognized that there is some value to having a call-out run at a summer camp; therefore, Call-Out ceremonies may be conducted by the OA Coordinator at Goshen for those candidates previously elected by their Units. The unit election must have been run by the Chapter prior to the Troop’s departure for summer camp and a letter of authorization for conducting a calling out at Goshen must be issued by the Chapter Chief. The letter authorization and the Scoutmasters copy of the Troop’s Unit Election Worksheet must be presented to the Order of the Arrow representative at Goshen in order to validate the Candidate’s eligibility to be Called Out. Troops desiring in having a call-out run at of council summer camps must have a letter of authorization issued by the Amangamek Wipit Lodge Chief. Call-out for out-of-council troops will not be run without such authorizations.

Following the call-out (if held) by the Chapter or at Goshen, the Chapter Elections or Membership Committee sends the Ordeal invitation letters to the candidates. The candidates are eligible to attend an Ordeal anytime within one year of the date of their election (youth) or approved recommendation (adult). Youth must be re-elected and adults must be recommended again if they do not attend an Ordeal within that one year period. The Lodge Executive Committee may extend the one-year limit if a candidate is ill or there are other unusual circumstances. Ordeal candidates may attend another Chapter’s Ordeal with the permission of both Chapter Chiefs. A candidate my not take the ordeal in another Lodge.

3.8.6 District and Council Procedures for Adult Scouters

Adult leaders whose primary registration is in a Council or District position may be recommended to the Lodge



Adult Selection Committee by the Chapter Executive Committee, District Chairman, Council President, Scout Executive, or by a member of the professional staff. All requirements set forth for adult leaders in units will be fulfilled with the exception of the camping requirement which may be waived at the discretion of the Lodge Advisor, Lodge Chief, and Council Scout Executive.

3.8.7 Professional Scouters

Professional staff members designated by the Council Scout Executive as Chapter Staff Advisers are automatically ex-officio members of the Lodge. If they have not been inducted into some Lodge of the Order of the Arrow, they should be given an early opportunity to complete the ordeal and the Ordeal Ceremony. These professional Scouters do not have to be approved by the Lodge Adult Selection Committee; they are just given an invitation to take the Ordeal.

3.8.8 Honorary Memberships

There is not such thing as an honorary membership in the Order of the Arrow. A candidate must meet all of the eligibility requirements, is a member of the Boy Scouts of America, and be elected or recommended and approved by the procedures covered here, the Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers, and Amangamek Wipit Lodge rules. A candidate must complete the ordeal including the Ordeal Ceremony in order to become an ordeal member. An Ordeal member must complete all the eligibility requirements including the Brotherhood ceremony to become a Brotherhood member. A Brotherhood member must complete all the eligibility requirements, be selected by the Lodge, be approved by National, and complete the Vigil Ceremony to become a Vigil member.

3.9 GOSHEN SCOUT RESERVATION ORDER OF THE ARROW COORDINATOR • The Lodge has authorized the funding of three Goshen Scout Reservation Order of the Arrow

Coordinators each summer, who will be assigned to each Boy Scout Camp at Goshen Scout Reservation.

• Is interviewed by the Lodge Staff Adviser and recommended by the Lodge Chief to the Lodge Executive Committee for approval.

• Serves as a member of the Staff at Goshen Scout Reservation, and operates under the day to day oversight of the Goshen Scout Reservation Camp Director, where he is assigned who serves as the Staff Adviser to the OA Coordinator.

• Is assisted by Order of the Arrow members at each Camp, who are asked by the Goshen Order of the Arrow Coordinator to assist him.

• Under the guidance of the Lodge Chief, Lodge Adviser, and the Goshen OA Coordinator Adviser, coordinates and carries out a program aimed at informing units in camp of the purposes of the Order of the Arrow and the programs of Amangamek Wipit.

• Encourages and promotes active Order of the Arrow member involvement and unit involvement in servicing Goshen Scout Reservation through work projects.

• Makes available Unit Camping, Indian Lore, and Order of the Arrow literature to camp staffs and to campers which promotes the Order of the Arrow, encourages year-round unit camping programs, and enhances in-camp programs.

• Supplies items needed for Brotherhood Ceremony (i.e. smudge pots, rostrum, candles, regalia, headdresses, etc.), and maintains the ceremony site.

• Coordinates Brotherhood Discussions and Walks for Brotherhood Candidates that are in camp. The Goshen OA Coordinator and Adviser shall be given full access to Lodge Master and shall file reports on Brotherhood conversions on a weekly basis with the Membership Committee. The Committee shall notify the respective Chapter Chiefs and Advisers of the conversions. A final



report shall be filed with the Lodge at the first LEC following the camping season.

• Performs such other duties which are appropriate for Order of the Arrow service to Goshen Scout Camps as may be assigned to him by the key Three.

3.10 VIGIL HONOR SELECTION • Meets annually under the leadership of the Committee Chairman to review the nominations from

the Chapters for Lodge Vigil Honor candidates.

• Ensures that the process and procedures established in the following pages are followed in the administration of the Vigil Honor Selection process for the Lodge.

• Selects, by majority vote of the members of the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee those candidates to be nominated to the National Order of the Arrow Committee for approval to become of recipients of the Vigil Honor.

• Once approved by the national Order of the Arrow Committee, provides the names of the Vigil Honor Candidates to the Vigil Honor Induction event Chairman for appropriate ceremony.

3.10.1 The Vigil Honor

“The Vigil Honor is the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for service to lodge, council and Scouting. It dates back to the year 1915, when founder E. Urner Goodman became the first Vigil Honor member. Since then, thousands of members have been accorded this honor.

It is a high mark of distinction and recognition reserved for those Scout, Explorer, and Scouter members of the Order who, by reason of exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest, have made distinguished contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their position or office to one or more of the following: their lodge, the Order of the Arrow, Scouting, or their Scout camp. Under no circumstances should tenure in Scouting or the Order of the Arrow be considered as ample reason for Vigil Honor recommendation.

Vigil Honor members have an honorable tradition to uphold. They must at all times conduct themselves in accordance with the ideals of Scouting, the Order of the Arrow, and the Vigil Honor. Membership cannot be won by a person's conscious endeavor. It comes as recognition of his altruistic leadership in service. This fact should be given careful consideration in the selection of candidates for membership. The Vigil Honor has successfully fulfilled a definite and satisfactory service to the Order of the Arrow, to Scouting, and to individual members. Its continued success depends on the care with which future members are selected and on the maintenance by its members of the high ideals of service to others for which the Vigil Honor has always been known.

Any member of the Order of the Arrow registered in Scouting and in good standing in a regularly chartered lodge is eligible for recommendation to the National Order of the Arrow Committee for elevation to the Vigil Honor, provided that, at the time of his recommendation, he has been a Brotherhood member for a minimum of two years. Since the Order of the Arrow is primarily a young man’s organization, it is suggested that, in recommending candidates for the Vigil Honor, that preference be given to those who have become members of the Order as Scouts rather than to those who were inducted into the Order as adult volunteer or professional Scouters.

Members of the Order can be inducted into the Vigil Honor only with the written approval of the National Order of the Arrow Committee."

Ref: pp: 48-49, Order of the Arrow Handbook – 1998 Printing

pp. 31-32, Order of the Arrow Guide for Officers and Advisers – 1998 printing

3.10.2 Vigil Nomination and Selection Procedures; Amangamek Wipit Lodge No. 470 Order of the Arrow

Once each year, Amangamek Wipit Lodge may select from its eligible membership those most deserving of the Vigil Honor. The candidates to receive this high recognition are picked by the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee. Written approval of each selected Lodge candidate must be obtained by the Lodge from the National Order of the



Arrow Committee.

In order for the Lodge to give consideration to the best candidates each year, a Vigil Honor Nominating Committee is formed in each Chapter. The function of this Committee is to screen the eligible Chapter members, survey their contributions, and nominate those most worthy to the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee. The Lodge Vigil Selection Committee will select the final candidates to be petitioned to the National Order of the Arrow Committee from the nominees submitted by the Chapters and from those nominated by the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee. The following procedure outlines the specific steps to be followed:

1. By November 1st, each Chapter Chief will appoint a Vigil Honor Nominating Committee of three or more members who are approved by the Chapter Adviser and District Scout Executive. Voting committee members must be under 21 years old; one, and only one, non-voting adult adviser should be appointed. The Committee members should be Vigil Honor members; however, if three Vigil members are not available in the Chapter, a combination of Vigil and Brotherhood, or all Brotherhood members, may be appointed. If any Brotherhood members are appointed to the Committee, they must not be under consideration for Vigil this year. Each Chapter Chief must supply the name, address, telephone number, and Email address of his Chapter Vigil Honor Nominating Committee Chairman and Adviser to the Lodge Vigil Adviser by January 1st.

2. By January 15th each Chapter Vigil Nominating Committee should develop a list of Chapter members who meet all of the following eligibility requirements:

a. Paid their current year’s dues in Amangamek Wipit Lodge;

b. Paid their current registration in a unit or other organization of National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America; and

c. Will have been a Brotherhood member for at least two years by May 31st.

Eligibility must be verified. The authorities to be used are the Lodge membership records and the Council Registration files.

3. By February 1st, each Chapter Nominating Committee will screen the list of eligible Chapter members to determine those who, by reason of exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest, are believed to have made distinguished contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their position or office to one or more of the following: their Lodge (or Chapter), the Order of the Arrow, Scouting (unit, district, or council), or their Scout camp. Remember, tenure in Scouting or the Order of the Arrow is not considered ample reason for Vigil Honor recommendation or recognition. When screening the eligible members, weigh "distinguished service" on a young-man standard for Scouts and on an adult standard for adults.

4. By February 1st , for those members the Chapter Nominating Committee considers to be most deserving, Vigil Honor Nominating Survey Letters will be mailed to people who know or work with the prospective nominees. At least three Survey Letters must be obtained for each prospective nominee. Some examples of people to send the letters to, are:

For those under 21 For those 21 or over

Unit Leader District Executive

Parent District Committee Member

Unit/District Committee Member District Commissioner

Chapter Executive Unit Leader, Committee Chairman

Committee Member Chapter Adviser

Chapter Adviser

5. There are a maximum number of candidates that the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee can petition for approval to the National Order of the Arrow Committee each year. This maximum number is based on the total Lodge membership that was reported on the latest Charter renewal application of the Lodge to the



National Committee. The number is determined by dividing the reported membership by 50 and rounding any resulting fraction up to the next whole number. There is no requirement that the Lodge must petition for the maximum number of candidates each year; however, with the exception of professional Scouters, the Council President, the Council Camping Committee Chairman, and Camp Rangers (all of whom do not count against the Lodge total), the maximum number cannot be exceeded. This procedure was set by the National Order of the Arrow Committee in order to maintain the Vigil Honor standards.

As mentioned previously, nomination of professional Scouters, the Council President, the Council Camping Committee Chairman, and Camp Rangers do not count against the maximum number of selections the Lodge may make each year. Scouters in this group do, however, have to meet the requirements of at least two years' service as Brotherhood members.

To maintain a proper ratio of young men to adults in awarding the Vigil Honor, the National Committee will not approve petitions having more than 50 percent of the candidates 21 years of age or over, including those who do not count against the Lodge maximum number. All candidates may be young men, but not more than 50 percent may be 21 or over. Chapters should consider this when nominating two or more candidates to the Lodge. If a nominee will turn 21 before July 1st, he will be counted as an adult.

6. Between March 1st and March 31st, each Chapter Nominating Committee will assemble all survey forms, review them, and vote. Only those Committee members under age 21 can vote. The Chapter Committee may nominate to the Lodge those eligible Brotherhood members that the Chapter Committee feels without any reservation are worthy. The Chapter Committee will then complete Vigil Honor Nomination Forms for the nominees, select the Indian names and the English Equivalents (use the Indian-English translations from the Lenni Lenape word list in the Order of the Arrow Handbook), attach at least three Survey Letters to each Nomination Form, and send these to the Lodge Staff Adviser at the Scout Service Center. Be sure to include the month and year of Brotherhood and Ordeal induction on each Nomination Form (this is required by the National Committee).

Special care should be exercised in selecting the Indian name for each nominee. The English meaning should be descriptive of the nominee and indicate something significant to him or her. They will have their selected name forever. Review their Scouting history carefully and select a distinguished name that accurately reflects the person and their unselfish leadership in service. An alternate name and meaning must also be supplied; this permits unique names to be selected for all the candidates in a given year.

Chapter nominations are due by April 1st. As a reminder, the Lodge Selection Committee will contact each Chapter Adviser whose nominations are not received by that date.

7. By April 1st, all Chapter nominations must be received by the Lodge Staff Adviser at the Scout Service Center. Incomplete forms or nominations received after April 1st will not be considered. Eligibility requirements will be re-verified for each nominee. Nominees found to be ineligible will not be considered. The Lodge Vigil Selection Committee Adviser will call each Chapter Adviser confirming receipt of their nominations and informing them of the nominations that were incomplete or not received on time.

The Lodge Vigil Selection Committee may add additional nominees for consideration to those submitted by the Chapters. The Lodge Committee will consider young men separate from the adults in reviewing the total nominations and in making the final selections. Within the maximum number of selections that can be made by the Lodge and adhering to the young man-adult ratio, those most deserving will be selected. It is not required that the maximum number of Lodge nominations be filled. The Lodge Committee will use the same criteria for selection as the Chapter Committees.

8. By June 1st, the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee will prepare the petitions to the National Committee, secure the signatures of the Lodge Chief and Scout Executive, and forward the petitions to the National Committee for approval.

9. Following notification by the National Committee, the Lodge Vigil Selection Committee will notify each approved nominee of his or her selection. Notification will be made by confidential letter congratulating the candidate, notifying him or her of the time and place of their induction, and swearing them to secrecy about their selection. At the same time, each Chapter Adviser will be notified confidentially of the approved



nominees.

The Lodge Vigil Induction Committee will arrange an induction ceremony for the candidates prior to the annual Lodge Banquet. The public recognition of the Lodge’s new Vigil Honor members will occur at the Banquet along with the presentation of their certificates. Complete secrecy about the selection will be maintained until the induction of the candidates’.

3.11 FOUNDER’S AWARD SELECTION • Is an ad hoc committee.

• Meets annually under the leadership of Committee Chairman and the advisory of the Founder’s Award Selection Advisor to consent and discuss possible candidates for the Founder’s Award.

• Ensures that the process and procedures established by the National Order of the Arrow Committee are followed in the administration of the Founder’s Award selection process.

• Selects by majority vote of the members of the Founder’s Award Selection Committee those candidates to be nominated to the National Order of the Arrow Committee for approval of receipt of the Founder’s Award.

• Once approved by the National Order of the Arrow Committee, the Chairman prepares an appropriate public recognition procedure to be given at the annual Lodge Banquet.

3.12 SERVANT LEADERSHIP AWARD SELECTION • Is an ad hoc committee.

• Meets annually under the leadership of Committee Chairman and the Servant Leadership Award Selection Advisor to consent and discuss possible candidates for the Servant Leadership Award.

• Selects by majority vote of the members of the Servant Leadership Award Selection Committee those candidates to be nominated to the Lodge Executive Committee for approval of receipt of the Servant Leadership Award.

• Once approved by the Lodge Executive Committee, the Chairman prepares an appropriate public recognition procedure to be given at the annual Lodge Banquet.



4. FINANCES, PROPERTY, AND SUPPLIES

4.1 PLANNING THE LODGE BUDGET The Lodge's fiscal year begins on January 1. In order to insure smooth Lodge operations, the budget should be ready for approval by the Lodge Executive Committee by the October meeting.

The Lodge budget is the responsibility of the Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership. Working with the Key Three, the Vice Chief for Finance & Membership should follow these steps to insure a sound budget.

Research expenditures of the current year.

See what supplies have had a price increase during-the current year.

Ask everyone who has an allowance in the current budget for input concerning expected expenses (i.e., Lodge Officers).

Obtain from the Lodge Chief any new expenses for the coming year.

Check with the Membership Committee to reach a realistic estimate of the number of Lodge members expected for the next year.

After the above has been done, the Vice Chief for Finance & Membership should compile his facts, and then meet with the Key Three to plan the budget.

Income to be budgeted will be limited to dues money and patch sales. Any balances from the current year are not listed in the new budget. Any surpluses at the end of a fiscal year are placed into the custodial account.

The format of the budget will include the current year’s budget by line item and next year’s planned budget relative to the same line items and any new added line items.

4.2 MAINTENANCE OF THE BUDGET The National Capital Area Council will maintain a custodial account in accordance with Boy Scouts of America procedures for Amangamek Wipit Lodge.

4.3 CHAPTER FUNDS No Chapter may keep a treasury or funds. Doing so creates un-audited-funds and is in violation of BSA policies. Surplus funds from an event will be added to, and deficit funds will be subtracted from, the funds available to the Chapter. The proceeds from the sale of consignments will be returned to the Lodge Custodial Account.

It is illegal for any OA member to request or, accept cash, gratuities, donations, expense, money, or costume maintenance money, especially in return for performing a service to Scouting or the community. The OA is the Brotherhood of Cheerful Service and the BSA is a non-profit organization. If the only way a Chapter Ceremony or Dance Team can sustain itself is by these means, the team will be disbanded and the services will no longer be provided.

Any chapter requesting funds to be deposited in chapter/lodge accounts for activities that are not Ordeal related must have such request approved by the Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership and Lodge Key Three prior to any funds being deposited in accounts. Any funds deposited into Chapter or Lodge Accounts without such approval will be encumbered by the Lodge and used to support additional program activities as selected by the Lodge Executive Committee.

The Council and Lodge Refund policy is the following:

Finances, Property, and Supplies 4-1 Lodge Operating Procedures Revised 02/20/2012


All but 15% of an individual’s fee is refundable, as long as the individual cancels in writing at least 30 days prior to the date of the activity. This policy does not supersede the “non-refundable” situation that is sometimes used in the Council or District programs.

4.4 PROPERTY All the equipment (cooking, ceremony, dance, etc.) purchased by a Chapter with money from the Lodge budget, revenues from the sale of specialty items or event funds, is the property of the Lodge. At the beginning of each year, each Chapter most submit to the Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership a list indicating what Lodge property is in the Chapter’s possession, a brief description of the item and whose care the property is in. Any long-term changes in where the property will be kept will be listed with the Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership.

The Lodge Budget contains yearly funds for support of the chapters. Each chapter cost center will be credited in January with the amount desgined by the formula in the approved lodge budget.

The Lodge inventory of equipment, patches, etc. needs to be monitored to ensure that there are enough inventories to fill consignment orders as they come in. The lodge will conduct an annual Physical inventory of its supplies. When determining if there are enough inventories, it is important to consider upcoming Ordeals and other events that may require Lodge inventory.

Patches and Other Inventory For all purchases of lodge event patches, specialty flaps, and chapter patches; requests must be made through the Lodge Adviser, who will work with the Lodge Staff Adviser and Committee to ascertain quotes for, and actually purchase, said patches and flaps required for events.

Chapters wishing to have a patch must work through the Lodge key Three and Lodge Executive Committee for approval. If the chapter request is sufficient pre-orders must accrue to cover all costs of the patch, as the Lodge will not prepay or cover any chapter deficit that may be incurred on any chapter patch sale. Patches must be ordered through an approved vendor.

Any patches that remain after a lodge event will become the property of the Lodge and will be turned over to the Lodge Adviser within 10 days after the event.

4.5 EVENT FINANCES AND SUPPLIES Chapters are expected to operate in a fiscally prudent manner. Each chapter will prepare a budget for each event held. All income and expenses will be channeled through the assigned chapter cost center. Chapter cost centers will be maintained in the Lodge’s custodial account and will be considered as a continuing account with all balances carried over from year to year. It is expected that if a chapter decides to hold a fund raiser for a specific purpose, all revenue and expenses will flow through the chapter cost center. All purchases of chapter materials will flow through the chapter cost center. All check requests will be made through the Chapter Staff Adviser (District Executive) and approved by the Lodge Staff Adviser. An event budget must be submitted and approved prior to any consignment of Lodge supplies being issued.

Before The Event At least 45 days prior to a chapter event (Ordeal, Fellowship, Banquet, etc.), a budget will be submitted to the Chapter Staff Adviser (District Executive) and Lodge Staff Adviser for approval and assignment of an account number. The Order of the Arrow Event Budget Planning and Report Sheet will be used. Before filling out the Order of the Arrow Event Budget Planning and Report Sheet, the first half (the Estimated Bugdet section) of the Chapter Event Budget should first be filled out. Filling this section out first will aid in closely estimating revenues and expenses.



In order to prepare the budget, an estimate of the attendees must first be made (i.e., Ordeal candidates, Brotherhood candidates, members, etc.). The next thing is to estimate the expenses:

Food-Ordeal candidate food cost should be less than a members food cost since there is less of it. Multiply the anticipated candidates by candidate's estimated food cost. Multiply the anticipated number of members by member's estimated food cost. List each separately.

Ordeal Items-Each candidate gets a standard lodge flap. sash, and book. The cost of these items and the candidates’ dues must be included. Multiply the anticipated number of candidates by each Ordeal item; list each amount separately.

Brotherhood Items-Each Brotherhood candidate gets a new sash; therefore, multiply the anticipated Brotherhood candidates by the sash cost and list the amount.

Ceremony Supplies-List anticipated costs of kerosene, candles, etc.

Liability Insurance-Include $1.00 per day per participant. ($2.00 per weekend event)

Mailing and Printing-List anticipated expenses for the candidate letters and newsletter mailing and printing.

Contingency-Add up all the anticipated expenses except the Ordeal and Brotherhood items and calculate 10% of the sum. This is the required contingency.

The next step is to figure out what to charge everyone. Add together all expenses except the Food and Ordeal/Brotherhood items (i.e., ceremony supplies, mailing, printing, contingency, etc.). Divide this sum by the total anticipated attendance (Ordeal candidates, Brotherhood candidates, and members). This represents the common cost that everyone should share. For fees to be charged:

A member should pay his food cost and his share of the common cost items.

A Brotherhood candidate should pay his food cost, his share of the common cost items, and the cost of his new sash.

An Ordeal candidate should pay his food cost (less than a member's), his share of the common cost items, and the cost of his sash, book, and dues.

Rather than charge the attendees something like $11.21; round off the fees to be charged to the next higher multiple of 25¢. List the itemized income by type of attendee showing the anticipated number of attendees and the mount to be charged each one. The multiplication of each of these will produce the income. If an additional source of income is anticipated, it will be listed. After figuring the total income, there may be more income than expenses. Add enough to the Contingency under Expenses to make the expenses equal the income, providing a balanced budget.

At the time the budget is submitted, the OA supply consignment should be requested on a Consignment section in the Chapter Event Budget.. Fill in the budget column with the number of items needed by type. The form goes to the Lodge Staff Adviser who will fill the order and fills in the actual quantities disbursed in the "out" column on the Consignment section. It is important to request the consignment supplies as well in advance of the event in case of shortage of certain inventory items. Submit your consignment order to allow sufficient time for additional inventory to be ordered, if necessary. Use the estimates of attendees to help determine how many items are needed. Most likely, a candidate will buy a flap. Estimates have already been made in the budget for the number of sashes and books needed. List the number of membership cards, dues forms, and Spirit of the Arrow Booklets to take care of the ordeal candidates. The Brotherhood candidates will also need a new membership card. Be sure to specify the day the supplies are needed (a few days before the event). The supplies are picked up from the Lodge Staff Adviser in the Camping Office.



After the budget is approved by the District Executive and Lodge Staff Adviser, an account number is assigned. This number must be used on all registration materials distributed. All checks are to be made out to “Boy Scouts of America” and the money and registration forms are to be sent directly to the Scout Service Center from the registrant. They are not to be collected first by an OA member at a private home and then deposited en masse at the Service Center. To receive money at a private home or office violates the Lodge Rules and all policies of the Boy Scouts of America.

During The Event Keep track of all expenses incurred. Get receipts for everything.

Set up a Trading Post at the event and sell the consignment items that are not required for the Ordeal and Brotherhood candidates. The prices listed on the consignment form are the prices to be charged. Chapter surcharges cannot be added to the stated prices.

Keep track of all income. Get the cash register receipts from the District Executive. If money is received at the door, keep track of it and turn it in after the event. If left over food is sold or income is derived from any other sources, it must be accounted for in closing out the account.

After The Event Within 30 calendar days after the event is over:

The Budget and Report Sheet must be finalized, listing the actual income and expenses;

The account must be closed out with the Chapter Staff Adviser (District Executive) and Lodge Staff Adviser;

All income must be deposited in the assigned account;

The supply consignment must be returned and the sales money deposited; (please return the supply consignment promptly, as other chapters may need these items)

The new Ordeal candidate dues forms must be turned in to the Lodge Staff Adviser; and

A letter listing the names of the Brotherhood inductees must be submitted to the Lodge Staff Adviser.

The next step is to complete the Final Closeout section of the Chapter Event Budget. List the Ordeal sashes and handbooks used and the Ordeal dues received (these same numbers appear on the Order of the Arrow Event Budget Planning and Report Sheet under the Actual Expense Column). Also show the Brotherhood sashes used and any other supply item which is listed under the Actual Expense Column. Next, list the Surplus or Balance left over from the Budget Form. The sum of all these items represents the total dollars to be transferred from the Event Account Number to the Lodge Custodial Account 237 1.00. The District Executive, Chapter Adviser, and Lodge Staff Adviser must sign this form.

Finally, the Consignment section must be completed. Fill in the Quantity Returned (In) Column. Subtracting this column from the Quantity Taken (Out) Column gives the amount used. Multiplied by the unit price of each item gives the total sales to be entered in the Trading Post (Sales) Column. The total of the Sales Column represents the amount of money to be turned in with the consignment.

In finalizing the Budget and Report Sheet, itemize all income sources in the "Actual Income" area of the Order of the Arrow Event Budget Planning and Report Sheet. List the number of candidates by type and the amount they paid. List the members who paid and the amount received and any other cash from receipts at the door, excess food sales, or other sources of revenue. In the Actual Expense Column, list the actual expenses incurred. Itemize the actual sashes and books used and dues for the new Ordeal members inducted. If money has to be refunded, list that as an expense since it must be paid out of the income. The



sum of all these costs, subtracted from the income, gives the balance left over. No event should ever result in a negative balance. (Performance in this area significantly impacts Quality Chapter Program recognition.)

With these completed forms and the inventoried supplies to be returned, there should be two amounts of money to be deposited:

Income received at the door and income received from the sale of excess food or other sources at the event should be deposited into the Event Account Number. This should be rung into the cash register at the Service Center right on the Order of the Arrow Event Budget Planning and Report Sheet.

Income from the Trading Post Sales should be deposited into the OA Custodial Account 2371.00. This should be rung into the cash register at the Service Center right on the Consignment section.

After ringing in the money and completing the forms, the Chapter Adviser and District Executive should turn the following over to the Lodge Staff Adviser to complete closing the Event Account:

Order of the Arrow Event Budget Planning and Report Sheet

Chapter Event Budget, Final Closeout

Cash Reconciliation Form (Receipts-Disbursements Statement)

Listing of current member dues paid at event (OA Event paid Dues Form)

Listing of members completing Brotherhood conversion, if any ( OA Event Brotherhood Conversion Form)

New Ordeal members Dues forms (OA Dues Form)

Consignment Form (Consignment)

Unsold consignment supplies, if not turned in earlier (including leftover membership cards, and Spirit of the Arrow Booklets).

4.6 SAMPLE FORMS: The sample forms attached are for demonstration purposes only. Before using any of the forms, check with the Scout Service Center to obtain the current dues charge and the cost of items supplied through the Lodge Trading Post.



Order of the Arrow Event Budget and Planning Sheet



Chapter Event Budget Workbook − Estimated Budget Workshet

− Consignment Worksheet

− Receipts-Disbursements Statement Worksheet

− Final Closeout Worksheet

− Cost Center Number



OA Event Dues Paid Form



OA Event Brotherhood Conversion Form



OA Dues Form



5. THE CHAPTER 5.1 FORMATION

• The Council Scout Executive of National Capital Area Council has decided that there will be Chapters in Amangamek-Wipit Lodge equal to the number of Districts in the National Capital Area Council. These Chapters will have the same geographical boundaries and names as the Districts of the Council. The Chapters will carry out the programs of the Lodge to the unit level, produce fellowship, maintain contact with the Arrowmen, and conduct the Ordeal and Brotherhood inductions of the Lodge.

5.2 MEETINGS • Meetings for the entire membership of the Chapter may be held at the discretion of the Chapter

Executive Committee. They are to be held no more than once a month. It should be noted that events such as banquets, fellowships, and ordeals are to be counted as Chapter Meetings; therefore, another meeting is not to be held in the same month as one of the above events. A Chapter Executive Meeting may be held instead.

• Remember, DON'T JUST MEET: DO. Chapter meetings should have some definite purpose to them. They are not to be only a larger version of Chapter Executive Committee Meetings. They must have an interesting program in order for them to be effective.

• Chapter meetings are more than social functions. They provide a perfect setting for Chapter Committee meetings. Chapter business may be discussed. Guest speakers may be obtained. The Chapter meeting should be a time for Chapter members to feel that they are an important part of the organization.

• At no time is a fee for attending a Chapter meeting to be charged. However, if refreshments are served, they may be sold on a "kitty" basis, only to cover the costs involved.

5.3 SERVICE • Each Chapter should plan to have at least one service project each year, exclusive of its Ordeals

and Lodge participation projects, and service given to Scouting (camporees, Area Fellowships, etc.). The project should involve at least ten Chapter members, so it is really a "Chapter" project. The project should have the approval of the Chapter Executive Committee, the Chapter Adviser, and the District Scout Executive.

• Be sure that an accurate account of the project, the number of people involved, and the number of work hours is kept for the Chapter's report at the following Lodge Executive Committee Meeting. Also, be sure to recognize those who served at the next Chapter function.

The Chapter 5-1 Lodge Operating Procedures Revised 02/20/2012


5.4 CHAPTER ORGANIZATION

Figure 5-1: Chapter Organization Chart

5.5 OFFICER/ADVISER RESPONSIBILITIES 5.5.1 CHAPTER CHIEF

• Oversees the entire operation of the Chapter. Responsible for planning and operation leading to the Quality Chapter Award. Maintains records of Chapter progress, making reports to Chapter Executive Committee as well as the Area Chief. Takes responsibility for what happens or what doesn’t happen in the Chapter.

• Presides at all Chapter meetings and functions, and is Chairman of the Chapter Executive Committee.

• Represents the Chapter at all Lodge functions and meetings.

• Coordinates efforts of Chapter Officers, Advisers, and Committees.

• Is an Ex-officio member of all Chapter Committees.

• Officially appoints all Chairmen in the Chapter.

• Appoints Chapter Operating, Event, and Special Committee Chairmen.

• Confers with Chapter Adviser and District Executive on all phases of Chapter operations.

• Is responsible for the adherence to the procedures and policies of the Order of the Arrow, the Lodge, and

Health& Safety

VICE CHIEFINDUCTIONS& ADVISER

VICE CHIEFPROGRAMS& ADVISER

VICE CHIEFACTIVITIES& ADVISER

SECRETARY& ADVISER

VIGIL NOMINATIONS& ADVISER

CHAPTERCHIEF

DISTRICTEXECUTIVE

CHAPTERADVISER

CookCrew

IndianDance

TOARsCampPromotions

ActivityChairman

& Advisers

BanquetFellowship

Service ProjectBus LoadingCamporees

OrdealMaster

Publications

Membership

Ceremonies

Clans



the Boy Scouts of America in all operations of the Chapter.

• Serves as the a youth member of the District Committee

• Encourages and promotes chapter members’ attendance at all Chapter, Area, Lodge, Section, and National events.

5.5.2 CHAPTER ADVISER

• Maintains close contact with the Chief to help identify and correct problem areas.

• Reviews agenda prior to meetings, suggests input, provides reference materials, and backup as necessary. Acts as a resource for the Chief during meetings or functions.

• Accompanies Chief when Chief represents the Chapter to provide resource as necessary.

• Maintains contact with Advisers to provide Chief with an adult point of view.

• Confers with Chief on recommendations prior to appointments. Appoints adult Advisers as necessary.

• Maintains contact with Lodge Staff Adviser, Lodge Adviser, and District Scout Executive to provide continuity; and motivates Chief as necessary to insure smooth operation of the Chapter.

• Maintains current files of information and, through contact with the Lodge Staff Adviser and Lodge Adviser, provides resources and direction for the Chief.

• Is familiar with the current edition of the Order of the Arrow Handbook, the Guide for Officers and Advisers, and National policies and advises the Chapter Officers on policies and procedures.

• Encourages chapter attendance at all Chapter, Area, Lodge, Section, and National events.

• Serves as a member of the District Committee. NOTE: There is only one Adviser in a Chapter that the Council Scout Executive formally appoints

each year -the Chapter Adviser. He is the only one allowed to wear the Chapter Adviser Patch.

5.5.3 DISTRICT SCOUT EXECUTIVE

• Works closely with the Chapter Adviser and Chapter Officers to insure that the Chapter fulfills its purpose, and is a member of the Chapter’s key Three.

• Watches over Chapter event finances and insures procedures are followed.

• Advises other adults in their proper role in the OA.

• Coordinates Chapter OA activities with other segments of the District and Council Program and the Lodge Staff Adviser.

• Is familiar with the current edition of the Order of the Arrow Handbook, the Guide for Officers and Advisers, and National policies and advises the Chapter Officers in policies and procedures.

• Serves as liaison to the Council Staff.

• Encourages chapter attendance at all Chapter, Area, Lodge, Section, and National events.

5.5.4 CHAPTER VICE CHIEFS

By the Lodge Rules, there will be at least one Vice Chief. A typical Chapter organization, as shown above, might involve a Vice Chief for Inductions, one for Unit Programs, and one for Activities:

• Inductions would be responsible for the Cook Crew, Ceremony Team, Health and Safety, selecting the Ordeal master, developing the Ordeal service projects, and recruiting and training the Elangomats for the Ordeals. In other words, this vice chief runs the Ordeals and Brotherhood Conversions.



• Unit Programs would be responsible for the Dance Team, selection of Camp Promotions, and all contact with the Arrowmen and Units in the District. He would coordinate and schedule Elections, Camp Promotions and High Adventure presentations, and Dance Team performances for Cub Packs and Troops, The Lodge Clan System has been designed to be very effective in promoting the continuous Arrowman and Unit contact necessary to promote the purposes of the Order of the Arrow.

• Activities would be responsible for all activities like Banquets, hikes, Expo, bus loading, camporees, or other service project supported or run by the Chapter.

Regardless of the number of Vice Chiefs there are, the job of the Vice Chief is to assist the Chapter Chief with the operation of the Chapter, assume responsibility for his designated area, and serve for him in his absence. In order of succession, for those Chapters having more than one Vice Chief, the replacement for the Chapter Chief shall be the Vice Chief for Inductions followed by Unit Programs and then Activities.

5.5.5 CHAPTER SECRETARY

• Assists the Chapter Chief as assigned with the operation of the Chapter.

• Oversees the Membership and Publications Committees in their dues renewal, Brotherhood conversion, publications, and mailing activities.

• Records the minutes of all Chapter functions and meetings.

• Operates the Trading Post sales at all Chapter events.

• Maintains a directory of Chapter Officers, Committee Chairmen, and special committees.

5.6 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETINGS A notice (or phone call) of each meeting shall be sent to all members at least two weeks prior to the meeting. The Chapter Chief shall have an agenda prepared. The Chapter Chief chairs the meetings. One more than half of the voting members must be in attendance for any business to be voted on. If a member, other than the Chapter Chief, will be absent he must notify the Chief of his replacement before the meeting. No one but this person shall be permitted to replace the absent person.

The agenda, procedure, format, and decision procedures of the Chapter Executive Committee Meetings will be the same as that for the Lodge Executive Committee Meetings (see Section 2.7.)

All votes (decisions) of the Chapter Executive Committee shall remain in effect for at least one year unless the decision is Council, BSA, or OA Policy or made part of the Lodge Rules.

5.7 PATCHES AND PINS Chapters, who are able to financially handle the sale of their own Chapter patches or pins, may do so. The following procedures must be followed:

• Design the patch or pin and send the design to companies for bids. Be sure that the company knows that you are under no obligation to do business until later notification.

• After obtaining a bid, the Chapter must obtain enough money in pledges from Chapter members to pay for the first order.

• When this is done and listed in writing, the Lodge Key Three must approve the design and in conjunction with the Lodge Vice Chief for Finance & Membership approve the wholesale and retail prices before the order can be processed.

• Collect the pledge money and give it to the Lodge Staff Adviser. He will do the ordering.

• When the patches or pins arrive, they will be given to the Chapter. They are not to be sold for more than the amount agreed by the Lodge Key Three and Lodge Vice Chief for Finance &



Membership.

• Subsequent orders of patches need only to be paid for in advance of the purchase. They do not need the permission of the Lodge Executive Committee.

Any other Chapter items, such as mugs, etc., must follow the above procedures. No Chapter item is to be ordered for the first time without prior approval of the Lodge Key Three.

Chapter neckerchiefs are not permitted.

5.8 CHAPTER CLAN SYSTEM The Chapter Clan System has two basic components: Camp Promotions and Troop OA Representatives. Both will follow the same clan boundary lines set by the Chapter, but will have a different “Clan Chief” or Elangomat for each. For example, Clan 1 will have both a Camp Promotions and Clan Chief and a TOAR (Troop Order of the Arrow Representative) Clan Chief. Both Clan Chiefs are not to be the same person. Each Clan Chief on the Camping Promotions Committee will be a member of the Chapter Camping Promotions Committee. Each Clan Chief on the TOAR Committee is responsible for getting information on Chapter Meetings and Events our to the Units’ TOAR.

5.9 QUALITY CHAPTER PROGRAM The purpose of the Quality Chapter Program is to measure and recognize three levels of excellence in Chapter operation and program. If you qualify on a point scale, your Chapter will receive one of the following special designations at the annual banquet. Forms can be found on the Amangamek-Wipit website.



APPENDIX A LODGE PLANNING BOOK

• Lodge Roster

• Lodge Calendar (Insert current year Lodge Roster and Calendar here.)

Lodge Planning Book A-1 Lodge Operating Procedures


APPENDIX B Lodge Membership Information and Procedures

Index 1.0 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 Lodge Information ............................................................................................................................ 2

2.1 Basic Requirements-Rules or Tenants ............................................................................................ 2 2.2 Membership Numbers ...................................................................................................................... 3 2.3 Mailing Labels .................................................................................................................................. 3 2.4 Transfers .......................................................................................................................................... 3 2.5 Dues ................................................................................................................................................. 3 2.6 Elections and Inductions outside of Amangemeck-Wipit ................................................................. 4 2.7 Honor Conversion ............................................................................................................................ 4 2.8 O/A Membership Database Content ................................................................................................ 5

3.0 Lodge Procedures - O/A Membership Database ............................................................................. 6 3.1 Database Reconciliation .................................................................................................................. 6 3.2 Working with Data from Spring/Fall Ordeals .................................................................................... 8 3.3 Vigil Members – Adding ................................................................................................................... 8 3.4 Vigil Members – Induction ................................................................................................................ 9 3.5 Conducting Ordeals and Honor Conversions at Goshen ............................................................... 10

4.0 Handling Specific Data Issues ....................................................................................................... 10 4.1 Adding New Members .................................................................................................................... 10 4.2 Inactive Members ........................................................................................................................... 10 4.3 Reporting Changes to Personal Information .................................................................................. 10 4.4 Report Honor Changes .................................................................................................................. 10 4.5 Report Paid Dues ........................................................................................................................... 11 4.6 Report Out-of-Chapter Inductions and Conversions ...................................................................... 11 4.7 Erroneous Postal Returns .............................................................................................................. 11 4.8 Miscellaneous Errors or Changes .................................................................................................. 11

4.8.1 Member has lost their membership card and needs a replacement ..................................... 11 4.8.2 Member is not registered with any Unit ................................................................................. 11

5.0 Forms ............................................................................................................................................. 12 5.1 Full Size Registration ..................................................................................................................... 12 5.2 Small Size Registration .................................................................................................................. 14 5.3 Dues Payment (Events) ................................................................................................................. 16 5.4 Ordeal/Brotherhood Conversion (Goshen) .................................................................................... 18

Lodge Membership Information and Procedures B-1 Lodge Operating Procedures Revised 04/17/2007


1.0 Introduction The Lodge is responsible for maintaining the membership records of all NCAC O/A members, in accordance with the National Headquarters guidelines. These guidelines state;

1. Each lodge must keep accurate membership records at all times. Accurate records aid in budgeting and planning.

2. An inactive member file should be maintained so that there always will be a record available of the history of past members and their honors.

The accuracy and content of the Lodge roster information is relied upon for; reports to National Headquarters, reports to the Council, determination of Chapter Growth for the Quality Chapter Program, Vigil Eligibility, numerous recognitions, various internal Lodge procedures and reports. In addition, the Lodge's roster provides the basis for reporting Lodge growth (National Quality Lodge) to National, as well as, computing the Lodge's annual payments to National. he Lodge membership database includes the currently active members as well as inactive members since 1976.

Even though the Lodge is ultimately responsible for the accuracy and content of the membership files, the Lodge cannot perform its responsibility without the assistance and cooperation of each Chapter. It is the responsibility of each Chapter to maintain a roster of all active members, within the Chapter, and to ensure that this information is properly integrated into the Lodge database.

While the Lodge has directed each Chapter to maintain its own Chapter Roster, each Chapter is subject to the same rules and guidelines used by the Lodge. Further, each Chapter must ensure that their membership database is periodically audited and reconciled with the Lodge's master database. If the audit and reconciliation are not performed, the Chapter's reports will be considered invalid. The Lodge database will always take precedence over a Chapter's database in all matters relating to membership strength, honor conversions and honor eligibility.

Chapters are responsible for following all procedures defined in the Lodge's Operating Procedures Manual. This includes the timely notification of honor conversions and new member inductions. In addition, each Chapter is required to notify the Lodge membership committee of any transfers that the Chapter may have received, any member's dues that the Chapter has collected, and any changes to a member's name, address, or unit affiliation. This notification can be performed through proper and timely use of the audit and reconciliation process (see below).

2.0 Lodge Information 2.1 Basic Requirements-Rules or Tenants There are several rules or tenants that the Lodge follows in maintaining the membership files. These rules are:

1. Only active members are used in preparing and submitting membership information to National and to the Council.

2. An active member is any youth or adult that meets the following requirements; a) is registered with the National Capital Area Council, b) that has passed the Ordeal requirements and c) that has paid the current annual dues.

3. Members are not allowed to hold an active membership in more than one Lodge. That Lodge must be in the Council in which the individual is currently registered.

4. Vigil members can only be added to the Lodge's database, or to a Chapter's database, by the Lodge membership committee. This addition will only occur once the Vigil Honor has been validated through National or upon receiving a copy of the individual's Vigil certificate. Until verification is complete, the new member may be recorded as a Brotherhood member, assuming honor dates are provided on the registration form. Exceptions will not be made.



5. Individuals that are not registered in our Council may still receive a copy of the Lodge newsletter. However, these individuals are not considered “active” members and cannot be used in determining Lodge or Chapter membership strength. They will be excluded from all such calculations and reports.

6. Individuals must meet all mandatory requirements, as defined in the O/A handbook, prior to acceptance for any Ordeal induction or Brotherhood conversion.

2.2 Membership Numbers The Lodge centrally controls the assignment of membership numbers. Once a membership number has been assigned to an individual, that individual will retain that number as long as their record is retained in the database.

2.3 Mailing Labels Chapters will conduct mailings to their members throughout the year. Whenever a Chapter sends a mail item to a member, the Label should contain the member's Lodge Identification number.

2.4 Transfers Individuals requesting a transfer from another O/A Lodge into Amangamek-Wipit Lodge 470 must complete a Transfer Request Form and submit it to the Lodge for consideration, along with their dues. Chapters may accept Transfer requests, on behalf of the Lodge, and forward these requests to the Lodge. Chapter's may not add these individuals to their database until the required information is verified and it has been determined that the individual will actually reside in the respective Chapter.

Chapters are not permitted to add individuals for which a Vigil honor is indicated. See Lodge Tenet number 4.

Whenever a Chapter adds a Transfer individual to the Chapter's database, the Chapter must follow the procedure for adding a new member to the database (see below).

2.5 Dues Chapters may collect dues from members. However, future dues (dues beyond the current year) may not be collected or accepted. Dues are collected for an annual period and all dues expire at the end of the current year. The only exception to this is during the fall when the Lodge is collecting dues for the following year.

During the fall ordeals:

1. Chapters will collect dues for all new Ordeal members. These dues are treated as dues being paid for the next year.

2. Chapters are required to notify all members, completing Brotherhood conversion, that their current dues will expire at the end of the current year and encourage these individuals to pay dues for the next year. Chapters may include these dues in their fees for Brotherhood conversion.

Dues may be collected at any Lodge event, subject to the following guidance:

1. The chairperson of the event must maintain a separate record of all individuals paying dues, and must include the individual’s Name, Chapter, and O/A Membership number.

2. Dues payments will not be mixed with event revenues.

3. The dues record and funds received for dues will be provided to the Scout Center as a separate accounting event. Need to say how will there be a form? Or what type of report?



4. If funds are collected at a Chapter event, the Chapter will enter the paid data into the Chapter data file.

5. If the funds are collected at a Lodge event, a copy of the dues collected record will provided to the Lodge membership committee.

6. Dues paid list and amounts must be cleared when the budget is closed out for the event.

2.6 Elections and Inductions outside of Amangemeck-Wipit Each year there are inquires about and instances regarding the election of candidates or candidates taking their ordeal ouside of the Amangemeck-Wipt Lodge. The following information is copied from the “Guide for Officers and Advisers”, manual published by National Headquarters, and is provided for guidance on this subject.

Order of the Arrow elections are held in qualified troops and teams only under the direction of the lodge in the council where the unit is chartered. No unit may visit outside its own council and hold an O/A election under the auspices of an O/A lodge of another council.

In virtually all cases, newly elected candidates for membership in the Order, both adult and youth, should complete the Ordeal and be inducted into the Order by the lodge that serves the council in which their unit is chartered. Under special circumstances, newly elected candidates may complete the Ordeal outside their own council if the following conditions are met:

1. The unit leader requests the change in Ordeal completion in advance and in writing to both the registered council lodge and to the lodge where induction is requested.

2. The lodge of the council where the unit is registered gives permission to the unit leader in writing and sends a copy to the lodge where induction is requested.

3. The out-of-council lodge charges the newly elected candidate the cost of an Ordeal sash, an Order of the Arrow Handbook, and food/facilities fees only. The Arrowman inducted into the Order outside his registered council lodge should not receive a lodge flap patch, neckerchief, or other O/A specialty items, or a membership card from the out-of-council lodge that inducts him. Proof of successful completion of the Ordeal and induction should be given to the new member in the form of a letter from the inducting lodge, with a copy mailed to the registered council lodge of the newly inducted Arrowman.

4. Upon return to his registered council, the newly inducted Arrowman should present proof of induction to the lodge in that council, pay his dues and other appropriate fees for special items unique to that lodge, and receive a membership card from his registered council lodge.

5. No Arrowman is authorized to wear the O/A flap patch of a lodge he is not a member of, even though he may have been inducted into the Order by that lodge.

6. Any candidate desiring to be called out at a resident camp or other event outside his own council may have his unit leader make the arrangements as described in items 1 and 2 above. The candidate would then be inducted into the Order by his registered council lodge at a later date, unless other arrangements are made in advance to also be inducted out of council as described in items 1 through 4 above.

2.7 Honor Conversion Chapters may not conduct the Ordeal or Brother Conversion for individuals that are not members of National Capital Area Council, except as defined in section on Elections and Inductions outside of Amangemeck-Wipit. In addition, members of the National Capital Area Council may not complete their Brotherhood apart from one of Amangamek-Wipit Chapters or a NCAC facility. The Guidance from National Headquarters states “Brotherhood membership can only be conferred by an Arrowman’s home lodge—the lodge that serves the council in which the Arrowman’s unit is chartered.”



Properly elected candidates as well as active Ordeal members may take their Ordeal or Brotherhood Conversion at any ceremony offered by the NCAC Lodge or by any NCAC Lodge Chapter. Lodge Chapters are required to provide this service to all Chapters.

Whenever a Chapter receives a request for an Out-of-Chapter ceremony, the requesting Chapter’s advisor must make the request. If the request is made by anyone other than the Advisor, the Chapter receiving the request must confirm the individual's eligibility by contacting the individual's Chapter Advisor. Once the ceremony has been completed, the Chapter conducting the ceremony must submit the individual's membership information to both the requesting Chapter's Advisor and to the Lodge membership committee.

2.8 O/A Membership Database Content The Lodge has implemented a membership database using MS Access using the MS Access 2000 code set. All Lodge membership database contains all membership data, since 1976. Each record in this database contains a series of data items describing the individual member’s registration and honor information.

The following table lists the information data items that are maintained by the Lodge for each member.

DATA ITEM NOTES Membership Number [MbrNumber] O/A Membership Registration Number

Scout Number [SctNumber] BSA (ScoutNet) Registration Number

Candidate Number [CndNumber] (Currently Not Used)

Name (Must be the member’s FULL name As registered with the Boy Scouts of America: [NickName] [FirstName] [MiddleName] [LastName] [Suffixname] )

The full name consists of 5 distinct parts. They are: First name or Initial Middle name or Initial Last name Name Suffix (e.g., Jr. or III) Nickname (This is used to record those names that are

not apparent from the first or middle names. For example, if a users first name is Thomas and his nickname is Tom, DO NOT RECORD this nickname. However, if a members name is “John A” and his nickname is “JJ”, RECORD this nickname.

STREET ADDRESS (two street fields are available: [Street1], [Street2] )

Postal abbreviatioIns will be used for all address data (e.g., St. is Street, Rd is Road)

City [City]

State [State] 2 Character abbreviation

Zip Code [ZipCode] ZIP or ZIP + 4 format required

Home Phone [HomePhone]

Must include the Area code

Alternate Phone (Optional) [AltPhone]

Must include the Area code.

Date of Birth [DOB] Use the full Date (Month/Day/4-digit Year) Format is MM/DD/YYYY



DATA ITEM NOTES Honor Dates:

Ordeal [OrdealDate] Brotherhood [BrotherDate] Vigil [VigilDate]

Use the full Date using the format “MM/DD/YYYY” Note: If the day is unknown, use 15. If the month is unknown, use June (6).

Unit Type [UnitType] Use the unit where the primary registration is held. The valid codes are:

X – Council P – Ship Post C – Cub Pack S – Troop D – District V – Varisty Team E – Explorer N – Venture Crew

Unit Number [UnitNumber] Use zero ‘0’, if the unit type is Council or District

Sex [Sex] M – Male F – Female

Dues Expiration [Expire] Date showing the last date the current membership will be considered active.

Group (Optional) [GroupCode] This can be any textual value that is used to identify sub-groupings of individuals (e.g., Clans, Areas).

e-mail (Optional) [Email] User’s electronic mail address.

Card Required [CrdReq] True/False flag indicating if a membership card is required to be sent to the member.

Deceased [Deceased] True/False flag indicating if the member is deceased

Postal Return [PostalRtn] True/False flag indicating weither or not the postal service has returned a piece of mail for an invalid address

Newsletter [NewsLtr] True/False flag indicating the individual is not an ACTIVE member of the Lodge and only receives Lodge mailings

Note: All data items are required unless they are identified as Optional.

Table 1: Data Items within the O/A Database

3.0 Lodge Procedures - O/A Membership Database This section will provide specific procedures for various conditions that may be encounter. All procedures calling for exchange of data between the Lodge and Chapters will utilize email and a standard data exchange format.

The exchange format will use a MS Excel formatted spreadsheet. Other formats are unacceptable. Each Chapter may employ various tools and programs to maintain the Chapter's membership data. However, the Lodge requires each chapter to convert their data to the MS Excel format before the Lodge will process it. The Lodge will always send data to the Chapters in the MS Excel format.

3.1 Database Reconciliation Each chapter is required to send a copy of its database to the Lodge membership committee each month, if the Chapter has recorded any changes since the last update from the Lodge

Once the Lodge receives the data base information from the Chapter, it will reconcile and merge the data into the Lodge database. When the Lodge completes this process, the Lodge will extract a new version of the Chapter's active records from the master database; prepare an Audit report, and send the Chapter both the updated version of the Chapter's data and the results of the Audit run.

The process of reconcilling the Chapter data, is extremly important. Without accurate data;



• members may not be recorded as a members,

• members may not be considered for a new honor,

• members may not receive credit for their honors,

• Chapter Brotherhood conversion rates may be inaccurate,

• and the Lodge may have to pay increased fees when they are not required.

Process: 1. The first of each month the Lodge will send the Chapter, using e-Mail, the Chapter’s portion of

the database with any changes that have been accumulated.

2. The Lodge will generate upto two files to be sent. These files will be sent using eMail and will consist of:

An updated membership file that contains a list of members that have paid their dues for the current year.

An audit report against the Chapter’s membership file showing any errors that must be corrected by the Chapter. If no errors are found, the report will not be provided and you will be notified in the email that there are no errors.

3. The Chapter will receive and review both files. During this review, the Chapter will perform the following steps before sending their next update to the Lodge.

DO NOT make any formatting changes to any cell within the Lodge file, including the column labels in row 1 of the spreadsheet.

Correct the membership file for any errors shown on the audit report.

Review the membership file to:

Ensure changes previously submitted to the Lodge are recorded.

Make any changes, to existing records, that you are aware of since the update.

Add any new members that you may have.

Prepare a list of any exceptions that you need the Lodge to resolve (e.g. duplicate records were found). DO NOT record exceptions in the file.

Send the updated file and the exception list to the Lodge, using eMail. If there are not updates applied to the Chapter’s file, the Chapter should still send the file to the Lodge.

4. The Lodge will receive the eMail and:

Extract the updated file and place it in the Lodge database area for processing

Review any issues that may have been sent. If the issue concerns the present data, the Lodge will resolve the issue before proceeding.

Import the updated file into the O/A Database, using the O/A program. The importing process of the O/A program will compare each data item in the changed file with the corresponding data item in the Lodge data base. If the Lodge program finds any difference, the entire record will be presented to the operator for validation and reconciliation. Remember, O/A program’s audit file contains records of what fields have been changed, what the changes were, when the change occurred, and who caused the change.

Review each data item for changes that may have been submitted by the Chapter against the Lodge data base and audit files, and either accept or reject the change. For Example:



If the Lodge has received a change of address notice and the Chapter information does not rflect this change, the Chapter’s data will be rejected.

If the Chapter shows an address change and the Lodge has not made any changes to the field, the change will be accepted.

The Chapter has provided a date change for an honor or [DOB]. The Lodge will accept the change. Any attempt by the Chapter to change a Vigil date will be rejected

3.2 Working with Data from Spring/Fall Ordeals One question always arises, that is “How do I handle the new Ordeal members and Brotherhood conversions that occurred at the Spring/Fall ordeal?”. How this is done is relatvely straight forward. The following process is proivded as to show how these issues should be handled:

Process: 1. Prepare a report of all members and Ordeal candidates that will be attending the Ordeal and

have this report available during your sign-in process. This report must contain all of the required information necessary to register and record changes for each individual.

2. As each person arrives and checks in, have them review their information on the attendance report and make any changes to the information that may be necessary.

3. Using the attendence report, update the Chapter membership file as follows:

Create new records for each Ordeal member, making sure the Membership Number ([MbrNumber]) is either empty or contains a zero “0”, and that all required information is present.

Add the Brotherhood conversion ([BrotherDate]) date to the existing member records for each member that has completed the conversion.

4. Once all new inductee records have been addeed, Brotherhood conversion dates added, and all indicated changes have been recorded, send a copy of the Chapter file to the Lodge for processing.

5. The Lodge will receive this file and follow the same process as defined in “Database Reconciliation” step three.

3.3 Vigil Members – Adding This section applies to both Lodge and Chapter level membership committees and defines the process of adding a Vigil record to the Lodge data base, the process for Vigil inductions is defined in another section. The first thing to remember is that the Lodge policy restricts the addition of Vigil records to the Lodge. This means that Chapter membership committess or personnel CAN NOT add records with a Vigil Date.

Process: 1. When an individual requests addition to the O/A data base and indicates they have a Vigil

honor, the person receiving the request will inform the individual that:

The must submit a copy of their Vigil Ceritifcate showing where and when they achieved the Vigil Honor, or

They must submit information detailing where they achieved the Vigil, the name of the lodge that bestowed the honor, and the approximate date of the induction.

They will be added as a Brotherhood member until such time as the Vigil information is confirmed by the Lodge.



2. Note: If the individual indicates they were previously register as a Vigil member with the Lodge, Check with the Lodge Membership committee to see if the record can be found. If the record can be found, the individual will not have to supply a copy of the Vigil certificate, and the Lodge committee will proivde you with the individual’s O/A membership number. Add this Membership number to the record you create ( [MbrNumber] ). When you send this information to the Lodge, the record will be updated with the information you provide.

3. Add the individual to the Chapter or Lodge data base specifiyng the Brotherhood honor.

4. Submit the Vigil certificate, or the informaiton, to the Lodge Membership Committee for verification of the informaiton.

5. Lodge membership will, upon receipt of the information, review the submitted documentation and:

Update the individuals membership record with the proper Vigil Date, if a copy of the Vigil certificate is available.

Forward the Vigil Certificate, or information, the Lodge Vigil Committee.

6. The Vigil Committee will:

Contact O/A National and retrieve the confirmation dates and information.

Notify the Lodge membership committee of all verified Vigil Members

7. Lodge membership will modify the database to reflect the verified Vigil members

3.4 Vigil Members – Induction The process of inducting Vigil members into the Lodge follows a well defined process and is restricted to the Lodge Vigil Committee with the assistance of the Lodge Membership committee. The Chapters will participate only at the descretion and under the rules identify by the Lodge Vigil Committee. The process listed below is only concerend with the interaction between the Vigil and Membership committes, as it relates to the Lodge data base.

Process: 1. The Lodge Vigil committee will request a report of all Vigil eligible members from the Lodge

membership committee.

2. The Membership committee will prepare the report from the lodge data base and return it to the Vigil Committtee.

3. The Vigil committee will:

Hold the necessary selection process, using information from the report.

with a report showing all Vigil Eligible members

Handle all election and induciton ceremnoies.

Provide the Lodge memberhsip committee with the new Vigil members, once the final induciton process is completed. Please note: Due to individual contraints, Vigil Inductees may complete the Vigil Ceremony at various times throughout the year. In such case, the Vigil Committee will notifiy the membership committes when the member has completed the induciton.

4. Lodge membership will enter the Vigil date for each of the new Vigil Members.



3.5 Conducting Ordeals and Honor Conversions at Goshen Newly elected candidates and current O/A members eligible for Brotherhood conversion may complete their Ordeal or conversion at Goshen, if the service is made available by Goshen.

It is recommended that the Lodge produce a listing shiwing all current members that are eligibile for Brotherhood Conversion. This listing should be made availble to the Lodge representative at Goshen.

Process: 1. Upon arrival at Goshen, the individuals must be identified by the unit leaders to the Goshen

representative.

2. The Lodge representative will confirm that the individual is eligible for conversion.

3. If the lodge listing is available, the person will be checked against the lsiting.

4. If the Lodge listing is not available, the Lodge representative will attempt to ensure the the person is elibigble and that dues have been paid.

5. Once it is determined that the individual is eligible, the conversion may proceed. However, if there is no confirmation of dues being paid (e.g. not on the Lodge lsiting, there is not membership card), dues will be collected.

6. Each individual will complete the “Full Size Membership form”.

7. Upon Completion of the conversion, the Lodge representative will provide each person with a certification form showing the date the conversion was completed. The Lodge representative will also inform each individual that the form should be returned to their Chapter Advisor for inclusion in the Chapter’s membership file.

8. At the end of each week, the Lodge representative will package the forms for the week and send them to the Council Office addressed to the Lodge Memberhip Committee.

9. Upon receipt of the package, the Lodge Membership will update the system files to indicate the new honor dates

4.0 Handling Specific Data Issues 4.1 Adding New Members Adding a new member to the database is relatively straight forward. Simply add a data row to the Chapter data file and enter ALL member information. Make sure the Member Number cell and the Candidate Number cells contain zero “0”.

4.2 Inactive Members See “Report Paid Dues” below

4.3 Reporting Changes to Personal Information Applies to both the Lodge and Chapters

Record all information changes to the member’s record on the Chapter file. Once all information has been entered and verified, submit the changed file to the Lodge at the next scheduled exchange.

4.4 Report Honor Changes Enter the correct date in the respective honor date field and submit to the Lodge (see also "Report Out-of-Chapter Inductions and Conversions below). The Chapter cannot adjust the Vigil dates.



4.5 Report Paid Dues Change the Expiration date to the following year, and submit to the Lodge. Remember, you cannot accept dues for more that one year in advance. If you submit a record with the Expiration date change for more than one year in the future, the Lodge program will only modify the change to show a maximum one-year change

4.6 Report Out-of-Chapter Inductions and Conversions When you conduct an Out-of-Chapter induction:

1. Add the new member to the Chapter’s Database.

2. Ensure that the correct unit and Date of Birth are included for the individual

3. Submit the data to the Lodge

4. Remove the individual(s) from the Chapter file

When you conduct an Out-of-Chapter induction or Brotherhood Conversion, you must send the individual’s Chapter Advisor, an e-mail containing the members name and the Ordeal/Brotherhood date.

4.7 Erroneous Postal Returns Each month the Lodge receives numerous notices from the Postal Authority indicating Changes of address and non-deliverable mail. Whenever, an address change is indicated, the Lodge will apply the change to the Lodge's database and will provide this information to the Chapter with the next data update transfer. When the Lodge receives a non-deliverable notice, the individual record is marked as having a Post Office Return Error and the Chapter is notified on the monthly error report. The Chapter must investigate the error and either correct the address information in the Chapter's database or notify the Lodge, via e-mail, that the error is erroneous and that in fact the address is valid as specified.

4.8 Miscellaneous Errors or Changes 4.8.1 Member has lost their membership card and needs a replacement Change the Cardreq indicator to “Yes” and submit to the Lodge. A card will be generated and mailed to the individual at the next memberhsip card printing.

4.8.2 Member is not registered with any Unit If a member is not registered with any unit in the Lodge, they are not active members with the Lodge. As such, they must be identified as receiving Lodge mailings ONLY. You do this by setting the then “Newsletter” indicator to “Yes”. You will also need to change their indicated level for the specific mailings they want to receive. These levels are:

1. Both Chapter and Council mailings: Remove any unit number and set the unit type to indicate they are recorded at the “District level”.

2. Council mailings only: Remove the unit number and change the unit type to show a “Council level”.

Apply the changed data to the necessary fields and submit the data to the Lodge.


AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE #470 National Capital Area Council - Boy Scouts of America

5.0 Forms 5.1 Full Size Registration


AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE NO. 470 Order of the Arrow

National Capital Area Council ● Boy Scouts of America 9190 Rockville Pike ● Bethesda MD 20814-3897

DUES: $10.00 Make checks payable to BSA Account #2371.000

Type of Request □ Transfer from another Lodge □ New Ordeal Member □ Information Change □ Honor Conversion □ Dues

OA Number BSA Number

PRINT Legibly ALL information MUST be provided

Forms with missing data will not be processed.

First Name Middle Name Last Name

Street

City State Zip Code

/ /

( )

( )

MM DD YYYY Home Phone Alternate Phone Date of Birth

□ Male □ Female

Sex Email Address □ Council □ Ship Post □ District □ Troop □ Explorer Post □ Varsity

Team □ Cub Pack □ Varsity Crew

Type of Registration Unit Number District

Ceremony Date

Dates must be supplied. Use best guess if

necessary Lodge Council State

Ordeal

/ /

MM DD YYYY Brotherhood / /

MM DD YYYY Vigil / /

MM DD YYYY If you are entering a Vigil date, you must supply a copy of the Vigil certificate, or provide sufficient

information to allow verification by the Lodge.(You will be listed as Brotherhood until verification is completed)

Rev E – 8/2005



5.2 Small Size Registration



Order of the Arrow

Amangemek-Wipit Lodge #470

Membership Renewal Form For Existing Members Only Please Print Dues: $10.00

OA Membership Number

OA Honor Dates Ordeal Brotherhood Vigil Unit Type Unit No. Chapter

Name Street

City State Zip Code DoB Home Phone Alt Phone

Make check out to NCAC-BSA-OA Dues Mail To Order of the Arrow NCAC-BSA 9190 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20814-3897



5.3 Dues Payment (Events)


AMANGAMEK- WIPIT LODGE NO. 470 Order of the Arrow

National Capital Area Council ● Boy Scouts of America 9190 Rockville Pike ● Bethesda MD 20814-3897

Date:

Dues Paid at (Event)

Name Unit Date of Birth Address (street, City State) First Middle Last



5.4 Ordeal/Brotherhood Conversion (Goshen)



Goshen Brotherhood/Ordeal Certification


This is to certify that: This is to certify that:

______________________________________ ______________________________________

Completed the requirements for Ordeal/Brotherhood while attending camp at Goshen.


The requirements were completed on: _______________


Signed: ______________________________- Lodge O/A Representative





______________________________________ ______________________________________










______________________________________ ______________________________________









APPENDIX C YOUTH ELECTION PROCESS Preparation-Be sure to bring with you your own blank ballots and a supply of sharp pencils; most unit meetings will not have ready access to a sufficient supply. Bring extra election worksheets, in case you mess one up, or have a large group of eligible Scouts. Also it is recommended that you bring a large sheet of paper or some type of chalkboard to display the names of those eligible for election. It is also recommended that you carry along a sheet of carbon paper and some paper clips to cut down of the writing you will have to do. And remember, be in full uniform (including sash) and be on time!

Step #1-Ask the Troop or Varsity Team Leader what is the total number of active registered Scouts (under 21) in the unit, and write that number on line 1.

Step #2-Count the number of active registered Scouts present, and write it on line 2. If it is not half of the total number (line 1), an election cannot be held; inform the Unit Leader that they will have to reschedule the election.

Step #3-Make sure that the Unit Leader understands the eligibility requirements (LISTED BELOW), and then have the Unit Leader fill in the List of Scouts eligible (Line 3). Make sure that all of the required information is completed on the worksheet, including the youth members BSA Registration Number (on his BSA membership card or the Unit's Charter) and obtain the Unit Leaders signature, printed name, and telephone number. Make a 2nd copy of the form for the Unit Leader's records and a third copy for the Elections Teams records, if you didn't remember to bring some carbon paper. Write in the number of Scouts eligible on line 4. Also, write the names of the Scouts eligible on the large sheet of paper or display board.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: (1) At Least First Class Rank

(2) Fifteen (15) days and nights of Camping under the auspices of the Boy Scouts of America, including one long term camp of at least six (6) consecutive days (including 5 nights) within 2 years prior to the date of the election. Only one long term camping trip (maximum of 6 days) may be counted towards the total camping requirement.

(3) An Active, Registered member of the Unit under the age of 21.

(4) Unit Leader approval.

Step #4-Do not start the election until you are ready; after all of the previous steps have been completed. NOTE: ALL candidates meeting the requirements are listed on the worksheet and are eligible to be elected. The Scouts may vote for any or all of the youth that are eligible.

Step #5-Call the Election to order. Tell the Scouts that this is important and to pay close attention. Give a brief description of the OA and its activities.

Step #6-Read the Election Ceremony. It takes about three minutes to read, but remember, an election is a once a year occurrence to a unit, so take your time. You might try taking turns reading the paragraphs in the Ceremony with the other member of the Elections Team; it would make it sound more interesting. Ask for questions when you finish.

Step #7-Pass out the ballots and pencils. Collect them as the Scouts finish voting. The Scouts should hand their ballots only to members of the OA Elections Team.

Step #8-In a room away from the Scouts, count the number of ballots turned in, and writes that number

Youth Election Process C-1 Lodge Operating Procedures Revised 01/01/2008


on line 6. It should not exceed line 2. If it does, void the election. Chastise the unit and tell them that they have to re-conduct the election. NOTE: Ballots with bogus names counts as ballots turned in, but the false names, of course, count for no one.

Step #9-Write on line 7 the number of votes needed for election. This number is half the number of ballots turned in. If the number of ballots turned in is odd, round up.

Step #10-Then counts the votes each election candidate received. Any one who has the necessary number of votes is an OA candidate. If no one is elected, conduct a second election. Do not tell the Scouts why; just tell them you need to do it again. The election can only be held twice. If still no one makes it, then the Unit's election eligibility is over for this year.

Step #11 -Enter either Yes or No in the Box "Elected" on the worksheet (line 8). Write the number of boys elected on line 9.

Step #12-Show the Unit Leader the results and have both Election Team Members sign the Election Worksheet (Line 10). Give copy #1 to the Unit Leader and keep copy #2 for the Chapter Elections Committee. The Unit Leader may announce the results, but recommend that he wait until the Chapter conducts a Calling Out Ceremony.

Step #13-Ask the Unit Leader if the Unit Committee has plans on recommending an adult candidate. If the Committee has a recommended an adult, obtain the form, verify that it is the current edition of the Unit Adult Recommendation form, and turn it in along with the Elections Worksheet. If the Committee has not yet recommended an adult, provide the Unit Leader with a copy of the Election Guide for Adult Selections

Note: In order for a Unit to nominate an adult, the Unit must have held a Youth Election in which at least one Scout was elected as an OA Candidate.

Step # 14-Thank the unit for its cooperation, and leave.

Step #15-Do not lose the Original worksheet!! Bring it to a Chapter meeting, or arrange a convenient time to deliver it to the Elections Chairman.

ELECTION CEREMONY The Order of the Arrow is a national Brotherhood of Honor Campers. Its purpose is to recognize and honor those campers who live up to the Scout Oath or Promise and Law in their daily lives and to guide them in expanding the service that has made them outstanding. The Order promotes Scout camping and maintains camping traditions and spirit.

The only way that a Scout can become a member of the Order of the Arrow is to be elected by the members of his Troop or Varsity Team. To be eligible for election, a Scout must fulfill the camping requirement and hold the First Class rank.

After being elected, the Scout must undergo the Ordeal, which is a series of tests of his sincere dedication to the high ideals of Scouting and the Order of the Arrow.

Tonight, you will elect representatives to our Brotherhood of Cheerful Service, and we are here to assist you in the election. All registered active members (including OA members) of this unit (Troop or Team), except those ages 21 or over, are entitled to vote.

Those eligible candidates who receive votes on at least half of the ballots turned in are elected. The number you elect will depend on how your votes agree with the other members of your unit.

Remember that an Order of the Arrow election is not a popularity contest! Don't vote for a Scout just because he is your friend, or because he is a good athlete, or is older than the rest. What really counts is



his loyalty to the Scout Oath or Promise, and willingness to help others.

(Identify election candidates and place them up front.)

Candidates who are not present tonight are still eligible for election. Ask yourself:

Who in this group is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout?

Who is pleasant and easy to get along with? Is he kind and helpful?

In all, if you were a Tenderfoot, would you like to hike and camp with him?

Who is cheerful, even when he has many tiresome jobs to do?

Who is always ready to give unselfish and wholehearted service to others?

Who has served your unit all year round, faithfully attending your meetings and helping with your services projects? Do you think he will continue his service in the future? If you were his patrol leader, could you depend on him?

(Have candidates return to their seats.)

Scouts, on the ballot you will be given, print the names of candidates, who in your opinion have set the best examples of brotherhood, cheerfulness and service to others.

Vote for only those who you believe will continue in unselfish service to your unit. If you feel that no one is worthy, turn in a blank ballot. If your are new in the unit, and do not know the candidates well enough to vote wisely, you may abstain by not turning in a ballot at all, and this will not affect the final result.

Remember that this is a secret ballot. Do not discuss your choices with other Scouts. Please print the candidates’ full names. Do not use nicknames. You may vote for any candidate only once.

The names of those eligible are listed. When you are finished, fold the ballot once and give the ballot to a member of the OA Elections Team.

POST ELECTION PROCESS Collect ballots, tally the votes, and determine the Scouts who were elected.

When finished tallying the votes, complete the election form, and give a copy #1 of the election results to the Unit Leader.

It is recommended that the results of the election not be announced at this time, but remain secret until publicly revealed at the OA Calling Out Ceremony for your Chapter.

CHOOSING CHAIRMEN All Event Chairmen are appointed by the Lodge Chief. Before the appointment is made, the Area Vice Chief responsible for the event, the Lodge Adviser, and the Lodge Staff Adviser are to be consulted for recommendations. The Chairman of the event should have the following qualifications:

• Be at least a Brotherhood Honor and a member of the order of the Arrow for at least two years.

• Have previously attended at least one event similar to the one you wish him to chair.

• Have no fear of the telephone. He must be able to recruit help and stay in contact with the Chief and his Adviser.

• Have a working knowledge of the budgeting procedures and how to save money.

Be able to attend Lodge Executive Committee Meetings and report on progress.



UNIT ELECTION FORM



APPENDIX D ADULT SELECTION PROCESS The Order of the Arrow is a national Brotherhood of Honor Campers. Its purpose is to recognize and honor those campers who live up to the Scout Oath or Promise and Law in their daily lives and to guide them in expanding the service that has made them outstanding. The Order promotes Scout camping and maintains camping traditions and spirit.

Remember that membership in the Order of the Arrow is not an "Award" for past service as an Adult Scouter.

Selection of an adult Scouter should take place only when the adult's job in Boy Scouting will make Order of the Arrow membership more meaningful in the lives of the youth membership. OA membership is for those who will continue to serve their Unit, their Chapter, and the Lodge.

Step #1-Troops and Teams (hereafter referred to as the Unit) may nominate one Adult Scouter (age 21 or older) each year if they have held a Youth Election in which at least one Scout was elected. Scouters under 21 years of age are considered youth members for the purposes of OA membership, and are elected through the regular Unit OA Election process for youth members. OA elections and adult nominations are not authorized for Explorer Posts or Ships.

Step #2-The Unit Committee should review the Unit's Adult Scouters and determine who, if any, have met the basic requirements for eligibility for nomination for OA membership. There is no waiver on the camping requirement; each Unit Scouter must have met the same camping requirement as is specified for youth members.

Step #3-If the Unit Committee feels that they do have an adult who meets all of the eligibility requirements; they should complete the Unit Adult Recommendation form and turn it in to the Chapter Adviser for review and approval by the District OA Adult Selection Committee. All submissions must be made on the current version of the Unit Adult Recommendation Form. Adults may be proposed for membership only one time per year as either Unit Scouters or District/Council Scouters, not both. How they are proposed depends on where they maintain their primary registration.

Step #4-The Chapter Adviser should review the completed Unit Adult Nominations for completeness, and return any that are not completely filled out for correction and re-submission by the Unit prior to presentation to the District OA Adult Selection Committee

Step #5-The Chapter Adviser coordinates a meeting of the District OA Adult Selection Committee. The Selection Committee is made up of the Chapter Adviser, the District Executive, and the Vice-Chairman for Programs. All work of the District OA Adult Selection Committee is subject to the approval of the Council Scout Executive.

Step #6-The Chapter Adviser will notify the Committee Chairman of the approval of Unit Adult Nomination by the District OA Adult Selection Committee noting that the selected individual will be included in the Chapter's OA Call Out.

Step #7-Those Unit Adult Nominations approved by the District OA Adult Selection Committee are added to the list of candidates to be Called Out by the Chapter.

DISTRICT & COUNCIL ADULT SELECTION PROCESS The Order of the Arrow is a national Brotherhood of Honor Campers. Its purpose is to recognize and honor those campers who live up to the Scout Oath or Promise and Law in their daily lives and to guide them in expanding the service that has made them outstanding. The Order promotes Scout camping and

Adult Selection Process D-1 Lodge Operating Procedures REVISED 01/01/2008


maintains camping traditions and spirit. Remember that membership in the Order of the Arrow is not an "Award" for past service as an adult Scouter.

Selection of an adult Scouter should take place only when the adult's job in Boy Scouting will make Order of the Arrow membership more meaningful in the lives of the youth membership. OA membership is for those who will continue to serve their Unit, their Chapter, and the Lodge.

Step #1-District and Council Adult OA Nominations may be submitted by the Chapter Executive Committee, District Chairman, Council President, Scout Executive, or by members of the professional staff. Adult Scouters are defined as 21 years of age or older. Scouters under 21 years of age are considered youth members for the purposes of OA membership, and are elected through the regular Unit OA Election process for youth members.

Step #2--Scouters recommended as District or Council Adult OA Nominations must not have their primary Scouter registration with a Unit (District or Council Committees as appropriate). Adults may be proposed for membership only one time per year as either Unit Scouters or District/Council Scouters, not both. How they are proposed depends on where they maintain their primary registration. The primary source of adults for OA membership should be from the Unit level (Troops & Teams) and not from the District or Council levels.

Step #3-If the District Committee feels that they have an adult who meets all of the eligibility requirements, they should complete the District Adult / Council Recommendation form and turn it in to the Lodge Inductions Adviser for review and approval by the Lodge OA Adult Selection Committee. All submissions must be made on the current version of the Unit Adult Recommendation Form. While the Lodge Adviser and the Council Scout Executive can waive the camping requirement, this will only be done in unusual circumstances and will require a written justification. All District / Council Adult OA Nominations must be submitted to the Lodge not later than I March of the election year.

Step #4-The Lodge Inductions Adviser will review the completed District / Council Adult Nominations for completeness, and return any that are not completely filled out for correction and resubmission prior to presentation to the Lodge OA Adult Selection Committee.

Step #5-The Lodge Inductions Adviser will coordinate a meeting of the Lodge OA Adult Selection Committee. The Selection Committee is made up of the Lodge Adviser, The Lodge Staff Adviser, and the Council Camping Committee Chairman. All work of the Adult Selection Committee is subject to the approval of the Council Scout Executive.

Step #6-The Lodge Inductions Adviser will notify the Chapter Adviser of all approved Adult Nominations not later than I April of the elections year.

Step #7-District / Council Adult Nominations are added to the list of candidates to be Called Out only after approval by the Lodge OA Adult Selection Committee.



UNIT ADULT RECOMMENDATION FORM



COUNCIL/DISTRICT ADULT RECOMMENDATION FORM



APPENDIX E BROTHERHOOD CONVERSION

Brotherhood conversion is a sealing of the Ordeal member's membership in the Order of the Arrow. The Amangamek-Wipit Lodge Officers have prepared this package in order to assist the Chapters of the Lodge in converting the eligible Ordeal members to the Brotherhood. The implementation of this program will contribute significantly to increasing both the quality and Brotherhood population of the chapters and, perform, the Lodge as well.

The categories of eligible Ordeal members have been separated into two classes: (1) Ordeal members who have just been inducted and (2) active Ordeal members of 1-3 years as Arrowmen. A version of the "Extended Elangomat System" will be used for the newly inducted Ordeal members and a version of the "Ideal" Chapter Brotherhood conversion program will be used for those Ordeal members of 1-3 years.

This package is provided as a guide and was developed to meet the needs of all 8 Chapters of the Lodge. This program is not meant to replace or conflict with already established and successful Chapter program but, rather, to provide additional information and solutions to the Chapter Brotherhood conversion efforts.

Brotherhood Conversion E-1 Lodge Operating Procedures


THE ACTIVE ORDEAL MEMBER The first thing that should be done is to get the names and phone numbers of all the active 1-3 year Ordeal members in the Chapter.

Each Chapter has its own system for calling their members. The number of eligible Brotherhood candidates probably will not exceed a number such that the list could not be evenly divided up between the members of the Chapter Executive Committee. Once you have the names, the Chapter Officers may choose to use the above method or a procedure for contact that is normally used in your Chapter.

On the following two pages, you will find an instruction sheet and suggested telephone survey form for use in contacting the Brotherhood candidates. This form is used for recording the Brotherhood candidate information as each candidate is contacted. However, each Chapter should feel free to construct its own form should this not meet its needs. Once the phone survey sheets are completed, those indicating an interest in serving on a specific committee should be forwarded to that Committee Chairman for further use.

MAILINGS Once all eligible Ordeal members have been contacted, it is time to mail the information letter packets. Copies of these letter packets are included in this package for reproduction. Each packet contains a calendar of events for the coming year and a map to the Chapter meetings. The packets are to be mailed 2 months, 5 months and 8 months, respectively, following the Chapter's initial contact with the Ordeal member. During the first 2 months after the first packet is mailed, the Chapter should have some function to keep the prospective Brotherhood inductees interested in the Chapter and the OA. These mailing dates coincide with the mailing dates for the new Ordeal members in the "Extended Elangomat System".

Each packet should contain an updated calendar (if required). In addition, the second packet should contain a new expanded survey from which explains the Chapter Committees in more detail. The fourth and final packet should consist of an application and invitation to the Brotherhood ceremony along with a map (if applicable).



ORDEAL MEMBER SURVEY CURRENT MEMBERSHIP

CHECK APPROPRIATE BOX ON THIS SECTION OF THE MEMBERSHIP SURVEY FORM

□ ACTIVE

□ MOVED

□ AWAY AT SCHOOL

□ INACTIVE IN SCOUTING

□ OTHER

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

USE THIS LIST TO DETERMINE DESIRED COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENT AND PLACE CHECK IN APPROPRIATE NUMBERED BLOCK CORRESPONDING TO COMMITTEE.

□ SERVICE □ CAMP PROMOTIONS

□ CEREMONIES □ PUBLICATIONS

□ DANCE □ HIGH ADVENTURE

□ COOK CREW □ COORDINATION

□ ELECTIONS □ OTHER: INDICATE AS APPROPRIATE

_______________________________



ROUNDTABLE MEETING CAMPAIGN The District Roundtable is the best place for the Chapter to reinforce the Brotherhood conversion program, by reaching the Unit leaders. The Roundtable presentation should be made at the each of the two Roundtable meetings prior to the Brotherhood induction date. At the time of the first Roundtable meeting, all eligible Ordeal members should have received the first two packets. This ensures that the Unit leaders will be talking to the eligible Brotherhood candidates in their troops with both the unit leaders and inductees thoroughly familiar with the program.

In order to prepare for the Roundtable meetings, the Chapter Officers should have a list of all eligible Ordeal members, by Troop or Post, and pass out this list to the Unit leaders at the Roundtable along with a letter defining the purpose of the OA. This letter should be extracted from the purpose of the OA as contained in the Lodge Operating procedures. The listing of eligible candidates should also contain their phone numbers as well as the name and phone number of the Chapter Chief and Adviser along with the list of Brotherhood Ceremony date(s).



THE EXTENDED ELANGOMAT SYSTEM In the Lenni-Lenape language, Elangomat means "friend," and this is exactly the role the Elangomat holds in his relationship to the newly inducted ordeal member.

The Extended Elangomat System takes the Elangomat out of the Ordeal and into the newly inducted ordeal member's Scouting life. The Elangomat helps keep the Scout active and interested in Scouting and the Order of the Arrow and thereby leading to the Ordeal member becoming a Brotherhood member.

During the approximately 10 months between the candidate’s induction as an ordeal member and the Brotherhood ceremony, Elangomats will maintain continual contact with their assigned ordeal members. The Elangomat or a member of the Chapter Publications Committee will be responsible for mailing the three individual letter packets to the ordeal members. These packets are a duplicate of the Active Ordeal Member except that each packet will be accompanied by a character letter numbered I through 4. These letters will accompany the first through fourth packet, respectively. The fourth packet will contain the same information regarding the invitation, etc. for the Brotherhood ceremony. These character letters are from the four members of the Ordeal ceremony with each letter being written by a different Ordeal character. By sending on of these letters with each successive packet, it is hoped that the purpose and goals of the Order of the Arrow will be reinforced with the potential Brotherhood member and remind him or her of why he or she was elected or selected and inducted in the order. Examples of the packets and letters are contained in this total package.

The Lodge officers hope that this packet will help the Chapters with Brotherhood conversion achievement for the coming year and future years. This Brotherhood Conversion Program should be planned and placed in effect at the time of your next Ordeal and each Ordeal thereafter. It is a living program and if actively implemented and supported, will result in the conversion of the majority of the Chapters' eligible members into the Brotherhood. With this, the Chapters and Lodge will consist of active and dedicated Arrowmen whose contributions and participation will ensure both Honor Chapters and an Honor Lodge.



FIRST BROTHERHOOD CONVERSION LETTER LETTER FROM NUTIKET

My Brother,

"As guardian of the Circle, I urge you to seek the fire at the center ... lay the Oak and Pine together ... kindle all that is within you with a warm and cheerful spirit ... a cheerful heart is lively as ... bow-wood under hardship)." Thus, I Nutiket awakened you on the eve of your Ordeal.

My brothers and I each present a challenge, as in the torchlight we presented you with tests on the eve of your Ordeal. Do you recall my charge in the Ordeal? I urged you to sacrifice and learn the virtues of self denial by the test of Scant Food. Thus you abandoned mere personal, comfort or desire in order to fulfill your obligation. Have you thus far fulfilled your new obligation in your unit? Only thus can you be ready for Brotherhood membership.

The bow I carried when presenting my test is symbolic of cheerfulness for the Bow is lively and flexible under stress, just like the cheerful spirit. It is the trait of cheerfulness that other Scouts in your unit saw you and weighed heavily in their decision to elect you to the Order. The sash you wear, the Arrow, is symbolic of Leadership. But the sash is only a symbol and an ideal. It is your efforts to fulfill the Obligation that really distinguishes you from your fellow Scouts.

Always remember that your fellow Scouts honored you by electing you to our Order. They set you apart as one from whom they expect a great deal. They expect you to cheerfully provide leadership in camping and service.

You were sent to seek a vision of yourself and of your purpose. The challenge of Brotherhood is apart of that vision. When are you ready for Brotherhood? Do not let your fellow Scouts down. Serve cheerfully my Brother. We await your decision in the Circle.

Yours in Wingolauchsik,

Nutiket

Recommended Enclosures:

• Chapter Calendar

• Map to Chapter Meeting Location Chapter Organization

• Roster of Key Chapter Personnel



SECOND BROTHERHOOD CONVERSION LETTER LETTER FROM METEU

My Brother,

As a shadow in the firelight, I, Meteu, remind you of the Admonition whispered by all the natural world around you. The admonition of our Order was whispered in your ear at the ordeal, do you remember it? It should be your guide to Brotherhood membership.

The admonition as whispered by nature cannot be heard without a receptive ear. Thus I presented you with the test of Silence in the Ordeal that you clearly perceive your reflection in the mirror of nature "Hours spent in thoughtful silence help us make the right decisions more than days of talking ... help us catch the higher vision ..." in the tradition of Uncas.

As my symbol, I carry the Bow String, for without a string a lively Bow will do little to propel The Arrow onward and upward. Likewise, without the ties of Brotherhood and Love, a cheerful heart can accomplish little.

Before you took the obligation, your ties of Brotherhood were symbolized first by silence which "like a bowstring bound you each to every other" and then by the rope. The months following your achievement of ordeal membership are your opportunity to strengthen the ties of Brotherhood and express your love for fellow Scouts by fulfilling the obligation in your Unit.

My Brother, seek to identify the tests of the Ordeal when you encounter them in new ways and strive not to flinch from opportunities to apply the Admonition and obligation. Only thus will you BE PREPARED to make your decision to seal your membership in the Brotherhood. We await your decision in the Circle.

Yours in Wimachtendienk,

Meteu


• Member Interest Survey Form

• Chapter Calendar



THIRD BROTHERHOOD CONVERSION LETTER LETTER FROM ALLOWAT SAKIMA

My Brother,

I, Allowat Sakima, the Mighty Chief, challenge you to service! From me you accepted the test of Arduous Toil for the Ordeal. By my request, you were caused to approach the fire of Cheerfulness and to accept the Obligation of our Order. May you ALWAYS be willing to spend your time in service to others even when your Brothers in the order cannot assist you as they did during the Ordeal. Are you ready, thus to serve your unit?

On the eve of your first service with our Order, I strung the Bow, symbolic of uniting Brotherhood and Cheerfulness FOR SERVICE. I had you test the completed Bow, symbolic of your willingness to serve. My token, however, is the Arrow. Fitly chosen as a symbol of our Order, it is drawn from a quiver just as the election drew you from many others in your Troop. Do you still serve? Will you continue to serve?

The Hailing Sign of our Order is reminiscent of your introduction to the Arrow and is symbolic of your being set apart for something higher. Have you memorized the Obligation that you may more easily recall what you have promised? Was the judgment of your fellow Scouts accurate and justified? Remember that you pledged to return in service to your unit by placing your hand on the shoulder of the Brother Scout in front of you. Will you reconfirm the pledge? Your Brothers in the Order stand ready to assist you. Take advantage of their support whenever possible, but remember that the Arrow is a symbol of Leadership and that membership in our order is given not for what you have done but for what you are expected to do in the future. "He alone is worthy to wear the Arrow who will continue faithfully to serve his fellow man." My Brothers and I await your decision in the circle.

Yours in Witahemui,

Allowat Sakima



FOURTH BROTHERHOOD CONVERSION LETTER LETTER FROM KICHKINET

My Brother:

As Kichkinet, your Guide, I urge you forward on the next step of your journey. I am here to help you onward as a friend and Brother. Remember that the handclasp of the Order symbolizes your Obligation as additional ties to the ideals of Scouting. The Helpful Hand of your Brothers is available to you, clasp it.

I shot the Arrow on the eve of your Ordeal. as a token of your pathway to the goal - "Thus do you appear to others on the path of Cheerful Service." Are you still on the straight and true path? I urge you on with the same words with which I led you to the test of the Night Alone beneath the Heavens; "Now with courage on this ... step, follow me and these my Brothers, let us try to find the Arrow."

In the test of the night alone you confirmed your Self-Reliance, your willingness to accept the responsibility for your own thoughts and actions. Have you continued to test yourself and apply the traditions of the Order in your daily life? Are you walking with me and my Brothers, the Path of Uncas? Remember how he cheerfully offered his help despite the negative attitude of everyone around him?

I will be looking for you just outside the Circle to continue guiding you on this next step of your journey. Will you join me there? Will you accept the challenge to seal your membership at this time? My Brothers and I await you around the fire.

Yours in Wimachtendienk Wingolauchsik Witahemui,

Kichkinet


• Brotherhood Ceremony Registration Form

• Map to Brotherhood Ceremony Location

• Information on Requirements for Brotherhood Candidates


Documents

LODGE OPERATING PROCEDURES · Lodge Rules . 1-1 . Lodge Operating Procedures . Revised 02/20/2012 . AMANGAMEK-WIPIT LODGE #470 National Capital Area Council #82 - Boy Scouts of America