How much is a District Executive worth?

I was browsing a job board over the weekend for Director-level positions in my field (not Scout-related) and stumbled upon this posting for a District Executive in my area:

District Executive
Boy Scouts of America – Ogden, UT

The District Executive selected will:

• Work with a volunteer board of directors and other community and business leaders to identify, recruit, train, guide, and inspire them to become involved in youth programs.
• Achieve progress towards specific goals and objectives which include: program development through collaborative relationships, volunteer recruitment and training, fundraising, membership recruitment and retention.
• Be responsible for extending programs to religious, civic, fraternal, educational, and other community-based organizations through volunteers.
• Secure adequate financial support for programs in assigned area. Achieve net income and participation objectives for assigned camps and activities.
• Recruit leadership for finance campaign efforts to meet the financial needs of the organization.
• Ensure that all program sites are served through volunteers, regular leader meetings, training events and activities.
• Collaborate with adult volunteers and oversee achievement of training for their respective role.
• Be a good role model and recognize the importance of working relationships with other professionals and volunteers. The executive must have communication skills and be able to explain the program’s goals and objectives to the public.
• Provide quality service through timely communication, regular meetings, training events and activities.
• Have a willingness and ability to devote long and irregular hours to achieve council and district objectives.

Desired Skills:

• Strong marketing, fund-raising and program development background is highly desired.
• Non-profit, fundraising or sales experience is a plus.
• Must be comfortable with public speaking and interacting with diverse audiences. Excellent people skills, enthusiastic, punctual, responsible and creative.
• Self-motivated individual with solid time management skills and strong organizational skills in management, budgeting, and planning.
• Committed to personal and professional productivity, while maintaining high ethical and professional working standards.

Requirements:

• Must be willing to accept and meet the Boy Scout of America’s leadership and membership standards and subscribe to the Scout Oath and Law.
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (transcript with the date degree conferred stated is required for employment).
• Attained 21 years of age or older unless prohibited by any applicable law.
• Ability to work varied hours when necessary, evening activities and weekend work is frequently required to achieve positive objectives.
• Ability to travel for training at least once a year for one to two weeks.
• A Scouting background is helpful but not required for employment.
• Offers for employment are subject to criminal, reference and motor vehicle background checks.

Compensation:

All councils are equal opportunity employers. In addition to offering a competitive salary of $36,000, Professional Scouting offers benefits to include major medical, prescription coverage, dental, vision, life-insurance, long-term disability, accidental death, a defined benefit retirement plan, plus compensation for authorized and approved business related expenses to include phone and mileage reimbursement. We also offer generous vacation policy and ten holiday observances.

A few things stood out to me after reading this job description:

1. Have a willingness and ability to devote long and irregular hours to achieve council and district objectives.
2. Evening activities and weekend work is frequently required to achieve positive objectives
3. Offering a competitive salary of $36,000

Would you call that “competitive”?  I think it’s entry-level.  In fact, I would be surprised if a college graduate, given responsibilities at a management level, expected to work frequent nights/weekends and everything else listed above couldn’t make more money doing something else!

Is that really all a District Executive is worth for what they’re asked to do??

In looking at Glassdoor.com, the range for this BSA position appears to be anywhere between $24,000 and $52,000 according to DEs who have shared their salary info:

I wonder if it’s hard to fill positions in the BSA.  Someone once told me they strictly promote from within as employees work their way up the professional scouting ladder.  If that’s the case, an individual would have to start in their 20s, fresh out of college, without a family and saving every penny.  …then I wonder how long it would take to get into the higher income brackets in order to start a family and make it in today’s tough economy.