MajBob

Out troop has weekly dues collected by the Scribe. This is a relatively new process, and a couple of the families - yes - the parents - are rebelling by not allowing their scouts to pay the dues. Three or foru of the scouts, in fact, are 17 and 18 weeks in arrears. All of the other scouts are current, and seem to have no problems with it. (The parents in opposition are former SM and committee members - who had a 'No Dues, Period!' policy - and generally object to the notion of dues . . . Our Troop bylaws state that scouts who are not paid current may not participate in troop activities. Do other troops have similar policies? At what point does (or should?) troop leadership lower the boom?? Or should we delete this provision from the bylaws all together?? Any and all input/response is appreciated. Tschuss! Bob Hendry Troop 908

Dear Welilissit, Thank you for your sage advice. I for one, need to keep that distinction in mind when working in and around the troop. Our oldest scout is about ready to turn 15, and there are unrealistic expectations on these young boys. Our SM has been in place for about the limit that you mention - Committee Chair has been in place for about the same. Neither has sons in the troop any longer - all 5 of them have made Eagle Scout and movet on to adulthod. So they are both easily distracted and overworked. But rather than ask for help, they let things slide down in that proverbial crack . . . Because of the small size of the troop, there arn't many adult volunteers to help out. Yes, the load is much lighter, but things still need to happen - and we are striving to discover a way to correct these shortfalls. Thanks again to all who have contributed. I am greatful! Cheers! Bob Hendry Troop 908 Southern Maryland

Thanks to all of you who have provided valuable advice. I will present a summary of your ideas to the commetee when it meets next Tuesday. I continue to marvel at the incredible value of this forum, as well as the willingness of so many 'seasoned' members to share ideas with us 'greenhorns'. Thanks again. Cheers! Bob Hendry Troop 908 Southern Maryland (Zekiah District)

We are haveing some confusion in our troop, mainly among the adults, about who and how troop meeting agenda are set. Because of (fill in the blank) ______________, PLCs are rarely held. Five out of the last 6 troop meetings have been "planning" meetings where no other activities have tken place - the boys 'plan' from immediately after the opening ceremony until immediately before the close. (the 6th meeting was the Court of Honor, and the 2 meetings prior to that were devoted to planning that!) The response we newer members get from the old timers is along the lines that "this is a boy led troop". This seems to absolve the leaders from providing any guidance and mentoring. The boys are bored to death. The adults are bored as well - Sorry for unloading . . . The question is where can I find guidance/advice on setting meeting agenda? How do other troops deal with this? Where does the leadereship/mentoring role end and the 'boy led troop' notion start? Must they be mutually exclusive? Again, I apologize for venting - our troop is now down to 6 scouts - and we have managed to scare off the last 3 prospective members who have visited . . . We need help! Thanks to those of you who have labored through my rant . . . Contrary to how I may have come across, I want to be part of the fix - not a patch. Cheers! Bob Hendry Troop 908

Greetings from Southern Maryland! Can anyone advise me of BSA policy regarding customized troop t-shirts? Our troop would like to have some made-up to be worn as a class B uniform shirt. Are there any published policies which limit or advise in any way? Is there a difference between class B uniform shirts and 'activity shirts'? Can we extend the t-shirt idea to sweatshirts? Neckerchives? Hats? I have seen all of the above worn by various troops at jamborees, scout nights, and other places/events. Are they all legit? They almost always look great! Also, is there a set of recommended sources who others have used, and who 'specialize' in boy scout shirts? We don't have a particular source here that we have used, although there are tons of them around - not sure that they have the appropriate logos and emblems in stock . . thanks! Bob Hendry Troop 908

Thanks to all for the links to some terrific graphics sites. I found what I was looking for. Kahuna, Thanks for the advice. I shall 'cast away my fears', and just have fun . . . Cheers! Bob H Troop 908

Greetings, Guess who is the new website advisor? We do not have a website, and we are starting from scratch. I have seen a number of great Troop sites, and have suggeted that those scouts interested in webmastering go out and review several sites to determine which kinds of information would best serve our scouting community. It is becomming clear that I will have to build a strawman site, and then have the scouts give a go /no-go. (We would lkike to have it up by the end of the year.) I will probably use Frontpage 2003 because I have it. Does anyone knbow if there are copyright issues if I allow the troop to use my personal copy to build and maintain a website? Also, can you refer me to any sites where I can find BSA graphics? I've seen many troop site which use the BSA troop numeral insignia - where can I find these?? Any tips/suggestions are welcome and would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Bob H. Troop 908 So. Md.

At last night's troop meeting, I overheard a heated debate between a parent and her scout, and a committee member, regarding the checklists that are printed in the scout handbook. There are a number of checklists throughout the handbook, but the discussion was focused on the checklists in the back of the handbook that list the requirements of the next rank. On the right is a line for the initials and on the left is a small box for checking off the requirements as they are met. Who initials-off and who checks-off these requirements? One party maintained that the SM does both, the second party contends that the SM initials, but the scout checks of the box as he completes the requirement. Initially, I would agree with the second party, but we are new to scouting, and I would like to verify this before I open my big mouth . . . Can anyone here set me straight? Thanks Bob H Troop 908 Southern Maryland

Dear eisely & Vicki, I agree with eisely - the preparation is the hardest part. I _could_ add that the colonoscopy in more analagous to drinking warm beer, while the audit is like drinking a bottle of Texas Pete - it can continue to frustrate after the fact . . . But I won't go there! Cheers. Bob Hendry Troop 908

Thanks, Kurt.

Dear Vicki, Thank you for you good advice. I am very appreciative. I am also treasurer for a couple of Political Action Committees, and get audited by both the State Board of Elections as well as federal audit agencies, so I am, not so much 'gun shy' as 'audit aware'. So in my ignorance of BSA policy, I tend to go the the extreme. In my former life, I ran an internal audit division in the Army - another reason why I tend to be a stickler . . . ANd I would really like to simplify this to the level necessary - and no more! I will indeed bring what I have gained from this thread to the committee meeting next week. Thanks again to all who have contributed. Cheers! Bob Hendry Troop 908

Sage advice indeed! What is generally the upper limit on checks before two signatures are required? Also, is $50.00 normally the SM petty cash limit? Just a couple more questions: It is clear to me that as treasurer, my job is to account for and manage the finances for the troop. Does this typically include the Venture Crew? (We are currently a very small troop and a very small Venture Crew; about 10 total kids) And to whom do I report most directly; the SM or the CC? At the last troop meeting, a scout who had been inactive since Christmas came back with a $50.00 deposit for summer camp. We had just sent the first prepayment to the Blue Ridge Mountains Council which was $100.00/scout. The SM then, on Tuesday evening, asked me to write a check for an additional $100.00 to the Blue Ridge Council for the scout who had just rejoined. I will acknowledge that I am a bit 'audit aware', but very daunted I wrote the check for him to mail with nothing in the form of invoice or receipt to back up the transaction. And I am uneasy about it - not that I dont trust the SM - I do, implicitly, but I would be found out of compliance with GAAP if audited; when does the troop get audited? Again, I would like to thank each and every one of you for pitching-in to help the new guy, i.e., me! Bob Hendry Troop 908

A while back, AK-Eagle mentioned the WOSM eStore. Can anybody tell me what that is and how I can get in touch with them? Thanks. Bob Hendry

I am the treasurer of my son's troop. We just started using TroopLedger ME to track all finances. While going back through the manual records, I discovered that at one point in time, the troop setup passbook accounts for each scout and for each parent/adult-friend of the troop. Does anyone else use separate accounts for adults? I am inclined to proposed that these accounts not be continued and that the funds raised by the adults go into their sons' accounts or into the general fund. Has anyone else faced this? How do most of you deal with adults and fundraisers? Does BSA have any policy or guidance? Thanks! Bob Hendry Troop 908

Thank you all for your advice and suggestions. You have been most helpful, and I really appreciate hearing the experiences of others more steeped in the culture of the BSA than I. I am also treasurer for a political action committee, where we use a Request for Disbursement form. The requestor provides a description of the purpose of the disburse, attaches itemized receipts, and/or the bill. After PAC President signs the request, as approval, she forwards it to me for disbursement. This process has been commended by several external auditors. Would something similar to this work in Lieu of two party signatures on each check? SemperParatus: Thanks for your suggestion - yes PeachTree is not all that intuitive. I am completely unfamiliar with QuickBooks; is it also double entry?? If it is as simple as Quicken, which I use for my personal financial management, that may well be the way we go. Again, my thanks to all of you. This is indeed a great forum. Bob Hendry Troop 908 Hughesville, Maryland