Den funding

[83Eagle]

Historically dens have not gotten funding from our pack due to budget realities. However, a very successful fundraiser this year got the leaders thinking about whether/how to give the dens a budget.

 

We're not sure how to do best do this because of the wide range in numbers of boys between ranks. For instance we have only two tigers, but 16 4th grade webelos.

 

So for example, a fixed amount per den would mean much more to the tigers than it would to the webelos. $30, for instance, could go a long way with two boys but not far with 16.

 

On the other hand, a per-boy amount, which is fair, is going to put a lot more of the pack budget into one particular rank. So, a $10/boy budget would put $20 into the tigers but $160 to the webelos.

 

How do you deal with this?

[Scoutfish]

We came up with something this year. That is, the CC, myself (CM) and our ACM came up with something.

 

Used to be, the DL's would buy whatever materials, and get refunded by the pack or parents of the boys.

 

Then last year, we started collecting $1.00 a scout den dues at each den meeting. But depending on wether somebody remembers to bring the due, or if the scout was out due to sports, sickness or just habitually missed meetings ....well, it could make planning still hard to do.

 

So this year we designated a portion of all scout assisted fundraising as part of our den dues.

 

POPCORN: Used to the scout got 30% of the packs share of popcorn money.

 

Now we break it down to: 50% ( of packs share) goes to individual scout acounts, 40% goes to den, and 10% goes directly to campouts to cover camperships

 

Camp Cards(thius is going to be our first year): 50% to scout account, 50% to dens.

 

Our annual pack BBQ chicken fundraiser dinner: 90% goes to pack, 10% goes directly for campership funding.

 

Used to, we gave scouts same 30% of ticket sales, but will now just award some sort of prize for highet ticker sales. But decided that we should stop dipping in evey funding source and use just this one for the pack, and use the others for scouts and dens.

 

Den dues must be used by that den before tat den crosses out. Any leftover or unused monet will inver over to the next years Tiger dn dues , which helps cover that time period between signup when all fees go to council and recharter, when we charge our annual pack dues of $40.00.

 

$40.00 : &15.00 for recharter, $3.00 for BSA insurance, $22.00 for pack supplies, patches, awards, etc...

 

So far, it sounds and looks like a great idea, but honestly won't know until the end of the scouting year.

 

[momof2cubs]

In our pack, the dens are on their own. It puts a lot of pressure I think on the leaders, who end up absorbing a lot of costs. Seems wrong to me, but I eat the costs because I believe in Scouting.

 

What burns is when parents have the gull to complain.

[83Eagle]

Some dens do dues but the leaders are looking now and saying, hey we have more money now.

 

I realize this should probably be a committee decision but we don't have a properly functioning pack committee so our leaders just all agree on what to do.

[kari_cardi]

Our pack budget allots so much per month per boy to each den. The den leaders can spend it all at once or a little at a time or however they want. We ask them to still be prudent with it, they don't have to spend it. It gives a guideline though, so they know what would be considered reasonable.

[frank10]

83E.: how about a bit of both? split the pot in half, divide one share $$ per den and the other half $ per boy. Recognizes the difficulty of running both large and small dens.

[83Eagle]

I think the split could work next year. I am wondering about this year. Is a per boy or per den budget fair? Or maybe per boy with a minimum per den?

[Lisabob]

It depends a little on what the dens are doing, too. Reality is that Webelos tends to be a little more expensive than Tigers. More materials needed for some (larger) projects, field trips more likely to be to places that cost some money or are a bit further afield, camping with boy scout troops tends to have a cost attached (food, site reservation, etc). Meanwhile, Tiger go-see-its are typically right in town and to places that are free, craft or other activities are usually small and cheap.

 

So I don't necessarily see a problem with the funding being a bit uneven.

 

What you might want to think about is setting aside money for the ranking-up at the end of the year - example: buy the handbook for the next rank, for your current scouts? That may come out to be more expensive for the Tiger/Wolf group, than the Webelos, who don't need a new handbook. If you do that, then your spending per den will likely even out in the bigger picture.

 

But I also like the idea of a minimum $$ amount per den, plus a per-boy amount on top of that, to recognize the challenges of smaller and larger dens.

 

 

 

 

 

[ScoutLass]

We don't charge dues. We do $15 per month, per 5 boys. So a den with three boys gets $15, while den with eight boys gets $30. Leaders can spend more, but they have to get treasurer approval first. But we don't just turn the cash over to the den leaders. We used to, but then we ended up with lots of doubles in supplies, like 20 lbs. of plaster of Paris, or a leader buying premade birdhouse kits when we had a huge excess of kits our old cubmaster had made. So, after the pack meeting, the den leaders give a run down of what they are planning for the next month and everyone offers their excess supplies when possible. Then the leaders buy what they need, in budget, and turn in the receipts for reimbursement.

 

My after the holidays project is to clean up our CO's Sunday School storage room, which we share but rarely use. There are supplies in there older than me! That way we can have a dedicated shelf or two for leaders to "shop" from, instead of me keeping everything in my basement.