inactive Scout Accounts

[Greeneagle5]

How do you deal with the remaining balance of money left in a Scout's acct. once he doesn't re-charter or simply becomes inactive longer than 12 months ? My Troop has several inactive(over 24 months) Eagle Scouts' accts. that still have $$$ in them. The SM's policy is to only allow the money to be used for Scouting or education. My thoughts......if the youth earned the money (his name is on the acct.)but has become inactive for over 9 months for whatever reason, he or his parents should be notified and offered the funds. I also feel the committee should deal with these issues and not the SM.

Appreciate help and advice.

G5

[Trevorum]

If the funds were "on deposit" with the troop from the parents to pay for summer camp, etc., they should be refunded to the family. OTOH, if the funds were the result of fund-raising activities by the scout (on behalf of the troop), they should revert to the troop. IMHO.

[SemperParatus]

Ditto to what Trevorum said.

[EagleInKY]

Ditto the ditto.

[SR540Beaver]

While I am one of those people who do my best to avoid written rules and bylaws in a unit, it is items such as this that makes you think twice. There is always going to be a difference of opinion and a policy "seems" the best way to handle it. We are a new troop that isn't yet a year old. We've had several boys quit scouting who had money in their accounts. The committee's take on it is that the funds are for scouting and if the scout quits, the funds go into the general fund of the unit. Obviously, if the boy moves to another troop, the funds will be sent to that troop. It makes me uneasy to assume that we can just keep the funds. While the boy is in the unit, the rule is it can only be spent on scouting. If the boy leaves the troop, can you just assume that his money now belongs to the troop? Depending on how good your treasurer is and if you are using software, keeping up with how much came from fundraisers as opposed to money the boy and/or the family put in can be a real headache. Even if it was from a fundraiser, it is the portion of the raised funds that were given to the boy as his own for scouting. He earned it by the work he did. While I would love to be able to keep the money for the troop, if it belongs to the boy......it belongs to the boy. If I quit my job, I still expect to get my last paycheck. The company doesn't get to keep it.

[EagleInKY]

"If I quit my job, I still expect to get my last paycheck. The company doesn't get to keep it. "

 

True, and I would equate that to advancement. If a boy had earned the Star Rank, then he deserves it no matter what.

 

Now, not to get into an payroll legal argument, but I'm pretty sure there are more comparable things you could equate this to. For example, if I leave before my Pension is vested, then I do not get any of it. If I have unspent money in a medical benefits spending account, you normally lose it as well. If you have "unofficial" comp time, then the same goes there too. So, while you do deserve and receive any pay for work completed, you do forfeit some things. As long as it is treated fairly for all, I see no issue with it.

[evmori]

Ditto the ditto the ditto!

[starwolfmom]

In our troop, if there is money left in a Scout's account when he leaves the troop (either by aging out or not rechartering), the first step is to put the remaining funds into a younger sibling's account (if there is one), and then, if not, the money goes into the troop's campership fund.

 

Elizabeth

[SR540Beaver]

EagleinKY,

 

You are right about the benefits package. However, lets say that your unit sells widgets to buy a troop trailer. It is known upfront that the trailer is the object of the fundraiser and that all proceeds go to its purchase. Your next fundraiser is selling doohickeys. 50% of the proceeds go to the troops general fund and 50% go to the scouts account. That is his money to be spent for scouting needs. Next you sell thingamabobs strictly as a fundraiser for all proceeds go into the scouts account. While in the troop, he can only spend the money for scouting purposes. But when he leaves the troop, did the fact that he got out and earned the money by the sweat of his brow not carry any weight in the final disposition of those funds? While I expect to get my paycheck for the hours I worked, I do realize I won't get money back for the benefits package. The boy obviously isn't going to get a wheel off of the trailer when he leaves, but should he not get the money he earned for his own personal use? We don't dip into the boy's accounts when the troop needs money to spend. Why should we get to keep it when he leaves?

 

To some degree, I'm playing devil's advocate here. Most of the boys in our troop have anywhere from $20 to $80 in their accounts today and the higher end would only go halfway to paying for summer camp. So, we are not talking big bucks. Some walk off and never even give it any thought. One boy's family told us to keep any funds he had as a gift to the troop.

[Eamonn]

Hi Beav,

If I Pay for OJ to attend summer camp and he decides to quit, I would expect a return of the money I paid less any deposits or that sort of thing.

Money raised by the troop was raised in the name of the chartering organization. Just as if the Troop folded the Trailer would become the property of the CO. So even though it may have been held in an account with the Lads name on it to pay for the Scouting program which is an extension of the CO's youth program, it does not belong to the Scout.

I know that when I buy something from a Scout that some of the money is being used to further the Scouting program. I can live without a freezer full of frozen pizzas and a cupboard full of expensive popcorn (I don't like popcorn!!) I only buy it to support Scouting. So I think that all money raised in the name of the Troop under the umbrella of the CO should remain in the unit or go to the CO.

This would of course be a matter that the Troop Committee takes care of. IMHO,too many Scouter's spend way too much time raising money and taking care of it when they should be working with the youth members.

Eamonn.

[andrewcanoe]

All the fundraising in the troop I belong to that goes into a "Scouts account is for scouting uses only. Why should that change when he leaves? If the scout (or his parents) contine on in the troop as registered members the account stays active and can be used for scouting expenses. This is one of the "written guidelines" that is in our packet given when a family joins the troop.(These guidelines are open to discussion at any adult/parent meeting)

[Trevorum]

This last year we adopted an ammendment to our written troop guidelines to the effect that if a Scout moves, we will forward his funds to the new troop upon reciept of a request from his new SM

[nldscout]

In NY as in most states it is illegal to hand cash over to a youth if it was raised under the umbrella of boy scouting. A non-profit must account for its money. One of the local troops used to hand each boy a check at the end of the year with the intention that he use it for camp but a number of the youth didn't go to camp but kept and spent the money. That was a big NO NO when someone with accounting background found out.

 

Leftover funds go to troop.

[SR540Beaver]

OK, lets look at it from a different angle. Little Beav knocks his socks off selling popcorn door to door and his portion of the fundraising proceeds that goes into his account is $200. His buddy, a little plucky lad named Eamonn mows lawns during the summer and makes $200 to put into his scout account. Beav and Eamonn both decide that since they are outstading athletes, they want to quit scouting and be star players on the school football team. While you could make an argument that Beav raised his money thru a troop coordinated fundraiser and therefore isn't entitled to get any of the money when he leaves, can you make the same argument for the money Eamonn earned on his own and decided to deposit in HIS scout account? After all, everyone told him it would be better to set the money aside in his scout account and have it for use thru the scout year as opposed to blowing it all on Gatorade while the girls swoon over his athletic prowess on the field. Both earned it, but Eamonn earned it thru his own initiative. Actually, Beav and Eamonn both earned it, but one was earned thru a coordinated effort while one took his own initiative. Is Eamonn just out the money he earned and put into his account? Does it matter where the money came from as long as the boy earned it?

 

I see troop money and the boys account as two different things. Troop money belongs to the CO. While the money earned by a boy is kept in the same general banking account and is seperated out on paper, it is none the less money he earned to be spent on scouting as he sees fit. No one can tell how to spend it on scouting or even that he has to spend it.

[Trevorum]

BigBeav, under this scenario, the rules allow BOTH private deposits AND fund raising to be comingled. Not a good idea, IMHO. Our "Scout Bucks" program includes ONLY money credited to Scouts that they have raised during a troop fund raising effort. The funds belong to the troop, not the individual. Upon request, the troop applies the Scout Bucks to a Scouts summer camp tuition (or other approved expenditure). Our Scout Bucks plan does not accept money on deposit directly from families. If they want to make an advance payment towards siummer camp, that is totally separate.