MB day and insurance

[namu35950]

ok, I am thinking of doing a MB day in my district to raise money for a troop trip. I have been told that if you have any event with scouts present you must pay $3 per scout on insurance. Here are my questions.

1. if this is true, can anyone find the link to it on BSA web site so I can verifiy it.

2. Would scouts out of my district need to fill out a tour perment.

3. if so would the insurance on the tour perment override the insurance needed at the day event

 

thanks in advance

Namu

[Eagle92]

Namu,

 

A couple of things.

 

1) there are two types of insurance, accident and liability. Most units pay for the accident, or councils can make it mandatory at registratrion. But the liability insurance is charged on a per event basis, at least in my neck of the woods.

 

2) Insurance prices will vary form council to council. So it may be a council policy.

[Oak Tree]

1. I cannot imagine this is true. You can invite people over to your place to do whatever you want. Scouts are automatically covered by Scout insurance when they are on Scout activities.

 

2. Don't worry about it. Let them follow whatever rules apply to them.

 

3. Tour permits are not about insurance. Scouts are covered whether or not you file the newly named "Tour and Activity Plan".

[Venividi]

OK, color me confused here. Scouts obviously cant teach MB's. How are they earning the money?

 

[Beavah]

Yah, hmmm...

 

Much confusion in my mind.

 

Do yeh really think a MB day is a good idea? As a fundraiser? I'm sorta struck by Venividi's comment, and by the notion that in the BSA, merit badge counseling is one of da things we do for kids as part of Adult Association method, eh? It's not somethin' we do for money.

 

Be that as it may:

 

1) Tour plans have nuthin' to do with insurance. They're to help units plan activities and transportation and such. Yep, troops from out of the area probably should do them, but that's up to them.

 

2) General liability insurance is in force automatically and is not at issue. However yeh might want to ask your council for a certificate listing the property owner where you're conducting the event as a named additional insured. That should be no cost.

 

3) Accident (health) insurance is optional. Some councils mandate it for everyone at registration; other councils leave it up to each unit whether to buy it. Some councils in the latter group will expect it to be in force for a unit to attend a council event, or will charge extra for coverage for that event. Having accident insurance in place takes care of deductibles and most simple injuries, and therefore lessens the burden for families and reduces da likelihood of somethin' becomin' a liability issue. That sounds like what's goin' on here.

 

There's no link to a BSA website, this is a local council option.

The general liability coverage would not get yeh out of this local requirement.

 

Might I suggest a pancake breakfast instead?

[namu35950]

Ok I may just be stupid or looking at it from a different point,

Venividi, I never said anything about scouts teaching MB classes. I have a list of adults to teach the classes.

 

and why not a MB day to earn money, what better way to earn money for the troop than to put something on where other scouts have a chance to learn? Let me ask this question where does the money go right now from MB days?????? Not to a troop? But again my goal is to send my troop to Gilwell England. So thinking outside the box may be in order to raise 40k for the trip.

[Papadaddy]

All MB counsellors must be registered with the District as MBC ...and my units never participated in MB days, but I would venture a guess that any registration fee charged was purely to cover expenses, such as materials, refreshments, etc.

 

First things first...you need to file a "Unit Fundraising Application" with your Council and go from there. My guess is, it won't be approved.

[Venividi]

Namu,

 

Let me explain myself which I should have done initially. Upon rereading my previous post, I see that it could come across as flip. intend. I apologize for that.

 

Fundraisers aren't just about raising money to fund a trip. They are an opportunity for boys to earn their own way. Holding a MB day appears to be a way for adults to earn the way for the scouts. While I suppose that scouts could direct attendees to various classes or prepare and serve an included lunch to all the attendees, I'm not seeing how a MB day fundraiser provides a way for scouts to earn their own way with adult help, but rather, some limited opportunity for scouts to help adults earn their way for them.

 

As far as why not a MB day? Beavah hints at it. Take some time and read the MB training materials on BSA's web site. MB days circumvent many of the benefits of the MB program that BSA describes. I recognize that not everyone buys into the benefits of the process laid out by BSA.

 

To your point that other troops are raising money by holding MB days - I've never been one for "everyone else is doing it, so we might as well do it to". I do recognize that perhaps that makes me an old traditionalist fuddy-duddy that doesn't recognize the changes in todays world, where the destination of receiving a MB is more important than the journey of getting there. (I do recognize that there are a few MB's with limited counselors, where scouts would otherwise have no opportunity to meet with a specialist such as a nuclear physicist; though that is more an exception that not).

 

You mention that it is your goal to send the troop to Gilwell. That is a great goal, and perhaps the expense of the trip justifies having fundraisers done by adults; or perhaps this is a supplement to fundraisers where scouts are earning a significant portion of their own money to fund their trip. I hope that the scouts are seeing a trip to Gilwell as their goal rather than yours, and that you can excite them sufficiently that they work hard to raise a significant portion of their own funds.

Good luck

 

VV

 

[namu35950]

I do not mean to step on anyone toes, as you can see I have been a member since 2008 but only 14 posts, why because I like to learn and understand, but look at the orginal posts, it was asking specific questions about something I did not understand.

 

Since being in BSA I have learned alot of things, and one of them is that there are more than one way to do things. Venividi, I do understand where you are coming from, and I give my scouts any oppunitity to earn MB's and not all them come from MB days, Everyone thinks summer camp is the a great place to earn MBs, but MB couslers at summer camp are usually young adults, not the local judge who is signed up to do Cit. in the Community, who is also on our troop commitee, or the head of the board of education who is doing cit in the nation who is on the council district camping commitee.

My point is this, there are plenty of ways to earn MB's. and plenty of ways to earn money.

 

Lets try to keep an open mind

 

Thanks

[Basementdweller]

sounds like council is looking for their piece of the Pie?

 

 

I get a vision of a couple of gangbangers coming in and shaking down the local quikie mart for protection money.

 

I would say no thank you.

[prof]

Basementdweller wrote:"sounds like council is looking for their piece of the Pie"

 

I think he might have it right. I've seen a lot of posts where every event must show a profit. Perhaps the insurance fee is councils profit.