Reimbursing Pack Expenses

[SeattlePioneer]

As pack treasurer, my policy is to reimburse pack expenses when I am given receipts for reasonable expenses. I'm available at den and pack meetings and at monthly pack committee meetings.

 

I make announcements encouraging leaders to turn in receipts fairly often, and most leader have turned in receipts and received a check one or more times.

 

Still, most den and pack leaders seem to prefer to absorb those expenses themselves. We have ample money to pay expenses, and paying den leaders and other leaders for pack expenses is something I WANT to do.

 

If leaders don't turn in receipts, I can't reimburse them. When I ask leaders why they don't turn in receipts, they tell me it's too small an amount to be concerned about or they are happy to make it a contribution to the pack.

 

Should I be satisfied with that or is there more I should do?

 

 

 

 

[mestroh]

I have run into similar situations, not only in my pack but other organizations. I always start by thanking them for their generosity, and explain that if the money isn't used, it may not be budgeted in future years. Where it hurts the pack is that a future leader may not have the same resources to make a similar donation and will be intimated from asking for reimbursement, or worse yet, not lead all together. It allows for better tracking of the expenses.

 

No easy answer, but I hope it offers a helpful idea!

 

 

[Sqyire21]

Here's my two cents....

 

I have been given one check from my Pack...and it was only after I approached them because of the amount I asked for. Could I claim more...of course. I'm sure most of our leaders rack up $50-100 every couple of months with little expenses. (I know I do) But, most of these expenses are small and easily written off by the individual as just part of leading the Pack/Den.

 

So.. how do you get them to keep an account book and offer up receipts? I don't have a good answer, because when we donate $5 here and $10 there... it doesn't seem like much. When we have to cut a check for $50-70, we all tend to notice. I honestly think its a matter of "Is that really worth the trouble?" (its like deducting the mileage we use for BSA from our taxes... can we? yes...will we? Probably not)

 

 

 

 

[ScoutNut]

Smile, and thank the person profusely!

 

[fred johnson]

If they don't care about reimbursement, then you shouldn't worry. Just remember to thank them for the donation.

 

I must admit that I'm one to rarely submit expenses. I ask for a check BEFORE when I'm rechartering the pack or paying for camps. If I'm registering one scout and it's mid-way thru the year, I usually don't even bother with reimbursement. On the flip side, I also don't do as much fundraising. My son probably only sells $300 in popcorn. So instead of doing a huge amount of fundraising, this is how my family contributes.

[Faith]

When I started as a den leader, I was told to use the dues we collect monthly in the den to make any needed purchases. As I posted elsewhere on here, those quit coming in regularly and most of the things I needed to purchase were bought out of my own pocket. I wasn't offered any reimbursement from the pack but if I had of been, I would have refused. In my opinion all you can do in your situation is mention it to them (which is apparently more than some packs do) and if they refuse, thank them and move on. The only time I'd make a point of even considering a reimbursement is if it was a huge, necessary purchase that couldn't be purchased any other way (however next year I will not be footing the bill for those who don't help at all and only show up here and there when money is required and expect me to cover it.)

[jc2008]

I would definitely tell the parents that are absorbing costs to remember if they itemize they can claim ANY unreimbursed expenses on their taxes.

Anything from leader uniforms to den supplies to gas mileage to meetings/camp outs.

 

 

[Fehler]

We reimburse supplies, and I announce it every so often to Den Leaders. We budget $25 a year for Tigers, $50 for Wolf-Bear-Webelos. Mostly, the leaders keep it on the cheap, and a few have never asked for reimbursement. I wouldn't try the dues method, seems like too much hassle.