Individual Scout Accounts

[mscout]

RE: Fees/Registration

In our pack, if you sold pop-corn, your fees were waived otherwise you paid reg fee & ins. All the money raised was thrown into the pot and then used. Some had issues with their scout(and in some cases I seriously question who does the fundraising the scout or the parent selling hundreds of dollars in popcorn when others didn’t sell as much or at all & considered it picking up slack for others, so they started ISA. However, when there are other non pop corn fundraisers, they are not doing same, this money doesn't get ear marked for each individual, rather it goes into the PACK (not ISA) account and is used for "other" expenses. I don't see how this isn't picking up slack for others, because the same boys volunteer time & time again for hours of work while others do not. Either all individual accounts or just a pack account, none of this in between stuff.

 

Then you have the tax issue. This seems a little slippery to me. First, the pack may claim it's all "pack" money, but our pack has each boys name and it tracks $ in and $ out on each boy. If a scout has a negative balance, the pack doesn't absorb that, he must pay that in. For non profit status, the fundrasing must be for the entire organization, so when you start keeping complex spreadsheets, this isn't for the "pack". Our pack is coming up with a minimum year start up amount, that you must have in the account, and add in fees to cover Boy's Life,B&G and Pine Wood Derby. Sorry, these are not mandatory. Keep them out of the minimum required. In fact, there should be no minimum requirements to the ISA. Whether it's tax legal or not, the premise of the ISA was a place to put $ earned from fundraising because you can't hand $ to the scout, because then he would be getting paid. Now we are asking parents to pay upwards of $75.00 then when it comes to camping or crafts or go see its, they are still shelling out money on top of that.

 

Picking up slack statement bothers me too. Is this a scout like statement? Our pack has help for those in need anyway regardless so I don't get this whole, well if they can't afford, they can fundraise attitude.

 

I will be attending a committee meeting soon and need opinions.

 

FYI :

 

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-wd/02-0041.pdf

 

 

 

[Sqyire21]

Good luck with this....and I'd love to find out the solution. (because I have a similar issue here)

I came from one pack which operated like this. Scout earned money, and that money was loaded into their ISA. Camp outs, annual dues, recharter/re-up fees, etc....all came from the ISA. This gave parents a reason to participate in the fund raising.

New pack does things differently. Scout shows up to fund-raise. If the reaches the magic mark in sales... $333 in this pack....his dues are covered. If not, he pays the difference. "Oh, little Johnny sold $800 today...great for you...all sales after the magic mark go straight to the Pack." So.. where is the incentive to sell more? Oh, there isn't any?

I'd love to see this system changed....but the CM has no interest in changing it, and even went so far as to say at the last committee meeting that we cap the scout at $100 for Pack dues, and nothing else will be kept in their accounts. There was never a vote on this...just him saying it. He then went on to explain how his son had sold over $800 that weekend! I was left asking myself...either the amount sold only matters up to $333, to cover the $100 pack fee....or you give the extra funds to the Scout, and keep it in their ISA. You can't have it both ways....and you certainly can't do it without a vote!

[qwazse]

Good luck with this....and I'd love to find out the solution. (because I have a similar issue here)

I came from one pack which operated like this. Scout earned money, and that money was loaded into their ISA. Camp outs, annual dues, recharter/re-up fees, etc....all came from the ISA. This gave parents a reason to participate in the fund raising.

New pack does things differently. Scout shows up to fund-raise. If the reaches the magic mark in sales... $333 in this pack....his dues are covered. If not, he pays the difference. "Oh, little Johnny sold $800 today...great for you...all sales after the magic mark go straight to the Pack." So.. where is the incentive to sell more? Oh, there isn't any?

I'd love to see this system changed....but the CM has no interest in changing it, and even went so far as to say at the last committee meeting that we cap the scout at $100 for Pack dues, and nothing else will be kept in their accounts. There was never a vote on this...just him saying it. He then went on to explain how his son had sold over $800 that weekend! I was left asking myself...either the amount sold only matters up to $333, to cover the $100 pack fee....or you give the extra funds to the Scout, and keep it in their ISA. You can't have it both ways....and you certainly can't do it without a vote!

Maybe you shouldn't be selling more. Maybe you could call some packs from less fortunate neighborhoods and offer them a share of your sales.

 

Now, funds that go into pack coffers SHOULD result in lower event expenses. But sometimes it results in spending more frivolously.

[Stosh]

Sounds a bit like Salvation Army soup kitchen requiring the people to serve 5 meals in order to participate in 10 free meals. If you have eaten ten and only served four, you need to pay for the soup.

 

In the early BSA program each scout was expected (by advancement requirement) to have a personal savings account separate from any troop funds. It might not be such a bad idea to go back to the way the program was originally set up, far less hassles.

 

Stosh

[mscout]

Sounds a bit like Salvation Army soup kitchen requiring the people to serve 5 meals in order to participate in 10 free meals. If you have eaten ten and only served four, you need to pay for the soup.

 

In the early BSA program each scout was expected (by advancement requirement) to have a personal savings account separate from any troop funds. It might not be such a bad idea to go back to the way the program was originally set up, far less hassles.

 

Stosh

Just curious, the original seperate accounts, do you mean seperate individual account numbers too and how did that work with tax laws?

 

I call the seperate account, my account at home. I don't feel the need to pay in so they can pay out. I will pay for my scout as needed throughout the year, and whatever money he helps create by whatever fundraiser can go to the pack or help someone else.

[Stosh]

Sounds a bit like Salvation Army soup kitchen requiring the people to serve 5 meals in order to participate in 10 free meals. If you have eaten ten and only served four, you need to pay for the soup.

 

In the early BSA program each scout was expected (by advancement requirement) to have a personal savings account separate from any troop funds. It might not be such a bad idea to go back to the way the program was originally set up, far less hassles.

 

Stosh

It's called take responsibility for one's own thriftiness. Each scout has a bank account in the bank of their own choice in his own name. They earn and save money and spend it anyway they wish. It's also called taking responsibilities for one's own finances.

 

Money collected by the troop is donated to the troop and no matter how hard one does or doesn't work on the fundraising activity, all the money goes where people expect it go, to the troop. People do not give money to little Johnny, they give it to the troop. If they want to give to little Johnny, they can hand him cash and it goes into his personal account in his bank.

 

If the troop so wishes to offer camperships to boys having economic problems or is to lazy to go out and earn money, they might want to consider that as a committee decision on behalf of the troop.

 

People who donate to a civic or non-profit organization, never expect individuals within that program to be lining their pockets with that money. As far as I know, no mainline churches have fundraisers and pay the members out of that money, it goes to the cause/ministry/mission to which it was raised for.

 

Only in Scouts do I see members eyeing up $$$$'s on their behalf out of charity donations. Something I really don't want to be teaching my boys as a life lesson.

 

Stosh