Fehler Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 The Metro Lakes District of the Northern Star Council is piloting a new program this year (after piloting Lion Cubs, and Accelerated Webelos Transition, I'm getting sick of this airplane). Rather then the $24 registration fee (and $12 Boys Life), all scouts will be charged $144 annually by the Council. This fee will cover registration ($24), Boys Life ($12), Handbooks ($10-$13 per year Cub Scouts), and Rank Badges/Merit Badges/Adventure Loops and Pins ($15-$20, depending on activity level). As you can do math, this does not add up to $144. The council (starting with this district) will no longer conduct Family Friends of Scouting at the unit level (prior high-level donors will be contacted through Community Friends of Scouting). Popcorn Sales and other fundraisers will still occur. The forms families will fill out for each scout will give several options, from paying upfront, paying in installments (Credit Card information required for installments!), or requesting financial assistance. The form as introduced last night did not make it clear how families can request financial assistance, or make an allowance for partial payments (the forms were pulled back last night and will be reworked/reprinted). I've got more to say, but will have to say it later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T2Eagle Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 It will be interesting to see how that plays out. On the positive side, Councils seem to be chronically short of funds and so both nickel and dime many activities and also then go hat in hand with FOS requests. Scouting certainly costs more than the $24 registration fee and a more dependable and consistent revenue stream could shore up some otherwise struggling councils. On the downside that's a bigger check up front which is going to have some impact, especially at the cub level. I think a two tiered Cub/Boy Scout system might have been a better first move. My other concern is the headache at the unit level, chasing folks for payment and payment plans is a hassle and having to worry whether or not a family is or is not registered on an ongoing basis will just be a mess, again especially at the cub level. Thanks for piloting this stuff for us, I hope someone remebers that some designs are just flawed and should be allowed to crash rather than strung together with just enogh duct tape and baling wire to lurch on over to the next stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Maybe the well-to-do in the Twin Cities can afford this but it will be the death knell for many units. Basically it is a scam to make the units do the FOS fund raising for the council. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertrat77 Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Maybe the well-to-do in the Twin Cities can afford this but it will be the death knell for many units. Basically it is a scam to make the units do the FOS fund raising for the council. I concur. And the council appears to be skimming a little extra cash for their "strategic planning" retreat and new conference room chairs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJCubScouter Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Usually posts like this appear on April 1. I would have put a smiley face at the end of that sentence but unfortunately I realize that this is real. I think that if they did that in our district, most of the district would vanish in a puff of smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David CO Posted August 12, 2016 Share Posted August 12, 2016 Where does the Chartered Organization fit into this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 It doesn't, it still pays the $20 and provides a place to meet. The whole financial onus falls on the unit, the unit's programming and the boys. I can't believe they would do such a thing.... Yeah right, it's only a matter of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bsaggcmom Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Nice $75 per registered member donation to the council. I can see why they are dropping the Family FOS in that district. A great way to drop the volunteer base and multi scout families numbers. All I can say is glad my son only has 1.5 years left, it shouldn't make it out of pilot phase in that time frame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sentinel947 Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 If they charge this to adult volunteers as well, they can kiss their membership goodbye. What a ridiculous idea. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 It costs me absolutely nothing to work with the youth in the church, I can't even take mileage because they cover that too. No uniforms to buy, not patches, no registration, no paying for kids who can't afford it. Nada. Now Scouting on the other hand..... well that's a different story. I have t pay for training, for travel, for uniforms, etc. So now the expensive program wants to make a HUGE increase in cost .... wadaya think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chadamus Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Stosh you got me thinking this: What's the cost to make Eagle? On average per Scout. A rhetorical question, but one I'm pondering now. And how much are we paying for name recognition? Eagle supposedly looks good on an application after all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoPenn Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 This is something that the unit folks in the district can kill - fast - if they have the will to do it - but it will take most of the units agreeing to stick to their guns to be effective - simply refuse. When they hand you the re-worked forms, you hand them right back and tell them calmly and plainly that you will not be presenting this to your unit and that all adult leadership of the unit will resign immediately leaving no unit at all, if they don't go back immediately to the national registration scheme - multiply that by all the units in the district and "poof" - this idea will die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 Stosh you got me thinking this: What's the cost to make Eagle? On average per Scout. A rhetorical question, but one I'm pondering now. And how much are we paying for name recognition? Eagle supposedly looks good on an application after all... My Venturing Crew was a specialty unit that required $1500 to start, but then was only gas and food after that. National Events cost gas and food. Local events cost gas and food, but often meals were provided. I wonder now, too, how much more an Eagle Scout coughs up to get the medal? Uniform and patches X 2 = X 3 if Jambo = $250-$300 Annual registration $25 X 7 = $175 Summer camp $250 X 7 = $1750 Campouts $15 X 12 X 7 = $1260 Jambo $ X travel expense = $1000-$2000 Dues 12 X 7 = varies All in al, those estimates of the biggies starts the price tag at about $5,000ish. Granted a lot of this can be deferred through fund raising, but we're talking a bit of money here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclops Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 If they charge this to adult volunteers as well, they can kiss their membership goodbye. What a ridiculous idea. Yep, deathwish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted August 13, 2016 Share Posted August 13, 2016 If they charge this to adult volunteers as well, they can kiss their membership goodbye. What a ridiculous idea. I'm thinking that Northern Star Council's pilot program is basically dead in the water before it starts. Like NJCubScouter says, "sounds like a joke." Some Northern Star Council web sites say $24 registration until 12/31/17 and others say $32 + $16 (Boys Life). Nothing posted as yet of any changes. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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