Does your Troop have dues?

[Stosh]

Personal bank accounts for scouts with regular savings was at one time one of the TF->FC requirements.  Now that moms and dads are handing out free money that their kids feel they are entitled to, there isn't much need for that requirement. 

 

I train "Thrifty" through my Patrol Accounts.  The boys as a group decide what they need to run their patrol and then figure out how to get it.  If the boys are happy with personal tents, good.  If the boys want to get patrol tents and want to spend their money on that, good.  I'm not part of the process, I don't get caught holding the bag.  I have always been amazed that when the money is under their control, they watch far closer their spending than when they just go get a 10-spot from Dad.

[WisconsinMomma]

I love the idea of Patrol accounts.  I would love to propose this to our parent committee and Scoutmaster.  

 

Can you give me some examples of how Patrols have used their funding and how much money the Patrols would get as a starting balance?  

[NJCubScouter]

I train "Thrifty" through my Patrol Accounts.  The boys as a group decide what they need to run their patrol and then figure out how to get it. 

 

Stosh, how do the patrols "get" the money?  Fundraising by patrol?  Or they contribute based on whatever jobs they may have, or money from their parents, or what?

[Stosh]

The adults are responsible for fundraising.  The boys, if they wish, participate.  If they participate, they get a percentage of the profits.  The troop gets 75% for example and the patrols 25%.  If one of 2 patrol as a whole participates, they get 12.5% in their account, otherwise it is prorated.  If only 4 of 8 boys in the second patrol participate, they get 6.25%.  The other 6.25% goes to the other patrol.    It's rather remarkable how both patrols both want to participate at 100% of the boys helping out.

 

The Committee Treasurer lets the patrol Scribe know how much is in the patrol account anytime they ask.  They can spend it anyway they wish.  No adult is involved in the process.  If they purchase tents, those tents are marked with their patrol identification and no one else but those patrol member can use them unless they get the PL's permission.

 

If the boys need a Dutch oven, 4 tents and a patrol stove, they have to figure out priorities, costs, shop and purchase on their own.  They make the purchase, and turn in a receipt to the Committee Treasurer and as long as there's money to cover the receipt, no questions are asked.  They know they will need to make up the difference personally from each patrol member if the amount is over their account balance.

 

If a new patrol comes on the scene, they start with a zero balance in their account.  Now the patrol percentage is cut 3 ways, but there are more boys who are able to work to build the balance.  The Committee might up the patrol percentage up to 30% to make the math a bit easier.

 

A scout is thrifty.  It is always nice to have 4 uniform tents, but if the boys are satisfied with dragging out personal tents of different sizes and colors, so be it.   If they know of someone who has a Dutch oven they can borrow, they don't have to buy one, etc.

 

I used to belong to a troop that had ISA's and there was constant bickering among the adult and parents as to how their son's money could be spent.  Well, it's not their son's money to begin with.  I even had parents threaten to sue for their son's money when he aged out of Scouting.  Really? 

 

Since going to patrol accounts the only discussion on finances in the troop is, "How much did we take in on the last fundraiser?"   There is never any discussion on whose money it is.  It's either the patrol's money or the troop's money.  My life as SM got a lot easier under this system.

[Stosh]

One other caveat I forgot to mention.  If a boy has his ISA account from the Pack transfer into the Troop, all the money goes into the Troop fund.  If the Commiittee decides it would be appropriate for that money to be used for the NSP the boy is in, they might, but are not required to, take some of that money and "seed" the new patrol's account.  If the boy wishes to join a regular patrol with an older brother, the money does not go into the regular patrol's account.

 

If some parent doesn't like the system, they can find another troop.  Eventually all the money goes to support in some way or fashion.  The adults control the big issues for the troop and the boys control the little issues pertaining to their patrol.  Everyone seems to be happy with the setup and I have received no push-back on any financial issues since I've adopted this system.

 

During the initial orientation of new scouts and their parents, this process is explained and to-date, no one has not joined, or expressed any concern.

[HelpfulTracks]

Both our Troop and our Crew have dues.

 

I am not sure how the Troop dues were set, it was done before we joined and has not changed.

 

The Crew dues are being determined by the youth in consultation with the Advisors and Committee.

 

Both units the youth plan the calendar and budget (budget with consultation of Committee Treasure & Unit Leader). The fundraisers are part of the annual planning created by the youth. Though, this past year was the first time the youth did so in the Troop. The youth determine ahead of time which fundraisers will benefit the unit versus the Scout. Usually it is some combination with a percentage going to the unit and percentage to the Scout.

[Torchwood]

Our Troop has dues of $50. this used to cover the re-chartering fee for each Scout, including Boys Life. We have kept this the same, even though the fee has gone up. We have a single fundraiser each year, selling wreaths and other holiday greens. The Scouts go door to door and sell, with each Scout expected to hit a $300 minimum. Most go over that, some by a good margin (we had 3 boys top $1000 this year).Some Scouts also opt out entirely. We assess an additional dues payment from those Scouts of $150- approximately what the Troop would net from the minimum of $300. That money is our operating budget for the year, plus whatever fee we require for each trip (mostly food and fuel costs). We do not pay for summer camp outright from that fund, but we are generally able to help families in need come up with tuition for that week.

[perdidochas]

Questions:

 

Does your Troop have annual dues, what do your dues cover, who (adults or youth) determines the dues amount and handles collection? 

 

What is the relationship between dues and fundraisers in your Troop, and do you have any great ideas for fundraisers?  Who decides which fundraisers your Troop participates in, adults or Scouts? 

 

Thanks!

My son's former troop (they have aged out) had dues of $124.  That included membership in BSA and all awards.  

[Scoutmaster Teddy]

Dues are $12 per year. I prefer the boys to pay out of money they earn, but a check from the parents is okay. We use it to defray the cost of rank badges, merit badges, POR patches.

 

If i had my way, I would have the SPL collect $1 cash from each Scout the first meeting of the month. "A Scout is thrifty and pays his own way."

[Back Pack]

We have to pay our annual dues as a troop when we recharter in December. We would collect dues in patrols during the year and give once a month to the treasurer. As SPL I had to make sure our PLs and scribes were collecting dues once a month. By November we had collected the annual dues due for recharter.

[WisconsinMomma]

Dues are $12 per year. I prefer the boys to pay out of money they earn, but a check from the parents is okay. We use it to defray the cost of rank badges, merit badges, POR patches.

 

If i had my way, I would have the SPL collect $1 cash from each Scout the first meeting of the month. "A Scout is thrifty and pays his own way."

 

How do you cover chartering?  Is that extra?  What kind of fundraisers does your Troop do? 

[Scoutmaster Teddy]

How do you cover chartering?  Is that extra?  What kind of fundraisers does your Troop do? 

We charge the Scouts and Adults the usual yearly registration fee. We have scholarships available for yearly registration and summer camp for boys who need assistance.The COR picks up any other fees.

 

Fundraising: Annual Chili Supper- big hit! We hold the event every early November.  The Farm King Corporation gives us a large yearly donation. The Scouts get a 30% commission on the Chili Supper ticket sales for their camp and scouting-related expenses.

[WisconsinMomma]

We charge the Scouts and Adults the usual yearly registration fee. We have scholarships available for yearly registration and summer camp for boys who need assistance.The COR picks up any other fees.

 

Fundraising: Annual Chili Supper- big hit! We hold the event every early November.  The Farm King Corporation gives us a large yearly donation. The Scouts get a 30% commission on the Chili Supper ticket sales for their camp and scouting-related expenses.

 

The chili supper sounds like a lot of fun!

[Chadamus]

$40 annual dues.

Optional subscription to Boy's Life is extra.

Monthly campouts, activities, and summer camp are out of pocket.

Dues cover registration and bling.

Camp card and popcorn sales are the two major fundraisers.

[Scoutmaster Teddy]

16 hours ago, WisconsinMomma said:

 

The chili supper sounds like a lot of fun!

It is fun! And it's also a learning experience. We make 55 to 60 gallons of beef chili and 10 gallons for the vegetarians (bad hunters). The boys sell tickets door-to-door. During the event they take shifts washing dishes, greeting customers, making cold cut sandwiches, and stocking the serving line. We usually have 350 or more customers that one evening. Most of the ingredients are donated, leaving us with a good amount of money.