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BREAKING - Fee Increase Numbers


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11 minutes ago, Thunderbird said:

So is there also a recharter fee of $60 per unit?  Is this new / different?

I did not see this mentioned in the communication from my council.

Unless I am mistaken, there was already a re-charter fee for the unit of $40.

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4 hours ago, T2Eagle said:

I doubt they can know the 2021 numbers yet.  The big unknown is how many LDS scouts and scouters will stick around.  It probably won't be a lot, but it doesn't have to be a really high percentage to make a significant difference.

Does anyone know if councils are making any concerted effort to get those folks to rejoin?  Of all the recruiting that could be done they would seem to be the most fruitful group to target.

Don't want to hijack, so I'll start another thread, but I have a little bit of insight here.

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Scouting Wire: BSA Membership Fee Increase Details and FAQ

https://scoutingwire.org/bsa-membership-fee-increase-details-and-faq/

The unit recharter fee is kind of hidden in the FAQ section:

Q:     Does this apply to youth members and volunteers?
A:     Yes, the new fees apply for youth and adult members. Effective January 1, 2020, the new fees are:

  • $60 for youth members in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts,
  • $36 for youth members in Exploring, and
  • $36 for adult members (includes cost of background check and Scouting Magazine)
  • $60 for unit charter fees
Edited by Thunderbird
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My Council has announced the following, in addition to the national fee of $60 per youth:  $12 insurance, $12 Boys Life and $30 Council Program fee, so $102 per youth member.  Add to that the cost of unit dues, uniforms, and summer camp and other outings, you are looking at around $500 per youth per year.  All adults also have to pay the program fee and insurance fee in addition to national registration.  Scouting is now officially out of reach for a significant number of families with multiple registered members.

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3 hours ago, MikeS72 said:

That is likely where your $24 goes.  We can spend quite a bit of money at CoH time, particularly after summer camp, when the number of merit badges earned can be significant.

Each merit badge your scout earns is $2.49, each rank patch is $1.99, we also give parent rank pins which are $2.49.  Position patches are $2.99.  It adds up quickly.

Re: position patches.  When I was a scout, we reused position patches.  We did it so much so that we had a stash of green ones that we still wore.  If a scout wanted to keep the one he wore (with the exception of the green ones) they had to buy a new one for the troop.  It saved a small amount as we only replaced them when they wore out. 

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1 hour ago, Thunderbird said:

Summer camp where I am at is around $400 per Scout.  The cost for adults varies, but can be around $275 per adult.

My area, summer camp is just under $400 but a one week YMCA overnight camp is over $800 (but they ask those that can afford to pay the true cost $900).  In terms of overnight week long camps, BSA summer camps are a great value in my area and there are scouts I seem to only see during summer camp.  Many parents are dual income and look to sign their kids up for week long camps throughout the summer when school is out. 
 

Hopefully this increase will be the end for a while.  I do think some of my intermittent  Cub Scouts may drop as the fees continue to increase.

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13 minutes ago, Eagle1993 said:

My area, summer camp is just under $400 but a one week YMCA overnight camp is over $800 (but they ask those that can afford to pay the true cost $900).  In terms of overnight week long camps, BSA summer camps are a great value in my area and there are scouts I seem to only see during summer camp.  Many parents are dual income and look to sign their kids up for week long camps throughout the summer when school is out. 

You've got to be careful with those comparisons because generally the lower scout fee is based on several adults from the unit attending for the duration to provide supervision. YMCA, sports camps, STEM camps -- the kids go, parents don't, and counselors are provided. Having to take a day or so off work to do your shift at a scout camp can be a major hit whether you're self employed or burning vacation days.  I think it works out kind of the same in our area although I know other places are different. 

 

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I just posted this on FB.  I can't believe how many people didn't seem to know about this until today.  I also can't believe how many units existence revolve around fundraising.

 

We had our budget meeting in May as usual and decided what our dues needed to be. When the first communication came out regarding the national fee increase we took a wait and see approach. Our Join Scout Night was on Sept 26 and at that time the new families paid through the end of the year. A few days at parent orientation I got up in front of 40 something people and told them what our Pack dues are AND that the National Fee is $33, but its going up and we won't know how much until the end of October. When we know, you will know. I am now in the position to tell everyone the "How Much", but I feel like we are in a much better position that a lot of units that revolve around how much they raise in fundraising.

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