BREAKING - Fee Increase Numbers

[Liz]

32 minutes ago, PACAN said:

Are adults who are just MB counselors still no charge?

I don't think they've ever been no charge, but many units pay for MB membership fees out of their Troop budget. 

[Cleveland Rocks]

Merit Badge counselor registrations have always been no charge. There are no fees to pay out of a unit's budget for a Merit Badge Counselor registration, because they are considered district-level positions, not unit-level positions.

Merit Badge Counselor (position code 42 on the application), Unit Scouter Reserve (code 91) and College Scouter Reserve (code 92) are all no-fee registrations.

[Thunderbird]

9 minutes ago, Cleveland Rocks said:

Merit Badge counselor registrations have always been no charge. There are no fees to pay out of a unit's budget for a Merit Badge Counselor registration, because they are considered district-level positions, not unit-level positions.

Merit Badge Counselor (position code 42 on the application), Unit Scouter Reserve (code 91) and College Scouter Reserve (code 92) are all no-fee registrations.

Merit Badge Counselors, Nova Counselors, and Supernova Mentors are all no fee positions.

Unit Scouter Reserve and Unit College Scouter Reserve adults do have to pay a fee at the unit level.  Executive Officer is a no fee position at the unit level.

[Liz]

At any rate, just to put it in perspective...

$60 per year is still less than the new Disney+ Streaming service. 

Just sayin'. 

Personally, I still think it's a bargain. My daughter fundraises to cover the Pack expenses of participation. I buy her uniforms used. Summer camp is the only major expense, it's optional, and she is able to fundraise enough to cover that, too. 

I am lucky that our local council costs are covered by council fundraising - which again we participate in enthusiastically. If they want to start charging $12 a year at some point I still think that's not unreasonable. 

And I'm seriously considering the Disney+ streaming service too... but if I had to pick one or the other, Scouting all the way.

[qwazse]

Am I looking at this crooked, or are youth basically underwriting the background checks for their merit badge counselors?

[Liz]

18 minutes ago, qwazse said:

Am I looking at this crooked, or are youth basically underwriting the background checks for their merit badge counselors?

I suppose that's one way of looking at it. 

Another is to ask whether MBCs should be expected to pay for their own background checks in order to volunteer their time to help kids out. Maybe it's appropriate for the kids to fundraise the cost of screening and then having these mentors available. 

[ParkMan]

13 minutes ago, Liz said:

At any rate, just to put it in perspective...

$60 per year is still less than the new Disney+ Streaming service. 

Just sayin'. 

Personally, I still think it's a bargain. My daughter fundraises to cover the Pack expenses of participation. I buy her uniforms used. Summer camp is the only major expense, it's optional, and she is able to fundraise enough to cover that, too. 

I am lucky that our local council costs are covered by council fundraising - which again we participate in enthusiastically. If they want to start charging $12 a year at some point I still think that's not unreasonable. 

And I'm seriously considering the Disney+ streaming service too... but if I had to pick one or the other, Scouting all the way.

HBO did convince me to pay $10 a month so I could watch Game of Thrones - so I'm guilty too.  My daughter wanted Netflix for Stranger Things too.  Don't even get me started on my monthly cable or phone bills.  Both of which are way more each month than we'd pay all year to national.

I'm with @Liz.  Scouting is a core part of our families life.  $60 a year to national is still a bargain to me.

[ParkMan]

5 minutes ago, Liz said:

I suppose that's one way of looking at it. 

Another is to ask whether MBCs should be expected to pay for their own background checks in order to volunteer their time to help kids out. Maybe it's appropriate for the kids to fundraise the cost of screening and then having these mentors available. 

 

25 minutes ago, qwazse said:

Am I looking at this crooked, or are youth basically underwriting the background checks for their merit badge counselors?

At some point I look at it as just part of the cost of having a program.  If national has to shell out a million dollars a year for MBC background checks and that gets amortized across all of the registered Scouts, that doesn't seem so odd.  Actually, I'm kind of surprised that national hasn't cut adult membership fees for the same reason.

[skeptic]

Here is a link to info on youth sports expenses.  Compare.  http://money.com/money/5652496/youth-sports-cost/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaig

 

Y memberships vary, but are from as low as $15/mo to as much as $40 or so; plus additional for many special programs especially in summer.  Boys and Girls Clubs all set their own fees and I found some as low as $5 a school year all the way to $100/year.  I suspect that the averages are likely in the $20ish or so per month or academic year.  Other activities outside of the main building program are extra.  They also have a lot of heavy hitter donors in many parts of the country, getting many of the United Way dollars that once went to Scouting before the gender wars.  Scouting, even at these levels is still a bargain when compared.  And if National can come through with the aid for the lesser capable, it will really be one.  If I were the various sports groups and clubs like Boys and Girls, I would be watching closely the pendulum swinging from BSA towards them.  Once BSA is no longer the fattest cow, they will look elsewhere for their greed.  

[awanatech]

3 minutes ago, ParkMan said:

HBO did convince me to pay $10 a month so I could watch Game of Thrones - so I'm guilty too.  My daughter wanted Netflix for Stranger Things too.  Don't even get me started on my monthly cable or phone bills.  Both of which are way more each month than we'd pay all year to national.

I'm with @Liz.  Scouting is a core part of our families life.  $60 a year to national is still a bargain to me.

While $60 a year is not a deal breaker for me, and I'm glad that they at least kept the adult fees where they did, I feel like if they hear too much feedback that this increase is such a bargain, they'll figure they haven't reached the max dollar amount that they can charge. Then I'd worry more for what next year's increase will be.

[ParkMan]

1 minute ago, awanatech said:

While $60 a year is not a deal breaker for me, and I'm glad that they at least kept the adult fees where they did, I feel like if they hear too much feedback that this increase is such a bargain, they'll figure they haven't reached the max dollar amount that they can charge. Then I'd worry more for what next year's increase will be.

Perhaps.  I suspect there is a rethinking of how Scouting is funded coming.  I think we all noticed the comment about council program fees being capped at the national fee.  I can certainly see in a few years:

• $60 to national
• $60 to council
• $60 to the unit

I wouldn't be surprised to see $15 a month in fixed Scouting costs in a few years.  

[awanatech]

3 minutes ago, ParkMan said:

Perhaps.  I suspect there is a rethinking of how Scouting is funded coming.  I think we all noticed the comment about council program fees being capped at the national fee.  I can certainly see in a few years:

• $60 to national
• $60 to council
• $60 to the unit

I wouldn't be surprised to see $15 a month in fixed Scouting costs in a few years.  

Don't forget the $60 Unit Recharter fee to national also. But I can definitely see this coming soon. 

[skeptic]

14 hours ago, mashmaster said:

Sea Scouts are free?

No; it is an offshoot of the Venturing program.

 

[RememberSchiff]

9 hours ago, qwazse said:

Am I looking at this crooked, or are youth basically underwriting the background checks for their merit badge counselors?

 

9 hours ago, Liz said:

I suppose that's one way of looking at it. 

Another is to ask whether MBCs should be expected to pay for their own background checks in order to volunteer their time to help kids out. Maybe it's appropriate for the kids to fundraise the cost of screening and then having these mentors available. 

Maybe. IMHO, nearly all MBC's are already unit leaders/committee members or registered family members in which case they already paid for a background check.

I have been unable to recruit anyone outside of scouting to become a MBC.  Once they see  the paperwork, they immediately are concerned with protecting their privacy.  This concern will only worsen with the broader information sharing in the new (2018?) background check form. 

For my troop's adult leaders, the fee increase in less concerning than the background check form.

Edited October 24, 2019 by RememberSchiff

[69RoadRunner]

8 hours ago, ParkMan said:

Perhaps.  I suspect there is a rethinking of how Scouting is funded coming.  I think we all noticed the comment about council program fees being capped at the national fee.  I can certainly see in a few years:

• $60 to national
• $60 to council
• $60 to the unit

I wouldn't be surprised to see $15 a month in fixed Scouting costs in a few years.  

Yearly will bring in more revenue.  People who drop out still pay the full amount compared to monthly.  Plus there's the processing costs.