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2021 - New Membership Fees - The hits keep coming.....


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$72 for youth.  Yeah yeah, great value etc, but it is getting pricey

 

Over the last year, we have seen the Scouting community come together, even while being physically apart, to bring solutions, relief and comfort to those in need. Scouting continues to be a vital partner for communities across the country.

The value of Scouting is undeniable for those within the program and the greater public, and the Boy Scouts of America is committed to continuing to offer this unmatched opportunity to young people and families nationwide. It is important that we all reach out to Scouting families who might have left the program due to pandemic reasons and invite them back. We should also be thinking about how to invite new families to join.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has worked to keep the membership fee as low as possible. Unfortunately, operating costs have continued to rise, and COVID-19 has compounded the need to increase the fee to maintain the program.

To ensure we have the resources to fulfill the promise of Scouting, the updated national membership fee is

  • $72 for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts participants
  • $45 for Exploring participants
  • $30 for council-paid memberships
  • $45 for all adult volunteers (includes cost of background check)
  • $75 for a unit charter fee

The membership fees will take effect August 1, 2021, for the 2021-2022 program year.

The one-time $25 joining fee for new program participants in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts is still required; however, there is no joining fee for Exploring participants, participants previously registered in any BSA program, those transferring from one program to another, council-paid memberships, or adult volunteers.

Edited by Jameson76
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  • Jameson76 changed the title to 2021 - New Membership Fees - The hits keep coming.....

So, membership including complete units are disappearing.   Participation in national events is dropping off, local camps are closing and being sold, and the National High Adventure Properties have been mortgaged.  So in order to raise funds let's charge whatever members that are left a higher membership fee.  Then, let's recruit new members and charge them a new member fee and tell them that they still have to pay for everything they do.  In addition, let's build a super sized white elephant in West Virginia with all kinds of cool stuff that the majority of the members will never get to use, including modern learning centers.  Let's put this place hours away from the nearest airport and say it's the jamboree site!  Really? It's no wonder that a lot of people are no longer interested in being part of this mushroom farm (kept in the dark and fed manure.  This is just how I see it and I've quit asking our national leaders because every one I have ever spoken to have mastered the art of "much talk with no meaning. "

Edited by MattR
Unscoutlike wording
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Well, that's the real issue.  Information at the national level is convoluted, double talk with a lot of "they and we and not yet available " phrases.  Never ever not one time have I gotten a straight answer, which leads to rumor and speculation.  It may be that the fee increase is being used for the BSA National Staff retreat in Hawaii.  Who knows?

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6 hours ago, GrammaScout said:

It is my understanding that the increased fees are mainly due to the increase in the costs of liability coverage for the Staffs at Summer Camps, etc. and

All of the main financial data is available online. The problem is that there is no one, single reason for the increase. Insurance premiums have skyrocketed in the last 10 years, but that may be due to the sexual abuse cases, summer camps, some combination, etc.

https://www.scouting.org/about/annual-report/financial-statements/

https://www.scouting.org/about/annual-report/

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5 hours ago, GrammaScout said:

Are you all saying that Districts may have their 'own' Charter Agreement not the National?

No.

Each year National issues charters to

1) Individual units to operate

2) Councils to operate

Districts are merely geographic areas of Councils that are intended to provide support and services for scouting in that area

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I just wish that the people at the national BSA level would be truthful, direct, and transparent to every volunteer that attended a Scout meeting.   I don't mean pages and pages of documents, just plain fact and truth.  If the money is needed to help cover insurance, let us know!  If the new training requirements are based on new insurance issues, let us know!  At this point even loyal and dedicated volunteers are walking away, this could be prevented if we just knew what was going on!

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9 minutes ago, Mrjeff said:

I just wish that the people at the national BSA level would be truthful, direct, and transparent to every volunteer that attended a Scout meeting.   I don't mean pages and pages of documents, just plain fact and truth.  If the money is needed to help cover insurance, let us know!  If the new training requirements are based on new insurance issues, let us know!  At this point even loyal and dedicated volunteers are walking away, this could be prevented if we just knew what was going on!

Agreed. Give me an honest pie chart or something. 

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I just signed up a scout to join my troop last week and I paid his registration fee out of my pocket ($37.50) and bought him a manual. I just do not want money to be an issue for a scout to join the program and they will have a chance in Sept/Oct to sell popcorn to fund their own program the next year. Many organizations give introductory deals to get membership numbers up and the BSA should also. 

At some point, scouters like myself will have to give up bailing out national for their bad decisions to keep our troops/packs alive. 

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I suppose that an increase in one fee is not that bad. 

Then again, I just purchased an entire uniform, plus mess kit, water bottle and scout book for about $200.

But then still you are in for less than $300 and looking at any youth sport or class it can get expensive fast.  Example:  I have a hockey player and that is not even the most expensive sport. 

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