What to do with parents who don't pay dues?

[yknot]

1 hour ago, fred8033 said:

I was just saying ... don't mix involvement in fundraiser with buying advancement items. 

The real test is:  are they a member of the pack?  If yes, the pack buys the advancements ... UNLESS you charge back to each scout their advancement tokens.  I've only see that for EXTRA tokens.   One pack did it for belt loops.  Pack bought rank and core advancement.  Other things the pack expected families to purchase as there would always be one or two families running up the costs.  

 

The whole idea of fundraisers is to benefit the organization and the organization's goals; not just those raising the funds.  ...

Not everyone will be as committed as others ... you will always have some doing more ... paying more ... covering more costs ... etc ....

Sales are a great for a scout to pay his own way.   So is mowing yards.  Doing chores for neighbors.  etc.  ... Likewise, it is 100% acceptable for a pack to help scouts sell products that they then get the income to pay their way thru scouting.  ... Just don't call it fundraiser.  Don't do it in the non-profit's name.  Absolutely don't call it tax deduction.  

What our troop did ... years ago ... we charged $75 dues.  We gave 15% of the profit back to the scout.  Wreaths were 50% profit.  If the scout sold $1000 in wreaths, that paid for his dues.  Troop got $425 to help everyone.  Scout got $75 to pay dues.   Fundraiser workers are often paid as an incentive to raise more for the non-profit.  That is acceptable.  BUT if 100% is going to the scout, it's not a fundraiser.  It's private benefit in the name of a non-profit.  ...  this forum has been thru this debate many times.

Just FYI some packs are completely pay as you go -- so you pay for your own expenses  including advancements. Any fundraising would go toward pack expenses that everyone would use -- like camp stoves or meeting facility fees or web hosting.  

[fred8033]

18 hours ago, yknot said:

Just FYI some packs are completely pay as you go -- so you pay for your own expenses  including advancements. Any fundraising would go toward pack expenses that everyone would use -- like camp stoves or meeting facility fees or web hosting.  

"When I said ... the pack bus the advancements", I was referring to this pack's decision.  IMHO, if the person is a member of the pack, the pack should not be asking the question as they don't for other members.  Treat the dues / fundraising as a membership question, but not a does the pack buy advancements ... unless as you assert ... the pack asks all members to buy their advancements.

Pay as you go ... I really like the idea if you can make it work.  It is much more work for the treasurer and the pack leaders, but a nice model.  I like it because some parents chase bling way out of balance of others.  Others just want to have their kids active.  It's hard to balance things.  Our pack at one time had pack buying rank and the parents buy the others awards.  

[Armymutt]

20 hours ago, fred8033 said:

... you charge back to each scout their advancement tokens.  I've only see that for EXTRA tokens.   One pack did it for belt loops.  Pack bought rank and core advancement.  Other things the pack expected families to purchase as there would always be one or two families running up the costs.  

This is essentially what we do.  Everyone has an equal share to pay in the running of the pack - charter fees, adult fees, B&G facility fees.  Everyone also gets charged for the requirements for rank, and a pack t-shirt.  Your dues pay for all of that.  Any electives are not included in the dues and are paid for out of pocket.  Fundraising shares essentially go to your pocket for the year.  Anything left at the end goes to the Pack pocket.  For example, if a Scout sells enough to earn $300 in commission, then they can pay their share of the fees, their rank advancement requirements, t-shirt, PWD car, and then they have $75 left to spend on campouts, uniform parts, Scout books, etc.   It's just centralized as a service to the parents.  Our Scout Shop is an hour away and many parents don't have time to go up there.  

The "help everyone" part needs defining.  To me, that would be what we might call durable items - things that stay with the pack, like stoves, tents, and cookware.  Things that a Scout keeps for themselves would not fall into this category.  We don't normally loan out adventure loops and then reward them to another Scout the following year.  

[elitts]

3 hours ago, fred8033 said:

  I like it because some parents chase bling way out of balance of others.  Others just want to have their kids active.  It's hard to balance things.  Our pack at one time had pack buying rank and the parents buy the others awards.  

LOL!  You aren't kidding!  I remember my first awards night as Asst. Cubmaster.  We had one new Tiger getting awarded like 22 belt-loops, 3 months after joining; with the average for every other scout being about 3.  Cubmaster's comment after handing them to the scout was "Wow, mom and dad you sure did a great job of signing his book!"

The next meeting we had a conversation with all the parents while the scouts were out playing a game about what it means to complete requirements.  In particular about how "Oh, we all did this once as a family 3 years ago" is not the same as completing the requirements him/herself.

[WisconsinMomma]

Does your pack offer a fundraising buyout?  

[mrjohns2]

13 hours ago, WisconsinMomma said:

Does your pack offer a fundraising buyout?  

We pass on all costs to the Cubs and pass on all proceeds to Cub accounts. So if you don’t do fundraising, you will owe all costs. If you work hard at fundraising, you will pay for all. If you go half way, you’ll be neither up or down. So you’ll owe about half. 

[WisconsinMomma]

How did it go?