It is getting mighty expensive!

[OneHour]

Can you tell me what your troop charges?

 

1) for a leader on a 2-night campout? Our troop charges 0.

 

2) for a non-leadership parent on a 2-night campout? Our troop, so far charges 0. Of course this helps when not a lot of parents want to go, but with this new batch of scouts that we just got, there are spouses of parents (who are helping) who want to attend.

 

3) for a scout on a 2-night campout? Our troop charges $35 and I have not figured out the math (I asked the committee and got the answer of it covers the costs of meals, campsites, and part of the adult costs). According to my calculations and bear with me:

 

- $3 per meal x 5 meals = $15 (and that's eating well)

- State Parks (for example) cost about $20 a site/night and they usually allow a max of 8 per site or $20/8=$2.50 or $5.00 for both nights. Camping in Council camps cost $0.

 

a total of $20

 

- The ratio of scouts to adult is 4:1 (for ridership purpose). Let's assume that the above costs stay the same for the adults. So, it will take 4 scouts to subsidize 1 adult or each scout's portion is $5 which I think is fair since $5 per boy in a car of 4 kids will barely pay for the gas.

 

The Committee can't tell me what the other $10 is for? It is getting might expensive to stay in our troop! There are the annual recharter which is about $60. There is a one time equipment fee of $70 at the start of the scouting with the troop. There is the monthly $35 fee and it doesn't matter where we go! There is the summer camp fee $300 and the fall encampment $240. There is the fundraisers which I ended up paying for $20 - $40 worth to start my son off. There is FOS (Friends of Scouting) which usually runs me about $100.

 

Let's see that's $315 for camping per year + $60 recharter + $11 recharter fee for me + $300 summer camp + $240 for fall encampment + ~$40 worth of miscellaneous mb courses and fees or $1066 a year. This does not include $ for outgrown uniform, $ camping gears, ..., and my spending on scouting books, pamphlets, mb books, gear for myself.

 

I really don't why the parents in our troop have to pick up so much when we have fundraisers! I asked and will be asking the Committee for an explanation again!

 

Am I the only one that see that there is something wrong with this picture?

 

 

1Hour

 

ps: I know ... I know ... getting the scouting experience ... priceless!(This message has been edited by OneHour)

[SemperParatus]

What's wrong with the picture is lack of communication. The financial records need to be 'open book'. At each committee meeting, our Treasurer provides a current financial statement (balance sheet and income statement), a comparison to the annual budget and a financial summary of the previous month's trip - fees charged less itemized list of expenses. If this information is not available, or not being made available, then you should speak with your CC and Treasurer.

 

I think you know the scout recharter cost is nowhere near $60 - that must include troop dues.

 

Our troop...all adults (leaders and otherwise) pay same trip price as scouts (no scout subsidy)...no reimbursements for gas or tolls...weekend trips generally range $15 - $30 (depending on admission fees, etc.)...all trips are priced to breakeven...we don't do a $250 fall encampment (that sounds very expensive, I hope it is worth it)...you left off high adventure - that can get very expensive...we have a couple of families with 3-4 scouts in our troop - I can only imagine the expense.

 

 

[cubbingcarol]

I don't blame you 1hour, I would want some definite answers myself. Yes, I know, that you can't put a price on something so wonderful, but you have to put a limit sometime. Esp. when you have more than one child. Please let us know what you find out.

 

Carol

[flowerchild]

Wow that's expensive.

 

With our troop the adults pay the same as the boys for a weekend campout. Whoever pulls the trailer gets gas money.

 

As far as yearly fees, we have a $60 activity fee for the boys which covers insurance, recharter, and MB's. Our charter oranization pays for the adults recharter fees.

 

The troop picks up the bill for any adults that go to summer camp. The boys are responsible for their part but we have fundraisers to help them out. Each boy has an account and any money they earn from selling popcorn, car washes, etc goes into their account which they can use to help with camping expenses. Our summer camps is only $170.

 

 

[OneHour]

Semp, sorry, fat-fingered. Fall Encampment is $140. Summer camp cost so much is because (again) subsidy. The book is somewhat opened. Our treasurer summarizes the incomes vs. expenses and the state of the account. Last year, I questioned the reason why we have a net gain of $xx per campout and then CC got changed and I never followed up on it. Now, I'm sitting here trying to figure whether or not I should go against the grain and charge (since I'm the adult lead for it) next campout at break-even or go with the standard $35. I'm leaning to go against the grain. I'm leaning to collect from each scout only $20.

 

Yes, the recharter costs $60 that would include troop fee! I know that a lot of it didn't go into the new trailer because our SM got his company to do the matching gift fund that allowed us to get the trailer. Our balance is healthy, say in $3,000 range.

 

You're right ... communications is the problem.

 

Thanks,

 

1Hour

 

ps: btw, this is not a complaint of troop mis-managment of funding or account. The extra moneys are still there in the account. It's just a gripe for a very thrifty parent who is about to have a second son in the troop. Alright, you can call me cheapskake.(This message has been edited by OneHour)

[Lynda J]

On two night camp outs our adults pay $10.00 for food. This is for sites that we do not have to pay for a rental on. It isn't fair for the boys to have to foot the bill for adult food.

I will say that when it is only two or 3 adults we lump our food into the troops.

 

This past weekend we had 14 boys and 8 adults and two little sisters.

 

I am normally quartermaster. I feed good.

 

I spent $68 of food for the "Wise ole owls" patrol

 

This camp out was an orienteering camp and the camp fee was $18.00. If the adults wanted to take part they paid their fee. If they wanted to simply do the map hike it was $5.00 a day.

 

We always have money left over from food but this goes to buy fuel for the stoves and lanterns. And characol for the troop. Any additional money goes into a special fund that helps replace things like lanterns and stoves. We are getting ready to have to buy at least two new stoves. They cost money.

 

But I do agree that the fiancial records should be made public

[eagle90]

Our troop normally charges between $16 and $20 per weekend campout for the boys, depending on where we are going. This is for 4 meals and a snack. Adults are not charged, except for weekends where we have to rent a cabin. Then they pay the same as scouts.

[kittle]

My son has only went on 1 troop campout, so I am not sure how it works everytime. But this time, it was $9 per camper or parent.

 

 

[EagleInKY]

Check out this thread, it was a poll regarding how much troops charge for fees and dues.

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=78841#id_78875

 

 

I used the results of this informal survey when our troop committee started questioning how much we charged. But we were nothing compared to this. Here's a breakdown -

 

$40 annual fee

$60 in monthly dues ($5 per month)

 

Pay as you go for activities (scouts and adults). We don't try to make a profit, just break even. It's typically around $12 a weekend. Sometimes more if there are costs involved in the campsite or program. We usually don't reimburse for gas, except for long trips.

 

Summer Camp ($170 for boys, $50 for adults). The difference is largely caused by the difference in cost charged by our council. Scouts do supplement a small amount of the adults fees.

 

"Special" trips vary based upon the program. We went to the Huntsville space center for their weekend program, and it was about $100 total cost. Our WW Rafting trip this year is going to cost close to $300.

 

We do offer ways for scouts to earn money in their scout accounts to help pay for all of these items.

[falcon93]

our troop typically avoids camps that charge a campsite fee. We tend to call on farmers in the areas that we wanna camp, and luckily we have been fortunate to avoid those fees. We let the boys do their own menu, and they stay in the range you indicated. The leaders are the only other adults that go. We do our own menu and where 1 buys this time, another buys the next.....it balances out.

 

all of the other fees.......we don't deal with. we try to only charge what it takes to get the boys where they want to go. Fortunately, we have enough kids as to where us leaders can carpool them out. It's youth ran, mom and dad don't need to be there to babysit johnnie - unless they want to join our leadership team then they learn to step back and let johnnie be lead by or run his patrol.

 

 

[flowerchild]

One thing I forgot to mention - our Troop has just asked that all receipts be turned in for camping trips. That way we have a record of what was spent and show the boys how to prepare their camping budgets better. They can review the receipts to estimate what to charge for the next trip. These receipts are kept with the 'activity report' which includes comments on the trip and what worked and what didn't work.

[SemperParatus]

"Our balance is healthy, say in $3,000 range".

 

Is that before or after the liability for any scout account balances? If it is after (i.e., free and clear money not earmarked for a scout), how many scouts are in your troop? If 50 scouts then the troop is sitting on $60 per boy for 'future' use - not too big of a deal. If 10 scouts in the troop, then troop would be sitting on $300 per boy and I would be thinking rebate time!

[OneHour]

Semp, we had 39 boys and grew 24 more this past month. After liabilities is the $3000. No scout account (another gripe that I have with the Committee). Only a small number (say 8-10) of the 39 boys participate in fundraiser. I feel that they should deserve some credit. I'm currently pushing for scout accounts. Treasurer does not like it. She stated that she simply does not have the time to keep track. I, of course, volunteered, but it will be tricky to work with two different people on a job that only takes one. We'll see.

 

1Hour

 

 

[John-in-KC]

Our Troop is also "pay as you go."

 

If the site fee is "per head, youth or adult" then each youth/adult attending pays.

 

If the site fee is a single fee, we spread it across the youth and boys going. Generally gets less expensive really fast.

 

Whoever draws duty of adult cook gets a headcount, builds a menu, costs it, and gets a price out to leaders. Baked chicken on the fire is pretty cheap ... so is a foil dinner. We try to do things that provide examples for the youth ... but once in a while, we find top sirloin at a mega bargain, and then it's steak night.

 

We use Bisquik or a generic instead of canned biscuits. Amazing how the cost per person goes down. Ditto dry milk for cooking, vice fresh.

 

 

[anarchist]

OneHour,

Sounds kinda high...has someone set up a retirement IRA?

 

We run 'net-zero' camps...we do not have "troop kitchens or purchases" If a campsite cost is zero the kids and adults only pay for food they buy. If there is a campsite fee that is prorated per head (adults included)...That said, we HAVE just instituted a fuel fee to partially offset the price of fuel for transport (drivers) on trips over 100 miles...guideline is to keep it in the $5.00-8.00 range (or less)per long trip. This gives most drivers $15.-24.00 on long trips.

 

Food cost is totally a patrol thing,Troop does not get involved. Patrols build menus, estimate costs and grubmaster collects patrol funds...Usually $10-$12 per weekend. Adults generally follow the same course...'cept we generally eat much better $15.00 (D.O. beef roast, smoked lamb, venison, chicken, ribs, crab stuffed mushrooms, pinto beans, streamed veggies,poached trout, Stews, and lots of fresh D.O. Sourdough bread...we try to open the Scouts eyes and taste buds as to what can be done outdoors...

 

Recharter time (March for us) is @ $22.00 for BSA plus $20.00 troop dues (total $45)and a second installment of troop dues (actually the first installment) of $25.00 is collected in September.

 

Summer camp is $200-$230 plus bus ($28-$35) per boy (truely the way to go), parents pay @$50 for camp though usually we get 4 or 5 adult freebies due to the size of our summer camp troop (40-60 boys)...many adults choose to drive separately to camp (for sanities sake).

 

Camporees run generally $30-$40 per head including food.

 

Extra troop cash comes from one or two troop fund-raisers and parents have the option of setting up scout account fund-raisers if they are willing to run them...Our high adventure patrol also does some cash raising for its trips...separate from the troop as a whole.

 

Our adults 'pay to play'..we don't put it on the backs of the boys...

PS. On campouts our SPL and ASPL (and ACTING SPL if the real deal is absent) eat with the adults for free...and they also mooch from patrols...sort of graze their way 'around camp'...particularrly for desserts...

 

Subsidizing the adults is nice but is it necessary? Seems that your troop needs to look over the books to see what's going out?

thing to look for though in the troops defence- some parks also charge a vehicle access fee (can be $10.00 per car), some parks charge a reservation fee ($5-10)

 

PS. travel soccer cost to my family, for one boy is @$1,500 per year transport not included) Cross country another $100 plus travel and food -for eight weeks...

Good bean counting!