Dues

[JillKB]

Our popcorn sale fell short this year....with just a few boys that really sold... and a whole lot who didn't bother to sell at all. We were thinking of trying something where say dues are $35 for the year if you sell at least $200 in popcorn, or $65 a year if you choose not to sell....I haven't sat down yet to work out the exact figures. But I'm wondering if anyone has tried anything like this???

 

I've heard of packs who had a required amount of popcorn sales per boy. I asked them what they did if the boys didn't sell the required amount. They said that if no effort was made then they didn't give them their awards. I don't know if I'd have the guts to do that...but something definitely needs to be done to motivate these parents.

[Eamonn]

Back in the day...

We held an Annual Planning Meeting in July. This was the first step to making a budget. Once we had a budget we worked out how much it was going to cost for the year for each Cub Scout.

We then presented the parents the cost. I called this the "Magic Number".

Some parents didn't want anything to do with fund raising events. That was fine, they had the option of just paying the amount. As long as the magic number was reached I didn't care where the money came from.

We didn't include Cub Scout Resident Camp in the budget. So if people raised more than the magic number they used the excess to pay for camp.

Eamonn.

[BSAChaplain]

Jill, I don't see whether you are in a pack or a troop.

 

If you are in a pack I generally agree with Eamonn, but in a troop there's someting else to consider. Boy Socuts and Venturers should be learning to pay their way. So no magic number for the parents, rather for the boys. Whether they sell popcorn with the unit, or mow lawns for the neighbors (does anyone do that anymore).

My one disagreement with Eamonn's assement is that if you do not teach the basics of that priciple to Cubs (even with a token amount of popcorn or other sales) they will not have a basis on which to build in Scouts.

[Aquila calva]

It is curious how the concept of dues just doesnt register with a lot of families these days. It seems we just want to know what the thing (or activity) is going to cost and then we decide if we will buy it or not. This is very much the American Way. Whats the price? If the buyer doesnt like the price here, theyll go someplace else and buy it, or do without. This is the way it is with athletic teams, musical organizations, commercial summer camps, buying a car or house, etc. Then the subject becomes Scouting and a few adult leaders start talking about dues and everyones eyes glaze over..Oh well, here goes.

 

Boy Scouts (Cub Scouts, Venturers, etc) pay dues to help support their units. Scouting is a dues paying organization. That is, scouts pay dues to help support their unit programs. (Say something three times and people start to listen. Is it true?)

 

Make a budget(easier said than done!)Figure out what it costs the unit to operate in a given year. Then divide the total by the number of scouts in your unit. Every member should be asked to pay the same amount of dues. (Try to be fair.) Sign up an adult leader who knows how to make a budget and handle finances. This is your unit treasurer.

 

Now, this is where you start getting into activity accounts for individual scouts. If the scout sells $200 in popcorn, then the scout gets a credit of 35 percent of sales (one example). This is a credit of $70. If the unit sets the annual dues at $70, then the scout who sold the $200 worth of popcorn has just earned and paid his dues. The scout who sold no popcorn still owes dues of $70.00. The parents will be happy to write a check..or not.

 

And, yes, you can also do it any number of other ways. Figuring out how to make it reasonably fair, and communicating the fairness to your group needs open and honest communication.

 

Have fun scouting.

 

[Eamonn]

BSAChaplain

While I kinda, sorta agree with you, I also kinda, sorta don't !!

When OJ was a Cub Scout, we owned and ran two restaurants. We sold a ton of popcorn. Or maybe I should say I sold a ton of popcorn.

We live out in the sticks, so selling anything door to door, doesn't go over very well. People want to buy from kids in their neighborhood. The same can be said for mowing lawns and doing odd jobs.

I come from a very large family. My Mother was one of eight and my Dad one of seven!! Sadly they are all either dead or 3,500 miles away. Both of Her Who Must be obeyed parents were only children. She has one brother who most of the time owes me money.

Up until recently OJ wasn't old enough to get a real job. Most places will not hire a youth under 16. His nice kind Mother does give him an allowance of $30.00 a month. He mean Father doesn't give him an allowance. I do pay him for mowing the grass $35.00 per yard (It takes about seven hours) and I pay 50% of Scout Trips/Camps.

I as a Dad agree that I want my son to learn that there is no such thing as a free lunch.

However as a Scouter, I'm happy to leave how someone else's child pays for his or her Scouting up to them.

To be very honest I'm far more concerned in the youth participating in the activity than I am in how they come up with the cash.

I'm sure that some will say that I'm not doing a very good job of teaching "A Scout is thrifty" and they might well be right.

This past weekend we had our OA Lodge Banquet. This was my first big outing since I stepped down from being District Chairman and had the chance to hear the feedback about the cost of summer camp going up $25.00 (The biggest jump ever.) One leader was very upset and informed me that he was never ever going back to camp!! I know that the Troop is not doing well and the parent they have as SM can't go to camp. One nearly normal leader said that he was sad to see it go up as much as it did. When I asked him how many of the Scouts in the Troop actually come and pay for camp with money from home? He said none. It all comes from funds raised by the Troop.

Troops using money that they have raised to send Scouts to camp was new to me. Back home all money raised by the Troop was used to buy Troop equipment.

Once we had decided where we were going and come up with a cost, the Scouts could if they wanted use the Camp Bank. Before each Troop meeting they could make payments. We had a suggested weekly amount. Before we departed for Summer Camp we gave each Scout a check book. At a pre-determined time each day Scouts could write checks to withdraw their spending money. How much or how little was up to them (Of course the friendly Banker -a ASM was known to offer words of wisdom!)

At one time I did try and have set levels of spending money. I was worried that Joey Moneybags, would have so much that he would make Stan Stonebroke feel bad. It didn't work. Scouts would take whatever they were given (Many a time as we were departing Grandparents would give a Lad money) If this put them over the set amount they wouldn't tell me and then if they lost it they would get upset. Also some Scouts feel that they have to buy stuff for the people that they have left at home and this number can change from family to family. All OJ ever brought home was dirty laundry!!

OJ now has a job. He is working about 20 hours a week in the produce department of our local supermarket earning minimum wage. A few hours ago he surfaced from his room and informed me that if he worked at Summer camp ($185.00 a week) and worked weekends at the supermarket he would have $2,285 by the end of the summer.

I just didn't have the heart to tell him that things aren't that easy. He can't leave camp before 10:00 AM on Saturday and has to be back by noon on Sunday, then there is the time he wants to take off to go to NOAC and the week he wants to take to go sea kayaking with the Ship. He also got a ticket for a Stop Sign violation, so I think that he will be paying me whatever my car insurance goes up.

The bottom line is that I think there are some values and things that are up to the Scout and his family, we as Scouter's can and should set a good example and do what we can to reinforce these values. We should do what we can to teach our Scouts what a budget is, why it is important to live within our means, how money works. But I know some adults who are parents and leaders who just don't get it and never will.

Eamonn.