Finances and Scouting

Raising and spending money is, perhaps, more of a concern for a Troop Committee than a Scoutmaster but financial decisions and practices are an important part of the work.

Budget Every Troop should set a budget that sets monthly allocations for program, gear, awards and other costs based on projected revenue.

Sources for revenue are fund raising, dues and fees Fundraising Fund raising activities must be approved by the Troop’s chartered partner and Scout Council. Fund raising should always reflect value for money.

Troops may not solicit cash donations, price items above their fair market value, use games of chance (even raffles) nor use pyramid schemes. We do two annual fund raisers, a spaghetti dinner, one in the spring and one in the fall.

Scouts keep 50% of the proceeds of their gross sales money during the spring fund raiser in a Scout account. They may draw on this for any troop related costs other than dues payments.

Every family is asked to sell a minimum of five tickets for each dinner – a very modest and attainable requirement. We also set aside a percentage of our fund raising proceeds as a direct donation to our local council since we do not participate in the council popcorn sale. The BSA has, over the past several years, heavily promoted the sale of popcorn as a way to raise Troop and Council funds ala the Girl Scout cookie sale. We choose not to participate because of the complex logistics involved and the inflated pricing of the product. Dues Dues are a periodic payment directly from Scouts.

Often this is reduced to an annual payment but such an arrangement short-cuts a Scout’s personal responsibility to pay dues on a monthly or weekly basis. Dues paying is really an integral part of the program; Scouts should have the onus placed on them to pay reasonable dues from their personal earnings, keep records and report to the Troop treasurer. For example we charge $2.00 per month with the expectation that this is paid out of the Scout’s own money, not by his parents.

Scouts who are delinquent in dues payments cannot receive awards nor attend camp outs (see support fund below).

Outing Costs Fees for outings are usually a set amount. We charge $15.00 for each outing; $10.00 is budgeted for food purchased by the Patrol Grubmaster and the remainder is used to offset any fees or rentals and wear and tear to equipment. Two or three times a year this fee will be higher to offset higher costs associated the particular outing. Our troop budget allocates $100.00 per outing to pay any general expenses (rentals, ground fees, admissions, transport).

Rechartering Annual rechartering fees are charged directly to each Scout and Leader. We add an annual dues payment of $30.00 per Scout to this figure to supplement our monthly dues payments. Gear We purchase and maintain Troop equipment through a monthly budget allocation.

Major purchases are always approved by the Troop Committee. We have a standing policy that any gear rendered unusable by intentional breakage will be charged to the party that does the damage – but have never had to do so in my memory.

Support Fund Participating in Scouting should never be a financial decision, so we maintain a fund for Scouts who need it. The fund is administered simply in that anyone requesting support gets it – no questions asked – no form to fill out, no evaluation no test.

Sometimes this is a loan, sometimes a gift but it is always instantly available. In the dozen or so years that we have had this policy it has never been abused – people are generally honest and responsible. We maintain a vigilant watch for those Scouts who may not be participating in some events because of the cost and quietly remind them that they may participate regardless of their ability to pay.