Post edited 2:50 pm – August 30, 2010 by MISS Liberty

*heart attack*

Wow.  We run very shoe string in our pack.

Our dues since inception have been $60/year.  However, how these dues were collected has changed.  Initially, the leadership charged $5/month.  Except, brilliant leaders that they were, they never held meetings in June, July and August… so um… that does NOT = $60.  (They never could figure out why they always came up short. *snort*)  Later we tried collecting $20 every 4 months – that didn't work because after the initial $20 people would gripe that they thought they'd paid and/or they'd be late and the treasurer would lose track of which payment was which.

We debated raising our dues to $65 last year when the registration/recharter fee went from $10 to $15, but instead our committee voted to do a hot dog fundraiser on Pinewood Derby night to compensate the difference.  (This wasn't a successful plan, but they'll know better this year.)

This year we will announce $65 dues at the September pack meeting – Due by November 12.  (Our recharter is due toward the end of November.)  This gives September, October, and November to come up with dues – essentially $20/month.  However, every youth who sells $200 in popcorn is waived the $65 fee.  For brand new Scouts just signing up, we charge the sliding scale fees for initial registration as well as the annual dues but we cover the remaining Boys Life fees. 

Clearly, $65 isn't funding "everything" we do all year long.  Outings are not covered – each family is responsible for paying for outings as they arise and we try very hard to pick "mostly free" activities when we can.  We are always reimbursed the cost of Boys Life magazine for all Scouts by our Charter Organization, so that helps us.  In December we typically sell mistletoe which is collected on our Committee Chairman's ranch and tie it with donated ribbon (no cost fundraiser) in order to cover the costs of families who can't/don't pay dues as well as to recover costs spent on adult leaders.  As rechartering takes place a full month earlier than usual this year, we are still in negotiations as far as how to handle that THIS year.  (We should have enough to float that amount until December, but no decisions have been finalized, yet.)

Finally, we do another "big" fundraiser in March – our District Scout Carnival.  This pays for our summer campout as well as for advancement for the next year.  (And I won't lie, we usually have extra which we use to "pad" anything that comes up – like our recharters being due early this year, or new equipment, etc.)

I'll admit, it's a low budget, but we're very lucky to get a lot of "stuff" donations.  (Craft items, games, food, etc.)  We do not have a uniform closet (our attempts have fallen flat), we do not give neckerchiefs/slides (I wish we could) at graduation, and we keep our pack meeting budgets VERY low.  (As in – if I want a costume or decorations, I had better be pinging Freecycle or asking around Round Table for loaners.)  That said – if I give enough advance warning at a District Meeting/Round Table, I *will* get what I need – from witch hats to pirate peg legs to sun/moon/stars/planets decorations, to empty tic tac containers. 

We don't have day camp scholarships at this point – but our Charter Organization does.  However, our previous Day Camp director let us move heavily into "gray area" for adult volunteers at Day camp so that our Day Camp – with an adult volunteer showing up every day – is only $25 after volunteer rebate.

It's definitely not perfect, but we get by.