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All of the angst is about the cost of running a council and the fact that most of that is covered by donations. It's $600/yr/scout in my council. Add in the fact that we talk about how boring eagle required MBs are, is there really a surprise that parents are questioning the value of scouts? Trust me that I don't enjoy this but this is one of those hard facts that needs to be addressed.

I think what @RememberSchiff is saying is that units never see these numbers until after the fact. The Activity Fee is mandatory vice FOS being voluntary. Some units are lucky in that their members still have money left after the national fee and unit fees to voluntarily give some more. In today's world not so much. Some parents walked away with the $25 extra fee just to join. A 3-5 year projected budget might be helpful but never seen one. With the huge reductions across the board in the BSA, most would want to see a corresponding reduction at their council...not pretty but

Let's take a look at some numbers. I pulled Orange County CA's website and 990 and took a look. According to their website, they serve 20,000 youth members. From their 990 in 2018, they had expenses of $11.8 million dollars. Of that $11.8 million, they spend: $4.8 million in salaries $1.1 million in payroll taxes and benefits $1.1 million in depreciation/amortization $1.2 million in occupancy $879K in office expenses $299K in staff travel $272K in insurance $270K in interest on loans $1.9 million in a variety of other expenses F

IMHO, let's discuss the new transparent explanation of proposed Council spending and how it is approved before discussing any new means of funding it.

Tidewater Council: $24 per person. This is down from $42 thanks to a strong FOS showing in 2020. http://tidewaterbsa.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Bayside-2021-Recharter-Process-Flyer.pdf It technically worked out as two fees: $12 insurance and $12 council activity (down from $30). Tidewater has made it absolutely clear: what they cannot get out of FOS they will get out of this council activity fee. When/if FOS comes in strong, the council activity fee will decrease. https://tidewaterbsa.com/ek-july15-4/

Nice documentation of issues in your council/district. My council/district (Montana) does much better in all these categories across the board, so when ICL does ramp up, the district representative has a much easier time asking for donations. Montana Council does not charge a recharter fee. They rely on commissions on popcorn sales and ICL. They get large donations and have an endowment fund to update facilities at camps in Montana. The shower/bathroom facilities at Melita Island and K-M Scout Ranch are awesome. The new dining hall/admin building at K-M Scout Ranch is amazing and they are look

And only good for two years? Whereas a NCS certification is good for five?? For me to volunteer to be your Short-Term Camp Administrator? I'll pass. Instead, I think I'll apply for the National Office job of Short-Sighted Camping Program Demolisher

The $55 National Camping School fee is set by and goes direct to National. Not only does your local Council not get a dime, the local Council has to then add in another $100 as a hosting fee. https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/camping/short-term-camp/

Our 2021 UoS was this past Saturday. They wanted $18 to participate virtually. In lieu of my previous "donations" I decided to sit this year out and my Webelos Den worked on Cast Iron Chef Saturday morning.

I think that's the nut of the funding problem. Councils have a hard time showing benefit to youth. All people see is what looks like bloated overhead.

The problem that councils have with any of these sorts of discussions is that it is very difficult for a council to show value to an individual Scout. Scout executives, district executives, and mich of the staff are focused on sustaining the council. The money that a scout pays in terms of fees almost entirely goes to pay for amorphous things like DE salaries or office expenses or depreciation of equipment. Very little of that has any tangible benefit to youth. My recommendation has been that councils need to establish two different parts of their budget. One part pays for is funded by

I think I was talking more in terms of trying to market the increasing expenses to newer scouts and families. Great if you can access a huge pdf to parse through but I think Councils who want to recruit newer families need to work harder to be more transparent, i.e., act like other organizations and include a pie chart or some other breakdown prepared for you that shows you what you are getting for your investment. If 70% of the Council budget is going towards salaries then I think you have to spell out what those positions do to benefit scouts at the unit level.

My Council is making bank on cancellations... In October I had to bail on Webelos Woods with my own kid because my uncle died due to Covid and the service was that weekend. Since I didnt request a refund 14 days in advance I had to eat the paid fees. In December we had a Pack campout planned and a couple of days before I got sick and couldnt go. It was just a cold. I was the only BALOO trained leader going so since I couldnt go, neither could the Pack. I made the reservation for the campsite (we have to pay to use Council camps now). Since the cancellation was less than 1

Which again, required to be disclosed by IRS regulation and state law. 990 Schedule C. Political Campaign and Lobbying Activities. And state lobbyists have to list who the are lobbying on behalf of. Here's Texas since 2016. https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/search/lobby/loblistsREG2016-2020.php And again, if you know when your council's budget is set, have you ever bothered to ask to see the next year's projected budget? As I said, in a good number of states, the "ask" carries with it the requirement of law (they HAVE tell you what the expenditure is for/what the budget is prior to

First, I know of no local not-for-profit that does 3-5 year projections. BSA might as a large national organization, but a local council doing 3-5 YEARS out? No way. Given that membership organizations are notoriously hard to budget for (e.g. associations), I cannot imagine a 3 year projected budget being anything more than mere guesswork and THAT becomes a problem when projections are way, way off. Then everyone gets mad at Council for missing budget targets. Second, as for reductions, again, all that information is in the 990s. They record total employees (and that number dropping as la

I never, ever understood this argument that council is "hiding" how they spend money or not being "transparent". 1) Federal law: All Councils have to file IRS 990s. By law. These are easily available either direct from the Council for the asking (prior 3 years + the Council's not for profit application) or from the IRS (COVID has created a lag time of 6-9 months before they go online). There's also places online (Guidestar) that post these. 2) 28 states require that a not-for-profit or charity file annual audit statements if they take in revenue over a set amount a year (e.g. Arkansa

I think Council fees should replace FOS for current registrants. I think an FOS appeal could still be targeted to alumni if a Council has its records in order. I am concerned though that the Council fee might just become another bucket you are expected to pay into. Our Council instituted the maximum Council fee this year. We still had a pitch for FOS. We were still asked, though not required, to participate in popcorn sales. We had additional pitches for a Covid relief fund. Granted there was no hard sell for any of these things other than the new Council fee, but it has been a constant ask.

Passing judgment when ignorant of the facts is simple. Those who know the facts find it harder to judge.

I struggle though with how to reconcile the gains and successes we've had as a country in the last 50 years. Even in my lifetime, I see a noticeable difference in the amount of racism and increase in the amount of equality in our social structures. I applaud that we continue to focus on rooting out discrimination and racism. Yet, to listen to my teenage kids talk, our country is an awful place full of racists. I don't know how to communicate to my kids with any credibility that we've come so far as a country from what it was 50, 100, or more years ago.

BSA often does not follow what they teach about leadership or values.

Council fee is $33 on top of everything else. Got a letter today saying all district/council camping activities, not just the Cub Scout Family Activities, needs a certified Camp Administrator and the cost of the virtual training is $55. WHY DOES IT COST IF IT IS VIRTUAL AND REQUIRED FOR PROGRAM? ( emphasis) I can understand IOLS charging. had to pay for food, supplies, handouts, etc. And when I did Cub Scout Basic Leader Training, we charged $5 for snacks, handouts, and a resource CD I put together. The info on the CD was well worth the $5 by itself. But $55 for a virtual class

https://www.koat.com/article/los-alamos-boy-scout-dies-in-snowing-accident/35173800 Prayers for his family and friends. 😞