Polaris

Yay! Congrats!

So much easier when folks follow through.

Since Council has misplaced items.........I always print off two copies and ask the staffer at the desk to stamp it as received. A little overkill, but that's how I operate after they have lost several adult apps.

Why isn't your CC completing the Charter?

As CC of our unit, I feel your pain. Fortunately I didn't have any YPT hold-outs (they finished at the last minute), but I have several leaders that did not complete Job Specific training as "required" by Council. I was able to hit the Submit button anyway.

Perhaps the CC has completed YPT but it doesn't show on Charter? It may be under a different BSA Member ID or they have created a second "secret" MyScouting.org account that isn't linked to their Member ID.

I know you don't want to hear it......Honestly, if your CC hasn't completed YPT and isn't completing the Charter, they aren't fully committed to the program and their position. Is there another adult ready to train and take the position?

Or, contact Council, pick up a YPT DVD and your laptop and invite the fella out for a cup of coffee and surprise 'em with training.

Thanks for bringing up this topic.

Our DE called me last week and wants to schedule our FOS talk for Jan, Feb or March. He asked for B&G, but I won't let them hijack our program. And I won't let 'em take Pinewood Derby either. So, that leaves January. We normally schedule for April, but they need pledges in by March 31. Last year, the FOS speaker was a no show. So, our DE came to a leader meeting in May.

My question to y'all: What do our popcorn contributions go towards? (I am talking about the % that goes to Council and not our unit.) By my calculations, Council received $5900 of our total sales which is approx. $150 per scout in our unit. Someone at RT said popcorn sales fund a different account and is separate from FOS.

Several of our leaders feel we have done our fair share to support Council and want me to tell our DE, "No thanks." What's the answer? I haven't been around long enough to know.

Yes. Very awkward.

Thanks BM. I appreciate your experience and advice.

Update:

I sent an upbeat letter to the parent the week before Thanksgiving. (The other family paid--no letter.) No response from parent. Scout son asked neighbor dad to take him to our Pack meeting tonight. He went and had fun. So....den leader quickly put a note together and sent it home with scout to take to parent. Note asked parent to call regarding dues and/or inquire about scout scholarships.

I hope we get a response. Scout needs and enjoys scouting. Meanwhile, I have turned in Charter and scout was dropped from unit.

This takes the fun out of scouting.

We were blessed with a great popcorn season, so we have more wiggle room with our budget this year. Therefore, the Pack (scout dues) now picks up the cost for scout camping. In the past, the Pack purchased the meat, disposables and site fees. Families signed up to bring side dishes, fruit snacks, desserts and firewood.

We now reserve the cabins, lodge or tent sites 4-5 months in advance. If we don't, they are booked and then we are rushing to find a different location or worse, a different weekend. We have found families like the yearly calendar in advance and if we change it, numbers go down. The Pack normally picks up the cost for the site, however our bunk bed lodge/gym camp-in January is $18.50 per person. Scout dues cover the scout, but we are charging parents $10.00. I am asking folks to sign up and pay at the December Pack meeting or make arrangements to register by Jan 11.

Due to space limitations, we allow one parent per scout and no siblings for our winter lodge events. We haven't had issues in the past with limited space and sign-ups because we don't have a lot of families that "camp." (This is another issue we are trying to address. This site is less than 5 minutes away and doesn't require an equipment investment except for industrial strength ear plugs! Hopefully, we will get a good turnout.)

My son's Troop allows $3 per person/meal.

I just sent this to the committee for approval/editing. I felt it was important for the parent to understand BSA national does not send us money. And we have to pay them to renew our Charter. Thanks again for the help. Just what I was looking for!

********

We enjoy having XX in our Cub Scout Pack, however we have not received his scout dues yet. Scout dues help to pay for the activities that the boys and families enjoy.

Dues cover supplies and expenses for our Den and Pack meetings as well as XXs advancement awards. We do not receive outside funding and our budget is based on membership dues and/or each scouts popcorn sales. We have some great events coming up and we dont want you to miss out on them! For instance, we will have......

I need to hear from you by November 29, 2012. At this time, XX needs to officially re-register as a scout for the 2013 scouting year with the Boy Scouts of America. The Boy Scouts of America charges each scout a fee for registration. If we dont have XXs dues, we will have to inactivate his membership and he wont get to participate in all the fun.

XXs dues for the year are $XX. If you like, you may pay in 4 installments of $XX each with the first payment due by November 29 and the final payment due by March 1, 2013. You may give them to XX or send them to school in an envelope: Attn: Cub Scout Pack XX. Just be sure to let one of us know you sent in your dues payment so we know to look for it.

Wont you please send in his dues so he can continue to have fun in Cub Scouting? Of course, we understand there may be some reason you have not paid your dues yet. Please dont hesitate to contact me or your den leader, XX. We might be able to help.

We want XX to stay with us and continue to have fun in Pack XX!

I look forward to hearing from you and seeing XX continue along the scouting trail.

I knew you guys wouldn't let me down. Thanks for the great advice!

Ugh!

I need an outline of a "Dear Parent" letter for unpaid scout dues.

I have Googled with little success.

Unfortunately, these 2 parents did not participate with our popcorn sales. 85% of our scouts were able to pay for all or the majority of their dues via fundraising. We had 4 parents who opted not to sell and they just wrote a check for dues back in September. The dues are outlined in our handbook and I give the "cost of scouting, dues and financial scholarship talk" at the New Parent Orientation in August. No surprises here.

The den leaders and I have left messages, sent emails and even talked to them and still nothing. Charter paperwork is due Dec 15, but I would like to have it completed at the end of November.

This is a new problem for us....er...me. Please help. Thanks!

I feel your pain.

Some folks are rude and inconsiderate. Others are clueless with no idea of what goes on beyond their world. I think this is the case for most people.

I send out multiple emails. I make multiple announcements at meetings. It is on the calendar.

Popcorn take order forms were due on Oct 26. We announced Oct 16 deadline for a little wiggle room. Mom asks on Nov 8 where does she take the form. Meanwhile, we are picking up our popcorn on Saturday.

I don't know what else to do. Some people are more organized than others. The unorganized and clueless folks shouldn't be Kernels.

I helped the Disrict with recruitment this fall. I couldn't believe the number of scouters that did not reply to my emails and did not return my phone calls. Especially phone calls. That's beyond clueless. It's rude.

"The Scout's Outdoor Cookbook" by Christine and Tim Conners

Great book. I have read it from front to back. Easy read. Very well organized. Each recipe has been tested and placed into categories based on difficulty, required equipment and meal type. Many have notes. Equipment includes DO, pots, foil and skillets on charcoal, fire, stove or grill.

I also like the idea of giving the scouts several choices within their skill level to help ease them out of their comfort zone. Success creates more experimentation. Then expand from there.

There is a local scout with exceptionally superb cooking skills. His parents are both chefs. The troop is already in a panic as he gets closer to aging out. ;-)

Thank you!

That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure........

The hardest part is going to be connecting with the local troops. Unfortunately, we don't feed into a troop. I have sent emails and left messages for the SMs. One SM phone number was disconnected. They don't attend RT. I thought about showing up early to a troop meeting to see if I can chat and schedule a visit/campout or hike. Suggestions?

Help! My son's Webelos AOL den leader just stepped down.

Question: For AOL requirement 6, it asks each boy to schedule a SM conference after a "talk with your Webelos den leader."

What basic topics should the "talk with your Webelos leader" cover?

Thanks!

We've had 5 scouts drop out of our Pack due to:

1) 2 moved out-of-state

2) 1 transferred to an LDS Pack after his Tiger advancement

3) 1 due to daily sports activities

4) 1 due to single mom taking courses for her Masters degree

At our Parent Orientation, I gave the parents a brief run down on BSA's position on religion. We are not chartered to a church, but to a civic organization, which may be a pro or con for some parents. From what I've heard from our families, they want family fun and character development for their boys. Everything else is a distraction from the program.

FYI:

http://www.whas11.com/home/Boy-Scout-leader-says-he-was-forced-out-because-he-is-gay-166791766.html

This is what we do:

We book 2-3 locations per weekend. We try to schedule more locations early in the season when customers are fresh.

We had 44 scouts sell last year and we sold about $17,000 at tables ($18,000 with online, door-to-door and donations.)

The scouts do the selling. This year, we will have the scout pick up the $30 tin, walk up to the customer, smile, and say, "Hello, sir. Would you like to support scouting and buy some TAAASTY popcorn." If the customer doesn't want to drop $30, they can always go lower. The scouts know the prices (denominations of 5) and they know 70% of the price goes back to scouting. Everyone stands up--no camp chairs. The total table sales are pooled and each scout gets "sales credit" based on how many hours they worked. So, they can work one hour or 16 hours. If they work one hour, parents know they will pay more in dues out of pocket.

Last year we sold at a used bookstore. Lots of traffic.....but....Ugh. It was bad. Those folks were there lookin' for a discount and $20 popcorn certainly doesn't fit the bill.

Oops! We're one of those units that's guilty of booking early!

Seriously. We only booked a couple of months earlier.....not January. Wow!

Yes. We sell at Lowe's every year. It is our best location over CVS, Walgreens and Walmart. I think the Lowe's folks have more disposable income or they just can't resist a cute Tiger. Lowe's has lots of weekend traffic with grandparents, moms and families, too. Not just Y chromosome types. We tried to book another Lowe's across town and the manager told us corporate Lowe's does not allow store front sales. We couln't book it. So, it seems as if the manager is making special arrangements for us at our local Lowe's. Yay!

Our Council offers a good training class for Kernels. They have lots of tips for selling. Check with your Council on this.

Answers:

1) No. Our scout accounts are used only to pay for summer camp.

Pack dues pay for race cars/boats, trophies, 3 campouts, awards, belt loops, den supplies up to $100 per den, leader training (I.e. Univ of Scouting), Pack mtg activities, Blue and Gold, Holiday Party, BSA registration and insurance, equipment maintenance, service projects, etc. We have developed a budget for each activity per scout and collect dues at the beginning of the year. Each family receives our budget/dues structure in writing. If a family chooses not to fundraise to pay their dues, dues payments are collected and placed into the Pack general fund. "The Cub Scout helps the Pack go."

2) Scout accounts are funded 100% of profits after the dues amount is funded. The scout account only retains enough funds to cover the cost of summer camp. Any above that goes back into the Pack general fund. We offer large amount gift cards as incentives for the high sellers. All scouts that fundraise are eligible for prizes. We also offer surprise incentives to those that make that extra special sale.

If the scout doesn't attend camp, the funds go back into the general fund. If a scout crosses over, the Pack writes a check to the troop. We will hold more money in the AOL Webelos account as Boy Scout camp is more expensive.

3) Written budget and dues collection prevent shortfalls. We make sure the Pack fund has monies before the scout accounts are funded.

4) Again, put it in writing and give it to the families. We explain our budget/dues structure at the back-to-school ice cream social and popcorn kickoff. Our program offers a lot of opportunities. A family can chose to participate or not. We don't nickel and dime throughout the year. Often, we cover costs for family members as well as scouts. We want the entire family participating. An example where we will collect money from parents is for their own tickets for a minor league baseball game.

Basically, we do the same thing as your Pack. The boys that fundraise have dues (Pack expenses/activites) and summer camp paid for and those that don't--they pay out of pocket. The difference is that we collect dues for all activites whether they attend or not. That's how we are able to budget for events. Everyone "pays" their fair share.

Yeah!

Just got a lead on a transfer scout today and I called her.....today.

Mom was an assistant TIger Leader last year. Our Pack is outside of her school district--the local Packs recruit from the schools. She is looking for a more active Pack and our pin got her attention.

Personally......

I wouldn't buy pre-popped popcorn. When I buy the scout popcorn.......I like the option of going into my pantry, grabbing a packet and making it when I want it. And it's steaming hot.

The pre-popped stuff doesn't seem as fresh, but that's my opinion.

I agree. You would need to keep it around $1 each.

(It looks like the 94% fat free is approx. 5 cups = 100 calories which is more popcorn and fewer calories and happier dieters.)

We sell Campmasters thru our Council.

We sell a 20 pack 94% fat free box for $20. They are quite tasty and it is one of our more popular sellers.

It helps the public make a decision to buy overpriced popcorn when the scouts let them know 70% of the product sales goes back into the Council and unit's program.....especially when you are standing outside of Walmart and you know that popcorn is a whole lot cheaper inside the store.

Here's some more info from our Council:

Webelos Weekend Guide:

http://www.lhcbsa.org/Activities/Council%20Events/~/media/Councils/Council205/Flyers/Webelos%20to%20Scout%20Weekend%20Guide%20092012.ashx

Advancement Activities:

http://www.lhcbsa.org/Activities/Council%20Events/~/media/Councils/Council205/Flyers/W2S%20Scout%20Activities%20090712.ashx

They're all different........

We presented a knot at Blue and Gold and another at a Pack meeting.

The knot at the Pack meeting was a complete surprise to the leader. I gathered his den together and asked his son to present the knot and the other boys stood up and told a funny story or recalled a special activity. All of them said thank you for being the best den leader.....EVER. The leader was quite surprised and I could tell he was touched by the whole thing.

Here's our pin:

Cub Scouts

Zip 40014

Pack 998

With only 40 characters, it's hard to come up with a brief and catchy description.

I believe our Council will be placing BeAScout.org on pizza box sticky flyers this fall. A portion of the pizza profits will be donated to Council. All units are encouraged to update their pins.

We are a relatively new Pack. We worked with a written budget for the first time last year. We also created a spreadsheet for the families with a breakdown of dues titled "The Cost of Scouting."

We gave families 3 choices in order to pay dues:

1) Pay total dues, choose not to sell popcorn and add a $30 donation to Council

2) Pay total dues, sell popcorn, excess funds goes into a "Council summer camp account" and the rest goes to the Pack

3) Pay 25% down, sell popcorn, excess funds above dues goes into a "Council summer camp account" and the rest goes to the Pack and the 25% deposit is refunded; if not enough popcorn is sold, the remainder of dues are paid by the Blue and Gold Banquet

The families enjoy the options and the dues payment structure works well for our Pack.

Here are our keys to popcorn success:

We sell Campmasters popcorn. The popcorn is very tasty. Our families decided to keep the Council's prizes rather than fill them with Walmart stuff. We do augment the prizes with gift cards for the top sellers, best sales pitch, most eager seller, or any other reason a scout stands out.

We decided to not participate with the Campmasters online sales this year because the shipping costed as much or more than the popcorn itself. We got a lot of grief from the families' out-of-town relatives.

Last year we sold $17,865 in popcorn and received an additional $537 in donations. We start early in the summer by contacting local stores for show-n-sale table space. Early bird gets the worm. We like Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and our local Lowe's (national Lowe's does not allow outside table sales.) Council provides Popcorn Kernel training in early August and table sales start Aug 25. This is why we start early reserving our stores so we can secure the busiest locations. This year we plan to hit the first several weekends hard by scheduling multiple locations during the same weekend. We found as the weeks drag on, the consumer has already supported scouting and they are less likely to buy again.

In order to make the system "fair," we divide total table sales by the number of show-n-sale hours offered. Each scout receives credit based upon the number of hours worked. We have scouts work as few as one hour to as many as 16 hours.

The pitch is important as mentioned earlier. We encourage our parents to stand behind the table with the scouts out front. The scout sells the popcorn--"Would you like to support scouting and buy some DEEEE-LI-CIOUS popcorn?" The Pack encourages them to ham it up. We have scripted responses for the "no thank yous" which will get a sale or cash donation 50% of the time. The scouts also memorize the prices--which is fairly simple--it's based upon the number of popcorn packs in each box.