Troop Budget and Dues

[Stosh 3452]

Acquiring and accumulating gold is of no value to anyone.  People can't eat gold.  Money in the bank is of no value to the scout troop until it is spent.  Right now our troop is running in the red.  We owe people to lent us money to get boys to summer camp.  We currently have two fund raisers trying to pay off that loan.  THEN we can start fund raising for next summer's summer camp and activities. 

 

The fund raising efforts of the troop are purely the responsibility of the parents to organize and run.  The boys assist them so they have a bit of skin in the game. 

 

Is anyone in a panic?  Nope.   We just keep plugging away hoping the money will be there when needed.  It is. 

 

Our biggest fund raising scout quit the troop because we don't use ISA's and is much happier now that he has his Philmont and Jambo funds raised.  His buddies don't, but he does.  Our funds are maintained on a patrol level.  Troop gets a % and the patrols get a % depending on the work the patrol members put into it.  The troop pays all but $50 for summer camp expenses.  If the patrol decides to drop that further the boys can make that decision on their own.

[ParkMan 1293]

I look at the question of surplus as really separate from the question of program.  Plan the program you want and then find a way to pay for it that lets you not have to worry too much about the financials.

 

For example - as a troop, we follow a pay as you go model.  If a scout wants to go on a camping trip, he contributes the cost towards that event.  Some camping trips we come out ahead, sometimes we have a loss.  In the end it works out.  Our annual dues are modest.  We purchase badges and other fixed costs from the dues.  We have scholarships for those who cannot afford it.  This makes it easier for us.  We don't have to make a large budget work out.  We don't get to February and say "no more trips, we're out of money".

Edited September 16, 2016 by ParkMan

[blw2 433]

_{I'm late to this topic, but I would like your response to this:  I am outings coordinator for our troop.  We had a committee meeting last week. We have approx $5,000 in our bank account.  K of C gave us a check for $500.  I suggested that we part with some money and pay for a corn maze night for the scouts.  Shot down.  Our troop has no dues.  One fundraiser (nuts) 60% to troop, 40% to ISA.  We just put new tires on the troop trailer and had some re-wiring done.  Oh and if your troop goes to $0 every year, you have no seed money?  I just spent $1000 making reservations at various outings for the next 6 months.  (one cabin camping in the winter is almost $600, had to be paid up front).  This will be reimbursed as the scouts pay for the outings.}

I agree with others.... good to maintain some cushion as others have said.  I'll add that you need enough to start the year with too.  You sorta answered that yourself with the $1,000 worth of reservations.  There could be some inventory you need to cover for fundraising events as well....

 

I'm rolling into the start of my first year as treasurer, but I saw a similar thing with the pack, too.  We had enough in the bank to cover those initial reservations, + a boatload of patches and awards earned since the last COH + a few things related to summer camp that came up and a few other things like you mentioned with trailer repair/maintenance....

 

My other comment is to suggest you look into this practice of crediting ISA's, and make sure this is something you want to continue doing.  My 1st duty in transitioning to the treasurer job was some lengthy research and discussions on this topic.

 

I honestly think that like you, we are also running too big of a balance.  Instead of suggesting the corn maze though like you did, I plan on suggesting we let the scouts come up with something for the excess.... once I have a bit better handle on what our budget really is....

[Stosh 3452]

Right now our "budget" consists of paying off last year's loan to get everyone to summer camp.  Once we do that, we'll start working on next summer's expenses.  We're starting popcorn sales this weekend so the boys have been told that first we pay off the debt, then we fund next summer's summer camp, then we buy new tents.  Depending on how many tents we buy depends on how hard they work the popcorn sales.  It's their problem to solve, not mine.