Scout Money

[sheilab]

Is there a BSA rule written some where that Scout money cannot be deposited into a personal checking account? I would think that all monies would go into the Troop Account. For example, when the Troop is finished selling popcorn, that money would go to the Treasurer to be deposited into the Troop account and then a check from the Troop account written to council.

[ScoutNut]

Why would it need to be written anywhere? If I deposit Troop money in my own personal bank account, it is called stealing.

 

Oh wait, it is written somewhere, the Scout Law. A Scout is Trustworthy.

 

 

 

 

[Eagle92]

Why are you asking? your unit should have a separate account that needs to be used. I want to say the Cub Scout Leader handbook says something about that.

 

under duties of a Treasurer it states

 

Treasurer

Help the pack committee and Cubmaster establish a sound

financial program for the pack with a pack budget plan.

Open or maintain a bank account in the packs name and

arrange for all transactions to be signed by any two of the

following: Cubmaster, pack committee chair, secretary, or

treasurer.

Approve all budget expenditures. Check all disbursements

against budget allowances, and pay bills by check. The pack

committee chair should approve bills before payment.

Collect dues from den leaders at the pack leaders meeting,

preferably in sealed den dues envelopes. Open envelopes in

the presence of den leaders. Give receipts for these funds,

and deposit the money in the bank account.

Keep up-to-date financial records. Enter all income and

expenditures under the proper budget item in the finance

section of the Pack Record Book. Credit each Cub Scout

with payment of dues. From time to time, compare the

records with those of the den leaders to make sure they

agree. Give leadership in developing a coordinated recordkeeping

system in the pack.

Be responsible for thrift training within the pack. Encourage

each den leader to explain the pack financial plan to each boy

and his family so that boys will accept responsibility for paying

dues and family members will be alert to opportunities

for boys to earn dues money and develop habits of thrift.

On the request of den leaders, sympathetically counsel

with a boy who does not pay dues, determine the reason,

and encourage regular payment. If the boy is unable to pay,

[clemlaw]

>>>>Is there a BSA rule written some where that Scout money cannot be deposited into a personal checking account?

[boomerscout]

"Is there a BSA rule written some where that Scout money cannot be deposited into a personal checking account?"

there is a rule for non-profits in general: you are not to commingle funds. So, troop money is not to go into a personal checking account for safekeeping.

However, if a Scout has a sockful of coins from his own sales efforts that he did by himself (ex. house to house) as opposed to with a group (ex. concession stand), and wants to give the money to Mom in return for a check (and Mom later doesn't use the check to claim a charitable contribution), then he can probably skate by. But, he should really be handing in the "sock"

If you are acting as treasurer, then don't dare put the money in your personal checking

[clemlaw]

>>>>>However, if a Scout has a sockful of coins from his own sales efforts that he did by himself (ex. house to house) as opposed to with a group (ex. concession stand)

[sheilab]

I am not sure if some of you remember a post I did a couple months ago regarding how to do the Treasurers position which I have taken over, how our troop charges $160 for Scout dues, the only fundraiser the Scouts do is popcorn and most of parents are doing parent led instead of boy lead. It is out of hand with all the parent control freaks we have in our troop. Adults talking about others, sending separate emails to each other to make sure the Scouts do what they want even parents not letting their kids come to the PLC meeting. Gosh we even have a patrol that is having a patrol meeting at their house twice a month totaling 6 hours. My personal opinion is I dont think that is OK because they do not have any leadership by the SM or ASMs of our patrol, which mean the two parents that want it there way are doing it there way. Since my son is a JASM he is not in a patrol but if he was that would be way to much to do 6 hours a month patrol meeting at someones house, 6 hours of troop meetings a month, a campout a month and whatever fundraising is going on. Sorry I had to get that off my chest so to speak, it is very frustrating.

 

The Scouts just finished selling popcorn and the adult that took charge of that is one of these control people that now does not talk to me and for the most part does not show up at Troop meetings to avoid having to talk to me. She has an issue with me because I will not reimburse her or anybody unless they fill out a reimbursement form and I had talked to her a few times along with other adults on how she is not allowing the Scout to make their own decisions on how they want to sell their popcorn, prizes versus the extra percent and what they want to do with their money. I was the popcorn kernel for 4 years so I know what options the Scouts should have been given. She decided it was going to be her way or she was not going to do that position. It actually got out of hand at a committee meeting when a few adults confronted her and she threw her paperwork down and walked out. I know the money was due to our council yesterday, or the Scouts would have lost 3%. I dont know for sure, I am assuming she deposited approximately $8000 into her account and wrote a personal check to council and at some point hopefully tonight since we have a meeting will giving me a personal check made to the troop. I have heard from some people that this is OK and others it is not. I would think that the money would need to be counted by me the Treasurer for verification, get deposited into our Troop account and then a Troop check made to council. This is how it has been done the last 4 years. I ask if it is written down because it seem like every time I bring something up or another adult who is trying to get the Troop back to boy lead we are always being asked where does it say that

 

[clemlaw]

I don't have anything written to direct you to, but that is extremely poor practice. She's basically comingling funds, which is a very bad idea.

 

I suspect that there might be some written guidelines from your council, either in their Popcorn materials, or else in their unit fundraiser information. That's the first place I would look, and I suspect it probably says that she should not be doing that.

 

It probably says that monies received should be promptly deposited into the troop account.

 

If she were asking for my advice, I would also tell her not to do it for her own protection. Nobody's perfect, and at some point, it's possible for someone to write a bad check, just from poor math skills. If her bank balance dropped down to $7999 for some reason, and she wrote a check for $8000 in good faith and it bounced, she might face some serious criminal consequences.

 

I don't have any objection if Johnny Scout collects $50 in cash and his parents write a check to the troop to cover it. But this $8000 should have been promptly deposited into the troop's account.

 

Also, I find it surprising that nobody paid with a check. If someone bought popcorn and wrote a check, who did they make it out to? If they made it out to the troop and she endorsed it, that amounts to forgery. If she had people make it out to her, that seems like an extremely poor practice.

[sheilab]

I did the job she did for 4 years and there is always checks made out to our troop that is what the popcorn kernel tells them. I dont think she know who we even bank with so I dont think the checks will be signed. I will find out more at tonights meeting if she brings the checks/money. I guess I dont know what to say exactly I feel if she deposited the money into her personal account that is not good. Maybe I am being too black and white but I think all money collected for anything should be deposited into troop account and checks to pay bills out of the troop account.

 

Here is another issue, last year we had about $4000 donated from a company to our Troop and the adults decided to buy a trailer which cost about $1000. Trailers are helpful but the Scouts did not vote nor do they realize it takes yearly insurance and tags. Now we have approximately $3000 left and they want it to stay in the troop account. I said for what this money was donated to the troop and the troop is the boy, they support themselves and the troop if we need supplies etc. This money should go to them maybe to go on a campout or two so they do not have to fundraise, they deserve this. I dont mean all of it. I think some of it needs to stay into the troop account for supplies etc.

 

[Pack212Scouter]

In the matter od Popcorn sales, our unit prefers that the parent deposit any cash collected and then turn it in with one check. There are a couple of good reasons for and on against.

 

Against it is the possibility that they might use the funds, but that is equally a risk with cash laying around.

 

The reasons for it are twofold, it eliminates the risk of cash getting lost in the house, and in the case of our Pack, we really don't want the Committee Chair having to transport $70,000 to the bank in cash!

[ScoutNut]

The Popcorn Kernal should be depositing all money received for popcorn from the families, and Show & Sell activities, directly into the Troop account. No special signatures or whatnot are required, just the account number, and a deposit slip (which can be found at any bank) There is no reason to deposit it first into a personal account, and plenty of reasons not to.

 

I don't know about your council, but mine requires that popcorn be paid for by a unit check only. They will not accept a personal check.

 

How your unit handles individual sales is another question altogether. Some units have customers make out any checks to the unit, not the seller. While this might help with funds getting to the unit, where they belong, it also, as some have stated, opens up the unit to dealing with the bounced checks from folks they do not know. Some units have customers make any checks out to the seller, who then is responsible for any that bounce, and writes the unit one check to cover. This is something that your committee needs to discuss for next year.

 

I good idea is to have families not hold on to money. Have them bring in what they have to the Troop meeting every week. Make sure the Treasurer is there to give them a receipt, and collect the money. Or have the families drop off popcorn money directly at the Treasurer's house, where it gets recorded and deposited in the Troop account ASAP. That way no one has to have hundreds/thousands of dollars sitting around their house, or in their personal account.

[boomerscout]

"In the matter od Popcorn sales, our unit prefers that the parent deposit any cash collected and then turn it in with one check. There are a couple of good reasons for and on against. "

 

A big reason against is that it may be against the law in your state. Some need to brush up on the rules & regs governing non-profits and how they handle their money. While I realize it is the CO that is the non-profit, your unit, as part of them, is bound by prohibitions against commingling funds

 

 

[boomerscout]

unit treasurer could use the bank's night deposit drop to avoid carrying around large amounts of moola

[Crew21_Adv]

sheilab,

 

Is there a rule. No.

 

There are sometimes when members will do what they need to do , to have their unit program proceed along.

 

I am having a similar issue right now. A parent, that does not attend any crew or committee meetings is asking to review the Crews purchases. That information is distributed and reviewed during committee, but this parent desires the information now.

 

Further, I can recognize the life of a teenager, plus I know many of these parents. Council and District events usually require 2,3, and 4 months (sometimes longer) reservations and deposits. Venturers and parents will wait till the last day (let me state, last evening) to commit and pay a deposit.

 

So what does that mean to me. No matter how many times I've said register and pay, or were not going. I am usually making last minute paypal transfers via my online account, and asking the treasurer for re-imbursement checks. Its not fun, but I know a few other unit leaders that experience the same thing, when they pay upfront and are re-imbursed by their units, just to complete a registration.

 

So what does that make the checking account look like. Since most commitments are literally hours or minutes from the registration deadline. I approach my Venturing Crew with my receipts, and request re-imbursement. Half the time my crew checking account is writing checks to the council, half the time the crew is writing checks to me.

 

After a few long emails answering this family's questions. I also illustrated program dates versus registration date cutoff. I've also been told that I don't allow the Venturers to do, what they want to do. I think if the parents actually drill down to what I say "no" to, it is probably the continuous paint ball requests.

 

The conversation is usually. Sorry, No, for the ___th time, we cannot go to the paint ball range. Rules,, G2SS, Blah, blah, blah. But we can go to the pistol range, rifle range, shotgun range or archery range Then I hear from a parent or two (which do not attend meetings or training), You are not listening to what the Venturers want to do.

 

I expect this one family will pull their Venturing teenager out of the program. Good teenager. But I expect they are just looking to blame it on the crew leadership, rather than telling their teen that they just don't want to drive to a meeting.

 

So.. Similar to your units situation. My crew's money should go to the crew's bank account each time (just like their dues), and the crew should right a check to council. But that just cannot happen in the 11th hour before registration deadline. (actually 8-9 p.m., before a midnight deadline) So I do what needs to be done.

 

Good luck. Hopefully this years popcorn kernel will distribute the money accordingly, even though it may have been processed thru her personal account.

 

Scouting Forever and Venture On!

Crew21 Adv

[clemlaw]

>>>>>Sorry, No, for the ___th time, we cannot go to the paint ball range. Rules,, G2SS, Blah, blah, blah.