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Costs not directly related to program.


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RE: Eagle Scout gifts from the troop, such as NESA lifetime membership @ $250.00, framing, neckerchiefs, slides and the like.

How do these troops fund these costs? We participate in popcorn sales, and fund our program and equipment costs with little left over. Our CO doesn't like year round fundraising, in fact we can't sell popcorn in the building.......

While these gifts are nice, I wonder how much of an additional burden these costs are placing on the scouts?

Are these costs being transferred to the non-Eagles?

 

 

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It varies by each unit's circumstances. Some units are flush with cash from various sources. Some, like ours was, barely kept enough in the checkbook to buy the basic rank badges. There is no requirement that the unit buy all the Eagle stuff. A rank presentation kit is about $25 and includes the medal, cloth patch, mom, dad and mentor pins. Each unit should start out with an annual planning session, including a Unit budget plan. Predict ahead of time what you will be able to fund, and what the source of that income will be.

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Our troop gives our Eagles 5, 6 or 7 years of Scouting, hundreds of hours of volunteer time, indivudual counseling and coaching, the opportunity to go on a many campouts and amazing high advantures. I think that's enough.

 

Our council provides the Eagle kit and all other rank badges at no cost. Of course we spend a lot of money on merit badges and such, too. Those cost -- and the rank awards if we had to pay for them -- come from the troop's general fund.

 

We've had scout show up with a boat-load of letter from all over. We've had families honor their Eagles with West Fellowships. We'll present anything the Scout and his family want, but I don't believe it's the troop's obligation to pay for all they extras.

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Our pack has an annual BBQ chicken dinner fundraiser to handle costs of giving each scout the necker for the next rank as well as his next rank's scout book.

 

We also cover AoL awards and such.

 

Our sister troop does the same thing: They have a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at least once, and sometimes twice a year as well as have a pancake and sausage breckfast dinner fundraiser>

 

This stuff helps cover cost of travel awards, neckers, etc...

 

Both our pack and troop have very low member dues as compared to oter units.

 

Our pack's dues are $40.00 a year. $18.00 of that goes for recharter and BSA insurance. The other $22.00 goes to the pack.

 

The troop dues are $60.00 a year.

 

What we do is charge a minimal amount for dues, but charge ala mode for events and camping. This way, people are not paying for events they cannot make due to work, sports, school, etc..

 

All scouts help the unit grow by participating in unit fundraisers.

 

And as the case usually is: The scouts who more actively participate in fundraisers are the ones who are more active at camping, events and such.

 

So, instead of paying $250.00 dues for being in the troop, you only pay $60.00.

 

Stuff like patrol boxes, patrol mess kits, patrol stoves, DO's ect..are provided by the troop.

 

Matter of fact, when my son and myself cross to the troop, the troop is providing the necker, shoulder loops, and slider for myself and my son( and other scouts and troop leaders).

 

The pack is providing the boys with their Boy Scout Handbooks.

 

Of course, this fundraising also covers harship funds . We will not turn a scout away, or leave him behind when we go camping just because he cannot afford it.

 

And I mean afford it, not because he's saving his money for a ipod or because he spends $30.00 a week at the arcade or on magazines.

 

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