The Cost of a Quality Scout Program...

For years, Pack 673 has collected annual dues that totaled well below the actual cost of the program per Scout. This was made possible by very strong fundraising with our annual rib and brisket cooks. Due to COVID, our Pack was unable to hold any of our traditional cook fundraisers. Three cooks were cancelled.

In addition to COVID, the cost of delivering a quality Scouting program has gone up in the past few years as prices have continued to rise on all sorts of commodities. This has impacted us directly at the Pack level, with higher costs of awards / advancements, camping supplies / food, materials for Pack and Den meetings, and more. Programs at the district, council and national level have also continued to incur higher operating costs. These include programs that our Pack (and sister Troop 673) enjoys as part of our program, such as:

• District rocket day, Cub-o-Ree / Spook-o-Ree, Webelos Woods, and more...

• Council Scout Fair, Scout University and merit badge days, and operation of council-owned scout camps like Bovay, Brosig and Strake, and more...

• National BSA programming, including production of Scout curriculums (rank / advancement program), leader training, operation of national-owned scout camps like Philmont, and more...

For these reasons, the BSA fees have increased incrementally in the past few years in order to maintain the quality programs they are known for. As of this year, the annual BSA National fees which the Pack pays to the BSA at time of recharter are:

• New-Member Joining Fee: $25 / New Member (Scout or adult leader)

• Membership Fee (Jan-Dec 2022): $72 / Scout

• Unit Recharter Fee: $75 / unit

• Leader Registration Fees: $45 / Leader (est. 15-20; Pack carries this cost)

• Council Insurance Fee: (estimated) $5 / Scout

The above fees amount to about $100 / Scout per year, which our Pack pays to BSA National. With dues of $200, this leaves about $100 per Scout which is just enough to cover the cost of their neckerchief and slide, rank book, advancements and awards all provided by the Pack.

So how do we pay for our Pack and Den activities, camping costs (e.g., supplies, meals, reservations), trailer maintenance and everything else that our Pack does? Only one way - fundraisers! Scouts have long operated under the idea that a Scout "Pays their way." The costs of our actual program is approximately $10,000 per year, and all of this must come from fundraisers.

This year, our Pack has three fundraisers planned. Back after three years, we plan to once again have our two annual BBQ cooks - ribs and briskets! In addition, we will once again participate in the Council Popcorn Sale (online only). Our hope is that, with everyone's support, we can replenish our Pack funds and keep our program running strong!