Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much is due when I sign up?
The pro-rated August registration fees are $17. These are BSA dues for the rest of the 2011 calendar year. All of this money goes to Boy Scouts for registration
and for the Boys Life magazine. NONE of this stays with the pack. Checks are payable to Boy Scouts of America.
The pack dues are $100 for the year. These dues stay with the pack and cover most of the activities
for the year, and include BSA registration and Boys Life fees for the 2012 calendar year. Details of how pack dues are allocated can be found here.
2. Can I pay later?
Boy Scouts are due at the time the application is turned in. Pack dues are typically collected NLT the September pack meeting.
(You can make arrangements to get the form and fee to us later.)
3. When are the pack dues due?
Pack dues are payable by the Sept Pack Meeting. These dues pay for 2011-2012 school year and BSA registration for the 2012 calendar year.
4. Can I take home the application and complete and pay later?
Yes. You can bring the form and payment to the New Parents Meeting at Burnt Hickory Baptist Church (we'll have a sign in the lobby telling you the room).
Or you may contact any of the leaders listed above.
5. If I can't pay tonight can I wait and signup later?
Yes. Same answer as number 4.
6. What do the fees and dues include?
The prorated fees to the BSA cover registration and Boys Life magazine through the end of the 2012 calendar year.
Details of how pack dues are allocated can be found here.
At times, we will ask for extra money to cover activities - Blue & Gold Banquet (if it is catered), Family Campout, etc.
Our primary source of revenue is fundraising, specifically popcorn (see Q11). The more popcorn we sell at the beginning of the scouting year means the less money we'll ask for later!
7. Why do different packs charge different dues?
Our pack dues are $100.00. Our dues are in the average range - dues for other packs range from $45 to $150 or more.
Packs with $45 dues typically ask often for money for activities during the year - packs that have higher dues may schedule more
expensive activities, fund everything, or have expenses other packs do not have (i.e. fees for facilities). Please see number 6 to see what our dues cover.
Also, remember that at pack 353, scouting is a year-round activity, not just seasonal.
8. When do den meetings start?
Den meetings will start after you are assigned to a den and two parents volunteer to be
the den leader and assistant den leader. For dens that require a new leader, den meetings
will start after the leader & parents decide on a meeting time. Please attend the New Parents Meeting
at the Burnt Hickory Baptist Church Activities Room. New dens and leaders will have a lot of help
from experienced leaders in the pack.
9. How do I find out what den we are in?
Attend the New Parents Meeting at the Burnt Hickory Baptist Church Activities Room.
10. What if I want to change packs (my son's friends are in another pack or another pack's activities fit my schedule better)?
Easy - this is called a transfer. You will have to fill out another application and pay a $1 transfer fee.
The $1 fee is covered by Pack 353 if a boy is transferring in from another pack.
11. Besides dues, where does the money for Cub Scouting come from?
Money for Cub Scouting comes from only two sources, the dues we charge per boy, and fund raising. Boy Scouts of America does not provide funding for
the pack and all leaders are parent volunteers! Fundraising for our pack is accomplished by selling popcorn, much in the way cookies fund Girl Scouts.
The more popcorn each boy sells the more money is available for fun activities! Our pack Treasurer (another parent volunteer) maintains a budget for the pack
which includes how money is allocated from the dues and popcorn sales. If you would like to see a detailed copy of this budget, we will be happy to provide it to you.
Please contact our Pack Treasurer, Carol Thompson, for details. (edcarolinathol@aol.com)
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