Costs Involved in Cub Scouting

MEMBERSHIP DUES

Each Pack sets its own membership dues so there is enough money to cover the expected costs of providing a quality program. We have a fairly active Pack and require a lot of money to pay for all our activities, patches, training, and crafts. Because of that, we ask that each family contribute toward the maintenance of our Pack so we can keep being active and giving our Scouts a fun and educational experience.

Our basic annual membership per Cub Scout is $35.00.

Reduced family rate for 2nd child in Pack 720: $25.00. (With only one copy of Boys Life per household)  If you desire a copy for each boy, use the $35 cost.

WHERE ALL THE MONEY GOES

• $10.00 Great Sauk Trail Council—to cover general administration and organizational costs of district-wide activities like Scout-O-Rama, and other District activities. Also helps fund the council campgrounds and provide training of other District level volunteers.
• $12.00 Boys Life Magazine—12 monthly issues full of exciting stories and adventures.
• $1.00 Insurance
• $12.00 Pack activities—awards/badges and other activities & achievements, craft supplies, and parent training materials. This also goes toward paying the $10/leader and $20 pack recharter fees.

Small weekly dues may be asked to cover additional costs such as materials for projects and snacks. If charged, these Den dues are generally $1-2 per meeting.

WHERE WE GET THE REST OF THE MONEY

Last year our pack spent significantly more per Scout, than we collected in membership dues. The remainder was generated by two major fundraising events. In Fall, our boys sell popcorn. In winter, they participate in the Father/Son Cake Bake/Auction. While participation in these fundraisers is not required, we depend heavily on these fundraisers to keep our Pack going. The alternative would be to raise dues or cut programs. While parents sometimes resent fundraising activities, our Pack has chosen to do them for three reasons:

1. We feel that the lessons learned in approaching friends and neighbors helps to build character and self-confidence.
2. Higher dues would discourage some boys from becoming Scouts and it is important to keep Scouting affordable for everyone.
3. The Scouts LOVE to do it!