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Home > Having the money and being willing to spend it are two different things.

Having the money and being willing to spend it are two different things.

December 10th, 2007 at 03:47 pm

Boy Scouts wants me to register as a member. I am the unofficial secretary/nag of the pack. Mostly the nag part. And I am supposed to fill out a form and pay $10 for the joy of doing this job. Umm No. I am not going to pay money to work...sorry.

Now my husband has paid, he is insured as a leader, BSA covers him, because he registered. And he needs that, he is the Tiger den leader, nominally in charge of 7 boys each week. (though their parents are mostly there)

I on the other hand, am never in charge of kids. Well my own, but never any others. So I don't need insurance, I don't want the responsibility.

It was suggested that $10 is a small amount, and I could 'save up for it'. The point isn't that I don't have $10 the point is I am unwilling to pay to work.

On the other hand we spend at least $10 every month on healthy snacks for the Pack meetings. Not to mention the food for each den meeting. plus misc. craft supplies, we have never asked to be reimbursed, and don't plan on it.

We have the money to spend as we see fit. (that is a nice feeling, wasn't always the case, so I am very thankful that we do have it) I simply have better places to put my money. I would rather buy food or crafts for that $10 than a card for my wallet that says BSA on it.

Posted in Complaint department | 9 Comments »

9 Responses to “Having the money and being willing to spend it are two different things.”

  1. mom-from-missouri Says:
    December 10th, 2007 at 06:48 pm 1197312517
    1197312517

    Girl Scouts and 4H are the same way. However, in 4H the parents often end up being "project leaders", so I am more willing to let that $10 go. Plus, at the year end in 4H, the kids get most or more than their $10 dues back in premimum money. 4H also sends parents to free training with lots of food and a very very good lunch that they pay for, and sometimes they even van us all to the training so we are not out fuel.

  2. disneysteve Says:
    December 10th, 2007 at 07:22 pm 1197314553
    1197314553

    We have the same deal with Girl Scouts. My wife and I are registered members because we ran the cookie sale last year and we couldn't do that if we weren't registered. I agree that there is a problem with having to pay to volunteer, but I also understand that it is a non-profit and there are administrative costs that need to be covered somehow. We didn't mind paying to help the troop make a small fortune from cookie sales. DD's troop sold nearly 3,000 boxes of cookies last year.

  3. mbkonef Says:
    December 10th, 2007 at 07:56 pm 1197316602
    1197316602

    I know exactly how you feel. I live in PA and my two youngest go to a charter school. Because of something to do with PA laws and charter schools, all volunteers for class parties, field trips etc. have to get two different $10.00 clearances. I always volunteer for things and enjoy it. I even gladly send in donations for class parties etc. But now I am supposed to basically pay for the honor of volunteering? And if my DH wants to volunteer, he needs separate clearances so it would cost us $40.00 total just to help out occasionally or go on a field trip. I know they want the kids to be safe but this seems ridiculous.

  4. mackybethsmommy Says:
    December 10th, 2007 at 11:10 pm 1197328206
    1197328206

    Girl Scouts now have a rule that in order for an adult to go on any outings with the GS they have to be a registered member. They also run background checks on all adults who are going on over night trips. I'm a leader so I had to register and my DH helps out so he had to register too. I can understand if you aren't going on any outings and their bylaws don't require you to be registered not paying though. Helping with the troop is expensive enough with dues and snacks and all the other things parents are often asked to donate.

  5. Amber Says:
    December 11th, 2007 at 02:17 am 1197339461
    1197339461

    I don't blame, i would never pay to work unless I am starting my own business. And as a volunteer why would you have to pay, that's crazy

  6. Boefixepa Says:
    December 11th, 2007 at 05:12 pm 1197393169
    1197393169

    I don't like it, but I understand one some level why they do it. Would you want your kid hanging out with a known sex offender? They really need to do those background checks, and the money has to come from somewhere. I don't like it, and I don't think it's right, but that is the world we live in.

  7. Mr. Meager Says:
    December 11th, 2007 at 06:22 pm 1197397325
    1197397325

    paying to volunteer? i would have laughed in their face and give them an itemized list of my volunteered time and money. every parent would not have problems with the amoutn, but if they need the money to do the background checks, they should just increase the fees for each kid because the background checks benefits every child in the troop. then all volunteers can fill out the paperwork and sign all the waivers they need. that way this unusual and uncomfortable situation doesn't come up.

  8. pretty cheap jewelry Says:
    December 11th, 2007 at 07:46 pm 1197402398
    1197402398

    Think of BSA and GSA as being beauraucratic as the US Feds.

    ...this from another voice of experience....
    A Girl Scout Leader

  9. disneysteve Says:
    December 12th, 2007 at 02:41 pm 1197470471
    1197470471

    Mr. Meager - By raising the fees for all kids, you pose an added burden to every family participating. This way, you only impose a fee on a couple of people. Raising fees across the board would negatively affect the number of kids you are able to serve, which ultimately is the whole point.

    I have no problem paying $10 or $20 for my wife and I to participate if it means kids whose parents can't afford it are still able to benefit from scouting.

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