National Council, Boy Scouts of America Fee Increase FAQ
Q: Why are the fees increasing now?
A: While costs increase every year, the Boy Scouts of America has worked to keep the annual membership fee as low as possible to make Scouting available to as many young people as possible by subsidizing core costs, including liability insurance we must carry to cover all official Scouting activities. As the organization’s financial situation has shifted, it is no longer possible to subsidize at the level we have in the past, especially as the cost of insurance has increased dramatically.
Q: Does this apply to youth members and volunteers?
A: Yes, the new fees apply for youth and adult members. Effective January 1, 2020, the new fees are:
– $60 for youth members in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts,
– $36 for youth members in Exploring, and
– $36 for adult members (includes cost of background check and Scouting Magazine)
– $60 for unit charter fees
Q: Is Scouting still a good value?
A: Absolutely! While most extracurricular activities are seasonal, Scouting is a year-round program that remains one of the most valuable investments we can make to support young men and women today so they can become the leaders we will turn to tomorrow. For most of our youth members, the new registration fee amounts to $5 a month, which is an enormous value when you consider that many seasonal extracurricular activities often start at $100 for programs that last a few weeks.
Q: Does the fee increase apply to council-paid memberships?
A: No. The cost for council-paid membership, sometimes known as Scouting in Every Neighborhood, will continue to be $24 for each youth member.
Q: What will the money be used for?
A: Every dollar of membership fees will go to cover the cost of essential services, including liability insurance for members participating in approved Scouting activities, background checks for adult leaders, program development and training resources, continuously updated youth protection and youth safety training, improved IT/digital experiences and services to our councils nationwide.
Q: Is this increase being implemented to cover the cost of the additional background checks?
A: No, the cost of background checks is not the prompting the fee increase.
Q: Why is this being announced now?
A: We recognize the timing of this fee increase creates challenges as units have already begun collecting fees for their 2020 registration renewal process, and we would not make this difficult decision if it were not absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, the cost of liability insurance we must carry to cover all Scouting activities has increased dramatically over the past several months, and the organization is no longer able to offset the cost of insurance. We are committed to supporting you through this process and are making necessary adjustments to the online rechartering system to ensure units can carry out the recharter process.
Q: Does this increase cover financial challenges the organization is facing?
A: The increase was prompted because the cost of liability insurance we must carry to cover all Scouting activities has increased dramatically over the past several months, and the organization is
no longer able to offset the cost of insurance. The national membership fee also enables us program development and training resources, continuously updated youth protection and youth safety training, improved IT/digital experiences and services to our councils nationwide.
Q: When will this increase take effect?
A: The new membership fees will take effect starting January 1, 2020 for the 2020-21 program year.
Q: Is financial assistance available?
A: We are committed to ensuring that all youth can experience the character-building benefits of Scouting regardless of their financial situation. In addition to the many existing council and unit membership assistance funds, we have established the donor-funded Growing Future Leaders Fund to provide financial support to those who need it.
Q: My council currently requires members to pay a council fee that offsets insurance costs. Does this change mean that fee is no longer necessary?
A: No, the liability insurance that we need to carry for all Scouting activities at the national level is different from local fees that are collected to address local needs, which can include expenses such as local property and accident insurance, as well as unique local programming costs.
Q: In addition to the national membership fee, my council has implemented a program fee. Is that allowed?
A: Councils currently charging a program fee must ensure that their fee is consistent with new rules for these fees within one year. Councils can choose to charge a local program fee, up to but no more than the national membership fee – up to $60 for youth members in Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Venturing and Sea Scouts; up to $36 for youth members in Exploring and up to $36 for adult members. The local program fee can include local insurance costs (i.e., accident, property, etc.), as well as cost to administer unique local programming efforts.
Q: What happens if my council’s program fee is more than the national membership fee?
A: Councils that are currently charging a program fee more than the national membership fee have one year to adjust their fees in order to be in compliance with the new rules.
Q: What measures has the national organization taken to offset the financial challenges?
A: In addition to ongoing efforts to streamline and simplify the organization, the national organization has taken a number of steps in addressing its financial challenges, including the recent elimination of more than 35 positions at the National Service Center and ongoing consolidation of departments for the most effective utilization of resources in support of Scouting.
Q: Will the national membership fee continue to increase?
A: Although no decision about future increases have been made, the cost of operating our organization and services increases every year. Should it be necessary to increase fees in the future, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America has agreed to evaluate the needs and make such decisions, whenever possible, at the National Annual Meeting in May or early in the summer so that they can be announced with as much lead time as possible to allow for councils and units to be able to plan accordingly.
Mayflower Council Registration Fee Increase FAQ
Q: Is this fee increase applicable to units rechartering in December?
A: Yes, all Mayflower Council units are subject to the National registration fees. Unit charters are valid from January 1 – December 31 annually.
Q: Is the council activity fee increasing?
A: The Mayflower Council Executive Board has decided there will be no increase in the program activity fee. It will remain at $30 per youth member. Lions, Venturers 18 – 21 and adults are exempt from the program activity fee.
Q: Can you provide total fees by program for youth & adults in Mayflower Council?
A: Total fees for Scouts and leaders in Mayflower Council will be as follows:
Lions & Venturers 18 – 21:
$60 National registration fee
$12 Boys’ Life Magazine (optional)
Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts & Venturers
$60 National registration fee
$30 Council program activity fee
$12 Boys’ Life Magazine (optional)
Adults & Exploring Participants
$36 National registration fee
$12 Boys’ Life Magazine (optional)
Unit Charter Fee
(Unit Liability Insurance Fee)
$60 per unit
Q: Will the council waive the program activity fee in 2020?
A: Because local councils do not receive any funding from National, the registration fee increase will not directly benefit the Mayflower Council. Local costs for insurance and providing program to our participants have not gone down nor are offset in any way by the increase in National registration fees. As a result, the Mayflower Council $30 activity fee will continue in 2020; unchanged from 2019.
Q: Is there a discounted membership fee for families with multiple children?
A: The registration fees are set by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America. The National Council has not informed the council of any plan to offer a membership fee discount for families with multiple children in the program.
Q: Will the Mayflower Council be able to assist families who cannot afford the council program activity fee because of the National registration fee increase?
A: The Mayflower Council is committed to ensure that no family is turned away due to financial constraints. The Mayflower Council has created the program fee waiver program to provide financial assistance to deserving Scouts who would otherwise not be able to afford participating in Scouting. The Mayflower Council, in administering funds provided by concerned individuals, foundations, and others, will act as good stewards by offering careful judgment in providing program fee waivers and will act in complete confidence. Visit bit.ly/programfeewaiver to begin the application process.
Q: Do adults need to pay the council program activity fee?
A: No, the council program activity fee only applies to youth members with the following exceptions, Lions and Venturers 18 – 21 years old.
