Adventure West Council

Menu
AWCSA Logo
Menu

Unit Program Planning & Finance

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what keeps Scouts in the program. They like to have fun, do cool and challenging activities, earn merit badges, go places, and learn new things. That is what we call program and It takes some planning and preparation. This all starts with your unit’s annual program planning conference which is a set of meetings, held in May or June, where the unit schedules the key activities and events they want to do for the next year, along with a plan for how they will pay for these activities. What this looks like is slightly different from unit to unit, but the core elements of the plan will be the same. 

Prospective parents always want to know the answer to two questions, What are we going to do and how much is it going to cost? The better job we can do of answering these questions, the more attractive we are to prospective families. 

Annual Unit Program Planning

Successful Units that attract and keep Scouts:

  • Have Leadership that is helpful, friendly, kind, trained, organized, and provide good communication.
  • Have a strong annual program plan that is FUN!
  • Ensure all Scouts and their families feel welcome.
  • Have an easy to explain finance plan that funds the unit expenses AND offers a way for families to subsidize their Scouting journey.

3 ITEMS THAT WILL MAKE YOUR UNIT MORE ATTRACTIVE:

  • Meet less often. We’ve noticed an important pattern. Units that meet only twice a month are growing. Meeting twice a month with an occasional weekend activity or campout is highly desirable for our prospective families. This correlates with recent survey data where we learned that parents consider time commitment as the most important aspect of whether to sign their child up in a youth program. Simply put, our youth are busy and involved in a lot of things, meeting less often will make your unit more attractive.
  • Participate in the Big Stuff! Units that are growing don’t try to do it all on their own. They participate in as many large Scouting events as possible in a year. Events such as Camporee, Summer Camp, Cub World, Day Camp, Cub Haunted, etc. These are turn-key events, simply sign-up, show-up, and have a top-notch Scouting adventure.
  • Help Families subsidize their Scouting adventures. Units that are growing have a strong annual plan with an associated funding plan that can easily be shared with their Scouting families. Units that utilize the Scout Payment Log system in Scoutbook, aka Scout Accounts, are growing and retaining families at a much higher rate. Training and examples of this are found on page 5 of this guidebook.

Calendar & Training Materials

Additional Support Materials

Packs - Annual Program Planning Video

Troops - Annual Program Planning Video

Unit Finance & Funding

Unit Expenses can be broken into 2 Categories: Unit Expenses and Family Expenses.

  • Unit Expenses: Things that the unit typically pays for such as Advancement, Unit Gear, Pinewood Derby Cars, etc. 
  • Family Expenses: Things that the family typically bears the cost of such as Weekend Campouts, Summer Camp, Cub Haunted, etc. 


It is important that your unit’s plan funds BOTH of these items. We highly encourage the use of the Payment Log Function in Scoutbook, also referred to as Scout Accounts. This allows the unit and families to track payments and expenses. Incentives matter, and having the Scouts raise funds to pay for the activities they are involved in can have a very positive impact on the unit operations. There are some examples in the training guide above. Please feel free to reach out to your District Executive with any questions you may have. 

As you build your annual plan, you will need to decide what expenses the unit will cover and what things the families will cover. The next step is ensuring your funding plan will cover both of these groups. Lastly, you will take this information and create an annual budget that outlines the planned revenues and expenses for the year, followed by business-like management of the units’ funds.

Approved Fundraisers

Our Council spring product sale and fall Popcorn Sale are approved fundraisers and unit participation is expected. 

  • These programs help fund your unit program, help families subsidize their Scouting adventures, and allow us to keep overall cost down.
  • Scouts may wear their uniforms while they participate in these fundraisers.
  • These programs are risk free; the unit pays no money up front to participate.


Special approval is required for any fundraising the unit wants to do outside of these two. Scout Unforms CANNOT be worn for other types of fundraisers. Unit Money Earning Application

 

POPCORN

From August to October. The Popcorn sale is the easiest way to fund your Scouting adventures!

SPRING PRODUCT SALE

Held in the spring, this sale is designed to help Scouts attend camp but is also a great way to fund unit programs.

Unit Budgets

A budget is a plan for receiving and spending money. The unit budget is made up a year at a time and typically coincides with the units program plan.

In developing your budget, expenses for the year must be estimated and a plan devised for meeting those expenses. To determine what the unit expenses will be for the year, the unit annual program must be analyzed. Past expenses will serve as a guide for judging amounts needed for each budget category – one-time expenses — tents, etc.

In keeping with the principles of Scouting, the program of the unit is paid for by the members with money they earn and save themselves. A unit that operates through the generosity of others and finances itself by the efforts of adults fails in its responsibility to teach its members self-reliance.

Building and supervising the unit budget plan is a major responsibility within every Scouting unit. Although packs, troops, crews, and posts use a different means to determine their own budget needs, each Scouting unit falls within the official BSA fiscal policies and procedures for BSA units.

Additional information concerning unit budgets, the treasurer’s job, camper savings plans, forms, and records can be found in:

Eagle Scout Service Project Applications

The Eagle Scout Service Project Fundraising Application (page 23 of the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook) must be used by Scouts to obtain approval for Eagle Scout project fundraising or securing donations of materials for their Eagle projects. This is necessary in all circumstances except when all contributions are from the candidate, parents or relatives of the Scout, unit or chartering organization, parents or other members of the unit, or the beneficiary of the project. Scouts should submit the fillable form to the Council for consideration. The Scout should also print a copy and include it with the project plan. Within a few business days, the Scout will receive an email response either seeking additional information or providing project funding approval. When approved, a copy of the approval email is to be included with the fundraising application as a part of the Scout’s project plan.

  • Submit fundraising applications via email:
  • Project must be approved in advance: Eagle Scout Service Project Fundraising Form
  • Project must be done in the name of the beneficiary (not the troop).
  • Beneficiary organization retains leftover funds.
  • If the troop is holding project funds, these funds must be turned over to the project beneficiary immediately after expenses have been paid.
  • Gift documentation must come from the project beneficiary
  • Realize that approaches to big box stores will be met with a request for a tax letter, which you may or may not be able to secure from your project beneficiary.
  • Parents should let their Scout provide leadership and resist the temptation of raising funds or using their influence.
  • A Scout is courteous – and should follow up with a note of thanks
  • BSA’s Guide to Advancement