Volunteer Dues

As a volunteer or potential volunteer you may be asking, “Why am I being charged to give my time?”.

First, Troop 279 wants to say THANK YOU to all the current leaders and potential volunteers who have given or wish to give their time and energy to helping our scouts have once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Your mentorship and support help shape and define the experiences of our youth and without you, Troop 279’s excellent scouting program wouldn’t exist. Through your efforts, our scouts develop character, learn leadership, and develop skills they will use for a lifetime!

Second, Troop 279 wants to make it clear that this fee is imposed by The National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and not the troop. In general, the fee charged by BSA is used to cover two items:

1. Insurance – General Liability Insurance premiums (GLIP), makes up 64% of the annual membership fees for volunteer leaders. This policy protects our programs, chartering organizations, volunteer leaders and youth with liability insurance.  The GLIP is paid for out of the membership fees paid to the national council.  In addition to the costs of the insurance, there is a high deductible rate meaning a large portion of claims comes directly out of the national council’s budget before insurance begins to cover.  Due to the recent bankruptcy, there is only one provider interested in bidding on the coverage. This leaves the national council with little negotiating ability.
2. Background Checks – Historically, the BSA conducted background checks whenever an adult first registered. Then, all volunteers were subject to random, periodic background checks. As a condition of a recent settlement, the BSA will now conduct an annual background check on EVERY volunteer leader. This, as you can imagine, increases the costs to accomplish this expectation. The “Additional Disclosure & Background Check Authorization” form must be signed to allow the BSA to perform these annual checks.

Finally, it is Troop 279’s firm belief that no volunteer should ever be turned away from helping our youth due to an inability to pay. If finances are a concern, please feel free to contact, in confidence, the Scoutmaster (ScoutTroop279@yahoo.com) to discuss alternate means to support the troop and our youths’ Scouting future.