Nothing in Life is free, and that includes Scouting. However, it's not quite as expensive as you might think. The basic, up front costs are fairly minimal, especially if compared to other extracurricular activities. The following is the cost per boy wanting to join Cub Scouts with Pack 1005:
Registration with Boy Scouts of America $33.00 per year
Annual insurance protection $1.00 per year
Annual Pack dues (pays for awards, etc.) $36.00 per year
Subscription to Boys' Life Magazine $12.00 for 12 issues (optional)
These fees are renewable yearly and cover each Cub Scout from January to December of each year. Fees are collected at the start of the school year.
Additionally, there is the cost of the
Cub Scout uniform and Handbook. The uniform may be purchased new, either online (
ScoutStuff.org) or at the
Scout Store. Uniforms may also be obtained as "hand-me-downs" or bought used from resale shops or online sites such as eBay. Our Pack has a "waist-up" policy, meaning that we only require the parts of the uniform from the belt up; uniform trousers, socks, etc., are optional.
Most other expenses are per event participation, such as food costs for campouts or participation. Typically, campers contribute toward expenses for our camping trips (twice a year). For example, the fall campout will most likely cost $10 per adult participant.
Most Pack expenses are covered by our two annual fundraisers,
selling popcorn and selling Scout Fair Coupon Booklets. The popcorn fundraiser coincides with back-to-school time and our recruiting drive. The Scout Fair Coupon Booklets run in early spring prior to the big Scout Fair event.
We do not focus on fundraising, our focus is fun.