Pack Finance Primer

A Cub Scout Pack is funded by its members to pay for the program plan put together by the committee based on the input of all members. This page is an overview on how the pack raises and spends funds, for a breakdown of costs for a Scout to join see Cost of Scouting 

We DO NOT receive funds from

• Scouts BSA membership fees paid at the time of registration or renewal

• Sales at the Scout Shop for uniforms or supplies

• Our Chartered Organization

We DO receive some income or discounts from

• Being Tax Exempt for purchases at the Scout Shop because of our Chartered Organization’s Tax Exempt status

• Free Rank Insignia (rank patches) at the Denver Scout Shop for meeting the objectives of a 5-Star Unit with The Greater Colorado Council

• Approximately $100-300 annually from The Greater Colorado Council for meeting administrative and recruiting objectives set by the council such as submitting our program plan and meeting with our Scout Executive

• Occasional donations of materials from the community of supplies or uniform parts

• Cash donations offered by community members during fundraising in lieu of making a purchase

How we budget

Every year the Pack Committee, with the input of all interested members, creates a new budget based on the previous year’s budget, previous year’s spending and The Pack’s strategy for the future. The goal of the budgeting process is to fund a great year of programming and maintain our traditions; while being affordable and offering fundraising opportunities. At least one Parents & Leaders (PALs) meeting will be dedicated to budgeting each year, all Pack members are invited to all PALs meetings and the budget will be shared with any member that would like to review it.

The budget is mostly stable with the top 3 categories of spending accounting for the vast majority:

1. Costs for monthly activities; supplies, and venues as needed. Some of the major ones 

• Rockets, rocket engines, wadding & igniters

• Pinewood Derby cars & Venue

• Blue & Gold Annual Banquet for awards and recognition

• Overnight camp out - Camp site, food & supplies

2. Advancement 

   • Awards to recognize Scouting achievements

   • Service recognition items

   • books, neckerchiefs hiking sticks and other supplies purchased from the Scout Shop

3. Reimbursement of Leader’s registration fees

How we raise funds

Every member of The Pack has a fundraising obligation that must be paid to allow us to put on the program. Scout’s families can choose to meet this obligation by participating in Pack fundraisers, or by donating the required amount themselves. When scouts participate in fundraising they are credited for the amount that they bring into The Pack. This can vary with the commission rates of various fundraisers.

How we compare to other activities

We believe that Scouting is a great value among the options for extracurricular activities available to families. The lessons of Scouting are for life and our activities are fun and engaging. 

At the time of writing our aim is to keep the yearly recurring cost of membership in the Cub Scout Pack at approximately $300 plus the time our volunteers give to keep The Pack operating. Our program runs all 12 months of the year and includes weekly meetings, monthly activities, several large events, an overnight camp out and a nationally recognized advancement path that leads all the way to the prestigious Eagle Scout award.

Some examples of other activities for comparison. These are not to make unfavorable comparisons, only to frame our costs in the bigger picture. These numbers are from surveying parents for their estimates in the fall of 2024 and are not going to be perfect.

1. “All Day Sports Camp” advertised to Warder Elementary School families fall 2024 - One day 9am-3pm for $99

2. Club Gymnastics - Year round, 500/month for tuition before events, meets, travel, and uniforms

3. Club Hockey - $1,500 per 5 month season before events, travel and gear

4. T-Ball for aspiring baseball players ~$300 for a season

5. Little league Baseball - $1,000 annually to play in Spring and Fall seasons before gear

6. Music instruction at Children’s Music Academy - $100 monthly, 9 month season

7. Warder Wildcats Choir - $25 for a four month season with 3 performances