Boy Scouts increasing annual dues by 80% to pay for sex abuse

[MillCreek]

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/31/775256468/the-boy-scouts-of-america-will-increase-their-membership-fees-by-more-than-80?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwAR1ABwkxvHFFldujiS48vaWsTtxfK9XKVq3P4AYvsiXNgiGfTvzRrzWKOa8&fbclid=IwAR0_zp2Y4DRPjuE1PR9oVzVJ3xoT9ntEgxznsGrNQT-InsGHSfqAvyYw_Dg&fbclid=IwAR0H41zB57kJCMNKLwf-btFS_y0R_F78GycpP9V-rTreKB-Y1zOLqNkXCB0

I am somewhat surprised that the Scouts can still get liability insurance for the sexual abuse allegations at all.  What I think is more likely is that it will go towards paying the abuse claims not covered by insurance and/or very high deductibles on whatever coverage they are able to get.

[Hawkmoon]

The annual membership fee will rise from $33 to $60 — a more than 80% increase. The annual fee for adults will increase from $33 to $36. The Boy Scouts of America currently has 2.2 million youth members. The fee increase could raise more than $60 million in additional funds for the Scouts next year, as estimated by The Associated Press.

The increase won't bring in anywhere near $60 million if a significant percentage of scouts drop out due to the increase. 

[HankB]

Just saw a TV story - a news crawl across the bottom of the screen, actually - claiming BSA was losing so many scouts that they began letting in girls a few years back.

But the news crawl also stated that one of the the biggest sponsors of BSA - The Mormon church - will be withdrawing their BSA support on Jan 1 and forming their own youth organization. (No word on whether the new group will emphasize actual outdoorsy-type scouting or proselytizing.)

[T.O.M.]

I was a volunteer leader with the Boy Scouts when my sons were involved (oldest aged out, youngest lost interest).  Admitting girls was in part to increase membership numbers, and in part to defeat the lawsuits involving gender discrimination claims (which were starting to get traction).  For a long time, the Mormon church used Boy Scouts as the formal organization for its youth programming. They sponsored LDS troops and funnelled a lot of money into Scouts.  When they pull out, all of the LDS troops will either go away, or need to find new sponsors.  There will be a concurrent membership loss.

IMO, Scouting is doomed.  And I could seriously spend an hour explaining why, but it has to do with the program and the idiots in charge of that.  They are safing the program too much (no fixed blade knives in most camps, stupid rules about shooting sports, etc.). They are making the program too academic, with too much emphasis on school-like requirements and activities.  They are cheapening their brand by slapping a logo on cheaper, low quality products and uniforms imported from China.  I could go on and on and on...

Oh, and the 80% increase in fees?  Yeah, it's going from $33 a year to $60 a year.  Not really a good story to say Scouts now costs $5 a month.  Much better to write about an 80% increase because pedophiles. 

[230RN]

Chris said,

"Oh, and the 80% increase in fees?  Yeah, it's going from $33 a year to $60 a year.  Not really a good story to say Scouts now costs $5 a month.  Much better to write about an 80% increase because pedophiles.  rolleyes"

It's all in the slant.

It's become an art form in today's journalism.

[Jamisjockey]

Just saw a TV story - a news crawl across the bottom of the screen, actually - claiming BSA was losing so many scouts that they began letting in girls a few years back.

But the news crawl also stated that one of the the biggest sponsors of BSA - The Mormon church - will be withdrawing their BSA support on Jan 1 and forming their own youth organization. (No word on whether the new group will emphasize actual outdoorsy-type scouting or proselytizing.)

Probably both.  Living in Utah, most Mormons are pretty outdoorsy.  They hike, camp and hunt.  Scouting is super popular out there.  I'd imagine most of their strong holds out west will be the same. 
Other places where outdoors activity is popular, I expect the same.   
My son loved scouting in Texas. They were outside all the time. When we moved to NoVA, he dropped out because the troop was boring.

[Pb]

My son does Trail Life.

[Hawkmoon]

My son does Trail Life.

And what is Trail Life?

[makattak]

And what is Trail Life?

Explicitly Christian* Scouting organization, founded by former Board of the Boy Scouts who were unhappy with the direction the Boy Scouts were taking.

My son is also part of Trail Life. It's still growing and developing, but it is a great alternative.




*Like Kanye's new album

[kgbsquirrel]

 

[Jamisjockey]

Wait. Read the thread title again....it just hit me...
So, you're saying the sex abuse is a feature?

[kgbsquirrel]

Grew up in scouts and did some volunteering as an adult.

Personal observations and opinion: this was controlled flight into terrain.

[RoadKingLarry]

When BSA finally craters what happens to the big properties like Philmont?

[charby]

When BSA finally craters what happens to the big properties like Philmont?

Probably depends upon how the trust is written, if it gets sold, people well above our pay grade will buy it or some group like The Nature Conservancy will buy it and keep it open to the public. We just had 1100 acre 4H camp in Iowa get bought by The Nature Conservancy to prevent private ownership and keep it in the pubic domain. Iowa doesn't have a lot of public land so this was good for folks.

Nature Conservancy doesn't ban hunting FYI. One thing they do is purchase land for public interest and sell it back to a local public entity, usually land is earmarked ahead of time do to habitat, popular destination, large undeveloped area etc.

[MillCreek]

https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2019/11/22/boy-scouts-mortgage-vast/

Philmont is mortgaged as collateral for a line of credit.

[brimic]

Wait. Read the thread title again....it just hit me...
So, you're saying the sex abuse is a feature?

Phrasing...

[Hawkmoon]

https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2019/11/22/boy-scouts-mortgage-vast/

Philmont is mortgaged as collateral for a line of credit.

Whoa! From the link:

Seeking to ease some of the financial pressure, the BSA announced in October that the annual membership fee for its 2.2. million youth members will rise from $33 to $60, while the fee for adult volunteers will rise from $33 to $36. The news dismayed numerous local scout leaders, who had already started registering youths for the coming year.

When did the BSA start charging adult leaders to "volunteer"? I'm sure my mother didn't pay anything to be a Cub Scout den mother, and I didn't pay anything to be an Explorer post advisor in the early to mid-1970s.

[TechMan]

Whoa! From the link:

When did the BSA start charging adult leaders to "volunteer"? I'm sure my mother didn't pay anything to be a Cub Scout den mother, and I didn't pay anything to be an Explorer post advisor in the early to mid-1970s.

They probably added it when they started background checks on the leaders.

My grip is that BSA follows a calendar year for everything, but a vast majority of the packs/troops follow a school year.  So we already collected our fees back in September before this increase was announced.  This is going to hit the pack in the pocketbook for sure.

[Hawkmoon]

https://www.sltrib.com/news/nation-world/2019/11/22/boy-scouts-mortgage-vast/

Philmont is mortgaged as collateral for a line of credit.

This strikes me as a monumentally short-sighted and stupid move. Gotta wonder if it's even legal.

[makattak]

This strikes me as a monumentally short-sighted and stupid move. Gotta wonder if it's even legal.

That's a really good description of pretty much all BSA choices for the past 15 years. (Other than the legal part)

[T.O.M.]

When did the BSA start charging adult leaders to "volunteer"? I'm sure my mother didn't pay anything to be a Cub Scout den mother, and I didn't pay anything to be an Explorer post advisor in the early to mid-1970s.

I used to pay an annual registration fee when I was an adult volunteer.  A lot of units will pay for the adult leaders.  I think it was around $30 back then.

[kgbsquirrel]

This strikes me as a monumentally short-sighted and stupid move. Gotta wonder if it's even legal.

When your intent is to destroy an organization those are the best choices to make.  So when the planned default happens who is getting the loot?

[Hawkmoon]

So when the planned default happens who is getting the loot?

They took out a mortgage on Philmont, with J.P. Morgan Chase Bank. If the BSA defaults, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank will own a ranch.

[grampster]

The BSA sold off several campgrounds in Michigan over the last 4 or 5 years.  I'm not even sure whether they have any camps any more.  When I was in scouting in the 50's we had the choice of 4 really nice campgrounds on the outskirts of Grand Rapids and along Lake Michigan.

[T.O.M.]

Local Scout Council is considering selling all of one camp (of the four developed camps they own), and some undeveloped land in a second camp.  Membership is falling, and not just for the reasons we've debated about the program.  There is actually a significant drop in the number of young people available to join.  Add that to the LDS units disbanding, and the program issues, and they are starting down the barrel of a serious membership problem.  Loss of members not only means lower membership fees coming in, but fewer kids paying to go to camp, fewer kids buying Scout brand stuff, etc.

A few years back, sitting around a campfire, some of us adult volunteers predicted the end of Scouting before our deaths.  Afraid we might have been right.