Annual Program Registration/Renewal
See below for Q&A on General Questions, Financial Assistance, Fundraising and Friends of Scouting
YEARLY PROGRAM REGISTRATION/RENEWAL GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q: How will families and individuals complete their program registration and/or renewal?
A: Everyone will complete their yearly program registration/renewal and pay through my.scouting. If you need to find a unit, use the unit locator tool at beascout.scouting.org/
Q: What is the yearly program registration/renewal cost?
A: The cost for the Scouting year will be $210 per youth and $65 per registered adult leader.
Q: What does the program registration/renewal fee pay for?
A: The program registration fee supports keeping the Scouting program strong for local youth and adults. The fee includes National BSA registration fees and insurance coverage. The net revenues from the new program fee will be equal to the historic levels of funding that came from Family Friends of Scouting contributions.
Q: Do all youth members pay the same fee?
A: Yes. All youth members - Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA and Venturing - will have the same fee.
Q: Can Scout Life be paid for online?
A: Yes, when completing a registration for the first time and with every renewal after, you will have the ability to subscribe to Scouts Life.
Q: Can I choose to donate additional funds to support a Scout in need?
A: Yes. Through our GIVE page on the Council website. Any amount can be given, and this donation is tax deductible.
Q: What if I can't pay all of my yearly program registration/renewal fee?
A: Financial assistance is available at the individual level for those families in need. https://www.goscouting.org/financial-assistance
Q: As a Committee Chair/Cubmaster/ Scoutmaster/ Crew Advisor of a unit, how will I know which families have completed their yearly program registration/renewal?
A: Your roster function in My.Scouting will include everyone's expiration date and warnings if they are within 60 days.
Q: Can unit leaders go into the site for a NEW youth or adult to complete the registration and make a payment?
A: No. Registrations for new youth and adults are at the family level and only they can access their registration. Units have the option to pay for current youth and adults.
Q: If a youth is planning to cross over from a Pack to a Troop, which unit do they renew with?
A: They should renew with the unit they are currently participating in. There is a quick process for a Arrow of Light Scout to transfer to a Troop.
Q: Do youth or leaders transferring from one unit to another need to go online and complete the program registration process?
A: Yes. To move from one unit to another, you should register as a New Youth/Adult Transfer with the unit you are moving to. There is no additional cost to transfer between units.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE QUESTIONS
Q: Who can request financial assistance?
A: Any youth with a financial need who is unable to register and/or renew for Scouting without assistance.
Q: How do I request assistance?
A: Visit https://www.goscouting.org/financial-assistance
Q: I filled out the Financial Assistance Request form, do I really need to go through the program registration process?
A: Yes! The program registration is needed in order to process your request and get you registered and/or renewed for Scouting.
Q: How much can I request?
A: Assistance requests can be up to 50% of the total cost, based on your need. This is like the practice we use with support to attend camp (Campership process).
Q: Does the financial assistance cover unit dues?
A: No, the financial assistance only covers the Northern Star Scouting yearly program registration fee. We ask all units to communicate their budget and fundraising plans to new families, but to not collect unit fees until later in the fall.
Q: What if I can’t pay 50% of the fee?
A: You can still join! Give a brief description of your circumstances in the online financial assistance request form and complete your registration. Someone will contact you if more information is needed. We will never turn away a youth due to an inability to pay.
FUNDRAISING TO SUPPORT COSTS QUESTIONS
Q: Are units allowed to charge or collect unit dues?
A: We do not encourage units charging additional unit dues. We encourage units to set their budget and include fundraising opportunities for youth to earn their way. If a unit chooses to charge unit dues those dues will need to be collected directly at a unit level.
Q: Can popcorn sales or unit fundraisers be used to cover costs for registration and other Scouting costs?
A: It is up to your unit. We encourage all our Scouts to “earn their own way” through selling popcorn. Popcorn sale commissions can be used to pay unit dues, camping fees and anything else Scouting related, and the unit can develop practices for reimbursing families for such costs.
Q: Is the popcorn sale all about money?
A: No! Scouts learn valuable skills such as budgeting, communication, salesmanship, working with others, goal setting and more.
Please see the above tabs for additional information. If you have questions, you may contact your District Executive.
Districts Page