Group Financials
Group Budget
At the beginning of each Scouting year (September or October) a budget is set for the entire Group for the year. The Group budget is mailed to all Scouters for comments and edits. Once finalized, it is presented at the Annual General Meeting in early November.
As part of the Group budget, each Section has an allowance to spend on their program for the year.
Section Budgets
Each Section is allocated a yearly budget based on the number of youth registered in that Section. For Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, the yearly budget is $95 per participant; for Venturers and Rovers, it is $125 per participant.
The Section budget represents a maximum net expense, meaning that Sections may spend more than their budget, as long as they can offset that additional expense with an income. Charging a fee to attend a Section camp is a typical example.
Budget Tracking
Sections are encouraged to track their income and expenses in a spreadsheet throughout the year.
The Section budget is intended to cover expenses for weekly meetings, and camps within the Section. All-Sections camps and events, as well as uniform costs, are not included in Section budgets.
Here are a few examples of expenses and their correct allocation:
| Expense | Budget Item |
|---|---|
| Crayons and paper for a colouring activity during a weekly Pack meeting | Cubs Program |
| Registration fee for Beaveree | Beavers Program |
| Groceries for Scouts year-end camp | Scouts Program |
| Groceries for Whonnock All-Sections camp | All-Section Camps |
| Scout Truck kits for Kub Kar Rally | Kub Kar Rally |
| Vest and hat for a new Beaver participant | Youth Uniforms |
Section Expenses & Income
Expenses
Minor expenses, such as supplies for weekly meetings, may be reimbursed from dues. Any expense that cannot be covered by dues should be submitted to the Treasurer for reimbursement.
Please submit your expenses promptly as you make them -- this helps us track how the Group is doing compared to our budget.
When submitting an expense, please fill out an expense claims form and include all receipts. You can submit expenses by e-mail to treasurer@newwestscouts.ca, or in person at GC meetings. All reimbursements will be paid out by cheque.
Income
A Section’s income is usually made up of weekly dues ($1-2 per participant, per weekly meeting) and fees for larger activities such as camps.
Weekly dues may be kept throughout the year and used to reimburse minor expenses. At the end of the year, dues should be counted and submitted to the Treasurer, so that no Section carries dues forward into the new year.
Cash and cheques for activity fees should be given to the Treasurer within one month.
Please fill out the income report spreadsheet when submitting any income to the Treasurer. In this spreadsheet, you can list the events and participants for which income was received.
Income received during fundraising events should be reported separately from any Section income. For more information on Fundraising events, please see this wiki page.
Payment Methods
Sections will typically receive income either in cash, by cheque or through the Square online payment system.
Cheques should be made payable to “Scouts Canada – 12th New Westminster Group”.
Most camp fees are paid through Square. However, Sections are not required to use Square, and may choose to have all camp fees paid in cash if they prefer. For more information about Square, please read this wiki page.