How to Customize Your Cub Scout Pack Annual Plan
Step 1: Gather Essential Dates
- Collect the county school calendar.
- Note any important church dates that affect your pack.
- List all public holidays and any other significant dates that could impact attendance.
Step 2: Input Key Dates into the Spreadsheet
- Open the annual plan spreadsheet.
- Enter the dates you’ve collected into their respective cells, starting with holidays and school-related dates that dictate available meeting days.
Step 3: Adjust Monthly Themes (If Necessary)
- Review the fixed monthly themes for each rank—lions, tigers, wolves, bears, webelos, and AOL.
- If any theme needs updating due to changes in the scouting program or local interests, make those adjustments now.
Step 4: Schedule Pack Meetings
- Identify the last Sunday of each month on the spreadsheet.
- Mark these as Pack Meeting days, ensuring they do not clash with major holidays or school events.
Step 5: Plan Outings
- Look at the outings listed in the template for each month.
- Decide if these outings are suitable for the current year or if new outings should be scheduled.
- Enter the outings into the spreadsheet, keeping in mind seasonal weather and availability of locations.
Step 6: Set Committee Meetings
- Confirm that the first Sunday of each month is suitable for committee meetings.
- If there are conflicts, choose an alternate consistent day and update the spreadsheet accordingly.
Step 7: Highlight ‘No Meeting’ Days
- Clearly mark the days when the pack will not meet, such as during school breaks or on certain holidays.
- Communicate these dates early to avoid confusion among pack members and their families.
Step 8: Outline Weekly Pack Meetings
- Block out every Thursday night from September to May for your regular pack meetings.
- Ensure that the start and end times are consistent and clearly visible in the spreadsheet.
Step 9: Incorporate Summer Activities
- Plan for optional summer activities and enter them into the June through August section of the spreadsheet.
- These can be less structured to allow for family vacations and other summer commitments.
Step 10: Finalize and Distribute
- Review the entire spreadsheet for conflicts or errors.
- Once finalized, distribute the plan to all pack leaders, scouts, and their families.
- Be open to feedback and willing to make adjustments as needed throughout the year.
Step 11: Save and Share
- Save the completed spreadsheet in a shared location that is accessible to all leaders, like a cloud drive.
- Consider creating a PDF version for easy distribution to families without spreadsheet software.
How to Create Your Cub Scout Pack Budget
Step 1: Calculate Basic Membership Costs
- List down all basic costs per scout including BSA membership, insurance, and charter fees.
- Sum these costs to determine the total basic cost per scout.
Step 2: Account for Advancement and Activity Costs
- Estimate the cost for advancement awards, handbooks, and neckerchiefs.
- Include the cost of activity-related items such as pinewood derby cars and other event-specific materials.
- Add these costs to the basic membership costs to get a total per-scout cost for the year.
Step 3: Include Event and Camp Costs
- Determine the costs of major events and camps throughout the year.
- Divide the total by the number of scouts to find the cost per scout for each event.
- Add any additional parent costs to the event pricing.
Step 4: Summarize Total Annual Cost
- Combine all individual costs to arrive at a total annual cost per scout.
- Divide this by the number of months in your active scouting year to find a monthly cost per scout.
Step 5: Calculate Popcorn Sales Contributions
- Based on previous years’ data or a conservative estimate, calculate the expected return from popcorn sales (e.g., 30%).
- Translate these returns into discount tiers for the scouts’ dues based on sales goals.
Step 6: Create Tiered Popcorn Sales Goals
- Establish sales tiers (e.g., $400, $800, $1450, etc.) that correlate with a percentage of dues and fees covered by popcorn sales revenue.
- Assign a cash equivalent for each tier to provide clear goals for scouts and parents.
Step 7: Determine Payment Options
- Offer two payment options: “The Basics” and “All In.”
- “The Basics” should cover just the essential costs, while “All In” includes additional activities and events.
- Calculate monthly payments for each option by dividing the total annual cost by the number of active months.
Step 8: Factor in Additional Sales and Fundraising
- Consider other fundraising activities that may contribute to the pack’s income.
- Calculate how these funds will affect the overall budget and dues required from each scout.
Step 9: Finalize Uniform Costs
- Decide on the cost for uniform items that the pack will provide, such as shirts.
- Include this as a separate item if not covered by the monthly dues or fundraising.
Step 10: Document and Communicate
- Clearly document all the costs and payment options in a spreadsheet.
- Communicate this budget to parents, detailing what is included in the monthly payments and what the popcorn sales goals offset.
Step 11: Review and Adjust Annually
- At the end of each scouting year, review the budget against actual expenses and income.
- Make adjustments for the next year based on what was learned, any changes in costs, or program changes.