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.