Leader needs advice: I have a parent who paid for her daughter’s dues a year in advance. They decided not to continue with scouts in the middle of the year. Am I obligated to reimburse her for part of the dues? Thanks in advance.
Facebook friends of MakingFriends®.com wrote in with their advise:
Deanna’s thought: As far as I know dues are not required. It’s a convenience to the troop for supplies/activities. About giving dues back, if you think this parent is going to cause a stink then you probably should just do not to butt heads. Other wise it wouldn’t cross my mind to give it back. Like another leader said she is registered until end of year whether they stop going or not.
Robyn’s stance: Should scout dues be reimbursed? No. She can still sign up independent of the troop to do GS activities because he membership is active. And it’s a commitment to the other girls. She invested. I’m quite certain if she signed up for soccer or ballet it would be the same.
Gemila: GSUSA dues- no because she is entitled to all the benefits for the rest of the year. With troop dues, up to you. You can offer a prorated refund if you have it.
Michelle’s troop: I started collecting dues for the whole year a couple of years ago because it is easier. I do not reimburse if a child doesn’t continue and I have never been asked to either. Plus we end up using most of the dues in the fall before cookie sales when we don’t have a lot of money.
Lisa’s experience: I have had this happen twice –both times I asked the family if they wanted a portion back –both times I was told to just consider it a donation as troop and to keep money.
Cindy’s input: If the parent paid so much in advance for activity/meeting dues (not registration dues) and their child no longer attends and they ask for it back, they should be given it back. Activity dues are paid by parents to help pay for their child’s experience in scouts per meeting. I would say if the parent asks for it back, morally it should be refunded as their child did not receive anything for it. If the money was spent & you cant refund it, you will need to explain what it was spent on.
Cathy’s help: If you are talking about for this year then no I wouldn’t return anything. They are in your troop for the 2015-2016 year. However if you are saying that they paid for both this current year and next year, then I would return the dues that would have gone towards next year since she won’t be a part of your troop at all next year.
Laurel: I would. There is no need to leave a bad taste in their mouth about scouting. If someone left in the middle of the year and hadn’t paid would you make them pay for not being there?
Jessica’s idea: I always tell my parents up front no refunds. But if you haven’t spent it, you might prorate it as a goodwill gesture. But remember you are setting a precedent.
Laura added: Before returning any funds, please check with your service unit or council because there are guidelines regarding troop dues.
I think I would figure up how much the badges are going to cost that the girl has earned. I charge dues for the girls in my troop, but we earn so many badges/patches that it becomes a costly program especially when some badges/patches cost $2 or $3 a piece.