| Q: Why are the fees increasing? A: The national annual membership fee is increasing by $6, about 50 cents per month, because the costs associated with Scouting, including the cost of liability insurance, continue to increase and the organization is not able to subsidize the increased costs as it had in the past. Q: When will this increase take effect? A: The updated membership fees will take effect August 1, 2020, for new members in the 2020-2021 program year. For renewing members, the new fees will take effect when your unit recharters for 2021. Q: Is Scouting still a good value? A: Absolutely! While most extracurricular activities are seasonal, Scouting is a year-round program that remains one of the most valuable investments we can make to support young men and women today so they can become the leaders we will turn to tomorrow. For most of our participants, the new national membership fee amounts to $5.50 a month, which is an enormous value when you consider that many seasonal extracurricular activities often start at $100 for programs that last a few weeks. Q: What will the money be used for? A: The annual national membership fee and new member joining fee help pay for the cost of essential services, including program resources, liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, youth protection and other local council resources. Q: Is this increase being implemented to cover the cost of the additional background checks? A: While the cost of background checks is paid for by the national organization, that is not the driver of this increase. Q: Will membership fees go toward funding a victim’s compensation trust? A: No. The national annual membership fee and the new member joining fee will help pay for the cost of essential services, including program resources, liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, youth protection and other local council resources. Q: What measures has the national organization taken to offset its financial challenges? A: In addition to ongoing efforts to streamline and simplify the organization, the national organization has taken a number of steps to address its financial challenges, which include recent furloughs and three rounds of reductions over the past year. These were in addition to ongoing consolidation of departments and elimination of some significant vendors for the most effective utilization of resources in support of Scouting. Q: Will the national membership fee continue to increase? A: Although no decision about future increases has been made, the cost of operating our organization and services increases every year. Should it be necessary to increase fees in the future, the National Executive Board of the Boy Scouts of America has agreed to evaluate the needs and make such decisions, whenever possible, at the National Annual Meeting so that decisions can be announced with as much lead time as possible to allow councils and units to plan accordingly. | 
