Recently, the National BSA released information regarding membership fee increases for the upcoming 2023/2024 Scouting year. In the June edition of our Monthly Newsletter, Scout Executive, Justin Williams stated “The announcement of the new fees has been delayed several times following significant feedback from local Councils towards multiple fee models. Simply put, if the BSA wants to continue its membership growth trend, a large membership fee increase would be counterproductive. I am relieved that the most drastic fee structure models were not adopted.”

So what does this mean for membership fees in the Palmetto Council?

“Effective August 1, 2023, the BSA will be increasing the yearly youth membership fee by $5 annually ($75 to $80 for Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, and Venturing and $45 to $50 for Explorers). The adult fee will increase by $15 for all programs except Exploring, which will be a $6 increase. Individuals only registered as Merit Badge Counselors will now also be charged $25. There will be no change made to the unit charter fee, the $25 one-time joining fee, or the Scout Life subscription fee.”

To better explain the new fee structure, the following infographic was release by BSA and was included in our July edition of our Monthly Newsletter.

New membership fee structure for BSA, released July, 2023.

If you have questions regarding the membership fee changes please reach out to either Scout Executive Justin Williams at justin.williams@scouting.org or Assistant Scout Executive, Taylor Thomas at taylor.thomas@scouting.org.

The Council is planning to host a Town Hall event in the coming weeks to answer questions and provide more information. Please be on the lookout for an email and stay connected to our Facebook Page for information regarding the date and time. For more information or to read the June message from Scout Executive, Justin Williams, including insurance fee updates please click here.