Girl Scout Leaders... transportation reimbursed?

[descovy]

My older troop (5th grade) has 2 trips planned in april. Both trips are about 100 miles away (200 miles roundtrip) One is a camping trip, the other is a beach clean up.

We are about to plan our camping budget, and I am suddenly very aware of how much it costs to drive these girls. Mind you, the same 3 of us (leaders) do all the driving, all the time. Today I filled half a tank of gas and it cost me $28. 200 miles roundtrip with a van full of girls will take at least that half a tank!

I am considering talking to the other 2 co-leaders about including gas expenses in the budget. But I am a little leary. While I am not "hurting" for money, I am the most frugal of the leaders. I don't want it to become an issue where I get reimbursed "to shush me up" while they don't take a reimbursement out of generosity or that it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

A little background about this troop, they are 99% financially independant. Parents pay the $12 annual dues to GSUSA every year, but other than that the girls pay for all their supplies, trips, even uniforms! from selling fall nuts and spring cookies. We don't ask parents to pay for any of it.

I am very aware that the girls only earn 56 cents on a box a cookies, and I do not take lightly that I potentially could be asking for the troop to pay $90 in fuel for a camping trip, (3 vans) and an additional $60 later in the month for a beach clean up. (only 2 vans) That $150 in fuel would equal over 300 boxes of cookies! (The troop sold 2000 this spring)

So first off, is it even acceptable to have the troop reimburse the leaders for fuel? If so, what is the best way to do it? I have an idea of it being 10 cents a mile per vehicle. It wouldn't fully cover the cost of fuel, but would come close. (and most importantly, the math would be easy! lol)Forget the run around town with the girls... I am talking the 50mile + trips.

Please understand that I am NOT resentful. I love working with the girls... and honestly I love driving them (you learn a lot evesdroping from the drivers seat! ) I will drive these girls to Hawaii and back if it is expected of me (whether I am reimbursed or not) I donate lots of little ways... sometimes it is easier to grab from my stash of craft supplies, or bottled water, or plates & napkins, etc... than buy it special for the girls.

I'm just putting out feelers to see if other troops have dealt with this. If it is not something to entertain, I wont!

 

[descovy]

Oh, and if you must, PLEASE DO FLAME AWAY! I'd rather get raked over the coals by some annonymous user names, than local people who I maintain IRL relationships with. Seriously, it won't hurt my feelings. I came for honest feedback... not polite nods

(See the Community Board IS good for something!)

 

[mickeyboat]

I am under the impression that it is a no no to reimburse for driving expenses out of troop funds. However, I would not have a problem with asking the other parents to contribute.

I have driven many unreimbursed miles for our GS troop, and I don't get reimbursed. I consider it a donation.

ETA - I do believe you can deduct for mileage from your taxes.

Denae

 

[MrsPete]

Yes, it's fine to reimburse yourself from troop funds for ALL legitimate trip costs -- including transportation. Answers like this are all in your Safety Wise manual.

HOW to do it? If it's just around town, we never worry about it. If we're going to one of our camps, which are some distance away, we figure up what we think the gas'll cost and give that to each mom who drives. We're kind of casual about it, but ALL our leaders are the type who obviously put in LOTS of their own time and money, and no one fusses a bit about this.

Changing the topic slightly, I suggest that you charge the girls SOMETHING for every trip. It wasn't a problem for us when our girls were 5th grade-ish either -- but it became a big problem later:

When they're young, their parents sign them up for trips, and they can't wait to go because they don't have all that much else to do. In just a couple years they're going to have LOTS more going on at school, and you're going to get girls signing up for this and that trip without much thought because, after all, it's free. And then at the last minute, the middle school'll have a dance on Friday night and half your girls won't show up . . . but you'll already have bought the food, rented the bigger cabin, etc. And it won't take many episodes like that for you to become a bit bitter. Charge $2-10 for a trip, and they'll stop to THINK about whether they really want to go /can go.

Also, around the same time they start adding band, sports, and other activities, their cookie sales will decrease -- they'll burn out on the sales, and they'll be less willing to do booth sales -- meaning that you'll have a smaller troop income. At that point, their parents will be paying more for their other activities, and it'll come as a shock for them if suddenly you say, "Our camping trips are now $10 per girl". Get them used to the idea NOW that dues and cookie sales cover all your meetings, but TRIPS cost a little something.

My oldest is almost 17 now, and scouting is still one of her favorite things in the whole world. Although they're spread out across four high schools now, her scout friends are her core group of friends. I am sure they'll end up rooming together in college, being in one another's weddings, and having girls' weekends together as adults. It's well worth every bit of effort. Also, while other people complain about their teenagers, mine are both GREAT. I've always thought that being involved with them and their friends would pay off. I've always thought they'd remember who slept on the floor with them at the science museum and who planned all those fun things for them and their friends. And I was right. So keep it up!

 

[happygirl]

Our leaders don't get reimbursed for mileage, with that said our leaders get help from parents

 

[minniebeth]

Do you have a council and/or service unit handbook? As a leader, I have the financial dos and don'ts for our council and service unit's procedures. I would refer to that since they can vary. Or call your unit's treasurer, whoever you hand in your financial statements to.

I personally think that it would be ok to be reimbursed for that long of a trip. You donate your time and funds in other ways and to absorb that cost for gas alone is going above and beyond what anyone should expect you to do.

 

[clh2]

As far as reimbursement for transportation - please check what your counsel reimburses "if" they were paying volunteers to drive. It is something like $0.25per mile. (As opposed to what GS pays their employes (i.e. the IRS rate).

The IRS rate for VOLUNTEERS is probably a reasonable rate for reimbursement, and would be supported by the council. Anything over that probably would have some 'explaining' to do.

 

[Anne34]

As far as reimbursement for transportation - please check what your counsel reimburses "if" they were paying volunteers to drive. It is something like $0.25per mile. (As opposed to what GS pays their employes (i.e. the IRS rate).

The IRS rate for VOLUNTEERS is probably a reasonable rate for reimbursement, and would be supported by the council. Anything over that probably would have some 'explaining' to do.

I always deducted it from my taxes. We did a lot of trips in my 9 years of being a leader (2 troops!). I have a Suburban and get crappy gas mileage, but was able to haul a lot of girls. We had 3 leaders and 19 girls (as many as 22) in our troop.

 

[klj27]

When I was a girl scout leader I deducted all of my volunteer miles on my taxes.

Our boy scout troop does reimburse for miles driven. You start all trips with a full tank of gas (yours) and the last thing you do before returning after a trip is fill your tank (troop pays). I like this because there isn't money changing hands, but the volunteer drivers are made whole.

 

[shirleyb]

My husband and I have been GS and BS leaders for many years. Only one trip did we get a mileage reimbursement - it was a 14 hr drive to Canada for the BS. On some of the trips, some of the parents have asked for mileage reimbursement and the troop has paid it. It's just something my DH feels very strongly about NOT asking for. So, I usually document it and claim it on our taxes.

 

[scrapquitler]

I certainly think that it is a fair and reasonable question to raise. Gas for a trip that long can really add up. I think the first thing to do is to check with the service unit to find out if they have a policy about this. Perhaps they can tell you how to handle it (submit the receipts for your gas to the troop and get reimbursed, or get reimbursed at a per mile rate). The second thing I was going to mention is that I believe you can deduct costs of volunteering on your tax return. I just double checked, and it appears that it is 14cents per mile (well, better said, it WAS 14 cents per mile in 2008, the article I read says, so it might be more than that now).

 

[Tink415]

Ask your council. In my council training for trips it was stated that gas for a troop trip is a legitimate transportation expense and it could be an agreed amount per driver or reimbursement of actual expense with a receipt.

IMHO for local trips its no big deal to not be reimbursed for gas. But when trips get further away the cost of gas should be a consideration and figured into the cost of a trip. If the troop was taking a bus, train or plane would leaders be expected to personally pay from their pocket for each girls ticket? Troops should not be funded by leaders!

My council also suggests for all trips troop funds pay 1/3, family pay 1/3, girl pay 1/3, for already stated reasons

 

[Iott Family]

LIke PP said. This is covered in safety wise and all leaders shoudl have a copy of this on hand at all times. It is given out free from council to all leaders. And yes, troop should, can and will cover travel expenses from troop funds. You should fill up your tank at the start of the trip and then refill at the end of the trip from troop funds

Glad to see an active gs troop. So many leaders these days dont take their girls out and about to enjoy the scouting side of being a girl scout!

 

[Mickeyluver37]

My older troop (5th grade) has 2 trips planned in april. Both trips are about 100 miles away (200 miles roundtrip) One is a camping trip, the other is a beach clean up.

We are about to plan our camping budget, and I am suddenly very aware of how much it costs to drive these girls. Mind you, the same 3 of us (leaders) do all the driving, all the time. Today I filled half a tank of gas and it cost me $28. 200 miles roundtrip with a van full of girls will take at least that half a tank!

I am considering talking to the other 2 co-leaders about including gas expenses in the budget. But I am a little leary. While I am not "hurting" for money, I am the most frugal of the leaders. I don't want it to become an issue where I get reimbursed "to shush me up" while they don't take a reimbursement out of generosity or that it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

A little background about this troop, they are 99% financially independant. Parents pay the $12 annual dues to GSUSA every year, but other than that the girls pay for all their supplies, trips, even uniforms! from selling fall nuts and spring cookies. We don't ask parents to pay for any of it.

I am very aware that the girls only earn 56 cents on a box a cookies, and I do not take lightly that I potentially could be asking for the troop to pay $90 in fuel for a camping trip, (3 vans) and an additional $60 later in the month for a beach clean up. (only 2 vans) That $150 in fuel would equal over 300 boxes of cookies! (The troop sold 2000 this spring)
So first off, is it even acceptable to have the troop reimburse the leaders for fuel? If so, what is the best way to do it? I have an idea of it being 10 cents a mile per vehicle. It wouldn't fully cover the cost of fuel, but would come close. (and most importantly, the math would be easy! lol)Forget the run around town with the girls... I am talking the 50mile + trips.

Please understand that I am NOT resentful. I love working with the girls... and honestly I love driving them (you learn a lot evesdroping from the drivers seat! ) I will drive these girls to Hawaii and back if it is expected of me (whether I am reimbursed or not) I donate lots of little ways... sometimes it is easier to grab from my stash of craft supplies, or bottled water, or plates & napkins, etc... than buy it special for the girls.

I'm just putting out feelers to see if other troops have dealt with this. If it is not something to entertain, I wont!

Having been a leader that never asked for reimbursement for plenty of things, as well as a parent who has driven for long trips, I would NOT be ok with this, especially considering the bolded part.

I get that there are plenty of parents that will never drive or do their "fair share" but I think the same thing also goes with volunteering. Taking that $150 away from the girls that could be used for other activities just seems selfish to me, and yes, you can be sure that people will point out that you aren't "hurting for money" and it really isn't necessary.

 

[lastminutemom]

My boys' scout troop reimburses for mileage on camping trips, but they way their troop works, is that each trip has a fee and if they have money in their account, from popcorn sales or other fundraisers, then they can use it toward that trip.

I wonder if you could ask the parents, in light of the huge increase in cost of gas, to contribute towards the expenses related to transporting the girls?

 

[MrsPete]

Having been a leader that never asked for reimbursement for plenty of things, as well as a parent who has driven for long trips, I would NOT be ok with this, especially considering the bolded part.

I get that there are plenty of parents that will never drive or do their "fair share" but I think the same thing also goes with volunteering. Taking that $150 away from the girls that could be used for other activities just seems selfish to me, and yes, you can be sure that people will point out that you aren't "hurting for money" and it really isn't necessary.

Asking the leader to constantly pay for girls' transportation out of her own pocket sounds selfish to me.

As the leader, I've already put in volunteer hours to arrange the trip, purchase supplies, complete paperwork. I've already paid my TWO daugthers' trip fees AND my own trip fee. And you'd have me pony up gas money for the troop too? I love working with scouts and I put in lots of time and money of my own, but some of our trips are hours from home -- that gas money adds up.

Getting the girls to and from trips is a troop expense, and the leader shouldn't be expected to pay that out of pocket. If this were required (which, per Safety Wise, it is not), you'd limit trips the girls could take, and you'd restrict leader positions to those who can afford to be generous on a constant basis.

 

[ccgirl]

I'm not sure of the financial makeup of the girls in your troop. My DD is in Brownies. She paid the $12 at the beginning of the year. I thought that was it. But, she also pays $3 every week for supplies and then extra money when they go on field trips. For example, they went bowling one Friday night. They provided pizza and drinks as well. I had to pay $5 additional. Sometimes I feel the troop is nickle and diming us.

OP - I would not consider a field trip that far away. The way I see it, the money is to defray the girls cost not your own. Maybe I am just being a poor sport but I thought girl scouts was supposed to be an economical thing for us and all of the money really adds up.

 

[msjprincess]

I'm not sure of the financial makeup of the girls in your troop. My DD is in Brownies. She paid the $12 at the beginning of the year. I thought that was it. But, she also pays $3 every week for supplies and then extra money when they go on field trips. For example, they went bowling one Friday night. They provided pizza and drinks as well. I had to pay $5 additional. Sometimes I feel the troop is nickle and diming us.

OP - I would not consider a field trip that far away. The way I see it, the money is to defray the girls cost not your own. Maybe I am just being a poor sport but I thought girl scouts was supposed to be an economical thing for us and all of the money really adds up.

The Troop doesn't see a penny of that $12.

 

[ccgirl]

The Troop doesn't see a penny of that $12.

Okay..they (her troop) also get $3 a week for "supplies" and I also pay the fee for each and every field trip. Most weeks they just color and things that wouldn't cost $3 so I do tend to get upset when they keep asking for more money.

OP - maybe tell the parents they would have to provide transportation or during the next meeting see what the parents think?? I would probably also look for field trips closer to home so they didn't cost so much.

 

[descovy]

The Troop doesn't see a penny of that $12.

Very true... that $12 goes straight to council... not to the troop.

Having other parents drive isn't always a valid option. The leader has to go anyway. So if a leader rode shotgun to a parent driver, now you have extra adults! So leader drives, not to be a martyr or because "parents don't care" but because it is practical. I as a leader has to go anyway, so I fill up my car full of girls!

Nowhere does it say that girl scouting is meant to be economical. Yet, in the end it really is. My 3 kids pay $55/mo (each!) to take dance class for one hour a week. That is the going rate of an extracurricular activity.

Your $12 annual dues + $3 a meeting doesn't even come close. I wouldn't worry too much about being nickled and dimed. Sounds like you DO have an economical troop.

I also lead a 1st grade troop, and while I do not lead my 3rd grader's troop, I am their cookie mom... so I do have a pulse on 3 different aged troops. The idea to "not go so far away" saddens me, especially for my older girls. My first grade Daisies we usually stay close to home. But on the suburbs of a geographically large city (Houston) it takes a lot of miles just to get out of town! Fifth graders (and as they get older) won't stay interested if we just stay in our suburban enclave on never go anywhere!

We live 30 miles far west of Houston, Girl Scout camp (where a lot of unique troop activities are available) is 60 miles north of Houston. So that would be NEVER attending an event at GS camp. We have an opportunity to do a high ropes challenge course 100 miles west of here. It is the "award" the girls wanted for selling cookies (and we're camping there too) On the other hand, My first graders are celebrating the end of cookie season with a pizza and ice cream party right here in town. They're satisfied with that... but 11 year olds are capable and interested IN SO MUCH MORE than our suburb can provide. It would be a shame if we never went anywhere outside of our everyday surroundings.

So no, nixing trips and staying close to home is not an option, especially as they get older.

With the feedback here, I am considering asking families to pay a nominal amount in the future. We are bridging to Cadettes at the end of the year, so that would be a good time to institute this (fresh start)

One thing, is unlike what I understand of boy scouts our fundraiser money is "communal" and does not tie in to one girl's account. So whether you sell 1 box or 1000 boxes of cookies, you still get equal participation. While some girls sell more than others, they all fully participate in the sale, I believe in part because the parents support the fundraising. My lowest selling girl, still sold over 100 boxes, and our average is 240/girl. So for example, what would 1/3 girl, 1/3 family, 1/3 troop entail?

Also, things like our camping/high ropes trip are for "fun", while things like our beach cleanup are for "service." Do you charge to attend a "service" type of field trip?

Btw, I DO have a Safety Wise book, and I know to look in it... I just loaned it to a mom in my 1st grade troop who is getting camp certified and she needs it for her class (so yes, I'll even be taking 2nd graders out of the suburbs starting next year) I just don't have it on me, but yes, before I/we make any real decisions, Safety Wise (of course) will be consulted.

Getting some different perspectives is helping. Thanks folks!