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I have two families that recently relocated from CA to NY and want to join my unit. While at our Pack Meeting last night, one of the parents tried to use the transfer option at My Scouting to transfer her two boys into our unit, but the search function only returned units that are in CA.
What are we missing? We used My Scouting to transfer AOL scouts to their Scouts BSA Troops back in the spring with no issues, but that was between two units in the same council.
The online application system is not currently activated for our Pack (the other leaders do not want to use it for… reasons) so that is not an option but my Pack’s leadership find using the My Scouting transfer tools acceptable.
So, am I just missing something when using the My Scouting transfer process? Or was this functionality not actually implemented back in June?
@S.G I did not know the transfer tool worked without online application being on? But anyway, transfer tool is just for within the same council right now, as stated before beascout.scouting.org AND online application is way to do it - there is even a transfer button.
@DonovanMcNeil - well that’s disappointing that it has to go through the beascout.scouting.org process since my Pack does not want to use it. At least we can still do transfers within the Council without having it activated.
I’ll make sure to let the other leaders know that out of council transfers will have to be done with paper applications.
HUGE mistake not to use online apps in a pack - I have been to a round up were over 30 Scouts were signed up and fully registered in under an hour with online applications. Pass that bit of info through the committee.
The Pack is aware how much easier the online system is in terms of speed. I have it turned on for my Troop and it is SO nice to not have to deal with gathering checks, driving down to the council office to drop them off, and then waiting until someone gets around to processing them.
The reason our pack won’t toggle the option on is because of membership dues. In the pack, dues are collected in September rather than January. They don’t want to deal with people signing up outside of September who are charged the prorated fee based on a Jan-Dec membership and then have to tell them that there’s an additional Unit Fee that wasn’t charged as part of the online application.
I also suggested shifting dues collection to January so that it matches the proration schedule that the online application system uses, but they don’t want to collect membership fees twice in close proximity. Meaning, if we collect dues in January but have our big recruitment in September, those new families would have to pay in September, then again a few months later in January. They think it would be bad optics.
I do think it would be great if in a future update units could input an additional unit fee (maybe on the page where you turn on the online application option) that is then added to the total that the scout is charged when using the online application tool. I don’t think anybody likes having to tell parents who have already paid that they need to pay even more.
I know there’s a place to add information about them and that the info can be added to the unit profile on the beascout site. My concern on that is that parents don’t always read the added info there.
I know there is an option to send an email explaining the added fees, but I don’t know when that email is triggered to be sent. If it’s after a request for more information, then parents who skip right to the application will not see it.
This issue I’ve seen, is that for folks joining in Aug-Oct, the system will only collect the prorated portion of the current year, plus the new Scout fee. But with recharter right around the corner (which in many councils is 12/31), the Pack will soon have to cough up a lot more money, which means going back to the new family - right after they’ve already signed up and think they’re done - and asking for (and tracking down) a 2nd payment.
And that’s the rub… BSA should be very interested in making it as easy as possible for Scouts to join, and that means streamlining the process to make everyone - new families, BSA, Councils and especially unit leaders - happy.
One thought… I’ve noticed that you may be able to send folks the direct link to your unit’s registration page (which you can find in the Invitation manager), and they may be able to get to it, even if applications are turned off. (Not sure if that’s a bug or recent change.) Perhaps this only works for folks who already have BSA registrations? Perhaps out-of-council transfers need to start this way? Might be worth looking into.
I agree it would be awesome, but I think it would be super complex. Right now, national takes national’s cut. I don’t believe it supports council dues/fees. It for sure does not support unit dues/fees.
Councils and units can charge in many different ways. Prorated or not. Adults yes or no. Refunds yes or no. Where does the money go? Is the checking account the old or the new? Is it closed? Does it bounce? People made a mistake, they want a refund. Say that national doesn’t, the council does, but the unit doesn’t. What about new second year Webelos? Do they get the whole unit dues or less? The number of entities involved and permeations is huge.
I guess I could see national adding in council fees/dues/insurance since they have clear communication channels and can force standardized policy. To do the same down to units would be a huge undertaking.
Yes, this may confuse families, but the benefits out way the extra communication needed.
I see several problems with the online application process at a Pack Round up.
Not all of our families use credit/debit cards. (About half used cash for a recent event for our pack)
The events were held in each School’s Cafeteria - no wi-fi, poor cell service
Whose electronic device do we use.
Our recent experience (2 day event)
Had a brief presentation (including about more $ due in Nov/Dec for Recharter) and answered the parent questions.
We collected the apps w/payment (cash, check, credit/debit)
Handed out a folder with our unit number patch w/veteran bar, a rocket patch which is for an actual rocket for the youth to launch on rocket day (council provided), and printed Pack specific information.
Took photo of each app.
Turned in the apps and a Pack check for the applicable amount to the Field Director who took the package back to council.
1st night signed up 10 and second night signed up 19
Each night was about an hour. So not quite as fast as your over 30 in about 1 hour, but respectable.
A point about 30 in one hour. Your Scouts are CONSIDERED fully registered. The unit and Scouts can proceed as though they ARE fully registered. The applications you turned in still need to be processed. For us, that can take from 5 days to 5 weeks. During that time they aren’t in the system for calendars and messaging. Also, the amount of council labor involved is 30x for paper bs online.
What you are doing is fine. Keep doing it. It just isn’t as streamlined. It sounds like the online approach wouldn’t work for you anyways. No internet and no debit/credit makes it a show stopping barrier.
Matt,
In the past the processing at council is usually within 1 -3 working days after a school signup event.
Just looked at MYST today (Sat.) and 10 of the youth are already enter by Council (the names match to the 10 signed up at the Wed. night event).
When I have driven into town (about 90 miles one-way) for some reason and stop by the Council office to turn in an application (usually for an adult, or troop member) the youth have shown up before I get back home that night and adults are within a few days (pre-COVID, and has now returned to normal).
I potentially could use online for some during the events at a school Cafeteria if we did some serious pre-planning and discussion with the school to obtain an Internet connection and then setup a few laptops/tablets (may want to have AC power, etc). Would then need to assist (walk thru) the parent(s) with using the electronic Sign-Up process. That could probably reduce but NOT eliminate the paper applications going to Council (cash, parents not comfortable with computers, etc).
However doing the assistance with the electronic app could take the few leaders away from helping with the Q&A.
I usually do NOT have my laptop during the regularly scheduled troop meetings (boy & girl on separate nights). (We have good wi-fi (internet) connection in certain parts of the building).
@DonovanMcNeil When logging onto my.scouting today, I thought of this post. It looks like as of 6/15/21, it is supported between councils. " Transfers: Now you can transfer between units and even between Council using the My.Scouting tools and Online Registration. The parent relationship requirement for a transfer has been fixed so units can make transfers now too." Announcing it and having it work well are 2 different things, but in theory it is supposed to work.
We’ve had 3 kids transfer in to our pack from out of council this year. One looks like he was successfully transfered through the online transfer tool. His brother, however, didn’t show up on the parent’s myscouting, so we’re still waiting on a paper application from the family for him. Definitely more efficient doing it online!
The 3rd kid transferred in May, so just missed the ability to do it online. They mailed me a paper application so he could be set up properly in the system when they arrived in town. He was on our roster by June. And then suddenly two weeks ago, a duplicate account was created for him by Akela. I’m still trying to sort that out.
So, seems like even if it’s not perfect, the online transfer is at least doing as good a job as the paper system - as long as the councils properly attach kids to their parents.
I did have issues adding myself to a second unit, though. I’m not sure whether that process was different because I’m an adult or because it’s a multiple or… My application is now marked “closed” and when I go in to look at it, there’s information there that I don’t recall entering, including a “yes” for living in different residences during the last 5 years, which wouldn’t even have been true the first time I submitted a leader application! So, maybe buggier with adult members.
And I couldn’t transfer my son online because, like one of our new cubs, he isn’t listed in my account.
We have the online application feature turned on and several families used it last year. The big issue we had with it was that the amount they were charged changed unpredictably!
I’m not sure if councils are able to adjust it or if it was coming from national, but at one point it was charging the prorated amount for Sept-Dec, and at another it was charging that PLUS the next year’s dues. Okay. A heads up about the change would have been nice, but we can adapt.
Then people must have complained because it suddenly was charging less again!
I really don’t need that sort of help looking disorganized. I do that well enough on my own.
From what I understand, the online apps automatically charge for the full next year in November and December since it’s so close to recharter time, and the recharter could have already been started.
