Scout Leader Thievery

Who's handling the money for your pack, troop, or crew?  Can you trust them to handle the money properly and not get sticky fingers?  Are you sure?  Over the years I have heard of several cases where a unit's treasurer had stolen money from the unit that their son was involved with.  A quick Google search brought up these cases along with many more...

 

 

My Google search even brought up a case where the bookkeeper hired to handle the Mohegan Council's money had stolen $225,000.  Then there was the secretary for the Boy Scouts of America in Irving, Texas who was convicted of stealing more than $350,000.

 

Can your unit afford to lose money like this and still provide a quality program for the boys? Probably not. Since we can't afford to throw away money we need to have some safeguards in place to make sure it doesn't happen.  Thankfullly, the BSA has already given us guidance in this area.  Your "Troop Committee Guidebook" or "Cub Scout Leader Book"has a section on unit finances that will help with this.  Below are a few key points...

  • Unit checking account with 2 signatures required on all checks
  • Petty cash fund for small purchases - receipts must be turned in to treasurer
  • Periodic review of financial records by unit leaders

I think that last one is the most important.  We can put all kinds of "safeguards" in place but unless we're auditing the records we have closed the door but left the windows wide open.  Too many times unit accounts have come up short because a leader was in a bind and was only intending to "borrow" the money for a short time but was unable to replace the money.  Unit leaders that make it a regular practice to audit the financial records have the best chance at stopping the loss before it grows to the staggering amounts reported above.

 

As President Reagan was fond of saying, "Trust but verify".