Please see the following information about how we finance the group and how payments are handled.
Annual Subscriptions 2024-25, 2025-26
Annual subscriptions (subs) cover the year from 1st September to 31st August the following year. Invoices for subs are typically sent out late in September.
For those joining part way through the year a pro-rata charge will be applied (generally based on the number of half-terms attended). Invoices for these are typically sent out after 3 or 4 meetings.
See payment methods for details of how subs can be paid. If you would like to pay subs by instalments, please make sure that a direct debit has been set up before the subs invoices are sent out.
| Section | Year Group | Annual Subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Beavers | £186 | |
| Cubs | £228 | |
| Cubs | Year 6 | £288 |
| Scouts | £408 | |
| Explorers | Years 9 and 10 | £408 |
| Explorers | Year 11 | £288 |
| Explorers | Year 12 | £162 |
| Explorers | Year 13 | £60 |
The level of subs is set each year by our Trustee Board to support the continued financing of the group. The variation in our subs for different age groups is intended to reflect:
- The increasing level of programme available as members progress through the sections;
- The contribution of older age groups to running the group, e.g. through our Young Leader programme.
Note that Explorers in Year 13 cease being Explorers when they reach the age of 18. However, they can continue to be involved in the Explorer programme throughout the year provided they complete a DBS check. Therefore, we expect Year 13 members to pay a full year’s subs regardless of when in the year they turn 18.
If you have any questions about subs please contact the Finance team using the contact form.
Annual Subscriptions 2026-27
Annual subscriptions (subs) cover the year from 1st September to 31st August the following year. Invoices for subs are typically sent out late in September.
For those joining part way through the year a pro-rata charge will be applied (generally based on the number of half-terms attended). Invoices for these are typically sent out after 3 or 4 meetings.
See payment methods for details of how subs can be paid. If you would like to pay subs by instalments, please make sure that a direct debit has been set up before the subs invoices are sent out.
| Section | Year Group | Annual Subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Beavers | £186 | |
| Cubs | £252 | |
| Cubs | Year 6 | £300 |
| Scouts | £396 | |
| Explorers | Years 9 and 10 | £396 |
| Explorers | Year 11 | £288 |
| Explorers | Year 12 | £162 |
| Explorers | Year 13 | £72 |
The level of subs is set each year by our Trustee Board to support the continued financing of the group. The variation in our subs for different age groups is intended to reflect:
- The increasing level of programme available as members progress through the sections;
- The contribution of older age groups to running the group, e.g. through our Young Leader programme.
This year the Trustee Board decided to:
- Increase Cubs subscriptions to reflect the increased access to weekend activities for Cubs and to reduce Scout/Explorer subscriptions to offset this;
- Increase the Year13 subs to make sure they cover the per member external subscriptions the group pays.
Overall, this increases the lifetime subs of someone attending from the start of Beavers through to the end of Explorers by 0.72% (which is well below the current rate of inflation).
Note that Explorers in Year 13 cease being Explorers when they reach the age of 18. However, they can continue to be involved in the Explorer programme throughout the year provided they complete a DBS check. Therefore, we expect Year 13 members to pay a full year’s subs regardless of when in the year they turn 18.
If you have any questions about subs please contact the Finance team using the contact form.
Financing the group
The group receives income from several sources. The following gives an overview of how this income is used. Note that this affects how we set the prices for Annual Subscriptions and Chargeable events.
Subscriptions and Gift Aid
Subscriptions and (all) Gift Aid should fund:
- All (non-capital) spending except that covered by chargeable events (see below). This includes:
- District County and National Subscriptions;
- Meeting Nights;
- Weekend day activities (e.g. Sailing);
- Group overheads, including:
- Insurance;
- Equipment maintenance;
- Administration including website hosting;
- Leader training.
- Capital expenditure not covered elsewhere.
In a few cases, Meeting Nights and Weekend activities involve external costs which we may recover by a direct charge for that event.
Fundraising, Donation, Grants and Asset Sales
Put towards capital expenditure.
Chargeable Events
Should pay:
- Their direct costs;
- A contribution to expenditure on non-capital items, e.g. tents (a.k.a the overnight charge).
Any overall surplus at the end of the year will be used to fund additional capital spending.
Capital Expenditure
As alluded to above, a proportion of our income goes towards keeping our equipment up to date. The amount of this expenditure varies from one financial year to the next. Therefore, we operate a capital renewals fund as part of our reserves policy so that the income and expenditure on equipment balance over time.
Fundraising
Our fundraising team is constantly looking for new ways to raise additional funds for the group. At the moment our key fundraising activities are:
BBQs
We run a BBQ at:
- Norwich School Sports Days and other sporting events;
- Various group events
The food, drink and raffle tickets we sell help raise funds for the group. If you can help with one of these, see Help with Fundraising below.
Socials
We have run a range of social events including:
- Chilli & Quiz;
- Dine & Disco;
- Trafalgar night dinner.
If you have an idea for an event or would like to help run one, see Help with Fundraising below.
We used to use Amazon Smile, but since this has been discontinued we have switched to easyfundraising . This means you can help us for FREE. Over 7,000 brands will donate to us when you use easyfundraising to shop with them – at no extra cost to yourself! All you need to do is sign up and remember to use easyfundraising whenever you shop online. It’s easy and completely FREE! These donations really mount up, so please sign up to support us.
Help with Fundraising
If you would like to help with any of our fundraising, please contact the fundraising team using the contact form or fill in the form on our volunteer page.
Payment methods
Please only make payments once you have received an invoice from us, and use one of the following payment methods:
Direct Debit via GoCardless
If a direct debit is enabled, all invoices will automatically be collected using this method.
If you would like to set up direct debit payments, either:
- Create a Direct Debit mandate online, or
- Click the green “Pay Now” button on your invoice, and then the “Direct Debit” button.
Either will take you through to GoCardless, where you can set up a direct debit mandate. Once active, this will be used to collect payment for the invoice and all subsequent ones.
Once you have a direct debit mandate set up, you will be offered the option to pay by instalments for events (assuming more than one instalment can be done – see next paragraph). Annual subscriptions will automatically be collected by instalments.
Instalments will be collected at monthly intervals. The maximum number of instalments is six, but the actual number depends on:
- When the event is, i.e. how many monthly instalments can be fitted in before then;
- Avoiding instalments being below a minimum threshold (£25).
Credit/Debit Card payment via Stripe
At the top of each invoice is a green “Pay Now” button. Clicking on this will give you the option to set up a direct debit or to pay using a “Credit or debit card”. Clicking on the latter will take you through to Stripe for collecting the payment.
BACS
When making payments via BACS, please use the following details:
| Account Name | 8TH NORWICH SEA SCOUT GROUP |
| Sort code | 40-52-40 |
| Account number | 00032875 |
| Description | Invoice number or, if paying multiple invoices, your account reference |
Note that this is an account with CAF Bank. They are not yet part of the “Confirmation of Payee” scheme. So, when you attempt to make a payment to this account, you may get a message advising you that your bank is unable to check the payee. You should still be able to make the payment, but please take extra care to input the details accurately.
Cheque
Payment by cheque requires extra administrative work for our team of volunteers, so please try and use one of the other methods. However, if a cheque is the only way you can pay, please contact the Finance team using the contact form to discuss how to get a cheque to us for payment.
