47th Edenthorpe Scout Group

What are subs?
Subs (Subscriptions) is the term Scouts use for the membership fee which we require to finance the running of the Scout Group. Subs are currently set £144 per year, payable as £12.00 at the start of each month.

OSM(Direct Debits) - We use Online Scout Manager(OSM) as the core database system for recording information (names, addresses, badge records etc). The payment element of the OSM system is used to collect parent payments (just like the schools' ParentPay). OSM uses standard Direct Debits and as such is fully protected by the Direct Debit guarantee mechanisms

Our preference is for all parents to pay subs using the OSM(DD) method, as this:

• significantly reduces the admin burden on our leader team
• makes information more available to use
• ensures good financial controls
• provides excellent audit trails for parents and leaders

saves counting and recording the incoming payments, but more significantly it saves visits to the banks, which are all now located in Doncaster town centre.

For OSM(DD) payments, there are a few things to be aware of:

When will my bank account be debited?
The OSM Direct Debit protocol requires you to have 4 working days notice before the money is debited from your account. This is to ensure that you have the opportunity to cancel the payment. The whole time-frame is as follows:

What if the Direct Debit fails? (Bounces)
When Direct Debits fail it is usually, but not always, due to insufficient funds in your bank account. If this occurs we get a notification on 'Day 6' as above. We will email you to advise you of this DD failure and will ask you to advise us when we can re-initiate the DD request to your bank. Bank charges could apply to you and to us, so it is important that we do not re-initiate the DD request automatically, but allow you time to resolve your bank issue first.

Changing sections? (Beavers to Cubs, or Cubs to Scouts)
The Direct Debit in OSM is established for each section. When children transfer to the next section it will require you to accept the subs schedule for the new section. Our sections have identical schedules, this process is a requirement of the OSM system. Please see info below about checking your email/spam/junk for the ‘new section’ email.

More than 1 child in the Scout Group?
Each child will require an individual DD to be set-up, this provides maximum flexibility when children move between sections.

Direct Debits for camps and events - watch this space. The Scout section already uses OSM(DD) for all activities. The section is 'cash-less'. Other sections may move to being cash-less when their leader teams feel it appropriate.

The communication and set-up for our subs and camps payments is processed using our Online Scout Manager (OSM) system. Within OSM is the payment system is referred to as ‘Go Cardless’

It is imperative that we have your up to date email address

Soon after starting with the group (or having recently changed section) we will email you with a link to the OSM payment system:

Details about how to set-up the link - see guidance note below

Please help us by setting this up as quickly as possible, as this makes life a lot easier for our leaders and treasurer, enabling us to spend less time on admin and more on delivering quality Scouting.

Once you have completed the set-up process you will be able to see the schedule of subs/camp payment dates. You will also receive an email in advance of each payment collection date.

You need do nothing for now, just wait for and then promptly respond to the OSM email(s).

Cancellation
All of these Direct Debits can be manually cancelled at any time using the payments page or links on the payment notification emails. Any existing payment schedules are automatically cancelled by the system when your child leaves the group, and also when they move sections. In this case you will receive an email with a link to setup a payment for the new section.

If you have any questions or concerns – just talk to any leader – or contact Colin (details below)

More information

What is OSM? - Have a look-see via these links:

www.onlinescoutmanager.co.uk
www.onlinescoutmanager.co.uk/features/payments.html

Email is the key – we must have your preferred email address, one that you use regularly

Changes to your email address (or any other contact details - mobile numbers etc) - Please let us know asap. Apart from OSM payments, we need to have up to date contact info - just in case...

I don’t have an email address – Let your section leader know

Just wait – and respond to emails when they arrive (check your junk/spam mail just in case, 'white-list' us!)

Guidance notes – follow this link for step-by-step guidance and screen shots

Questions – ask Colin, refer to our contact us page

Camps and other activities - it is our ambition to use the OSM facility for ALL camp/activity payments