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Each year, Scouting units (Packs, Troops, and Crews) are required to renew their charters with the Northern Lights Council. The charter is the official agreement between the council and your local chartered organization to provide a program under the auspices of the BSA. The process of renewing a unit's charter reinforces this agreement year-to-year and provides an opportunity to update registration records and qualify for Journey to Excellence recognition.
Thank you for completing your unit’s charter renewal on time and error free! This website is intended to provide all the resources you will need (except the unit access code) to complete the process quickly.
Deadlines
For units that expire 12/31/19 - completed renewal due to commissioner by November 27, 2019
For units that expire 1/31/20 - completed renewal due to commissioner by December 19, 2019
For units that expire 2/28/20 - completed renewal due to commissioner by January 23, 2020
Charter Renewal Instructions for Unit Leaders
Download the full set of instructions here
Note: All adult applications must be signed by the unit Committee Chair and by the Chartering Organization Representative. All youth applications require the signature of the parent and of a unit leader.
Complete the steps for online charter renewal
90-days prior to the charter expiration date - Click here to access the Online Charter Renewal System
New Registration Fees Announced
October 23, 2019
We received an email from the National Boy Scouts of America regarding the increase in the national membership fee, effective January 2020. While costs to the organization have increased every year, the Boy Scouts of America has worked to keep the annual membership fee as low as possible by subsidizing core costs, including liability insurance we must carry to cover all official Scouting activities. it is no longer possible for the National organization to subsidize at the level they have in the past, especially as the cost of insurance has increased dramatically.
The new annual membership fees effective January 1, 2020 will be:
The Northern Lights Council remains committed to supporting you and your unit through this process. We understand that the timing of this fee increase is not optimum and could be a challenge for some units who had planned for and began collecting Recharter fees at the $33 per youth rate.
With that in mind, the Northern Lights Council Executive Board has elected to subsidize any 2020 recharter fee increase above $35.00 per youth member. This means each youth member will only need to pay $35 for registration plus $4 for insurance; a total of $39. The Northern Lights Council will cover the remaining fees for youth members who recharter for 2020. We hope that this will lessen the burden on your unit and give families time to prepare for increased registration fees in 2021.
This subsidy is for current youth members to assist with 2020 recharter fees. New youth members who join after January 2020 should be charged the new rate of $60.00. A pro-rated fee chart will be coming soon.
Every dollar of the national membership fee goes toward the cost of essential services, including liability insurance for those participating in approved Scouting activities, program resources, safety standards, youth protection and personal safety training, and services to councils nationwide to sustain Scouting. The National BSA organization will also continue to develop and improve resources that support our volunteers and youth members such as online registration, Member Care and Scoutbook, which now includes the Den Leader experience to ensure the safe and consistent delivery of Cub Scouting; as well as improvements aimed at simplifying the annual renewal process.
Across the country and in our own community, we know that Scouting remains one of the most valuable investments we can make to support young men and women today so they can become the leaders we will turn to tomorrow.
If you have questions about this or anything else, please feel free to contact Rich McCartney directly at (Office) 701-499-0640 or (Mobile) 701-552-1822. We are committed to helping you deliver the best program possible for the young women and young men that you serve.
Thank you for what you do every day and every week to change lives!
** Special Note about Registration Fees **
The online charter renewal system has been updated with the new registration fees. Since the Northern Lights Council is subsidizing the fees this year, ignore the fee calculation in the online system.
Instead use the Charter Fee worksheet (below) to calculate the correct fees and submit with the Charter Renewal paperwork.
Contacts for Assistance
| District | District Commissioner | Council Staff |
| Flickertail | Andrew Banks | Shaun Grover |
| Oxcart Trails | Mike Guck | Lindsay Aune |
| Lakes | Mike Denke | Darin Steindl |
| Northern Sky | Jefri Jones | Megan Wiesneski |
| Lake Agassiz | Tom Henderson | Thomas Huether |
| Roughrider | Paula Kleinsasser | David Finley |
| Tomahawk | James Walker | Lacy Britt |
| Frontier Trails | Rob Gilkerson | |
| Great Plains | Kevin Hammer | Carleton Borden |
Charter Renewal Documents (make copies as needed)
New - Background Check Authorization
New - Charter Fee worksheet (excel)
New - Charter Fee worksheet (pdf)
New - Charter Fee worksheet for Posts (excel)
New - Charter Fee worksheet for Posts (pdf)
Insurance Fee Explanation & Information
Unit Account Authorization form
FOS Presentation Scheduling form
Free Rank Insignia Program for Units
Journey to Excellence (JTE) scorecards
Youth and Adult Application Forms
Special Note
Beginning with this charter renewal cycle, the National Council is no longer supplying resources to local councils for printing charter certificates and membership cards.
These items will need to be printed by units in My.Scouting.org.