FLAGS ACROSS AMERICA - GENERAL INFORMATION

We post flags on 6 holidays:

Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day.

Begin posting the flag the first holiday after you have collected subscription fees.  Collect renewal fees the following year before that flag holiday (which you originally posted).

After renewal or new subscription is received:

Please return Flag money and cancelled subscription forms to the advancement window at Troop meetings as soon as possible.  Please write the Scout’s last name in the memo line of the customer's check and paper-clip the check to the subscription form

CONTACTS

Flag Administration: 

If you have any questions regarding new flag subscriptions, renewals or transfers, please contact

Steve Smith (sandlsmithtx@comcast.net ).

Flag Production:

If you need new flags, pounders, sleeves, or caps or have any unused flags at home, please contact Steve Smith (sandlsmithtx@comcast.net ).

Return torn or damaged flags to Scout House for proper retirement of flag.   Please inform Steve Smith (sandlsmithtx@comcast.net ) that you are returning a damaged/torn flag.   

PRINTING RENEWAL LETTERS

Each scout is responsible for printing their own renewal letters.

You may print your flag renewal letters and new flag subscriptions from our troop website.   

• From the troop website, on the left side of the screen, click on 'Flag Roster'.   You will be prompted to enter the password.
• Enter scout's last name in the Scout box and YES in the active box. Click 'Search'.
• Your flag records are displayed.  For each customer there is a link for renewal form (link name is the flag holiday the renewal is due).  Click on each link to view the renewal form for that customer.  You may then print this form on your printer. 

PRINTING NEW FLAG SUBSCRIPTION FORMS

• From the troop website, on the left side of the screen, under Flags Across America click on 'New Subscription Form' to view the form.  You may then print this form on your printer.
• The new flag subscription form has a blank space for the scout's name and phone number.  Please make sure that you fill this out before handing the form out to new customers.

GUIDELINES FOR FLYING THE FLAG

· Post flag at dawn and take down by dusk

· Never let the flag touch the ground

· Flags can fly in the rain – make sure to dry the flags before storing to prevent damage 

• Safety reminder: be careful when posting or retrieving flags during thunderstorms

IDEAS FOR TIMELY RENEWALS

· Scout may collect flag money in person, wearing his Class A uniform

· Scout may mail the renewals with self-addressed stamped envelopes. 

· Let customers know this is their last flag unless it is renewed.

HOW FLAG MONEY IS DISTRIBUTED

New Flag or Renewal:

We split the $30 at sale or renewal between the Troop and the Scout in the following way:  $13 goes to our troop and $17 to the scout. 

The $17 that goes into the Scout’s account includes:

        $5 credit for the sale or renewal AND

        $12 credit for the postings for the coming year ($2 per holiday, 6 times a year). 

The posting funds go into the scout account before they are technically earned (they are collected but unearned at that point).

Postings by other than the selling scout:

If another scout posts your flags for a particular holiday, please send the Flag Administrator an e-mail indicating who posted your flags, how many flags, and for what holiday so that the proper amount of funds are transferred from one scout account to another.

We handle postings that are done by other than the selling Scout on an exception basis. This is fairly easy to do because the selling Scout has the funds in his account and can transfer these to the Scout handling the postings for that particular holiday.   If another scout posts your flags, that scout earns $2 per flag posted for that holiday.  For example, if you have 20 flags, the other scout would earn $40 for posting your flags for that one holiday.

Flag transfers:

For flag transfers, we pro-rate the posting credits based on the renewal dates in the system for the customers being transferred.  If the flags being transferred still have future holiday postings, then $2 per posting per flag will be transferred to the new scout receiving your flag route.  Remember, those funds were placed in your account prior to all 6 postings. 

Flag Transfer example:

If at the end of June, you transfer 3 of your flags to another scout; 1 flag that renews Independence Day, 1 flag renews Labor Day and 1 flag renews Presidents Day. Here is how the money would be transferred:

• Flag that renews on Independence Day - you've done all 6 postings, The flag needs to be renewed.  $0 money from your account would go to the other scout.  The other scout needs to approach that customer and get the renewal.

• Flag that renews on Labor Day - you've posted this flag on Labor Day, Veterans Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day and Flag Day.  The only holiday remaining for this flag would be Independence Day.  You did 5 postings and 1 future posting is left on the flag before it is to be renewed.  The other scout would receive $2 for posting that flag on Independence Day and then he would need to get a renewal from that customer.

• Flag that renews on Presidents Day - you've posted that flag on President's Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day.  The flag still has 3 future postings left to do: Independence Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day.  So 3 future flag postings are left for that flag x $2 per posting = $6 to be transferred to the other scout.