March
8, 1999
by Ed Henderson
Scouting
faces Challenges
When Seeking Donor Support
The $7.00 annual dues a Scout pays, do
not begin to cover the costs of operating a Camp, a Council, the Service Center employees,
or the Regional and National Staff. In today's environment, seeking donors is more vital
and often more difficult. Scouting faces these challenges when
seeking donors:
- Today there are many more organizations seeking donor
contributions. Almost every day we see an ad, get a phone call, receive a
letter, or somehow are presented the opportunity to purchase something in support of a
non-profit group.
- United Way - which was once the main financial support for a few organizations like the
Boy & Girl Scouts, Red Cross, etc. - finds itself funding dozens, or even hundreds, of
community agencies. Local Councils find the United Way often willing to fund only certain
programs such as, Scoutreach. Some United Way chapters have drastically cut their funding
of Scouting to only a small percentage of the income for many Councils. In California,
there are United Way Chapters that do not support the Boy Scouts at all. If you
participate in United Way payroll deduction gift giving at work or in your community check
to see if the Boy Scouts are a funded agency. In many chapters, donors can often designate
the specific agencies that their donation goes to. Ask if this option is available in your
community. Check the Boy Scout box to insure your dollars are going to the agencies you
support.
- Boy Scout Councils are faced with demands for capital like
never before. For years the BSA lagged in being able to offer a
competitive salary to college graduates hired as District Executives and other entry-level
positions. In order to bring the best people in to serve Units and support the program a
competitive benefits Package had to be offered.
- Councils
are faced with added cost burdens. Many Councils have aging Camps in need
of repair. State & local governments are increasing requirements for everything from
expensive upgrades to Camp dining halls and waste water systems, to background checks for
volunteers.
- The BSA, like
the rest of corporate America, has engaged in painful downsizing. 12 regions have been consolidated to four.
Twenty-five years ago the BSA had over 650 local Boy Scout Councils. Today there are less
than 350. These cut backs do not mean Scouting is going away. Instead, they demonstrate a
realization by the BSA that they needed to cut back some mid level management and focus
their efforts on Unit Serving Professionals. Providing direct service and support
to the local volunteers, their Units, and Scouting families is the buzzword in Scouting
today.
- Councils generate funds in many ways.
Program events (Camporees, Summer Camp, etc.) bring in revenue as do uniform and Scout
Shop sells but these are some of the smaller sources of Council revenue. Trails End
Popcorn, Scout Shows, and other ticket events have become part of an increasingly
significant level of funding. Replicating the success of Girl Scout Cookie sells, Council
sponsored product sales has become a major source of funding for Units as well as
Councils.
- Beyond the sales and events that all Councils engage in, there is still a need for capital
that is met through direct appeal to the community. This is called FOS (Friends of Scouting). This program
has many levels - from family appeals at the Unit level, to corporate donors at the
Council level. Often, the people making these presentations to a Troop committee are
volunteers themselves, who have agreed to make these appeals because they also believe in
Scouting. Old timers might remember FOS by its old moniker Sustaining Membership
Enrollment(SME). Councils may handle their FOS appeals in different ways and at different
times of the year, but Leaders can do their part by speaking positively about the need to
parents, co-workers, and others interested in making Scouting work. Individuals who give to the
Council should also check with their employer to see if they will match their donation. There are some Fortune 500 companies that will
double match an emplo
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