From <@tcuavm.is.tcu.edu:owner-scouts-l@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU> Wed Mar 25 03:06:14 1998 Return-Path: <@tcuavm.is.tcu.edu:owner-scouts-l@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU> Received: from tcuavm.is.tcu.edu (TCUAVM.IS.TCU.EDU [138.237.128.148]) by cap1.CapAccess.org (8.6.12/8.6.10) with SMTP id DAA09628 for ; Wed, 25 Mar 1998 03:06:14 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by tcuavm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 1125; Wed, 25 Mar 98 01:57:53 CDT Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 0656; Wed, 25 Mar 1998 01:58:20 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LISTSERV release 1.8b) with NJE id 9031 for SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU; Wed, 25 Mar 1998 01:57:26 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM (NJE origin SMTP@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 9030; Tue, 24 Mar 1998 16:56:09 -0500 Received: from mtigwc05.worldnet.att.net by tcubvm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with TCP; Tue, 24 Mar 98 16:56:03 CDT Received: from host ([12.67.209.112]) by mtigwc05.worldnet.att.net (post.office MTA v2.0 0613 ) with ESMTP id AAA1647; Tue, 24 Mar 1998 22:54:28 +0000 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Priority: 3 X-Mailer: Microsoft Internet Mail 4.70.1162 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-ID: <19980324225427.AAA1647@host> Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 17:51:41 -0500 Reply-To: "John Birle." Sender: Scouts-L Youth Group List From: "John Birle." Subject: Re: Friends of Scouting X-To: "Thompson, Paul S." To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Status: RO X-Status: FOS is divided into three campaigns: Leadership (District Committee and Commissioners), Community (Business) and Family (Parents of Scouts). The family campaign, depending on the locale is 30- 60% of the FOS budget. FOS, along with endowments, gifts in kind and united way (which we would dearly love not to depend on) comprise the operating budget of the council. FOS is generally 40 - 60% of the total. The money goes toward the operating expense of the council: the Council Service Center, Professionals, Secretaries and other office personnel, the camp rangers, etc. in the "overhead" category, but essential to having a good program. Summer Camp and various events are self sustaining based on fees charged. Capital expenses are covered by specific donations and Capital Campaign drives. The registration fees the boys and adults pay support insurance and National/Regional expenses - not a penny to local councils. The typical cost per youth in a council is from $100 to $150. Say half of that is covered by FOS and half of that by the family campaign. So thats $25 to $33 that each family should donate to cover the expenses for their son. But they don't all contribute, so a $100 donation is recommended as a "fair share". Scouting is not government subsidized, not free and not cheap. It isn't supposed to be. The success rate of youth in Scouting (per Harris poll) tells the story. What a value! At the unit level, all that is needed is someone from the District Finance Committee to come in and make a presentation to the parents. The better units have an FOS chairman as part of their committee to coordinate this and solicit the donations. Donations are pledged and may be paid in annual, quarterly or monthly installments. I would not be bashful in asking. The sons and daughters of these parents are the beneficiaries of this expense. If they do not donate, they are basically "freeloading" on those who do. From <@tcuavm.is.tcu.edu:owner-scouts-l@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU> Thu Mar 26 02:25:59 1998 Return-Path: <@tcuavm.is.tcu.edu:owner-scouts-l@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU> Received: from mail1.bellatlantic.net (mail1.bellatlantic.net [199.45.32.38]) by cap1.CapAccess.org (8.6.12/8.6.10) with ESMTP id CAA14595 for ; Thu, 26 Mar 1998 02:25:59 -0500 Received: from tcuavm.is.tcu.edu (TCUAVM.IS.TCU.EDU [138.237.128.148]) by mail1.bellatlantic.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id CAA16707 for ; Thu, 26 Mar 1998 02:18:09 -0500 (EST) Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by tcuavm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with BSMTP id 2128; Thu, 26 Mar 98 01:17:07 CDT Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 6199; Thu, 26 Mar 1998 01:13:41 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LISTSERV release 1.8b) with NJE id 6086 for SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU; Thu, 26 Mar 1998 01:12:46 -0500 Received: from TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (NJE origin LISTSERV@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 6085; Thu, 26 Mar 1998 01:03:21 -0500 Approved-By: EIDSON@TCUBVM Received: from TCUBVM (NJE origin SMTP@TCUBVM) by TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU (LMail V1.2a/1.8a) with BSMTP id 4877; Wed, 25 Mar 1998 23:52:20 -0500 Received: from ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU by tcubvm.is.tcu.edu (IBM VM SMTP V2R2) with TCP; Wed, 25 Mar 98 23:52:16 CDT Received: from downtown.inu.net by ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU (PMDF V5.0-5 #20456) id <01IV3OBK5L8000EA47@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU> for scouts-l@ALPHA.IS.TCU.EDU; Wed, 25 Mar 1998 23:50:51 -0500 (CDT) Received: from LOCALNAME [208.129.164.58] by downtown.inu.net (SMTPD32-4.03) id ACC248D010A; Wed, 25 Mar 1998 23:50:58 -0600 (CST) X-Sender: craig00@mail.inu.net MIME-version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (16) Content-type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Message-ID: <3.0.1.16.19980325232952.132f9962@mail.inu.net> Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 23:29:52 +0000 Reply-To: Craig Bond Sender: Scouts-L Youth Group List From: Craig Bond Subject: Friends of Scouting X-To: scouts-l@tcu.edu To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L Status: RO X-Status: Paul Thompson asks... >So, I ask for whatever you will tell me about FoS. Who contributes? How >much is reasonable? Where does the money go? Is it a worthwhile cause? >What does FoS do? Paul, Friends of Scouting is the fund-raising effort of your council for the purpose of increasing annual operating revenue. It is anywhere from 20% to 45% of a council's budget and is used to pay the expenses included in that budget, including staff salaries and benefits, office and camp operating expenses, and other costs (including fees paid to the national office for software support and other services) -- all of these in furtherance and support of Scouting in the council area. It is an essential part of the budget -- without Friends of Scouting contributions, it would not be possible for most councils to exist. If you consider your council worthwhile, then this is a worthwhile cause (and if not, you need to get involved at the board level at make it so!). Who contributes? For most councils, it is businesses and individuals who make up the greatest group of contributors. Families of scouts are also asked to contribute through the "Family Friends of Scouting" programs -- typically presentations made at Blue & Gold banquets and at Troop Courts of Honor. How much is reasonable is an individual choice. IMHO, it is *never* appropriate for a unit to give any money from its budget to the Friends of Scouting effort. This is my **PERSONAL** opinion, I emphasize. As a new cubmaster many years ago, my treasurer told me that we needed to give $100 to "FOS" to keep the DE from coming to make a presentation. (I hear chuckles out there!). I told her we would not take money from the budget -- money which parents expected to be used for the direct benefit of their boys -- for this purpose and that if the presentation did poorly, so be it. Over the next few years, that pack's contributions rose to over $3,000, the independent choices of individuals based on their satisfaction with the program presented by the pack leadership. For the past eight years, as a district executive, I have continued that policy and have declined unit contributions. Our family campaign this spring is at 114% and climbing; it is only necessary that our staff deliver outstanding service and we will have the support of those who we serve. Craig Bond Lufkin, TX http://www.etexscouts.com Every vision is a joke until someone accomplishes it. --Robert Goddard