Economic Doom And Gloom For Scouts

[Eamonn]

The unemployment numbers for the USA came out today.

The news as we all know isn't good.

I thought we (My family) were safe from just about everything. Then on the local news it said that a local hospital (Not the hospital that employees Her That Must Be Obeyed) had cut 12 staff and were not replacing any of the outgoing staff. From what the news said these 12 were jobs that mid-management type jobs and I'm guessing paid fairly well.

The State has made several cuts and have a hiring freeze on.

While so far I haven't heard of anyone being let go. The budget is very tight and things are hard.

Many of us lost a fair amount of money last year.

Of course no one was happy about it.

The good news?? If there is any! Is that the money I lost I wasn't planning on using for a while.

However talking with some of the guys who help look after the Councils money they say that the funding that the Council receives from the interest from the endowment fund (They have a very complicated formula about how much of the interest can be moved from the endowment fund to the general fund it's based on a percentage.) Just wasn't there.

The end result being that cuts are going to have to be made.

I kinda think that FOS is really going to be a hard sell this year.

Some parents who have signed their Son's up for the Jamboree are now unsure if they will still be able to afford it.

I was hoping that the Council would announce a new lesser price tag now that the cost of gas has gone down and the cost of travel isn't going to be as high.

Sadly, so far the companies that they are dealing with have not said that they are cutting the cost. Why? I'm not sure!

We are lucky that the Jamboree site isn't that far, but I do feel sorry for Troops that are traveling cross country and have very large price tags.

I have to admit that I missed the world jamboree because I couldn't see spending over $10,000 for OJ and myself to attend and that was when things didn't look as bad as they do now!

Maybe I have just been reading too much about how bad things are?

But I do worry what our Councils are going to look like after all this doom and gloom is finally over?

I do worry if we might lose more youth members because families are unable to afford what we are offering?

Eamonn

[shortridge]

Count me as one of those who's extremely nervous and cautious about spending on ANYTHING these days.

 

The big-ticket experiences - summer camp, Jambo, HA treks - will undoubtedly take a hit. But overall, Scouting is still VERY inexpensive compared to other activities. That's especially true if units do some creative fundraising and grassroots gear work - where Scouts make their own packs and tents, much like they did in days gone by.

 

It seems to me that the time is ripe for units that want to create their own summer camp experience. Where I live, you can still get a state park pass for $27. Tent camping is $2 per night per person - $14 for a week, plus a $20 group reservation fee. For a troop of 40, that's about $16 per person, leaving a lot of room in the budget for equipment and food while still bringing it in for much cheaper than a council-run camp.

[BadenP]

I think how well the FOS goes this year will be a good indicator. I agree though that the BSA wil be hit as hard as all the other non profits out there and I do forsee council services and staff shrinking over the next two years at least, paralleling the economy. The volunteers will have to be the ones to come up with new ideas to keep their units thriving and retaining numbers. This recession is beginning to look a whole lot bigger and longer than anyone thought it would be.

[scoutldr]

I was hoping to be able to retire in 2 years, but it looks like that's a dream that will never be achieved. As a federal employee under the "new" retirement system, my retirement is based largely on what I am able to squirrel away in a 401K type plan. I lost half of that in the past year, so I am having to ramp up savings in my other accounts to try to make it up. I am thankful that, so far, layoffs are not being discussed (except in the Obama campaign rhetoric) and I am healthy enough to get up and go to work every day. How long will that last, who knows. But genetics are against me. In the coming year, charitable contributions will be looked at hard in my household, including FOS. My focus now is paying down debt and increasing savings. Since I have no kids in the program any more, but still donate my time and gas, perhaps the other parents who do nothing can increase their FOS donations. It's time to start taking care of ME and my family's future, which has been severely impacted in the past year.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

[roguedawg]

I wouldn't throw in the towel yet. BSA got through the 1929 Stock Market crash and the Great Depression. It is just that the US has had so much blessing since then, that it is a shock to the pocket book. I think that membership may increase. Why? Camping is cheap and less money means that people are going to look for alternatives for vacations and entertainment. If people are layed-off then they tend to stay home and do more stuff with their family. People need to change their lifestyles and get used to not having so much stuff.

 

I tend to be an optimist. I don't think that our economy is ever going to get better. There is just too much unwise spending and lending that has happened over the last few decades. It has just come to a head. People just have to change and be flexible. The more people accept this concept, the easier it will be for them.

 

I am totally confident that the teaching provided by the BSA will help out many families in the future. A scout is THRIFTY. A scout is BRAVE. A scout is HELPFULL. Will it be easy? No, but it will be survivalable. People need to help each other out. Get back to the basics and what really counts...people, family, and friends. If you have food and a place to lay your head, you have it good. The US is still better off than most of the world.

 

My employment situation is like anyone else. Eight years ago, I worked with 55 people, now since it is just past the new year, we are down to two of us. So I have survived 6 lay-offs. I am not sure which is worse, seeing all your co-workers getting layed-off or being the last man standing. All is know is that the Lord is looking out for me and my family. His is doing the same for everyone else.

 

So what is a scout to do? For troops, plan local camping trips. Do patrol camping. Help out a scout family that is unemployed. If you are unemployed - that means you have a lot of time on your hands to do service projects. Keep busy. Teach gardening in the spring so people can feed themselves.

 

Council level - that is another thing. I imagine they too will be downsizing. I interviewed for a DE position. Six months later, they layed off a DE. I am glad that I stayed in my current job because that would have been me without a job.

 

I can say that scouts will be still be around no matter how bad the economy is. You can bet on that. The USA had had it good for many years. Times are tough and will be getting tougher. But the USA will get tough as well. I think it will toughen us up as well and bring us closer together. We have a lot of resolve. RD

[Mr. Boyce]

roguedawg: nice post.

[Kahuna]

BSA got through the 1929 Stock Market crash and the Great Depression.

 

They did, but a lot of councils had one professional at that time and some of them, like "Coach" Anderson of Nashville, worked another job and did the Boy Scout one for free.

 

I don't think that would happen today. OTOH, it would be interesting to see what would happen if all the professionals left and the volunteers ran the councils.

[Eamonn]

I really haven't read that much about what the BSA did or how it did things back in the days of the great depression.

In fact I have to own up to not having read anything!

 

I attended a meeting for work about the budget cuts and way s we could save money.

It does seem that that the further anyone is away from the money (Paying the bills, costing materials and trying to work within a budget.) The more they seem to think that money is just there and will always be there and it really has nothing to do with them.

Very often it isn't until something bad happens, like job cuts that they find out that funding and cash is never limitless.

Back when I was Scouting in the UK, volunteers did a lot of the things that professionals do here in the USA and there were very few professional Scouter's.

While there are still a lot less than here, even the UK has felt the need to hire more and more. While at the same time the National Scout Association has sold off a lot of property that it once owned and operated. Most of this was sold to Districts and Counties who still use it for Scouting.

Here in SW PA we still have a lot of smaller Councils.

Back when I first sat on our Council Executive Board, the board consisted of mainly local small town business men. Someone would say that the Scouts needed a something or other and a board member would tell the Scout Exec. That he had one and to come and pick it up or a board member would offer to write a check in order to get one.

Todays board is full of people who are there because the company they work for feels that they need to do something in order to support the companies Corporate Responsibility.

Sure these guys are willing to donate a few extra dollars and will play in the golf outings, eat dinner at the fund raising dinners, but they don't have the resources or the authority to really help the Council.

Of course as these companies cut back or move to India or China these guys are gone. Along with them goes the cash they did donate.

The Board once seen by these people as a place for networking is no longer as attractive as it once was.

The days when we could do things locally are long gone.

Donations to charities are no longer just donations, they are seen as part of th overall company image.

A very good friend of mine is the CEO of a mid-sized department store chain. A super nice fellow. I have tried to get him and his company involved with Scouts and Scouting. He tells me that he has thousands of requests each year from people like me. The company sells mainly to women who buy high end fashion type stuff?? So the company supports Breast Cancer research, mainly because it fits in with the company profile.

Our next door neighbor is a is metro-council. Up till now it seems that they have been lucky. With so many big companies headquartered in their area money has not been a big problem, however in the light of todays economic crisis many of these companies are cutting back and some are moving away.

Maybe a big Council is a bit top heavy with professionals who are not doing very much?

There is no way the small Council I serve can cut the Finance Director, the Field Director, The Senior DE's or the Assistant Scout Executive -We don't have them to cut!

We have six professionals and a small office staff.

There is talk about merging Districts and maybe cutting one of the Pros. Bringing the staff down to three.

The short term savings would be substantial, but I don't know about the long term effects. Who is going to plan the big fund raising events? The DE who now spends half their time on the road getting from one end of the super-sized district to the other? The SE who is buried in a mound of paperwork which might result in bringing more much needed cash into the Council?

My Mother-In-Law lived through the great depression.

While I wasn't around it does seem that the expectations that people had back in those days are not the same as the people today. Hopefully we are a long way from "Will Work For Food". But to be honest I just don't see anyone today being willing to do this.

I'm sure that Scouting will still be around for a very long time.

I just worry what it will look like after it has suffered the cuts that might have to be made.

I'm all for having volunteers becoming more involved and more active. I'm just not sure that we have the manpower to do this?

Eamonn.

[scoutingagain]

Well if the BSA really is to really run like a business perhaps they'll learn to run like other free enterprise activities...declare themselves a bank and ask for taxpayer money.

 

I think scouting will survive. As noted there are numerous opportunities to do outdoor activities for very little $$.

 

The councils and professional scouters are another matter. FOS, along with other non-profits will take a hit and the executive staff will be forced to make some tough decisions on jobs, capital projects, camps etc. However, scouting at the local level can be done without council camping, Philmont treks or Jamborees at $1500 to $2000 per scout.

 

SA

[acco40]

Here in souteast Michigan, things are bleak. Just like the rest of hte USA only it has been like this here for at least three years. GM, a big supporter of Scouting, has announced cut-backs in their charitable budgets. Who can blame them when it is held against them. The United Way has dropped my local council from organizations they help (unless givers specifically earmark for them).

 

We've planted a bug in our councils ear about cutting back on "side trips" to Jambo (DC monuments, waterpark, etc.) and correspondingly reduce the cost. Don't think that will happen.

 

I'm optimistic that the recent economic times may help educate our youth (those under 50 ) about being truly thrifty.

 

Scouts (just like teh Catholic Church) is going after the hispanic population - traditionally family oriented and religious. Not sure if that is a good thing or bad thing. I'm welcoming to all but what is mainstream America these days?

 

When the economy goes sour two things can happen - it can unite us to all work together or it can divide us each going after what they "deserve." We'll probably get some of each. I for one think our society is way to commercial.

 

For those who really want to save the economy - the worst thing you can do is what have some prescribed to do - watch what they spend. Well, I guess if I can survive "stagflation" I can survive this.

 

What I want to know is if money is so tight why can I get a decent return for a fixed rate investment? God, remind me to never, ever vote for anyone with an MBA!