Donation Jar Ban

[Nike]

 

Can someone please point me to the actual official written policy document that includes an explanation of the reasoning behind this? I need it.

 

[Gold Winger]

Look at the money raising application. Scouting and Venturing units are prohibiting from soliciting funds. Only council and districts may directly solicit donations of money.

 

Why? One reason is that they don't want every unit to be dipping into the pot when the FOS guy comes around and asks businesses for donations. Another is "dem's da rules."

 

However, if someone comes up and hands you a c-note and says, "Buy your troop some gear," you may accept it.

[Nike]

Yes, I know all that. I need to be able to quote the specific, official reasoning.

[Gold Winger]

Why? All you need to do is follow the rules. :-)

[Nike]

(Sigh)

 

Never mind. I wrangled the reasoning out of someone at council, who still didn't know where they could lay their hands on anything written.

 

I'm not good with the whole, "Just follow this rule" thing. It irked my teachers and professors.

[infoscouter]

Some Important Points:

Paying your own way. This is a fundamental principle of the Boy Scouts of America. It is one of the reasons why no solicitations (requests for contributions from individuals or the community) are permitted by Cub Scout packs. Young people in Scouting are taught early on that if they want something in life, they need to earn it. This principle is among the reasons that adults who were Scouts are found to have higher incomes. The finance plan of any pack should include participation by a Cub Scout in a regular dues plan.

 

An annual pack participation fee, too often completely contributed by parents, does little to teach a boy responsibility. The unit's entire budget must be provided for by the families, either through fund-raising or other means such as dues or fees.

 

and

Will the fund-raising project avoid soliciting money or gifts? The BSA Rules and Regulations state, "Youth members shall not be permitted to serve as solicitors of money for their chartered organizations, for the local council, or in support of other organizations. Adult and youth members shall not be permitted to serve as solicitors of money in support of personal or unit participation in local, national, or international events."For example: Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts and leaders should not identify themselves as Boy Scouts/Cub Scouts or as a troop/pack participate in The Salvation Army's Christmas Bell Ringing program. This would be raising money for another organization. At no time are units permitted to solicit contributions for unit programs.

 

http://www.scouting.org/cubscouts/resources/packbudget.aspx

[DeanRx]

Nike-

 

I am making the assumption you are refering to donations offered during popcorn sales... just having a hand out, or solicting donations for other organizations while representing the BSA is in the reg referenced in the prior post.

 

Forget it. As long as the scouts are not ASKING for donations, then its no big deal. As long as they are not taking donations (solicted or unsolicted) while doing individual popcorn sales, then don't worry about it.

 

If you have scouts doing "show-and-sells" (i.e. sitting in front of the local grocery store) for popcorn and someone wants to donate, then by all means - take the donation.

 

The big issue is this - the scouts cannot SOLICIT for it. We have several folks stop by our show-n-sell sites and say, "I can't eat popcorn, but here's $5 for the scouts..."

 

You're an idiot if you don't take it. At that point you failed to fund your unit AND managed to alienate the public from scouting at the same time.

 

If you're REALLY worried about it being an issue (i.e. you have someone in your pack / district CoC that is going to make an issue out of it...), then make a point of offering the popcorn to the "donor", when they refuse, then ask them if they would like to "donate" the popcorn they just "bought" to the Operation Popcorn, or to the "boys in the pack".

 

Technically - you sold them popcorn for their $$, they just refused to take delivery of the goods.

 

DeanRx - trying to put a little common sense back into the wacky world of scouting...(This message has been edited by DeanRx)

[Bob White]

The reason is that part of scouting is learning to work for the money they need to pay for the things they want. The program is not trying to develop kids good at begging. To set out donation cans to raise money for a bunch of healthy capable scouts is embarrassing.

 

Banned suggests they were once allowed and now are not. They are in fact prohibited and to my knowledge have not been allowed for decades.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[BadenP]

Dean you are correct that you can have a donation jar at your popcorn table for those who just want to support scouting and not take the popcorn, that is not banned by the BSA. Scouts have always participated in soliciting funds for charitable and other needy causes since WWI. Selling war bonds, collecting items for those in need, etc., etc. in spite of what BW says.

[Gold Winger]

I'd aruge that having a "donation jar" is soliciting donations. No different than the March of Dimes cards at stores. Accept donations but don't solicit them.

 

 

[Bob White]

Nike,

Taking funds without exchanging it for a product or service is a violation of the BSA money earning policies for units.

 

BadenP's only interest is to be confrontational with me and he apparently has no actual interest in helping you get the right information.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[Gold Winger]

So BeeDub, is it your contention that if a person comes to you as a Unit Scouter and says, "Here's a c-note for your troop" you cannot accept that money?

[Bob White]

That is not my contention at all GW, that is your misrepresentation of what I said the rules of the BSA were in order for you to bolster your opinion. I never said that.

 

I said that the BSA does not allow units to solicite for a donation. Placing the jar out is no different then standing there with your hand out. It is soliciting, and it is prohibited by the policies of the BSA

 

If you offer to sell someone some popcorn and they pay you but choose not to take the product you did not solicite the donation, you offered a product.

 

 

 

 

[Gold Winger]

Bob, bob, bob, that's not what you said. You said, "Taking funds without exchanging it for a product or service is a violation of the BSA money earning policies for units."

 

I didn't know what you meant "taking funds" so I asked. To my simple, poorly educated mind I'd be taking funds if someone just hands me a dollar and I accepted it.

 

"If you offer to sell someone some popcorn and they pay you but choose not to take the product you did not solicite the donation, you offered a product."

 

You still haven't answered my question. What if you don't offer them popcorn and they offer you money? Should I offer them popcorn in exchange? What if I don't have any popcorn?

[Its Me]

 

This seems like the don't ask don't tell policy.

 

So the scouts need to earn their way says infoscouter. No donations accepted at his troop!

 

BW writes, that you can take a donation but you can't ask. Would asking my company for some money for troop tents be a violation of the don't ask no donation policy?

 

If I ask for a discount for a trip or for rental equipment is that a donation?

 

So in this game of don't ask, no donation policy comes down to the legal definition of who talks first. But if I show up in uniform am I announcing I am a scouter? Did I speak first in that situation?

 

But its ok if the donation jar is hidden behind the counter. It can be pulled out when the other guy first mentions the word donation.