Friends of Scouting campaigns - lessons learned?

[Trevorum]

I've volunteered to be on the outreach committee for our district's FOS campaign this year. I'm not much good at asking for money, but I love talking about Scouting so I'll give it my best shot.

 

I'll be making FOS presentations at a couple of Blue & Golds and CoHs in the next few months and am looking for words of wisdom from y'all about what works and what doesn't. Thanks!

[John-in-KC]

Be honest, be sincere.

 

Know how much it takes to do the year round facilities stuff at the camp. Ditto the amount it takes to "turn on the lights" at Council.

 

 

[fgoodwin]

Nick, as an FOS presenter myself, welcome aboard.

 

Experience tells me, keep the presentation short and upbeat. Especially at a B&G, you won't hold your audience for much more than 3-5 minutes. To avoid eating into your limited time, distribute the pledge cards before the event starts (and leave some behind in case a family or two misses the event, but would still contribute if given a chance).

 

I don't read the council handout verbatim, as so many presenters do -- I prefer to engage the audience, asking them what Scouting has done for them and their kids.

 

The clincher for me: I ask them how much of their annual Pack dues goes to Council; guesses range from 10-25%. Invariably, no one (other than those in attendance who've gone through my NLE class, where I make the same point) guesses the correct answer: ZERO!

 

Once they know that, I remind them that it takes money to sponsor council & district activities, training, operate campsites, etc. By that time, most families are willing to make a contribution.

 

Remind them to SIGN the form if they choose to donate by credit card -- it never fails that a few pledge cards are returned without the required signature.

 

My council gives special CSPs if you donate at particular levels. If your council provides a similar sort of premium, be sure you understand your council guidelines on how many premiums you can give a donor for a given level of donation. For example, I get this question every year: if I donate at level X, which is good for a certain CSP, can I get two copies of the CSP (because I have two shirts, e.g.)? In my case, the answer is yes; YMMV.

 

Finally, leverage the kids in the room by offering a prize (I used a toy car last year). Anyone donating THAT NIGHT is entered into a drawing, then I ask one Cub to draw the winning pledge and I announce the winner before the nite is over. Once, when I first started doing this, we got to the end of the evening without my drawing a name, and believe me, those boys let me know it!

 

Never underestimate the persuasiveness of a kid who wants to win that toy car!

 

Good luck,

 

Fred

[WDL Mom]

Hi,

 

Please, keep it short and upbeat. Include what you love about scouting. We went through the FOS from you know where last year. Presenter wouldn't "allow" the B and G to continue until all the forms were filled out and returned. It took 15 minutes. And no, we didn't reach the FOS goal for our unit. The kicker, is that he is a parent in our own unit!

 

A question I have always had, and I am sure that some of my parents would have concerns popcorn. The council receives part of the profit of our popcorn sale, correct? This year we were in excess of 25k and had over 90% participation.

 

Is this subtracted from the stated $135 needed to support each scout?? If not, why not?

 

It could be that I have this all backwards... please correct me if I am mistaken! It just seems that we finish busting our tails on the popcorn sale/delivery and then Council is asking for more money...

 

I love scouting and think FOS is worthwhile, but, it left a sour taste in my mouth last year. Kind of dreading it this year.... we have the same presenter:)

 

Good luck!

[fgoodwin]

WDL Mom:

 

Yes, Councils get a percentage of popcorn sales.

 

But that's not enough to totally fund Council operations. Councils depend on FOS and other sources (e.g., UW in some Councils) for the balance of operating revenue. I don't have a copy handy, but I believe the FOS pledge folder includes a breakdown of sources and uses of funds in each Council.

 

FOS is a major source.

 

By the way, you can request a different presenter (at least you can in my district) and you can stipulate how long they have to talk. You should strongly request that the presenter & presentation not unduly delay the B&G. As a presenter, I would certainly honor such a request.(This message has been edited by fgoodwin)

[LongHaul]

I've had a problem with the current form of Fund Raising from the moment it was begun. In the 60's & 70's we solicited contributions from the general public. As a scout I went door to door in a District wide campaign. Today door to door and almost all general public solicitation is contrary to National Policy. National feels that those being asked for money should receive something of value in return. UNLESS of course you are a.) a Parent of a Scout or b.) a registered volunteer, then your free game and often at more than one level. Soliciting from those already contributing to the support of UNIT, Chartering Organization, and District is far more ethical than soliciting from the general public?

I've volunteered to do FOS presentations to help stall program cuts and the sale of our camps. The programs were cut and the camps sold anyway. With over 17 million in the bank our FOS goals have still been increased yearly. But I'd hate for the rest of the country to look to Chicago Area Council as a bench mark.

LongHaul

 

[Ms. Eagle 515]

WDL Mom,

If your unit did not meet it's "Goal" last year guaranteed your DE and the District committee even are aware of it and don't want that to happen again this year.

 

The one FOS presentation that sticks out in my mind the most was when I was just a parent and the presenter went off on some tangent about other things. I did feel like I was being held hostage though and have since learned that no one can hold my boys meetings hostage.

I did not donate that year and as CM have informed my FOS presenters who are normally outside of the unit what is expected time frame wise.

 

I'm not a big fan of FOS but our families do support it. Few things make me cringe more than a bad FOS and I guess that one just put a bad taste in my mouth that's hard to get rid of. I have done presentations in outside units as well using the K.I.S.M.I.F method, but never my own. Come to think of it, I'm affiliated with 4 units and no one in those units does their own FOS even though there is at least one individual in that unit capable of it. Perhaps you can mention to your committee that since as a unit you ask for money throughout the year for other things, maybe it would be better for someone else to come in on behalf of FOS.

 

Anyway, to answer the original question, know your material, verbatim is not necessary, know the makeup of the unit you are presenting to and be considerate of the environment in which this FOS is being presented. You don't have to present the whole thing to get the same results. Finally be sincere, everyone picks up on that.

 

Our Council also does CSP's as well as a contest for everyone that makes a pledge. You write on the top of the form the dollar amount that you think will be collected in pledges that night, and the person who comes the closest (w/o going over) recieves a voucher good for either one free week of Day camp or 1/2 off Summer Camp fees.

 

Good Luck

[scoutldr]

Our council does CSP's, coffee mugs, plaques, etc as well. For the second year in a row, I never got mine, due to poor recordkeeping at council and a DE who is overwhelmed. Year before last, I never got credited with an FOS pledge payment, even though I had cancelled checks...again, poor recordkeeping. My wife was furious. This year, I didn't donate. Go figure. Oh, for IRS purposes, I still had a sizeable charitable donation to the BSA...it just didn't go to FOS. It went to my unit where I know how it got spent.

[Lisabob]

Trev, you are a hearty soul. If it were me, one thing I'd want to do is be sure of the circumstances during which I'd be giving the spiel. One time I saw an FOS presentation at a B&G while the families were serving themselves at the buffet line. Awful - everyone talking, kids running around like, well, kids, and nobody paid attention. I felt terrible for the presenter but worse, I don't think anybody donated that night. So work out with your host units what the situation will be.

 

Keep it short/to the point. Nothing worse than a rambling FOS presentation!

 

Whatever amount you're asking for, make sure people know that smaller donations are also very much appreciated.

 

Find out if the unit(s) you are visiting have recently participated in any council or district events like day or resident camp, fall/winter event, whatever else you have. Then you can talk about how much fun they had at that event as a tie-in to why they should contribute.

 

Know what the unit(s) donated last year. Be able to talk about where some of last year's donations were used in ways they may have noticed since last year (maybe not unit-specific donations, but in general terms - what did last year's money pay for?)

[local1400]

LongHaul, after reading all the Owassipe posts, I think F.O.S. takes on a new meaning in your council and I ain't talking French Onion Soup but more like Full Of Something!

[WDL Mom]

Hi fgoodwin,

 

In our Council in 2005, Product Sales were 27% of the Annual Budget, Direct Support was 24%. Both, I agree are to be considered "major" sources of income for the Council.

 

As for changing our presenter... I think we are stuck. The gentleman is on the Executive Board for the Council. He is actually a nice guy and a parent in our unit. As far as I can tell people in the unit like him. The presentation is unfortunately like being held hostage....

 

Our CM is a very nice guy and unlikely to rein the presenter in.

[fgoodwin]

WDL Mom, I understand the unfortunate politics of your situation.

 

But I don't need to remind you that, if no one tells this gentleman about his style, you're in for more of the same.

 

So which is more important: possible hurt feelings on the part of one or more adults, or boring an entire room full of people, especially the boys?

 

It won't be easy to bring it to his attention, but if you don't, then good luck getting any contributions at all . . .

[Trevorum]

WDL Mom, I feel your pain! That is precisely the reason that I volunteered this year to be a FOS presenter (well, there's also a cool patch! ).

 

For the last 3 years our presentation has been by one of the old-timers. A really nice fellow and a loyal Scouter, but borrrrrring. As he droned on and on in his soporific monotone, I thought to myself, "I could do a better job that that!"

 

And so here I am ...

 

Thanks to all for your thoughts!

[BrentAllen]

We are trying a different approach this year with our Pack, and holding our FOS presentation at our Pinewood Derby. Our B&G program is usually pretty crowded, so moving it to another event will keep B&G from running too long. Also, at PWD, the parents and the boys are having a great time, and the parents see how much fun their sons are having. A good time to ask for a donation.

 

Our Golden Eagle breakfast this year is featuring Jeff Foxworthy. We have expanded our seating capacity, and our goal, and it looks like we might have to bring in more tables! Invitees to this event know we are looking for a 4-digit donation. Last year we had around 115 attend, this year we are shooting for around 150.

[theysawyoucomin']

FWIW,

 

Our unit is not going to have an FOS presentation this year. We are doing the Fair Share Letter to every home in the unit. Here is a copy of what we sent home. If you would like to use it some how to make your presentation work so be it. The Names and the units have been give obvious pseudonyms.

 

If we don't make the goal I suppose we wil try a spagetti dinner or breakfast to make up the balance, but I sure hope we get a good showing this way.

 

Dear Parents,

 

Our Toppling Oaks Council is a tremendous asset in bringing the Boy Scouts of America to Troop 00. Every year the Council asks Parents to help offset Council expenses through a Friends of Scouting Campaign. Our Troop (and our Cub Pack) has not held a Friends of Scouting presentation in quite some time. When such a presentation has been held both units did not react well to the program. We as parents need to help finance the efforts of our Council so it may continue to provide the best possible Scouting experience for your son. This is not a them and us situation.

 

The name of this years fundraiser for the Council is Fair Share and the Council is asking for $1 a week per Scout to help with the Council costs. The total Council cost per Scout is $250. The Council will raise 4/5ths of the $250 per Scout. It is up to us to come up with only 20% of the cost to help out.

 

The Troop Committee has mailed this directly to your home. We need you to know the following:

Your son is required to return this pledge envelope. Please fill in the flap and seal the envelope and return it not later than the 7 February Troop Meeting. The pledge envelope is from the days of the FOS campaigns so please do not get caught up in some of the things it says. Under the envelope flap Fair Share is $112, ignore this.

 

It is voluntary that you pledge the desired $52. Your son will not be denied any service from the council or from the Troop. Nobody from our Troop will know what your pledge is. No envelope will be opened by the Troop. The committee will know the aggregate amount from our unit, but your pledge will not be revealed to any member of our Troop. If you are financially able and wish to pledge more, please do so. I personally think Scouting is a bargain, the services and guidance provided to our sons by professionals and volunteers is truly a gift. $52 dollars/year is equal to about $4.50/ month. I hope you feel the program is worth that much to your son. Sometimes I wish every parent came to every event that your son attends. Volunteers in the Troop are often blessed with seeing your sons smiles of joy or determined expressions that result in trial and often success.

 

If you cannot pledge the $52 please consider some smaller amount as all pledges go far in helping our Council.

Enclosed are some frequently asked questions and some answers that I hope you find enlightening. Thank you for considering this matter. On behalf of the Troop Committee, we are truly glad that your son enjoys Scouting

 

Yours in Scouting,

 

 

Haystack Calhoun

Acting Committee Chair, Proud Volunteer

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frequently asked questions about Fair Share

 

What if I want to help, but right now its a bad time to ask me to contribute?

Firstly, thank you for your pledge. Second, you may specify how you are billed. If the holidays beat you up and summer is the best time please specify on the envelope flap when you would like to contribute. Please return the sealed envelope by 7 February.

 

We pay a registration fee to the Troop isnt that enough?

The Troop registration covers the National fee of $11. This year we are getting the boys tee shirts, they were budgeted at $10. The balance will go to equipment, advancement and other Troop expenses. Popcorn and Tree Sales help too. Council does not receive any funding from the Troop registration.

 

What about the United Way?

The United Way in the Capital District gives about $30,000. This is $260,000 below the national United Way average that is received by an average Boy Scout Council of our same size located anywhere through out the rest of our country.

 

Who pays the other 4/5ths?

Corporate sponsors have a long history of helping our Council. Endowments from those who went before us do their part. Popcorn sales help the Council.

 

What about SEFA or other State employee programs?

That is a great question. SEFA helps Scouting. Our Troop can get credit from your SEFA donation. If you specified our Council on your SEFA form that is great. If your last name is something other than you sons please let us know about your SEFA contribution so we may link it to our Troop.

 

Doesnt the Council earn money when I pay for my son to go to Summer Camp?

Our Councils camp fee is subsidized by the Council. In the spirit of maximum camp attendance by boys of varied economic means the cost we pay to go to camp is not a money maker for the Council. It is feared that Camp would be beyond the means of many if the real cost was charged. One Scout in twelve that attends camp is aided with direct financial help from our Council.

 

Will this be a one time contribution?

No. Our Council incurs the same costs every year. Truth is, the finance committee has been taking money from some endowment funds meant for the Councils long term savings. Our council has always had expenses and as long as they support our sons they always will. The Council is audited by the same firm that our own Cher Bono uses to audit ACME Roadrunner Catchers.

 

If you have any other questions please call Rumplestilskin at 867-5309, he will get you an answer. The Committee wants to again thank you for funding a program that gives our boys a great time now and can contribute so much to their future.