FOS Presentations

[Fat Old Guy]

I have to agree with Bobo here (and Satan said, "Brrrrrr!").

 

There's a couple problems.

 

Parents write a check and think that they are paying for Scouting. They don't realize that none of that $50 or $100 that they give the Troop goes to the Council. The FOS presentation is supposed to educate parents that Scouting costs much more than the check that they write every year.

 

The other problem is that it seems that it is usually the volunteers that feel like they are the ones being asked to donate. The volunteer looks at the envelope and says, "Geeze Louise! I give my one hour a week. I drive all over creation. I buy these over priced uniforms. Now they want me to give another $100."

 

I know one Scouter who hated the FOS presentations because he felt that he gave enough with his time along with the Thousands of dollars worth of popcorn that his two sons sold every year. Something happened and now he does the FOS presentations.

 

 

[PETAL_MS_SCOUTER]

We recently had ours done by a professional scouter, who also did a presentation on summer camp and the 2005 National Jamboree. He did a good job, but a number of the parents stayed home (wondered if it was because a FOS presentation was scheduled). I also felt that some families felt they were being put on the spot in terms of making a pledge.

 

Last week at a district roundtable, a cubmaster shared that his pack combined their FOS night with the Blue and Gold banquet. They did a cake bake and took bids on the cakes with all proceeds going to FOS. I thought that was a good way to get a lot of folks involved and allowed folks to participate at a level they would be comfortable with.

 

Any other FOS ideas similar to the above?

[scoutldr]

Our DE put it this way..."everyone deserves to be offered the opportunity to donate." Some do so willingly, others say "I'll take the pledge form home and think it over." Of course, that's a nice way of saying "no". I do know that, without the FOS presentation at my small unit, the council probably would have been $1500 poorer this year.

 

Put it this way...do you stay home from church because you know they will be passing the plate? Some (me) drop in $100 a week while some of equal means drop in a measly buck...or nothing at all. If they can sleep at night knowing others are subsidizing them, so can I.

[Eamonn]

Couple of things:

The need for funds is never going to go away. In fact without chipping away at the services we offer the end user(Our youth members.) The need for more funds will not only exist it will increase.

As I read about all the fuss that is going on in parts of the country and funds that were available being cut and properties lost. I find myself wanting to see the BSA become less and less reliant on these funds. This can't happen until people like me are willing to put their money where there mouth is.

As for when a FOS presentation should be done? We ask the unit leaders to invite us, they pick the time. If a unit decides that they don't want to allow the presentation we stay home.

Eamonn.

[Twocubdad]

It is perfectly acceptable for someone to decline a FOS contribution based on the time and effort they put forth as a volunteer. It's not unreasonable to say 'I do this much, someone else needs to carry the rest of the load.' I hate to think of the amount of money I "contribute" to Scouting under the table -- gas, mileage, uniforms, in-kind materials, things I buy but then forget to turn in or loose the receipt, etc., etc. (But don't worry, I still contribute my share to FOS and host a table at our Patron's luncheon.

 

ON THE OTHER HAND, it is not okay for someone to have a poor attitude about financial contributions and try to poison the well for everyone else. They need to keep their dang mouths shut.

 

 

[Owl62]

Just to clear up a couple of matters from my original posting on this topic.

 

I did not say or even imply that I do not support the need or concept of funding or Friends of Scouting. I was addressing FOS presentations at Courts of Honor. I fully understand, maybe more that others, that the program needs funding and that registration and chartering fees do not cover all the costs - not even close. I do not expect Scouting to exist or operate without funds. There are any number of situations where a FOS presentation might be appropriate - some that I have suported and participated in (just not with my own money). My opinion is that Courts of Honor are not among those appropriate situations. That's my opinion. Anyone that disagrees has that right.

 

I would be unfair and unfortunate of me to lump all non-profits together as misusing funds; and I did not do that.

 

And since I was talking about my money that I choose to not give to anyone, I will spend it or not spend it on what I deem necessary and I find nothing unfortunate about that whatsoever. I did not create the situations that cause me to feel this way, others did. My money, my decison. Simple as that. Disagree? Fine with me.

 

And that is all I intend to say about this.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob White]

My question remains unanswered Owl. In the Troop program, at what event other than Courts of Honor are the parents present so that an FOS presentation can take place?

 

For what it's worth, I was invited to speak at a troop Court of Honor tonight (not my son's troop), I did a 5-minute FOS presentation and we took another 5-minutes to collect the cards. The troop, with about 40 families present, pledged in excess of $2,800. That is not an amount that is raised by people who are "put-off" by a financial appeal at a Court of Honor. That is an amount raised by 40 families who have a commitment to the scouting community not just "their" unit.

 

Pledges varied from $20 to $500. I really do not care how much a family chooses to give. Each has its own finacial needs and resources. All I ask is a few minutes of their time, once a year to hear my story. The decision is then theirs to give or not, and at what level.

 

It is unfortunate that, for the goal of a strong scouting program, you would not give 10-minutes at one of four Courts of Honor in an entire year. Thankfully that is not an attitude shared by any of the troops in our District.

 

 

 

 

[Fat Old Guy]

Bobby said, "My question remains unanswered Owl. In the Troop program, at what event other than Courts of Honor are the parents present so that an FOS presentation can take place?"

 

I'm still with Bobby here (Satan yelled, "Hey! Where's my sweater?").

 

If you held a special parents meeting and announced that it would be for an FOS presentation, how many would show up?

 

If you just sent an empty envelope home with each Scout how many would make it back? If the Scout didn't misplace the envelope before he got home, how many would be put aside by the parents with every intention of stuffing it later but who forget about it?

 

The Girl Scouts have a horrible system for soliciting donations from parents. They send an envelope home with each girl and then expect the troop leader to harass the parents until they return the envelope.

[Proud Eagle]

The only thing I would suggest on this topic is to place the FOS presentation at the beggining of the COH. The entire thing is more dignified if all the other business is out of the way before the recognition portion is begun.

 

Another possible venue for FOS, would be a parents meeting. I know many troops have at least a couple of those each year to keep the parents informed about things like major trips coming up and the annual fundraiser and such.

 

Another good place (and this may bring in some outside the unit money) would be a cook out with members of the charter organization. Back home my troop is chartered to the men's club of a church. Once a year there is a cook out for all members of the men's club, troop members, and the parents of Scouts.

[OneHour]

Hey FOG ... it's snowing down there!

 

The FOS gentleman who did the presentation at our B&G 2 months ago did it with his heart! He explained what the situation is and what the moneys go to. The best part is that he got down on his knees and begged/pleaded! That night I was in the process of writing a check for $100, but after seeing a grown man begged ... I bought myself a Council hat!

 

[Bob White]

Well I did the FOS presentation at my son's troop Court of Honor. I was last on the agenda for the evening. The parents were so appalled by being asked to help support the scoting program that made me accept over $2000 in pledges. How dare they!

[dsteele]

It's snowing down here!

[Fat Old Guy]

"Well I did the FOS presentation at my son's troop Court of Honor. I was last on the agenda for the evening. The parents were so appalled by being asked to help support the scoting program that made me accept over $2000 in pledges. How dare they!"

 

If they hadn't been so appalled, they might have given more.