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LATEST POSTS
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By Eagle94-A1 · Posted
I cannot sat about other districts, but in my old one, the abuse by he professional staff as mentioned above has drastically lowered the FOS funding. combined with lack of unit support and the selling of camps, they are lucky to get any FOS. Back in the day, we were in the $60 to $65K range, and now the goal is $3K. -
By BetterWithCheddar · Posted
I can't speak to the specifics of my council's financials, but I've also noticed a shift toward the "event model," as you described. Assuming those events are successful, then I vastly prefer soliciting donations from rich guys at venues rich guys like to FOS. -
By InquisitiveScouter · Posted
Because the money kept coming in... so the volunteers were expendable. But they are slowly killing the goose that lays the golden egg, and they cannot see it. -
By SiouxRanger · Posted
I want to thank all who have posted about resources regarding Native American perception of and issues with non Native American "cultural appropriation" of Native American culture. I am overwhelmed with other matters at the moment, and I feel that this is a rather large area of inquiry, and as I want to understand it and not do it a disservice with a cursory analysis, I will attend to it in detail when I can devote the time I think it will take. The resources posted will be of immense help to me and others interested in understanding this topic. -
By SiouxRanger · Posted
Sounds like the 12 year old who owns the basketball demanding an extra point or two to win or will take his ball home. An SE who shut down the OA would enjoy substantial financial backlash. Just last week, at a council level committee meeting, it was pointed out that unit participation at the council's summer camp from virtually every unit in a certain district was nearly zero-about 3 to 4%. The reason? That district used to be a council, but was merged out of existence. And the merger was resented. They lost their beloved camps. More than 45 years ago. A long shadow. And, holding the power to take $90,000 earned or donated for certain OA purposes does not justify the taking of it for other purposes. Some would call that fraud. "Buy an OA patch-proceeds pay for sashes for Ordeal Candidates." (Or whatever.) "Ooops-the SE needed a new laptop--sorry, no free sashes." (Or whatever.) I used to give $500 a year, but once I figured out how the money was being handled/mishandled, I quit--25 years ago. Small potatoes, but Ive seen camporees where the pros cut back the (budgeted) patch order by half, by about $150, and were short half the patches because the budgeted attendance was met. So, $150 was important to the pros then. It is a sad state of affairs. I don't understand why the pros can't seem recognize the immeasurable goodwill embodied in the faithful volunteers and figure out how to capitalize on it. But that goodwill is frittered away, time and again. It may be that many volunteers have lost their confidence in the professional administration of the program and now will not trust a new administration. The shadow is LONG. I know many volunteers that won't contribute a penny, but donate tons of time. I think largely on the sentiment of, "The council can't afford to pay me to do this work, so I'll donate my time and that will be my contribution." Another group of volunteers learn of a camp need, and purchase the needed item and has it delivered to camp. They KNOW that their money is going for a known need and not likely to be diverted. My council, in my 25 year window, has gone from a very robust FOS model supplemented by a United Way model, to an "event model," that is, Distinguished Citizen dinners, and golf and sporting clays events. FOS is nearly totally defunct in my council. How successful is the change of funding models? In the last 25 years, my council's gross revenue has dropped by 20%, and the number of registered scouts-perhaps by 50%. Perhaps the SE quoted (paraphrased) above was thinking of Oppenheimer's quote upon the detonation of the first nuclear device from the Bhagavad Gita: "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds."
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