Friends of Scouting History

[SemperParatus]

Can anyone shed light on the history of FOS?

 

When and where did it start?

 

When did it become a fixture in every council?

 

Does National mandate that every council have FOS?

 

Thanks.

[Kahuna]

I can tell you a little, maybe others can fill in the gaps. I know that in the early 1970s, a lot of councils were doing what is now called FOS. It had different names in different councils, but the object was to get donations from people close to Scouting. In South Florida, we had district "clubs" for people to enroll in.

 

I don't know, but I doubt that there is a national mandate for it. A council is pretty much responsible for its own finances and if they could do without it, I don't think BSA would require it.

[Kahuna]

I just remembered that in the early days, these things were called Associate Membership Enrollment (AME). Later, in some councils, they were called Family Enrollment.

[SemperParatus]

Thanks K, for sharing some of your memory with me.

[Kahuna]

A'ole pilikia! (You're welcome)

[SemperParatus]

Well,I packed my bags and bought myself a ticket

For the land of the tall palm tree

Aloha old Milwaukee, hello Waikiki

I just stepped down from the airplane

When I heard her say,

"waka waka nuka licka, waka waka nuka licka

Would you like a lei? eh?"

 

Let's talk dirty in Hawaiian

Whisper in my ear

Kicka pooka mok a wa wahini

Are the words I long to hear

Lay your coconut on my tiki

What the hecka mooka mooka dear

Let's talk dirty in Hawaiian

Say the words I long to hear

 

It's a ukelele honolulu sunset

Listen to the grass skirts sway

Drinking rum from a pineapple

Out on Honolulu Bay

The steel guitars all playing

While she's talking with her hands

Gimme gimme oka doka make a wish and wanta polka

Words I understand hey!

 

Let's talk dirty in Hawaiian

Whisper in my ear

Kicka pooka mok a wa wahini

Are the words I long to hear

Lay your coconut on my tiki

What the hecka mooka mooka dear

Let's talk dirty in Hawaiian

Say the words I long to hear

 

Well, I boughta lota junka with my moola

And sent it to the folks back home

I never had the chance to dance the hula

Well,I guess I should have known

When you start talking to the sweet wahini

Walking in the pale moonlight

Ohka noka whatta setta knocka-rocka-sis-boom-boccas

Hope I said it right oh!

 

Let's talk dirty in Hawaiian

Whisper in my ear

Kicka pooka mok a wa wahini

Are the words I long to hear

Lay your coconut on my tiki

What the hecka mooka mooka dear

Let's talk dirty in Hawaiian

Say the words I long to hear

 

Aloha!

 

~ John Prine

[baden]

In our council we used to have an SME (Sustaining Membership Enrollment) campaign. It changed to FOS in the late 80's I think.

[Be_Prepared]

The name FOS (friends of scouting) was adopted in 1988. The previous program was SME (sustaining membership enrollment). The "sustaining" name was for those persons who did not want to join scouting, but wanted to help sustain it.

 

The word on the street was that the name FOS was adopted because the name SME was commonly referred to as Save My Employment, since DE's were tasked with raising an equal sum to their annual salary. Since this was a key factor in their measurement goal, this could, in fact, affect their continued employment.

[emb021]

True about the 'other definition' for SME.

 

But I've heard similiar for FOS. 'Fund our salary', etc.

 

 

[Kahuna]

SME. Thanks, Baden, that's the other name I was trying to think of. I'm not sure why some councils, most probably, had SME and others had AME, but they were the predecessors of FOS.

 

Before that, professionals were paid peanuts and council offices were ratholes in usually donated space with sagging floors. Oddly enough, the program seemed to work better in those days.

 

Reminds of C. Northcote Parkinson's (I studied sociology as an undergraduate) theory that organizations only flourish in temporary, low-rent buildings. He used the UN as an example. The UN accomplished most of the good it did before it moved into that ediface on the river in NY.

[OldGreyEagle]

Ah, a C. Northcote Parkinson reference I love it. I remember reading an essay of his on the "Rising Pyramid of Organizatoins". I think he looked at how many admirals the royal navy had at the conclusion of WWII and then how many there were in like 1955, I think there were more than twice in 1955 leading Parkinson to wonder why the brits needed more admirals to wage peace than war.

 

I think a scout office should be designed much as a community hospital. Grand enough to inspire confidence in the operation but not so opulent as to render the phrase "not for profit" a travesty

[Kahuna]

True, lots of them are palatial nowadays. And full of staff doing who knows what.