Service opportunity or fund-raiser?

[Trevorum 24]

Today, I recieved this email from our council.

 

[snip]

Weekend Service Opportunity

 

The organizers of this weekend's *** music concert contacted the council office today, looking for any Scout units that would be willing to help. This is a benefit concert with a portion of proceeds going to the *** chapter of **** Against Cancer. They are looking for units who would help clean up *** Park on Sunday morning, after the concert. Cleaning supplies and tools will be provided. The work will start at 8:00am and will continue until it's done. The promoters of the event have agreed to make a financial donation to the units that participate.

[snip]

 

Am I wrong to see a problem here? In my mind, something can't be a "service opportunity" if your unit is recieving a "financial donation."

 

 

[NealOnWheels 73]

It looks like a fundraiser. It smells like a fundraiser. Must be a fundraiser.

[John-in-KC 311]

You have a choice: Your unit can be purely altruistic and do the service for service' sake.

 

You can do a service fundraiser and accept the money as general funds for the unit against unit property needs. You don't need to allocate funds against "youth member accounts."

 

Either path is acceptable on the trail.

 

Frankly, I find this form of fundraising a bit more palatable than some I hear about "we go to the ballpark and man one of the concession stands; we get so much per hotdog and so much per beer sold."

 

The Council has said it's OK to do this. I wouldn't fret much farther than that. If you want to fret farther, ask your COR what he/she thinks.

[evmori 11]

Would the Unit Money Earning form be required?

[scoutldr 726]

Quack, quack.

[Lisabob 13]

Seems like a reasonable fund raising event to me, but yes, as John mentions, you can also choose to turn down the funds. I might mention to the DE or whichever professional staff member authored this message that it would be better to be clearer about the difference between fund raising and service in the future, but I wouldn't make a big deal of it.

[Bob White 20]

If you are getting paid then it is not a service project. Scouts do not except money for doing a good turn.

 

Someone no doubt was contacted by the outside organization to do this. The member of the organization probably has no idea of the Scouting philosophy of a good turn and thought that they could get an good work force, save money, and get some good community service using the scouts to clean up.

 

Someone at the office though should have known better and either offered this as a service project for the scouts with no monetary gain, or presented it as a fundraiser, but not both.

 

My recommendation would be to decide within the unit what it will be and act accordingly. If it is a fundraiser than complete the Unit Money Earning Application and submit it for approval. If it is a good turn (which I hope you select) then let the the council and the organization know that Scouts do not take rewards for helping other people.

 

And don't worry about what choices the other units might make.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[John-in-KC 311]

One comment: Like Lisa, I'd contact whoever at your Council signed off on this. I'd ask: Is this already approved in terms of units submitting Money Raising Apps? If the Professionals say yes, that's a step you can bypass.

 

There is one other option: Cut the youth out of the loop and do this purely with adults, purely as a fundraiser.

[Stosh 3452]

Always makes one wonder how we have re-interpreted the conflict between A Scout is Thrifty and Do a Good Turn Daily to justify current practices.

 

Stosh

[anarchist 10]

Wow...nice fund raiser, good cause...with good "community visiblity"...bet the contribution will be "token" size but what the Hey....

 

In our District, many moons ago, a large very prestigeous golf tourney started...Originally several Troops were approched by club "members" to help out for a "contribution"...The contributions were actually pretty darn good...Then Council stepped in and "took the dough"... seems troops were not approved to "do direct contributions of cash"...but we were still asked to supply troops to hump the trash and do the grunt work...Now many fewer troops participate...and very few are "local/neighboring" troops among those that do help out.

 

I like big events that show off scouting (and boy's) "good deeds" to the public whether is is service or fund raising...you can always tell the organizers to keep your "share" for the "cause"...then it is service work...

my 2 cents

anarchist

[John-in-KC 311]

Stosh,

 

Imagine for a moment your Troop has grown beyond its current equipment. You have to provide common equipment to resource a new Patrol:

 

Dutch Oven: 77

Trail Chef cook kit 76

Chef's tools: 40

Camp Stove: 116

4 Eureka Timberline tents: 160 each or 640

Patrol Fly: 191

 

That's a partial list of common gear, and the price is already $1140. You're going to charge your bridging Scout a $143 initial equipment fee over and above Troop and BSA annual dues, not to mention any outfit he buys on his own?

 

We've already (hopefully) got him saving for uniforms, monthly camping and Scout Camp.

 

Let's be honest, Scouting isn't (just as other extracurricular activities aren't) cheap.

 

There's also ways to do this project: Do a full-up service project. Turn back the money. Do the project, take the offered money, re-donate it. How many church food pantries would be delighted with a gift of $100??? Do the project, take the money. Use it for capital investment in the Troop. Use it as a Scoutmaster contingency fund for the kid who can't go to camp anymore because Mom and Dad lost their job.

[Venividi 35]

Do the work, take the money, dont count the scouts time as service to others.

Schedule separate troop service opportunities. There are needs that can be met by doing a service project everywhere one looks. As simple as picking up trash along the roadsides. Performing maintenance work for a church, VFW, or other non-profit.

[Oak Tree 15]

I guess it would depend on how much the contribution was. If it's just a token "thank-you" - then I'd probably count the service hours and keep the contribution. If it's an amount similar to what a serious fund-raiser would get, then I agree, it would be hard to justify counting the hours as service hours.

[Gold Winger 9]

A donation is not pay.

 

 

[FScouter 24]

This is a benefit concert with a portion of proceeds going to the *** chapter of **** Against Cancer.

 

Id feel more comfortable helping out if they said 1/2 or 3/4 or 90% of the ticket price would go to the charity. I tend to look askance at projects with a charity label, but only an unspecified portion being donated. I remember one commercial product that had a big advertising blitz where they were going to make a donation to the Make-a-Wish Foundation for every item sold. How much benefit is there if the portion is 1/10 of 1 percent of net profit after taxes, with expenses set to minimize profit?

 

If one was of a cynical nature, it could be said the promoter was looking for free labor.