Set yearly budgets based on quarterly "estimates"

[russellhltn]

If the group of young men and young women that are in their callings in January plan all the activities for the year, the group that comes in six months later has nothing to plan.

One problem I have with that is if the first group figures out they'll be released in 6 months, they may decide to "burn the budget" and leave nothing for the second group. The first presidency will be popular. The second, not so much.

Regardless, you have to plan a budget on year basis.

[TinMan]

Not if you only give them half of your estimated allotment to work with.

[TinMan]

I see a lot of good in being practical.

Thank you.

[TinMan]

I have seen and heard lots of Bishops do this with the thought that allows for more youth to gain experience in leadership positions. However, I have always thought it was an odd thing to do, for three reasons. First if you truly believe the Lord called that youth to that position why would you remove them from the position for any reason than the lord said it was time or the youth aged out of the class. Second, in six months a person in a leadership position is just now starting to figure out what they are doing and what they feel they need to do to help those who they have stewardship over. Third, the longer a youth is in the leadership position the more effective they will be in helping those in need among their group.

While those are valid points, I believe a fourth purpose of youth quorum and class presidencies is to train leaders. If the same few youth are always the class president because they are "more effective," then the other youth never get the chance to learn to be "more effective." Yes. Some are "born leaders." Many are not. We try very, very hard to give every youth a chance to be president at some time in their Young Men and Young Women experience. They learn how to conduct a presidency meeting, preside at quorum/class meetings, ask people to do assignments, and so on. Most people learn by doing better than they learn by watching.

If you would not do this to the EQ, HP, RS, SS, Primary, why would you do it to the youth programs?

Because I am trying to train future EQ, HP, RS, SS and Primary presidents. I think that is part of my responsibility. And what better place to do that than a place where they have "shadow leaders?" (Boy am I old...)

[mlh78]

Another point of view on the annual v. quarterly issue (not advocating it, but it resolves a bunch of issues):

At the stake level, I project the total amount of budget allocation that will be coming to our units in the following year. After taking a haircut to fund stake auxiliaries and youth camps, the stake presidency divides the remainder among the wards as they see fit (based principally on their membership/attendance, plus a few subjective factors). Each bishop is given a letter with his annual budget allocation. This is exactly what they will get; no more no less. This frees up the ward leaders from having to do projection work and deal with fluctuations. Zero complaints; zero confusion.

Mechanically, I set each unit's budget allocation percentages to zero and then send them a couple checks during the year that equal their promised budget funds. We keep enough budget funds on hand to absorb fluctuations.