No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

Discuss questions around local unit policies for budgeting, reconciling, etc. This forum should not contain specific financial or membership information.
NoahVail
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No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#1

Post by NoahVail »

My ward has zero funds for any kind of extended youth activity (ie: scout or YW camp); maybe we never have.
It's not like other activities are using up the funds. The activities we have are cost-free or near to it.

Here's my challenge.
When I read funding guidelines, I find segments like this:
"The increase in the local unit budget allowance is intended to fund activities more effectively and to relieve the financial burden on families.
With this increase, fund-raising activities should be substantially reduced or eliminated."
Local Unit Budget Allowance Increase [Apr. 6, 2004]

This announcement doesn't reflect our reality at all.

There's a lot of LDS Fundraising information on the Internet.
Is that a sign that no wards can fund their summer youth activities, from the local unit budget allowance?


Last Friday, our ward had a fundraising dinner, to fund Scout & YW camps.
This Wednesday, our YM are preparing for a Saturday yardsale. It's to fund the same camps.
These are in-state, moderately priced camps.

Our Priests and Laurels have a stake fundraising dinner in two weeks.
In the mean time, a multipage chart is being circulated by the stake; it lists youth, the work they do and rates to hire.

A flag drive is planned and I forget what else.

I wish our youth programs weren't dominated by fundraising, year after year after year.
But I'm about the only one who feels that way.

I'm curious - do folks here think I should just resign myself to this?

Thank you for reading.
Gary_Miller
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#2

Post by Gary_Miller »

NoahVail wrote:My ward has zero funds for any kind of extended youth activity (ie: scout or YW camp); maybe we never have.
Is there "ZERO" funds because there us not enough Budget funds, or is it the Bishop has not budgeted the funds to camps.
NoahVail wrote:It's not like other activities are using up the funds. The activities we have are cost-free or near to it.
If other activities are not using up the funds where are the funds going.
NoahVail wrote:Here's my challenge.
When I read funding guidelines, I find segments like this:
"The increase in the local unit budget allowance is intended to fund activities more effectively and to relieve the financial burden on families.
With this increase, fund-raising activities should be substantially reduced or eliminated."
Local Unit Budget Allowance Increase [Apr. 6, 2004]

This announcement doesn't reflect our reality at all.
I will agree with you there. My experience is that the stake is holding to much budget money for stake activities that are not inline with the Budget guidelines.
NoahVail wrote:There's a lot of LDS Fundraising information on the Internet.
Is that a sign that no wards can fund their summer youth activities, from the local unit budget allowance?
If we funded the youth camps we would break the ward budget. I need approx $3000 more to fund everything and that's being conservative.

NoahVail wrote:Last Friday, our ward had a fundraising dinner, to fund Scout & YW camps.
This Wednesday, our YM are preparing for a Saturday yardsale. It's to fund the same camps.
These are in-state, moderately priced camps.

Our Priests and Laurels have a stake fundraising dinner in two weeks.
In the mean time, a multipage chart is being circulated by the stake; it lists youth, the work they do and rates to hire.

A flag drive is planned and I forget what else.
I suggest you check the guidelines on what types of fund risers are excitable and how many you are allowed to have.
NoahVail wrote:I wish our youth programs weren't dominated by fundraising, year after year after year.
But I'm about the only one who feels that way.
That's because no one is following the guidelines. Fund raisers are to be an exception.
NoahVail wrote:I'm curious - do folks here think I should just resign myself to this?
No. But you can take yourself out of the picture by making it the Bishops and ward councils responsibilities and not the clerks.
lajackson
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#3

Post by lajackson »

I know some wards that are able to fund the annual camps out of the budget. They are usually, but not always, larger wards.

For those who are not able, the second option is to ask the member to participate in the cost.

When there is still not enough, the Handbook then authorizes one annual group fundraiser, with specific guidelines.

Those are the guiding principles.

Unless your stake is not sharing, your unit is receiving the same budget per member and youth that every other unit in the Church receives.

What you have described almost cries out for a careful reading of the Handbook, and a review of the budgeting process. If you are not in a leadership position, but simply a concerned parent, I would begin by asking which of the many fundraisers is the one authorized annual fundraiser, to which I would then provide my support.

But start with the Handbook. It is online for all the world to see, which Elder Oaks once said was the best place to hide it from the leaders and members.
NoahVail
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#4

Post by NoahVail »

I spent quite a while composing a reply only to discover that the forum software logged me out and gave me no way to recover what I wrote.

How pointlessly frustrating.
russellhltn
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#5

Post by russellhltn »

NoahVail wrote:I spent quite a while composing a reply only to discover that the forum software logged me out and gave me no way to recover what I wrote.

How pointlessly frustrating.
The time out is something like 20 minutes. However, if you try to do some research and go to lds.org with http and not https, you'll be logged out immediately.
Have you searched the Help Center? Try doing a Google search and adding "site:churchofjesuschrist.org/help" to the search criteria.

So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
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gregwanderson
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#6

Post by gregwanderson »

I often "compose" thoughts for this forum in an external text editor like Notepad and then paste the text here. I've been burned too many times by the timeout deadline.
allenjpl
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#7

Post by allenjpl »

lajackson wrote:What you have described almost cries out for a careful reading of the Handbook, and a review of the budgeting process. If you are not in a leadership position, but simply a concerned parent, I would begin by asking which of the many fundraisers is the one authorized annual fundraiser, to which I would then provide my support.

But start with the Handbook. It is online for all the world to see, which Elder Oaks once said was the best place to hide it from the leaders and members.
Although I agree they should review the Handbook, perhaps a more important issue is whether the activities are being planned with the proper lead time. The scouting programs should have an activity calendar that stretches 12 months into the future. The planning for this year's scout camps should have begun last fall. With that amount of lead time, and with proper planning, the YM and YW have ample time to earn the money themselves, with fundraising efforts aimed at picking up the shortfall or for equipment. The idea of a stake circulating a sheet that lists employment rates and work offered strikes me as a bit too much like an employment agency, which the church most definitely is not.
Gary_Miller
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#8

Post by Gary_Miller »

allenjpl wrote:Although I agree they should review the Handbook, perhaps a more important issue is whether the activities are being planned with the proper lead time. The scouting programs should have an activity calendar that stretches 12 months into the future. The planning for this year's scout camps should have begun last fall. With that amount of lead time, and with proper planning, the YM and YW have ample time to earn the money themselves, with fundraising efforts aimed at picking up the shortfall or for equipment.
After years of begging and pleading, as a Scout committee member, chairman and now the fiance clerk, for this type of planning from the YMs organization, and getting no where. I have finally given up and placed the whole affair on the Bishoprics back. I put together the budget, which clearly shows there is insufficient fund for camps, and then I manager the funds to ensure our ward does not go into the red. I refuse to worry about how to fund the camps something that someone else should be concerned about, but don't seem to care. As long as there is sufficient funds in the bottom line and the Bishop has approved the expense then I write the check.
NoahVail
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Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#9

Post by NoahVail »

Trying again - Some background first (unsure what's relevant):

Our stake has 4 wards, ours is in a neighboring county.
I'd guess our ward comprises ~5% total stake member income.
Our sacrament meetings avg 150-200 members.

I've never been Financial Clerk.

I've 5 sons and have spent 15 years in BSA leadership including 4 as a Scoutmaster and 4 as a Unit Commissioner over LDS units.

Our latest Bishopric is comprised of move-ins (Thank you Jesus!).
The Bishop and 1 Counselor were each (briefly) our YM leaders. We had then discussed what I felt our YM program needed.

This year's scout camp was planned by the Stake and intro'd to us in Jan. We were given about 3 weeks turn to in 1st payment and secure the YM's spot, the last payment to follow a month later.
This isn't typical behavior for our Stake Presidency.

(Lastly: Don't try this at home.) I used my Jan tithing to make the 1st scout camp installment.
Partially I did that because there was no other money.
But more to the point: I'm gratified to know that (for once) some tithing-money actually arrived in our YM's scout camp fund.
lajackson wrote:What you have described almost cries out for a careful reading of the Handbook, and a review of the budgeting process.
Everyone's read the handbook.
I've discussed the fundraising sections with every new Bishopric and YM leader and have for years.

This year, our YM leadership claims the different fundraising activities are part of a single fundraiser. I thought that was a novel approach to ignoring the guidelines.

I suspect our Bishopric counselor over YM agrees with me (1st time ever!)
The new Scoutmaster might also.

But our Bishop authorized the fundraising and seems to support it.
I believe he wants to fix other long-broken YM stuff, so maybe he'll come around.

allenjpl wrote:a more important issue is whether the activities are being planned with the proper lead time. The scouting programs should have an activity calendar that stretches 12 months into the future.
I've long been asking that the YM program be scheduled a year in advance. I know how to do that and am willing to help.
Until 6 months ago, most YM leadership simply refused, saying that a calendar wasn't necessary.

Lately, I've seen some YM calendaring taking place; maybe a month's worth.
I'm hoping that means the Bishop feels calendaring is important.
russellhltn wrote:The time out is something like 20 minutes.
I think that isn't terrific. What's really awful is not being able to go back and recover my text.

Thanks for responses+reading.
Gary_Miller
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Location: Emmett, Idaho

Re: No Unit Budget Allowance for summer camps

#10

Post by Gary_Miller »

NoahVail wrote:This year's scout camp was planned by the Stake and intro'd to us in Jan. We were given about 3 weeks turn to in 1st payment and secure the YM's spot, the last payment to follow a month later.
This isn't typical behavior for our Stake Presidency.
It looks as if the stake leaders need a careful reading of the Handbooks as well.

From Scouting Handbook for Church Units in the United States Revised May 2012

8.17 Specialty Programs and Stake Camps

Latter-day Saint Scouting units do not organize “specialty” or similar programs that focus exclusively on a particular skill, hobby, or career. Also, camps organized by stakes should not be advertised as “Scout” camps and are not covered by BSA liability insurance.
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