(Note: I split this thread out from the original thread, since it is a different topic)
LVAllen wrote:If the contributions to the Other account (from both the participants and fundraising) are insufficient to cover the cost, should the shortfall be covered by the budget?
According to the budget allowance guidelines (see pp 159-161 of Book 1 of CHI), you're asking the question a bit backwards. The first premise is that activities should have little or no cost when possible. Now for camps, that's a challenge, but it is a point that should not be forgotten -- it is indeed an option to simplify the camps so that the cost is reduced.
The next principle is that all activities are funded from the Budget allowance. This is clearly stated as the foundational principle. Except for a specific exception, that is the preferred way to do everything and it seems clear to me that our leaders who wrote the policy would prefer that there is no exception.
Nonetheless, an exception can be made for a single annual camp. After the activity has been appropriately simplified and the cost reduced, and the overall budget appropriately considered, if the budget funds are not sufficient, there can be an exception where participants earn their own funds to pay for part or all of one annual camp (and related equipment), and if that is not sufficient, fundraisers can be held for that one annual camp.
LVAllen wrote:And if so, what should we do if the appropriate youth organization's budget is insufficient?
The bishop has wide latitude to reallocate funds among the various organizations' budgets. He can consult with the ward council and make appropriate changes. But really, it should never come to this. The activities should be planned in advance, cost accurately estimated, participant contributions for the one annual camp set, and the overall budget determined at the beginning of the year. Given all that, if the budget is still insufficient, I would say that you are doing an activity that is bigger than you should. It is, after all, a "budget" which means that you figure out how to live within your means, which can mean cutting back in some cases.
Questions that can benefit the larger community should be asked in a public forum, not a private message.