Paying for camps from Budget and Other

Discuss questions around local unit policies for budgeting, reconciling, etc. This forum should not contain specific financial or membership information.
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allenjpl
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Paying for camps from Budget and Other

#1

Post by allenjpl »

Alan_Brown wrote:
There is no provision for paying for camps using any other source of funds, and it is quite clear that money that goes into the Other category for the exceptional case of paying for one annual camp comes from the participants earning the money, or from a fundraiser. That money collected for that specific purpose in the Other category is then spent for that specific purpose.
This may be off-topic from the OP, who asked how to transfer from the Other to a Budget account, and not from Fast Offerings to Other, but because the issue has been pressing on my mind, I thought I'd jump in here.

We have an annual camp whose cost simply can't be borne entirely, or even substantially, by the budget. 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? And if so, what should we do if the appropriate youth organization's budget is insufficient?
russellhltn
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#2

Post by russellhltn »

Speaking for myself, at what point does a camp become too expensive and the unit must look at cheaper alternatives?

I'm not aware of anything that mandates what a camp must have, or that one must send them to a particular camp. (If I'm wrong, I'm sure someone will correct me.) I'm sure they would very much like to go to a particular camp, or have the same schedule of activities that they had last year, but don't see that as overriding the need to stay within what's affordable.

One of my observations on life is that if everything is left on it's own, each activity will become bigger and grander then the prior year's.
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russellhltn
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#3

Post by russellhltn »

Something else to consider: if this is a stake camp, then perhaps the problem should be discussed with the stake. Even if it's not a stake camp, it wouldn't be a bad idea to discuss it with them.
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aebrown
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#4

Post by aebrown »

(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.
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marianomarini
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#5

Post by marianomarini »

LVAllen wrote:This may be off-topic from the OP, who asked how to transfer from the Other to a Budget account, and not from Fast Offerings to Other, but because the issue has been pressing on my mind, I thought I'd jump in here.

We have an annual camp whose cost simply can't be borne entirely, or even substantially, by the budget. 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? And if so, what should we do if the appropriate youth organization's budget is insufficient?
If I well understood.
You have annual youth budget that doesn't cover the entire ammount of camp activity.
But you have offers in Other fund to cover part of the ammount but you lack still some ammount.
So the question should be: "Who will cover this last part?".
La vita è una lezione interminabile di umiltà (Anonimo).
Life is a endless lesson of humility (Anonimous).
crislapi
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#6

Post by crislapi »

marianomarini_vi wrote:If I well understood.
You have annual youth budget that doesn't cover the entire ammount of camp activity.
But you have offers in Other fund to cover part of the ammount but you lack still some ammount.
So the question should be: "Who will cover this last part?".
Two options - ask those who will be attending to pay for a larger portion themselves, or pick a cheaper camp to attend. I guess another option is if the Bishop decides the camp is worth the expense he could cover the difference from the budget. However, I think it is a bad idea to blow the entire youth budget on a single activity.
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