Scouting, Volume 58, Number 5, September-October 1970 Page: 20
This periodical is part of the collection entitled: Scouting Magazine and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.
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one of the many noncommercial plans? Some Scouters
rationalize while violating basic BSA policies. One
military-minded leader told his boys, "If you're not
in complete uniform, you're not in uniform. So, wear
only a part of your uniform and you'll really be selling
those candy bars out of uniform." This deception is a
poor way to develop character.
One reason that wear-your-uniform projects are pre-
ferred is that too often the sale of commercial prod-
ucts or services conflicts with local businesses. Scout-
ing depends on these same businessmen and civic
leaders for funds and goodwill to provide training,
camping, and other Scouting services. Damaging this
merchant-Scouting relationship holds immediate and
long-range dangers for Scouting's ability to continue
serving boys everywhere.
Timing conflicts
Often a unit money-earning effort may conflict
with a united fund campaign, a council Sustaining
Membership Enrollment, or some other activity that
the council is depending upon for funds. Sometimes
a unit may even find itself in competition with its
sponsoring institution, such as a church, PTA, or
service club. Poor timing by a unit can injure Scout-
ing's image and dampen community support for
Scouting activities.
Also there are local ordinances and regulations with
which Scout leaders may be unfamiliar. This, plus the
factors mentioned above, makes it extra important
for a unit to file the Unit Money-Earning Application
long before its project is to start.
Volunteer leaders should also be aware of the state-
ment on commercialism and contracts in Section 1,
Article XXII of the Bylaws of the Boy Scouts of Amer-
ica. It says that if any individual in a unit signs a con-
tract, he is personally responsible. He may not sign
on behalf of or obligate any part of the BSA. The
unit's sponsor may sign the contract, but only for the
sponsor and not for the BSA.
Some will say this is all red tape or extra trouble.
Actually, it is just as important to be informed about
unit finances as it is to plan a unit activity. You need
the facts at hand before you complete your plans to
provide a program for boys. Long and sometimes
bitter experiences have guided the formulation of
these policies and procedures that protect both you
and Scouting's name.
Boys will sell, whether they are Scouts or not. It is
a part of growing up, and it's the priceless privilege
of every boy to learn to pull his weight financially.
Most Scout leaders are aware that there are other
values to money-earning projects beside money. It's
to help boys add to their experience through indi-
vidual effort, as well as earn funds for literature,
equipment, and supplies necessary for a great adven-
ture in Scouting.
Councils and districts that make sure unit com-
mittees and leaders know the standards and the rea-
sons for them have little difficulty. The 10 guides may
help other units get the understanding they need.
10 GUIDES FOR UNIT MONEY-EARNING
Whenever your unit is planning a money-earning
project, this checklist can serve as your guide. It will
be helpful to you as you fill out the Unit Money-
Earning Application. If your answer is yes to all the
questions that follow, it is likely the project conforms
with Scouting's standards and will be approved.
1. Have your unit committee, chartered institution,
and Scout council approved your project, including the
dates and the methods?
2. Do your plan and the dates avoid competition
with money-raising programs and policies of your
chartered institution, Scout council, community chest,
or united fund?
3. Is your plan in harmony with local ordinances,
free from any stigma of gambling, and consistent with
the ideals and purposes of the Boy Scouts of America?
4. If a commercial product is to be sold, will it be
sold on its own merits and without reference to the
needs of Scouting either directly (during sales pres-
entation) or indirectly?
5. If tickets are sold for any function other than a
Scout event, will they be sold by your boys as indi-
viduals without depending on the goodwill of Scout-
ing to make this sale possible?
6. Even when sales are confined to parents and
friends, will they get their money's worth from any
product they purchase, function they attend, or serv-
ices they receive from your unit?
7. If a project is planned for a particular area, do
you respect the rights of other Scout units in the same
neighborhood?
8. Is it reasonably certain that people who need
work or business will not lose it as a result of your
unit's plan?
9. Will your plan protect the name and goodwill of
the Boy Scouts of America and prevent it from being
capitalized on by promoters of shows, benefits, or
sales campaigns?
10. If any contracts are to be signed by your unit,
will they be signed by an individual without reference
to the Boy Scouts of America, and in no way appear to
bind the local council or the Boy Scouts of America to
any agreement of financial responsibility?
For more about planning your unit budget and
about your unit treasurer's job, check these items:
Pack Financial Record Book, No. 3818, 50 cents; Troop
Financial Record Book, No. 3138, 25 cents; and Ex-
plorer Treasurer's Records, No. 3152, 70 cents. □
20
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 58, Number 5, September-October 1970, periodical, September 1970; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth331808/m1/26/: accessed March 28, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.