Best Fundraising Ideas

I thought it would be interesting to hear about what other wards have done for successful fundraising when it is needed. One thing we have done previously have been a "YW Garage Sale" where members save up items they would have given to goodwill and instead donate them to the YW to hold a 2-day garage sale to raise funds.

Any other great ideas for generating good fundraising dollar's for camp needs?

Something popular here in Utah, where ward boundaries are rather close, is to canvas the neighborhood each year and ask for a small donation to post an American flag on their property during special holidays. I think our ward's youth ask for a minimum of $25 per participating house. The first couple of years will not make as much because of the investment in flags and PVC poles, but the years after that are quite profitable. Each year we usually get between 75 and 100 homes participating. (You do the math. )

Fundraisers are generally not approved. Fundraisers are an unauthorized slush fund for ward to finance unnecessary, expensive activities. Wards can fund all needed activities from the budget allowance.

rexgj wrote:Fundraisers are generally not approved. Fundraisers are an unauthorized slush fund for ward to finance unnecessary, expensive activities. Wards can fund all needed activities from the budget allowance.

This is generally true. There is an exception in the Handbook for an annual Young Men or Young Women camp. Fundraising is the third option, when the first two have been exhausted.

But following the guidelines, fundraising is still an option for those wards that cannot fund all of the annual camp from the budget allowance.

Door to door soliciting for fundraising is not approved.
Fundraisers generally are not approved.
Fundraisers are the third option after 1) using the budget allowance funds, 2) having the youth earn their own money.

Fundraisers violate the "activities should have little or no expense" clause that appears repeatedly in the handbook.

The "new budget allowance" initiated in 2004 provides more money to wards than most of them ever made through fundraisers, and it was intended to eliminate the need for fundraisers.

Before a fundraiser is approved by the bishop or stake president, the first two options (budget allowance, and individually earning the money) should be exhausted (option two is completely ignored in the church). The handbook states clearly that "fundraisers generally are not approved." This gives the clear message that fundraisers should basically not be considered.

Any funds deposited into the "Other" account must have a specific purpose, and be paid out for that specific purpose--this also is mostly violated in wards who have fundraisers. The popular "flag fundraiser" is an example of what a fundraiser should not be, and annual, ongoing, every year fundraiser that has no specific purpose attached to it, and is used to extravagant "fun" trips for youth like BYU football games, chartered trips to historical sites, and very expensive venturer activities like a week at Lake Powell water skiing (no priesthood purpose whatsoever).

The church has also repeatedly counseled members not to have garage or yard sales, but to donate those items to DI. So again, a youth garage sale violates even more counsel.

There's only one way to avoid violating various financial, fundraising, and budget counsel from Salt Lake--don't have fundraisers.

rexgj wrote:Door to door soliciting for fundraising is not approved.
Fundraisers generally are not approved.
Fundraisers are the third option after 1) using the budget allowance funds, 2) having the youth earn their own money.

Although the above are some good points, a couple of the later statements are stronger than actual policy.

rexgj wrote:Fundraisers violate the "activities should have little or no expense" clause that appears repeatedly in the handbook.

Obviously, it can't be true that "Fundraisers violate the 'activities should have little or no expense' clause that appears repeatedly in the handbook," if the handbook itself devotes quite a bit of space to detailing the policy for appropriate fund-raising activities.

However, I would agree that it could be true that a ward's use of fund-raising activities might be an indication that their activities are more expensive than is really necessary. Wards should carefully examine their use of fundraising in light of the relevant policies.

rexgj wrote:The "new budget allowance" initiated in 2004 provides more money to wards than most of them ever made through fundraisers, and it was intended to eliminate the need for fundraisers.

The statement from the April 2004 letter was:

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, fundraising activities should be substantially reduced or eliminated.

Note that "substantially reduced" is part of the statement, so the blanket statement that "it was intended to eliminate the need for fundraisers" goes too far.

Also, I'm not sure where you got the data for your statement that the additional funds provided starting in 2004 exceeded the amounts raised by fund-raising activities. When that letter came out, every single ward in my stake that was doing fundraising brought in more money from fundraising than the increase in youth budget allowances. I'll grant that my data is limited, but it does make me question the validity of your claim.

I am going to add to and even emphasize what Alan has written.

Please be careful in making statements that go beyond actual Church policy and making statements indicating behaviors of all Church units and membership when those statements have no source other than rumor or observation of only a few situations.

rexgj wrote:Fundraisers generally are not approved.

This goes beyond the wording and intent of the CHI. The actual wording is: "Fund-raising activities are not normally approved because ...". It then goes into explaining the exceptions and the guidelines to be followed when the fund raising activity is permitted and then held.

rexgj wrote:Fundraisers violate the "activities should have little or no expense" clause that appears repeatedly in the handbook.

When properly planned and the guidance followed in the CHI this will not be the case. Fund-raisers in of themselves do not violate your quoted clause. Only those activities that have not been properly planned and the guidance provided in the CHI not followed can this become an issue.

rexgj wrote:Before a fundraiser is approved by the bishop or stake president, the first two options (budget allowance, and individually earning the money) should be exhausted (option two is completely ignored in the church).

Please do not project the actions of a few onto the rest of the Church who diligently strive to provide meaningful activities within the guidance established by the Church. Every stake I have belonged to, including my current stake, has gone to great lengths to ensure Church guidance and proper procedure is followed regarding fund-raisers. We follow the priority of funding annual camps established by the Church which is 1) local budget, 2) the individual, and 3) fund-raisers.

rexgj wrote:The handbook states clearly that "fundraisers generally are not approved." This gives the clear message that fundraisers should basically not be considered.

When the guidance provided in the CHI is followed fund-raisers are most certainly authorized. I can find no "message" or intent similar to what you claim when I read the CHI.

rexgj wrote:Any funds deposited into the "Other" account must have a specific purpose, and be paid out for that specific purpose--this also is mostly violated in wards who have fundraisers.

I am certain the last part of your statement can not be verified. This is an emotional and reckless claim. This is an insult to those who diligently adhere to established procedures and those who audit those records to ensure Church policies and procedures are followed.

rexgj wrote:There's only one way to avoid violating various financial, fundraising, and budget counsel from Salt Lake--don't have fundraisers.

The best way to avoid the problems mentioned is to follow the Church guidance and procedures established. When questions regarding that guidance arise, consult your local leaders. They have access to the appropriate instructions from the Church and can get resolution to issues that appear to be unique.

rexgj wrote:Any funds deposited into the "Other" account must have a specific purpose, and be paid out for that specific purpose--this also is mostly violated in wards who have fundraisers. The popular "flag fundraiser" is an example of what a fundraiser should not be, and annual, ongoing, every year fundraiser that has no specific purpose attached to it, and is used to extravagant "fun" trips for youth like BYU football games, chartered trips to historical sites, and very expensive venturer activities like a week at Lake Powell water skiing (no priesthood purpose whatsoever).

I take exception to your remarks. Being the finance clerk, I can tell you exactly what the specific purpose of these funds in our unit are, a SINGLE youth summer camp. Have you priced a BSA camp recently? You're looking at about $150 per each youth and leader attending. Oh, you want to eat too? Add another $70 per person. With around 15 deacon-age boys and several leaders involved, this gets very pricey very fast. Is an organized BSA sponsored summer camp really needed? From my Scout Master experience, I've tried it both ways and I strongly believe a BSA camp helps tremendously in the first 2 or 3 years of scouting. After that, I think the need tapers off.

There are other camps and expenses during the year that the budget funds help to cover. Again, are you aware of the price of just badges and awards for a large scout troop with a strong emphasis on advancement? It's a real eye-opener!

The decision to run an annual fund-raiser in our ward is supported by our bishop and stake presidency. If they ever decide to eliminate or change the fund-raiser I would equally support that decision. I have a lot of trust in these men and regularly raise my hand to sustain them.

As far as "option #2", I will not comment on the ability or inability for families with youth in our unit to shoulder the expense. IMO, that's between the family and the Bishop. Besides, several users here know which unit I'm from and I would not want to reveal things I shouldn't.

After I found this thread I recalled that they had a satellite broadcast when the announcement was originally made in 1989 about the budget allowance program. They published the transcripts of the broadcast in the Ensign soon after. Have been unable to locate those on the lds.org site.

Since then I have heard a couple of extreme examples that enhanced my understanding of why they did this, one was that a relief society president somewhere was able to get $7,000 and spent that much on just one of the annual March RS dinners. There were also some very major trips that youth groups were taking as well.

I've never heard of the BYU game trips, I'm right here in Provo, the only thing I hear is radio contests and other general things about trips, never on the Church level, but away from here I've no doubt it happened.

It goes without saying that fund raising is now a no-no, it was before 2004 that the last one which was a YW yardsale, was held in my area. Haven't seen hardly anything of the type since.

On Scout things, there are such things as Friends of Scouting, but that goes to the council, and not the ward/branch or stake/district.

JamesAnderson wrote:It goes without saying that fund raising is now a no-no.

That is incorrect. Please read the earlier posts in the thread from me, jdlessley, and mikerowaved, which accurately portray what is in the Handbook. Fund raising has severe limitations as to how it is done and for what specific purposes, but it is indeed allowed when all those conditions are met.

For families with several teenagers, youth conference, scout camp, and girls camp can really add up quickly. Camps cost at least $300 each, which is an excellent deal if you look elsewhere where the entire staff is paid. Just feeding teenagers is a huge expense! :eek: Fundraisers help ease some of the cost.

And that is just the fee, not the cost of equipment, such as appropriate camping gear for a new scout or the ongoing costs of expensive scout uniforms for boys who will grow a foot or two before they're done wearing that uniform. For awhile, I opted to take my children to a non-LDS troop where I paid all of the costs. In addition to monthly dues and responsibilities to contribute time and goods, every single event cost was out of pocket. All that camping and awards events costs money. In the church that is part of our youth budget.

As for activities with "no priesthood purpose", I beg to differ. Many activities that on the surface have "no priesthood purpose" give our youth opportunities to learn to lean on the Lord, leadership opportunities, following opportunities, team building experiences, getting up the nerve to try something new and challenging, time to get comfortable with their bishopric and stake presidency, etc., etc. These experiences prepare them for adulthood. Exactly what is planned will vary in differing areas, with differing talents, differing resources, and differing needs. However, these are the times to build a foundation to last a lifetime. It is important.

scion wrote:For families with several teenagers, youth conference, scout camp, and girls camp can really add up quickly. Camps cost at least $300 each, which is an excellent deal if you look elsewhere where the entire staff is paid. Just feeding teenagers is a huge expense! :eek: Fundraisers help ease some of the cost.

If your ward is following policy, you should never pay anything for youth conference, and for the one annual camp for YM and YW, the youth should be earning any fee that the budget does not cover, individually if they can, and then via fund-raising activities. So the parents should have no costs for fees for any of these events.

You are right, however, that personal equipment, uniforms, etc. can add up in costs that are borne by the family.

Earn it how? So far, only one of my children has managed to get a job while still under 18. that 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour each day at minimum wage in the school cafeteria doesn't earn much. Two older siblings applied all over the place, but rarely even got an interview. One found employment upon turning 18 and another who just turned 18 and is graduating from high school is still looking to no avail. Employment during high school would be good, but just isn't our reality.

This thread is drifting from the original topic. We all need to return to topic or start another thread.

Thank you.

The point is that the fundraisers are particularly helpful in families with multiple teenagers. Most places that I have lived have not bothered with fundraisers, so the costs are borne by the families.

One fundraiser that worked really well was nixed after the fact. The YW took orders for dry packing at the cannery and charged an extra $1 per can to do the canning. Apparently that was not okay, since they were told that they could not do that again. Maybe if it was in pouches & not at the cannery it might be okay. I don't know.

scion wrote:Earn it how? So far, only one of my children has managed to get a job while still under 18. that 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour each day at minimum wage in the school cafeteria doesn't earn much. Two older siblings applied all over the place, but rarely even got an interview. One found employment upon turning 18 and another who just turned 18 and is graduating from high school is still looking to no avail. Employment during high school would be good, but just isn't our reality.

Again, the Church Handbook of Instructions is very clear on what the order should be for using funds. 1) Budget, 2) Individual, and 3) Fundraising according to very specific guidelines and under very specific circumstances as provisioned in the Handbook.

No one here can offer a justification for or against this principle that would change anything.

But as jdlessley has stated, we are off topic. The topic of this thread is regarding fundraising ideas and suggestions. We've established the policy over and over now, so let's stick to the topic at hand.

For many years, we had a member living in our ward whose home was on several acres of property. He had a fence, a long one.

Well, it seemed that the fence "needed" painting every year. And, it seemed that the Young Men and Young Women "needed" a fundraiser for the annual camp each year.

So, every spring, in a bishopric youth committee meeting, the bishop announced that Brother So and So's fence needed painting, and invited the youth to do it. He advised the youth that those who participated in the painting would not need to worry about the finances of the annual camp.

A date was set. The fence got painted. The camp got paid for.

In my mind, this is the type of fundraiser that has worked for us. Not every ward has a family who needs a fence painted. But I believe a ward council could find a similar project (or projects) in almost any ward.

The best fundraising projects I have seen involve service of some type, along with able members who are willing to respond to the sometimes unusual requests of the bishop.

lajackson wrote:A date was set. The fence got painted. The camp got paid for.

In my mind, this is the type of fundraiser that has worked for us. Not every ward has a family who needs a fence painted. But I believe a ward council could find a similar project (or projects) in almost any ward.

The best fundraising projects I have seen involve service of some type, along with able members who are willing to respond to the sometimes unusual requests of the bishop.

Thanks for sharing that. I like it because it reminds me of similar ones I have been involved in.

The key to all of this I think is when funding to camp (regardless of source) is done upto a year in advance with everyone involved (ward council, parents, youth, youth leaders etc).

Sometimes I have been involved where fundraising was needed and another time I had all the money for all the youth but I still insisted on them doing some service to allow them to "pay" for it. That way you foster youth who will appreciate what they are given.

I enjoy hearing the various fundraising ideas.

For those who are not sure about what can be done within the policy then seek guideance from your local priesthood leaders who are close to your circumstances.

Here in the Pacific Northwest, many units organize fundraisers around Christmas Tree sales and/or disposal which always seems to be well received by the community, but requires some planning and follow-through by the unit. I know of a few units (including my own) which have an annual auction and dinner. This has been very successful while not placing any undue pressue on particular ward members to pay for activities that otherwise couldn't be afforded.

- Stephen

Please keep in mind that there is a BSA procedure for fundraising, including filing a "Unit Money-Eaning Application" with the council (attached) prior to holding any fundraiser to pay for Scouting activities. Page two of the form outlines the general BSA standards that every fundraising activity should follow and make for a pretty good set of guidelines. Our council here has been pretty strict about the form ever since an annual FOS contributor withheld their contribution to the council after making some smaller donations to individual units.

I served 5 years as a bishop, and currently serve as a ward finance clerk (a different ward and different stake). I was the agent bishop for 4 years, and had a close relationship with the stake president and I was aware of what all the other wards in the stake were doing. I am not generalizing or speculating. Here are my observations:

1. I am unaware of any wards that require the youth to "individually" earn their own money when budget allowance funds are insufficient--everybody skips immediately to the third option, the fundraiser.

2. While serving as bishop, our ward had an annual fundraiser that raised $2000. In 2004, the "New Budget Allowance" came out and we received $3100 from this source. All the wards in our stake had similar ratios, they made more from the New Budget Allowance than they did from the fundraiser. One would expect, that with that additional money, these wards would no longer engage in the fundraiser. That was not the case, the fundraisers continued. I was the only bishop that discontinued the fundraiser.

3. Clearly, the spirit, if not the letter, of the New Budget Allowance, was to eliminate the need for fundraisers, and if wards received more money from the New Budget Allowance, than from their fundraiser, why would they continue the fundraiser?

4. The popular "flag fundraiser" picked up by many wards, continues year after year, whether or not there is a "specific" need, it goes into the "Other" account, presumably to be used for the annual summer camp. In my experience, no budget allowance funds are used for these summer camps, they are funded entirely from the fundraisers.

5. Because some wards are so successful at their fundarisers (yes, many wards have multiple fundraisers), the "Other" account tends to grow and grow, and is rolled over, year after year--a clear violation of church policy. Surplus funds in the "Other" account are to be sent back to The Church at the end of the year.

6. There are wards in our stake that have $10,000, $15,000, $20,000, and $23,000 in their "Other" account. And these funds were in the account on January 1st, meaning thay were rolled over from the previous year--and they hadn't even had this year's fundraiser yet.

Likewise, I was aware of numerous letters from the brethren pleading with bishops to "take control of their sacrament meetings," that they are not to be turned over to anyone else (missionary moms, etc), that the bishopric is to plan the sacrament meeting and no one else, etc. This counsel was essentially ignored until President Hinckley eliminated the "sacred" missionary farewell. I truly believe the same thing will happen with fundraisers. Church counsel is being so widely ignored that the church will forbid them altogether (yes, my speculation).

I believe the brethren, and the handbook, when it says "all ward activities are to be funded from the budget allowance." Why would that statement appear repeatedly in the handbook, if it is not possible? I know full well the cost of scout camps. Our stake held its own scout camp on alternating years, then wards went on their own in the other years. The stake camp was inexpensive, so we planned for the additional cost of Camp Maple Dell, for example, the next year. It can be done, but only if we follow the counsel of "activities should have little or no expense."

While serving as bishop, every January we had a "Camps Fireside." All the youth going to any church sponsored camp, and their parents were invited. In this fireside, we gave details of each camp (YW, Scout, Venture, Cubs), the date, the location, the cost. We would then explain that each youth (not cubs) needs to earn $15 for the camp.

We had found that kids who contributed some of their own money were far more committed to the camp, than those who didn't. We emphasized to the parents that the youth were to earn this money, they were not to get it from Mom and Dad.

This was very successful, everyone knew what "the deal" was, what was expected, the camp, the cost, the details.

This fulfilled the second option after the "budget allowance," made the youth work for some of that money, relieved Mom and Dad from having to come up with the money, and everyone knew at the beginning of the year, what was expected.

After 2004, when the "New Budget Allowance" came out, we no longer had a group fundraiser.

Also, we sometimes had one or two (at the most) non-members participate in our camps. We treated them just like members, they earned the $15, and the ward paid the rest of it. Even non-members are not to pay for church camps out of their own pocket.

pwilson wrote:I thought it would be interesting to hear about what other wards have done for successful fundraising when it is needed. One thing we have done previously have been a "YW Garage Sale" where members save up items they would have given to goodwill and instead donate them to the YW to hold a 2-day garage sale to raise funds.

Any other great ideas for generating good fundraising dollar's for camp needs?

I have not seen a post on this topic that quotes from any handbook regarding auctions. Perhaps someone can make an authoritative comment on this.

However, years ago our ward had a big auction every year (this preceded the budget allowance) that brought in thousands of dollars and funded a lot of ward activities, including girls camp, scout camp, and other things. My dad was in the bishopric when the church notified the bishopric that auctions were not allowed in the church, and the ward discontinued the auction.

This was part of the church move to clarify the church's mission, how it does things, what it doesn't do, etc. Raffles (we used to have these all the time too), bingo, and games of chance were also banned. At this time The Church also directed the church away from "money making," profiteering, door to door soliciting, and competing with established businesses in the area (car washes, selling pies, bread, quilts, etc).

So I am confident auctions are not allowed, but I don't have access to a CHI right now, maybe someone does and can look up the wording.

rexgj wrote:1. I am unaware of any wards that require the youth to "individually" earn their own money when budget allowance funds are insufficient--everybody skips immediately to the third option, the fundraiser.

Fortunately, the generalization that "everybody skips immediately to the third option" is not true. Although I'll agree that many wards don't follow the policy of having youth earn the funds, there are plenty of wards that do.

In fact, a subsequent post proved that there is at least one ward in the Church (among many) that follows policy. I wonder who posted this :

rexgj wrote:While serving as bishop, every January we had a "Camps Fireside." All the youth going to any church sponsored camp, and their parents were invited. In this fireside, we gave details of each camp (YW, Scout, Venture, Cubs), the date, the location, the cost. We would then explain that each youth (not cubs) needs to earn $15 for the camp.
...
This fulfilled the second option after the "budget allowance," made the youth work for some of that money, relieved Mom and Dad from having to come up with the money, and everyone knew at the beginning of the year, what was expected.

The Camps Fireside, or some other similar clear communication well in advance of the camps, is an excellent idea to let the youth and parents know exactly how much money the youth need to earn for the camp, if the ward needs to use that second option.

That would also be a good time to explain the plan for any approved fund-raising activities, if that third option is needed in a particular ward's situation.

scjayounger wrote:Here in the Pacific Northwest, many units organize fundraisers around Christmas Tree sales and/or disposal which always seems to be well received by the community, but requires some planning and follow-through by the unit. I know of a few units (including my own) which have an annual auction and dinner. This has been very successful while not placing any undue pressue on particular ward members to pay for activities that otherwise couldn't be afforded.

- Stephen

Please keep in mind that there is a BSA procedure for fundraising, including filing a "Unit Money-Eaning Application" with the council (attached) prior to holding any fundraiser to pay for Scouting activities. Page two of the form outlines the general BSA standards that every fundraising activity should follow and make for a pretty good set of guidelines. Our council here has been pretty strict about the form ever since an annual FOS contributor withheld their contribution to the council after making some smaller donations to individual units.

The problem with things like Christmas tree sales, is you're competing with other businesses, and we are not to be doing that. If the counsel regarding fundraisers is followed strictly, there are not many things that comply with all the counsel--I think The Church meant it to be that way.

I'm pleased that some wards do require the youth to earn some of their camps money, rather than skipping this option and going directly to the fundraiser. My statement is true however, that other than my own ward while serving as bishop, I am unaware of any ward that does.

I think there is an important principle here (in this second option). We are teaching our youth that life, and the church, is not just one big free ride, that they need to work and earn, at least some of the money for camp.

This counsel is consistent with Church counsel to young men preparing for missions, that they should earn "part or all" of the money necessary for their mission. This too, is ignored by many.

rexgj wrote:So I am confident auctions are not allowed, but I don't have access to a CHI right now, maybe someone does and can look up the wording.

Actually, there is no prohibition on auctions in the 2006 CHI (p. 161 covers fund-rasing activities). The current handbook supersedes any former statements, including what may have been said to a particular stake years ago. Some of the other things you listed are prohibited, while others are not mentioned.

In any case, we should all be careful about applying specific Church policy outside our realm of responsibility. In a particular ward, the bishop has access to the Handbook and has the authority and responsibility to seek the Lord's inspiration for how to meet the needs of his ward following his sincere understanding of the Handbook. Where he has questions, he can consult his stake president, who has similar authority and responsibility and inspiration for his stake. Where he has questions, he can consult with Area leaders.

On this forum, we can share our experiences, and point people to resources, but ultimately each individual should look to his or her local priesthood leadership to resolve such issues.

rexgj wrote:5. Because some wards are so successful at their fundarisers (yes, many wards have multiple fundraisers), the "Other" account tends to grow and grow, and is rolled over, year after year--a clear violation of church policy. Surplus funds in the "Other" account are to be sent back to The Church at the end of the year.

Although Zeroing the Other account at the end of each calendar year is good practice, if funds were gathered in the bottom half of the year for some activity or event the following year, these funds are generally allowed to be "rolled over" so they can be used for their intended purpose.

rexgj wrote:6. There are wards in our stake that have $10,000, $15,000, $20,000, and $23,000 in their "Other" account. And these funds were in the account on January 1st, meaning thay were rolled over from the previous year--and they hadn't even had this year's fundraiser yet.

In our stake, this was a problem that fell on the shoulders of the stake auditors. Our auditors now require an accountability for every dollar in the Other account. They also require that funds are to be placed in distinct subcategories, so it's clear what the funds are being held for. If there is not a specific purpose, or an immediate upcoming need for the funds, then yes, they are to be either refunded to the donors (if possible) or passed on to CHQ. Units are NOT allowed to accumulate "slush" funds year after year.

EDIT: Thanks, Alan. I think your post sums it up quite well.

rexgj wrote:I have not seen a post on this topic that quotes from any handbook regarding auctions. Perhaps someone can make an authoritative comment on this. . . .

So I am confident auctions are not allowed, but I don't have access to a CHI right now, maybe someone does and can look up the wording.

The Code of Conduct does not allow for direct quotes from the Church Handbook of Instructions, although we may provide references to chapters or page numbers. Hopefully, this is why you have not seen a post that quotes from the Handbook regarding auctions.

The other reason there has not been such a post is because, as far as I am aware, the word auction is not in the Church Handbook of Instructions. [grin]

That said, to the matter at hand. As others have mentioned, a quick reading of the Fund-Raising section (CHI, Book 1, p. 161), really does answer every question a unit would need to know if they decided it was necessary to exercise the third option to help pay for annual camps.

I am firmly in the camp (pun intended) that a unit should fund everything from the budget allowance. When I was in a position to make those decisions, that was almost always the decision.

I am also well aware that, for quite a number of units, that decision is not possible. This is the reason there is an exception in the Handbook. Bishops, with their stake presidents, apply the principles of the Handbook under the inspiration and keys they hold.

About auctions.

The fund-raising guidelines do not allow the sale of commercial goods or services, including food storage items. It would seem to me, therefore, that an auction of such items would not be in harmony with that guideline.

I mentioned earlier in this thread that the best fund-raising projects I have seen involve service of some type, along with able members who are willing to respond to the sometimes unusual requests of the bishop.

I will now share another successful fund-raiser. It was (cover your ears now) an auction. However, it was a very well-planned auction.

At one ward social, early in the year, the Young Men were assigned to serve the meal. At the conclusion of dinner, they were all lined up at the front of the room. Our host announced that each of these Young Men (Scouts) were planning to attend summer camp. They were now being made available to the members to provide needed services.

A brother raised his hand and said he needed help planting a garden. He announced the amount per hour he was willing to pay and the number of hours he thought it would take. Those quick at math were able to multiply the two numbers and see that the result was equal the cost of Scout camp.

A sister raised her hand and said she needed help with some projects around the home because her husband was deployed with the military. She offered a lower amount per hour. The math came out to half the cost of camp. A brother raised his hand and said he was her home teacher. He would double the amount because he would rather the Scout do the work to pay for camp than he, as the home teacher, do the work for nothing. There were laughs, cheers and applause.

It went on and on for the next little while. Some outbid others for services. It was all fun and entertaining, and when it was done, every Scout had a means to pay for camp.

Remember what I said. The best fund-raising projects I have seen involve service of some type, along with able members who are willing to respond to the sometimes unusual requests of the bishop. That was the key to the successful auction. It was nearly all planned out in advance.

I add an appendix here. This fund-raiser, and the one I mentioned earlier about the fence, were conducted before the latest increase in budget allowance for youth activities. Today, where I now live, I would be firmly back in the camp that fund-raisers are not needed.

I would also be quick to point out that the situation is not the same everywhere. I am aware of places where fund-raisers are still needed and, following Church guidelines, conducted. I am aware of places where the entire funding structure of some activities is totally different from the way we are used to doing things in most places in the United States.

For this reason, the Handbook sometimes allows exemptions. It is all in the book. Insightful reading, as they say. [grin]

lajackson...good answer. I'm going to make another metaphor here. The counsel on fundraisers is much like the counsel for the Aaronic priesthood to wear white shirts and ties while administering the sacrament. Someone will always say, but what about the boy who doesn't have a white shirt, or can't afford a white shirt? And someone else will reply, but we're talking about boys from well to do families here--they can all afford it.

The problem is, many in the church choose to go casual, or dress for church, the way they would dress for school. So Elder Holland, for example, talks about the "uniform of the priesthood." Then the "ya but" folks come out and have a different view.

I always try to discern the real intent of counsel, what are the brethren really getting at? what is it they really are trying to say? Why did they say what they said? Why the letter? why the direction at all? What drove them to issue this counsel?

With regard to fundraisers, I'm confident the real intent was to say, in almost all wards, fundraising is not necessary, all activities should be funded from the budget allowance. However, in some situations, they are allowed, and here's a list of conditions. But many buzz right past the real intent, and goes straight to the "howevers."

The same thing happend in the late 1960s when the first presidency sent out a letter on birth control. 99% of the letter dealt with why we shouldn't practice "artificial" birth control. But one line of the letter gave you an out--if there were extenuating circumstances.

Half the members applauded the statement against artificial birth control, the other half (my observation) applauded the fact the church now endorsed birth control by "artificial" means. Just so interesting.

So, in my dreams, I would like to sit down with President Monson (or any of the brethren) and ask the question; "What is the mind of the Lord with regard to fundraisers?" And I just can't believe he (they) would say, "oh we're fine with fundraisers."

rexgj wrote:So, in my dreams, I would like to sit down with President Monson (or any of the brethren) and ask the question; "What is the mind of the Lord with regard to fundraisers?" And I just can't believe he (they) would say, "oh we're fine with fundraisers."

I would agree they wouldn't say that. But I suspect that either you'd get something that left you right back to where you started "They shouldn't be needed, but...." or advice that only pertains to your particular situation.

If opportunity ever came up, I think a more enlightening question would be "When have you seen conditions under which fundraisers were justified?" I think the stories that would flow would be most interesting - and informative as to why the policy is what it is.

What keeps fueling this thread is the insistence that fundraisers be eliminated when that is not what's written in policy. The fact that some ward (in our opinion) abuse it, doesn't justify a harsher interpretation of policy. Fundraiser are permitted with restrictions. It's up to the local priesthood leaders to apply that to their wards.

rexgj wrote:The counsel on fundraisers is much like the counsel for the Aaronic priesthood to wear white shirts and ties while administering the sacrament. Someone will always say, but what about the boy who doesn't have a white shirt, or can't afford a white shirt?

The answer is in the Handbook on page 37. It tells the bishop exactly how to handle this situation.

rexgj wrote:I'm confident the real intent was to say, . . .

You may well be correct. In my experience, however, we are asked to do things first, and we learn the intent and the reasons why as we are obedient in the doing. This is the pattern the Lord seems to have used for quite some time. (Moses 5:5-6)

rexgj wrote:The same thing happend in the late 1960s when the first presidency sent out a letter . . .
But one line of the letter gave you an out--if there were extenuating circumstances.

Funny how we read and interpret things the way we want to, isn't it. English comprehension is such an imprecise subject, eh?

rexgj wrote:So, in my dreams, I would like to sit down with President Monson (or any of the brethren) and ask the question; . . .

In my visits with these brethren, it seems that we have never gotten around to the fund-raising question, sorry. [grin]

I guess in my experience in the church, I see far more abuse of the fundraiser, than the "blessing" of the fundraiser. I can give dozens of first hand knowledge of abuse of this, and I'm stretching to think of a single, really, valid, important use of it.

In conversations with church leaders (bishop, stake presidents, YM and YW leaders, other clerks), all I have ever gotten is a vague justification of the fundraiser, mainly, that "we've always done it," or "without the fundraiser we can't take our youth to the BYU football game," or some other similar justification. Never am I able to have reasoned discussion that begins with, "Well, what does the hand book say?" or "What are we counseled to do?" This, to me, speaks volumes. It says that many leaders are more interested in maintaining the status quo, or more interested in hanging on to all that extra money, than they are interested in doing what we've been counseled to do.

I also find similarities in the counsel on fundraisers, with the counsel on modesty. Instead of seeking to understand what the Lord would truly have us do, we look for ways to justify how we dress.

I still maintain that, at least in the more populous areas of the church, fundraisers are completely unnecessary, and that that is the intent of the brethren. Instead, what I see is every ward having multiple fundraisers, or at least one big fundraiser every year, or increasingly, finding a fundraiser that is there every year, so we can count on it (like the flag fundraiser).

So, in the end, what does it matter? I believe all counsel has a spiritual foundation, and a spiritual blessing. Those who follow counsel will be blessed for it, those who try to skirt around it, will not.

RussellHltn wrote:
What keeps fueling this thread is the insistence that fundraisers be eliminated when that is not what's written in policy.

But, in fact, that is what is written in the policy. From MLS: Help, FAQ, I quote "The increase in the local unit budget allowance for youth and young single adults is intended to fund activities more effectively, to help build testimony in our youth by having good, wholesome activities, and to eliminate the need for fund-raisers."

Is this not saying the "New Budget Allowance" was intended to eliminate fundraisers? If it's not saying that, what is it saying? It certainly isn't a hearty endorsement of fundraisers. True, The Church has not completely forbidden the possibility of having a valid fundraiser.

But, the counsel on abortion could be taken the same way; abortion is essentially forbidden, but it does allow, in some cases, for the possibility of having an abortion. But does this mean abortion is endorsed by the church? Certainly not, and neither does it endorse fundraisers, except in some unusual circumstances.

From LDSclerks.org,

One of the principles of the budget allowance program is..."Activities are to be simplified to fit within the Budget Allowance."

Now, this could have said, "Fundraisers are to be used to make up any short falls in the budget allowance," but it doesn't say that, it says just the opposite. Yet, in my experience, the latter is more common than the stated "principle" in the first paragraph.

The topic of this thread is best fund-raising ideas. Please, let's keep the discussions focused on that topic.

It is readily apparent that some individuals have differing opinions regarding the policy. The matter of interpreting fund-raiser policy should be left to those who hold the keys to make the determination as to the course of action they will take regarding this issue. We will not decide that for them in these forums.

A momentary digression from topic for the benefit of visitors to these forums:

rexgj wrote:From LDSclerks.org ...

Please note that LDSClerks.org is not an official site of the Church. The information from that web site that was deemed useful and in alignment with Church policy has, for a several months now, been incorportated into the officially sponsored Church wiki. All efforts from past contributors to LDSClerks.org have been redirected to the Church wiki and the information found at LDSClerks.org may not be accurate since those monitoring contributions to the site have ceased to ensure accuracy of the information.

jdlessley wrote:The topic of this thread is best fund-raising ideas. Please, let's keep the discussions focused on that topic.

In agreement with what jdlessley has posted, we (the Moderators) will lock this thread if it digresses into a policy debate again.

rexgj wrote:Is this not saying the "New Budget Allowance" was intended to eliminate fundraisers? If it's not saying that, what is it saying? It certainly isn't a hearty endorsement of fundraisers. True, The Church has not completely forbidden the possibility of having a valid fundraiser.

I am confused, because you apparently asked and answered your own question within the same paragraph.

The Church has established a rule and provided policy on how to deal with exceptional circumstances. Like so many other things, any additional questions on the matter should be referred to the appropriate priesthood leader.

My current ward uses an annual flag program to support Boy Scout Camp. The boys place and remove flags on designated days throughout the year. They learn some work ethic and money valuation. Moneys are credited for participation only. Thus far flag program money's have only been used for Scout Camp and associated equipment, and are not available for Venturer or Explorer activities. Some consideration is being given to extending the program to support Young Women's camps because of their increasing costs. Leaders are frugal with camp plans, but costs increase significantly regardless. Consequently, if extended, young women would be allowed to place and remove flags in order to earn credit. The Handbooks are being consulted.

Occassionaly support is needed to help a family that is struggling financially to participate in activities that require what might be considered an insignificant fee or cost. It is common for members aware of such need to donate through the ward to allow such participation. For one annual adult activity ward budget monies are made available to families in need because they may be strengthened most from participation.

In a prior ward we had a food booth in an annual county fair. It was a great opportunity for the ward to join in service, represent the Church in the mission field, and learn new skills. My memory is fuzzy as to why we discontinued this fund raiser, but it was before the boost in Church budget allotments.

Recently, the stake challenged the youth to assemble personal hygiene kits for donation around the world. It would've been nice to be able to use some Ward funds to reach our kit count goal, but members were tasked with donating kit components. Some members were able to find companies willing to donate cases of items. We didn't reach our goal, but with the current status of the economy most companies, as well as members, donate much less than they used to. In any case a significant amount of kits were assembled. We even had a Sister participate in a brief mission (as a nurse) and witness distribution of personal hygiene kits donated by the Church as well as other organizations.

I hope this helps.

In any case I plan to use this thread to prepare for my turn at providing Bishopric training. Thanks for the discussion.

JJ

The Young men in my ward have done a car wash the last few years (it seems to be against church policy so I won't give details on how it worked [it wasn't a typical car wash]). Every other year or something (I think it was the years the ward did their own camp and not the stake) the young women have held a fundraiser that took the form of a dinner with items and services auctioned off after. Most of said items and services were from the girls and the leaders, but things like oil changes and car washes from local businesses were also auctioned.

Interesting discussion. In my experience in working with Youth, camps and high adventures seem to mean more to them if they've paid for them themselves (if the amount is beyond what is allotted in the budget, and as has already been mentioned, scout camps and high adventures oftentimes exceed what our budget can cover). Our YM used to do more involved fund raisers such as garage sales, etc. However, over the past few years, we've discontinued that. We have many members in our ward who are willing to hire YM and YW to do things like lawn work, painting, babysitting, etc. The youth leaders make sure the youth are aware of these work opportunities and, when needed, assist them with rides, motivation, etc. This way each youth is able to earn the money they need, they learn the principle of work and self-reliance, and are able to take pride in knowing that they worked to earn their own money for camp or high adventure.

I remember doing spaghetti dinners or pancake breakfasts as fundraisers in scouts. Sometimes we'd schedule the meal in conjunction with the cub scouts pinewood derby and have quite a day celebrating scouting with those that came.

The most unusual fundraiser I've been involved with involved helping a local business with a seasonal project. Our project was a "Design An Ad" competition in which the newspaper sold advertisements to businesses which local school children would design. The task of putting together packets to send to the teachers of participating classes and sorting the entries by advertiser was gladly contracted to our scout troop. The paper delivered the materials to us and we spent a Saturday morning putting together the packets for each class. We also sorted the packets for deliver. The paper picked up the packets and delivered them to the schools. A month or two later the entries had been received at the paper and were brought back to us to be sorted by advertiser. Again the troop gathered on a Saturday morning to perform the task. Of course the particulars of this fundraiser were not very significant; the key was that one of our leaders found an opportunity to work with a local business on a seasonal project that could easily be done by our youth.

I know I'm opening an old thread, but would like some advice from the community.

Our Stake Presidency discontinued Scout trips to Philmont a few years ago due to the distance (we are at the edge of a LONG day's drive to get there). They have recently changed their direction and a Stake-sponsored Philmont trip is planned for 2012. As some of you know, Philmont runs over $800 per person and the bishopric is discussing ways to support the Stake while at the same time complying with the wise direction from the CHI. Our Young Men's organization is over 30 youth with about 90% active so we usually have to have 3 full crews at Philmont.

We want to avoid a fundraiser and our initial idea is for individuals in the ward, who are willing and able, provide work opportunities for the youth. They would not pay the youth in cash, but would donate the value of their service to an "Other" account in their name.

If course, this potentially raises a couple of things that have to be worked out: The other account would span all of 2011 and much of 2012. What happens if someone drops out - where do the funds go? Etc. Etc. We won't do anything without running it past the Stake Presidency, but does anyone out there have an experience with something like this?

Thanks for your ideas.

4ward4ever wrote:....
We want to avoid a fundraiser and our initial idea is for individuals in the ward, who are willing and able, provide work opportunities for the youth. They would not pay the youth in cash, but would donate the value of their service to an "Other" account in their name....

Thanks for your ideas.

In whose name, the youth? So, if a youth "earns credit" for doing this work, enabling him to go to scout camp, what do you do with the youth's who "do not" earn the credit because they just don't make it to "opportunities?" Do they not go to camp?

I love fundrasing questions, because there are so many of them!

I won't even touch the CHI questions, but some others: What percentage of the amount paid per boy is paid by a "camp participation fee" paid by the family, and what percent is paid by a fundraiser, and what percentage is from the ward budget? What does your YW organization feel about such an expense for the scouts? Are the parents willing/able to fund higher amounts as "user fees?" How successful is your scout membership drive, and is there opportunity for more "giving", etc, etc, etc.

(you don't need to answer the questions for me, these are just questions I would anticipate you will hear brought up!)

4ward4ever wrote:I know I'm opening an old thread, but would like some advice from the community.

Our Stake Presidency discontinued Scout trips to Philmont a few years ago due to the distance (we are at the edge of a LONG day's drive to get there). They have recently changed their direction and a Stake-sponsored Philmont trip is planned for 2012. As some of you know, Philmont runs over $800 per person and the bishopric is discussing ways to support the Stake while at the same time complying with the wise direction from the CHI. Our Young Men's organization is over 30 youth with about 90% active so we usually have to have 3 full crews at Philmont.

We want to avoid a fundraiser and our initial idea is for individuals in the ward, who are willing and able, provide work opportunities for the youth. They would not pay the youth in cash, but would donate the value of their service to an "Other" account in their name.

If course, this potentially raises a couple of things that have to be worked out: The other account would span all of 2011 and much of 2012. What happens if someone drops out - where do the funds go? Etc. Etc. We won't do anything without running it past the Stake Presidency, but does anyone out there have an experience with something like this?

Thanks for your ideas.

This looks like and smells like a fundraiser to me. You may as well call it a fundraiser. Personally, I think it's a great opportunity for the boys to work for and has the potential to build a lot of character. But my opinion is (severely) biased...to the point that I deliberately chose to volunteer in a non-Church sponsored troop because of fundraising and financial restrictions. But that's another story.

With respect to your dilemma, I see two options

A: Record the money into subcategories with each boy receiving an equal cut of a contribution for every activity at which he participates. The advantage is it's easy to see which boys are pulling their weight and which ones need a kick in the pants. If one of the boys decides not to go, it's also easy to determine how much money should be returned to each donor (if recorded into subcategories at the time of donation). The disadvantage is that this looks like paying for an individual's trip, which--according to my interpretation--isn't really appropriate.

B: Record the money in one category and collect for the total sum of the trip. The advantage is you have a collaborative, team oriented event, and you're nor likely to have to return money (just find a new boy if one drops out). The disadvantage is it's hard to track who has been contributing.

I don't think either option is better than the other. They're just different ideas.

Just to add another idea to the fundraiser list:

Last year our young women combined with the other ward in our building to do a pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt. Strangely, if you ask the other ward, it was a huge success...but if you ask our ward, it was a total flop. After $700 revenue, each ward took back a profit of about $130. There were a number of circumstances that led to such a poor profit, but I won't detail those. Suffice it to say, I will vouch that careful planning is really key to a successful fundraiser. It takes more than a week to put a good one together.

To add insult to injury, the camp directors from the two wards decided to use all the money (and then some) on t-shirts, hats, pins, and other gimmicks to give to the girls to make camp a memorable experience. Not a penny went to camp gear or camp fees. I just about went ballistic.

After such a tragedy, the young women president and I made a very careful plan for what needed to happen in the future. We put together a list of camp supplies that the ward could purchase to make the girls camp program self sufficient (tents, cooking supplies, mess gear, water carriers, etc), shopped around on the internet, priced out the gear, and determined how much money would be needed to purchase all the supplies.

This coming year, we plan to do a fundraiser with the sole intent of purchasing the camp supplies. The target this year is $600 profit, which will buy about two thirds of the gear, and then another $600 the following year. After that, fundraiser targets probably will range between $0 and $150, depending on if gear needs to be replaced.

The fundraiser for next year will be a sale of truffles for Mother's Day. The girls will be responsible for taking orders ($10 for a box of 12 truffles) from ward members and perhaps friends and teachers. Checks will be made to the ward and deposited in the other account. The goal is to sell 100 boxes.

The Saturday before Mother's Day, the girls will meet to make all the truffles (possibly over two weekends), package and box them, and deliver them on Sunday.

But again, I say, doing a fundraiser for the sake of doing a fundraiser is nonsense. Fundraisers should have a purpose, a plan, and involve a significant contribution from the beneficiaries.

kisaac wrote:What does your YW organization feel about such an expense for the scouts?

I think this is a fair question to bring up to the young women, and if the scouts are going to embark on such a trip, the young women should be given an opportunity to do so. I know Philmont will take female Venturers, so I assume they'd take an all girl crew

But they should at least be given a similar opportunity.

4ward4ever wrote:We want to avoid a fundraiser and our initial idea is for individuals in the ward, who are willing and able, provide work opportunities for the youth. They would not pay the youth in cash, but would donate the value of their service to an "Other" account in their name.

If course, this potentially raises a couple of things that have to be worked out: The other account would span all of 2011 and much of 2012. What happens if someone drops out - where do the funds go? Etc. Etc. We won't do anything without running it past the Stake Presidency, but does anyone out there have an experience with something like this?

We did this same type of thing for young men going to a scouting event a few years ago (more like a decade). There was concern that the young men would earn the funds from the work opportunities and not contribute them for the event. The consensus was that the young men had to learn two principles. The first was tithing and the second was responsibility. If they did not deposit the funds for the event as earned, after paying tithing, then they were the ones that had to accept the consequence of possibly not being able to attend the event.

Having someone else deposit the funds for work performed by a young man just complicates the issue of tracking and refunding when a young man does not attend. It can be done. But it requires a bit more work and the young men lose out on the lessons to be taught.

The transition to CUBS throws a bit of a tracking problem into this situation. Since CUBS only allows one sub-account level below the Authorized Member Financed Activities account you can either create a sub-account for each young man (The title would have something identifying the young man and the event.) or only one sub-account for the event. For the situation where there is only one sub-account for the event there are issues of tracking the funds for refund purposes. Tracking in a spreadsheet outside MLS could be used. If a young man makes the contribution for himself then the funds can be deposited into one sub-account and each deposit identified in MLS for refund purposes.

The on-line training titled Understanding and Using the "Other" Category, while not updated to align with the terms with CUBS implementation, apply regarding the handling of funds placed in an Authorized Member Financed Activities sub-account. For the situation where the funds are not used for the specified purpose, the funds should be returned to the donor. Having someone else make the contribution on behalf of the young man, even though the young man earned the funds from services performed, unnecessarily complicates the refunding issue.

in these difficult times it seems pretty churlish to be counselling our members to live within their means, and get out of debt - when we plan activities which push the envelope of necessity and affordability.

In my opinion we should be cutting our cloth as closely as possible - while still providing opportunities to grow spititually, learn, socialise and have fun.

nutterb wrote:I think this is a fair question to bring up to the young women, and if the scouts are going to embark on such a trip, the young women should be given an opportunity to do so.

I know of an adjacent ward whose young men went on a fabulous adventure, and went way over budget doing so. All the organizations were told to tighten their belts that year in response. The next year, much to the dismay of the bishopric, the YW made sure they went way over budget on girls camp....

While it may seem petty, the need for equality is anything but petty.

kisaac wrote:I know of an adjacent ward whose young men went on a fabulous adventure, and went way over budget doing so. All the organizations were told to tighten their belts that year in response. The next year, much to the dismay of the bishopric, the YW made sure they went way over budget on girls camp....

While it may seem petty, the need for equality is anything but petty.

Oh, I see a different lesson - I suspect what the YW saw was there was little penalty for going over budget.

4ward4ever wrote:our initial idea is for individuals in the ward, who are willing and able, provide work opportunities for the youth. They would not pay the youth in cash, but would donate the value of their service to an "Other" account in their name.

While I can understand the benefits of doing it that way, my concern is that it could put the church in a position of being a temporary employment agency with all the rules, regulations and taxes that go along with that. Also, what happens if someone gets hurt?

While the individual transactions might not meet the threshold of action, taken collectively (by paying the church directly) they might attract attention from the regulators.

Eight hundred dollars per boy? You have GOT to be kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

wcooke wrote:Eight hundred dollars per boy? You have GOT to be kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds about right. Philmont trips from Ohio cost about $1,200 when you include travel.

wcooke wrote:Eight hundred dollars per boy? You have GOT to be kidding!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds right for Philmont. The regular week-long summer camps in our Scout council are running $350 or more per boy.

reji posted, "The church has also repeatedly counseled members not to have garage or yard sales, but to donate those items to DI. So again, a youth garage sale violates even more counsel.

There's only one way to avoid violating various financial, fundraising, and budget counsel from Salt Lake--don't have fundraisers."

Actually, that is a narrow view. A properly initiated fund raiser hits the following points:

• Promotes the Strength of Youth's self reliance.
• Builds ownership and interest in the program.
• Builds self confidence in the youth.
• Overcome hesitancy to approach strangers, prep for missionary contacting.
• Can fund activities that require the youth to plan, prepare and execute on a weekly and monthly basis.

stevenKeck wrote:reji posted, "The church has also repeatedly counseled members not to have garage or yard sales, but to donate those items to DI.

They have? I've been a member all my life and have never heard this counsel.

russellhltn wrote:

4ward4ever wrote:our initial idea is for individuals in the ward, who are willing and able, provide work opportunities for the youth. They would not pay the youth in cash, but would donate the value of their service to an "Other" account in their name.

While I can understand the benefits of doing it that way, my concern is that it could put the church in a position of being a temporary employment agency with all the rules, regulations and taxes that go along with that. Also, what happens if someone gets hurt?

While the individual transactions might not meet the threshold of action, taken collectively (by paying the church directly) they might attract attention from the regulators.

- I didn't say I personally agreed with our ward's direction. I expressed similar concerns during Bishopric meeting but it is the method the Bishop wanted to use...

While I appreciate everyone trying to fundraise while sticking close to the handbook-- it sure would be nice to get BACK ON TOPIC and SHARE fundraising ideas. To each ward, his own--fund raise with your Bishop's approval. Can we please have some idea sharing? We currently live in a ward that has financial hardship sending scouts to camp and would love some ideas on fundraising.

kristaday. I started a new post with same title "Best Fundraising Ideas" in the Local Unit Finance Section under Clerks and Technology Support with my post of some fundraising ideas. I did this as I felt the comment thread here had gone too much "Off Topic" and wanted to try to start fresh with this topic. As always, everyone's helpful thoughts on the specific topic - Best Fundraising Ideas -on that Section is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I live in a ward with a smaller YM program on the east coast. This past year for Valentine's Day we held a "Sweetheart Dinner". We set the price of dinner at $15/person (typical what would be spent on a normal dinner-date) and was held in the cultural hall of our building. Our motto during the planning was to spend as thrifty as possible while making the dinner feel nice since it was on Valentine's Day. YM and their parents/leaders donated time to set-up/decorate. We also found businesses to donate breadsticks, noodles, Alfredo sauce, etc so most of the food did not cost. Other food items (i.e. appetizers, salad, dessert) were either brought by the boys or YM leaders or purchased. We held a small silent auction on a side table with donated talents by ward members (i.e. a few voice lessons, photoshoot, etc). We did not want an auction with people shouting out dollar amounts. Doesn't make for a good environment for less-wealthy ward members.

Pros of the dinner:
- successful enough for our needs
- it was great value so we didn't feel like we were taking money from ward members under the name of "scouting".
- once the dinner was over the fundraiser was over. No long, enduring paperwork, commitments that we had to follow up on
- we had adult leaders and parents willing to help out
- we cut down costs wherever we could so there was very little overhead of the dinner

Cons of the dinner:
- Despite being successful, I would never encourage our YM presidency/Scout Committee to organize this type of fundraiser on Valentine's Day again. Valentine's Day should not be spent year after year as a YM fundraiser. If there was another day during the year that we could mark with this dinner then I think it would be
- Relatively little support from the boys who were going to camp. They practically showed up 15 minutes before the dinner with a plate of brownies and served as waiters during the dinner bringing plates to and from the kitchen/serving area
- Very time consuming the 24 hours prior to the dinner with food prep and set up

mdnelson07 wrote:- Relatively little support from the boys who were going to camp. They practically showed up 15 minutes before the dinner with a plate of brownies and served as waiters during the dinner bringing plates to and from the kitchen/serving area

This would be because the YM Presidency and the Scout Committee did all the planning and organization without involving the Young Men. If the Young Men were involved in the planning and organizing then they would of been the ones doing all the work with the leaders just providing support, which is how it should be. These YM could of picked the menu, picked up supplies, set up the dinning area, cooked, sold tickets, ect.. They could and would have done it all if they were involved from the start.

I think sometimes we forget what the word "Adviser" means.

I have a question. I keep seeing on here that members should be asked to pay for camp first then explore fundraising. So I'm the YW president in my ward and we are trying to come up with fundraising ideas. I would love it if I could convince my bishop to let the girls families pay the difference for camp and those that can't the ward help. Anyway, I cannot find anywhere in the handbook this order that keeps popping up in this thread.
1.wards pay
2.families pay
3. Fundraiser.
Cannot find it anywhere. So could someone direct me to where it is in the handbook? Thanks

Eurekatate wrote:I cannot find anywhere in the handbook this order that keeps popping up in this thread.
1.wards pay
2.families pay
3. Fundraiser.
Cannot find it anywhere. So could someone direct me to where it is in the handbook? Thanks

Handbook 2: 13.2.8: Funding for Activities

"Possible exceptions to the funding policy in the preceding paragraph are listed below. If the ward budget does not have sufficient funds to pay for the following activities, leaders may ask participants to pay for part or all of them:"

"If funds from participants are not sufficient, the bishop may authorize one group fund-raising activity annually that complies with the guidelines in 13.6.8."

While that's not exactly "families pay", as a practical matter, if you ask a youth to pay for something, they're going to turn to their parents.

auctions of "goods" including food items is taxable and therefor not in keeping with counsel.