Standardizing summer camp costs and eliminating fundraising in our stake

The following is a document that was presented at the Stake Priesthood Leadership meeting in conjunction with stake conference on November 3-4, 2012. This came in response to wards asking about how many fundraisers they could have and for what purposes.

Dear Ward Leaders,

Financing of youth programs, especially the cost of summer camps, continues to be a concern for all of us. Our greatest concerns have been: (1) the financial burden summer camps can be on families; and (2) the tendency of youth leaders to fundraise, when it’s the parents’ responsibility to teach their children to work and to earn money.

As a stake presidency, we have formulated a plan that addresses both concerns. We therefore  announce: (1) the cost of summer camps, regardless of age or gender, is to be standardized at $100 per child (the annual Stake Primary Activity Day and 11-Year-Old Scout Camp will continue to be funded by the stake at no cost to families); and (2) all fundraising in the stake is to be suspended immediately. (Any current projects can be given to families to conduct on their own.)

How will such a plan be funded?

In 2004, Church leaders created an extra allocation or subsidy for each Primary child and Young Man-Young Woman to help fund their activities, including summer camps, and minimize—if not eliminate altogether—the need for fundraising. Beginning in 2014, this subsidy combined with the families’ contribution of $100 per child will be used to fund all summer camps, including Cub Scout Day Camp, Young Women Camp, Boy Scout Camp, and High Adventure Outing / Multi-Stake Camp Helaman for priests.

We realize this will necessitate a reduction (about 20%) in each ward’s 2014 budget allocation. To help offset this reduction and give wards plenty of time to adjust to their new budgets, (1) all carry-over funds (end-of-year budget surpluses) will now remain with the ward instead of reverting back to the stake as in the past; and (2) the youth subsidy for 2013 will be included in your 2013 ward budget allocation, even though summer camp costs should be minimal, due to the Stake Trek replacing most summer camps next year.

We hope you will see the many benefits of this approach. For instance: (1) it rewards you  for being frugal, rather than the use-it-or-lose-it policy of the past; (2) it focuses youth leaders on teaching the gospel, our core mission, and not concerning themselves with fundraising; and (3) it follows the pattern of funding full-time missionaries with a standardized cost for all summer camps so parents will know far in advance how much each of their children will need to earn or raise for a summer camp experience.

We realize this announcement will raise questions so more details will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please know of our deep gratitude for your willingness to give this plan a chance to bless our stake. The Lord is hastening His work and this is one more way to go forward in faith.

The question arose whether Boy Scouts in the wards could be supported in attending Scout Camp in 2013, in addition to the Stake Trek, so they will stay on track to become Eagle Scouts. This document then followed to bishops on November 13, 2012:

Dear Brethren,

Thank you for your support of our stake’s new Finance Policy announced at stake conference on November 4, 2012. The new policy standardized for families summer camp costs of $100 per child and suspended all fundraising projects. Some of you already had fundraising projects in motion at the time of the announcement and immediately turned over the projects to families of youth. Thank you for showing such faith and support without complaint!

We remind you that the key reason for this new policy is to return to parents the responsibility of teaching their children how to work and earn money. We deeply appreciate your willingness, as a bishopric, to meet with the parents of the youth in your ward to explain the new policy and to help them understand their role to: (1) teach their children to work, (2) teach them to be grateful, and (3) show them how to exercise faith through the payment of an honest tithe.

We also recognize that, even with wards retaining budget carry-over funds, the new policy may create some anxiety as you prepare to operate on a 20% reduced budget allocation in 2014. In an effort to minimize the impact, we offer the following subsidies for all family wards in 2013:

·   The stake will match funds raised by families for Scout Camp in 2013 of up to $100. This means the family pays $100, the stake pays $100 and the ward pays the balance of $75.

·   The stake will match funds raised by families for Cub Scout Day Camp in 2013 of up to $50. This means the family pays $50, the stake pays $50 and the ward pays the balance of $25.

·   The stake also will reimburse wards up to $500 for the purchase of youth camping gear and other activity equipment; purchases must be pre-approved by the stake.

·   The stake will reimburse wards up to $500 for transportation or fuel costs incurred in 2013 by leaders taking youth on outdoor outings; must be validated with detail.

We hope these one-time subsidies to your youth programs will be helpful as you move into 2013 and prepare to receive an adjustment to your 2014 budget allocation. Thank you again for your support as we continue to seek the Lord’s guidance on how to help parents assume their divinely appointed responsibility to teach and prepare their children. 

We continued to find wards were looking for loopholes to the new finance program, so this clarification document was sent on November 21, 2012:

Dear Brethren,

We are grateful for your acceptance of our efforts to standardize youth summer camp costs and to eliminate fundraising by returning to parents the responsibility of teaching their children to work, be grateful and pay tithing. Letters dated November 4 and 13 of this year detail how the new stake finance policy is to be implemented and funded in 2013 and beyond.

Please remember that the stake subsidies are sacred funds and not limitless. Consequently, we ask that you take note of the following clarifications:

·   Beginning in 2014, the stake subsidy will cover all summer camp costs for youth above the $100 family contribution, but not to exceed:
               $284 for Boy Scout Camp per youth
               $125 for Cub Scout Day Camp per youth
               $125 for Young Women’s Camp per youth
               $150 for High-Adventure Outings per youth

·   If the total cost of any of the above-listed camps or outings increases, the stake reserves the right to determine whether or not we will increase the subsidy or increase the cost to families or a combination of both.

·   Wards may use budget funds to subsidize out-of-council Scout camps or other activities that may be more expensive. However, we do not recommend nor will we support these activities beyond the limits established above.

·   We remind you that the stake summer-camp standardization and financing plan applies only to one summer camp per youth per year.