New Financing Program Announced for Church Scouts in U.S.

Beginning with the 1974 calendar year, Church Scouting funds will be raised through the Sustaining Membership Enrollment program instead of being funded from ward and stake budgets.

Under the former program, used for many years by the Boy Scouts of America, Scouts, their parents, and interested friends of Scouting became the source of necessary finances.

In announcing the new method, applicable to stakes and wards in the United States, the First Presidency said, “… the present practice in some stakes and wards of allocating funds from stake and ward budgets for Boy Scout financial support will be discontinued.”

“The Church is in agreement [with Boy Scouts of America] that the proper way to raise funds is through the Sustaining Membership Enrollment program.”

In a letter to stake, ward, and branch leaders, the Presiding Bishopric said, “We are certain that adequate funds can be raised by following the Boy Scouts of America program.”

“The stake presidents and bishops will want to assign men who will follow through and see that every family who has a Cub, Scout, Venturer, or Explorer is contacted and invited to participate.”

The Presiding Bishopric also said, “The institutional representative may also want to suggest a list of Scouts and interested friends of Scouting who do not have sons participating, but who are willing to contribute.”

For Scouts, the new method for the Church means that they will be involved in raising their own funds, explained Folkman D. Brown, Mormon Relations Executive, Boy Scouts of America.

“From now on,” said Brother Brown, “Scouts in the Church in the United States will conduct regular drives to raise the funds that they need—not only for their own troop but also to meet the commitments to their local district council. The council will head up the various fund-raising programs in their area, as they have done for non-Church troops. Now the Church troops will be a part of that program. There will, of course, be the involvement of stake leaders in the district council programs.”

Brother Brown said that although funds are received by Boy Scouts of America from United Appeal, “in most areas they meet approximately 50 percent of the cost involved at the district council level.”

Where applicable, local councils are now conducting training programs for stake and ward leaders in the organization of the Sustaining Membership Enrollment program.

In other Scouting news:

* Sister LaVern Watts Parmley, general president of the Primary, has been appointed to serve on the National Advisory Council, Boy Scouts of America. For the past five years, Sister Parmley has been serving on the National Cub Scout Committee.

* Two new merit badges have been approved by Boy Scouts of America. One is for genealogy and the other for pulp and paper. The genealogy merit badge requires the completion of a five-generation family pedigree chart, the preparation of the Scout’s own life history and the history of a progenitor, the understanding of genealogical research, and the understanding of the history of genealogy.