Serving almost 38,000 young people and over 10,000 adult volunteers in 23 counties: Bell, Bosque, Cooke, Coryell, Denton, Falls, Freestone, Hamilton, Hill, Hood, Jack, Johnson, Leon, Limestone, McLennan, Milam, Palo Pinto, Parker, Robertson, Somervell, Tarrant, Wise and Young.
Friends of Scouting plays a major role in keeping the Council solvent. Growth in gifts is critical to the expansion of the program.
Friends of Scouting contributions make up 34% of the Budget.
Campaigns are broken into two sub-campaigns: the Family Fos and Community Fos campaigns. Each District is challenged to raise its share of the Budget.
What is Friends of Scouting?
Money raised through FOS provides the operating revenue to carry forth the mission of the Council. With your investment the Council organizes new Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops and Venturing crews; develops and coordinates volunteer adult training programs; handles all advancement and member registration; maintains quality traditional summer camping programs for Boy Scouts and Cub Scout; develops cutting-edge high adventure summer and weekend programs for older Boy Scouts and Venturing; coordinates weekend activities and volunteer recruitment.
Friends of Scouting is completed through two primary strategies. One, the community alumni and other interested business leaders are invited to a breakfast or luncheon and told the story of scouting in the area. This raises 60% if the FOS goal. Two, families are invited to support the Council's efforts to directly and indirectly support their unit by making a tax deductible gift at the Blue and Gold celebration or a troop court of honor. This Family FOS raises 40% of the Friends of Scouting Goal.
Monetary Donations
The Council must raise 92% of its operating funds and all of its capital development funds. Gifts of cash or securities are needed. To learn more, call Michael Wright at 817-231-8507 or email him at
miwright@bsamail.org.
Lockheed Community Grant Information (Word document)
Dig Scouting Members
Are You a Dig Sponsor? Dig Scouting is a finance recognition club for those that pledge a commitment of $1.00 or more per day. First time joiners receive a very distinctive Shovel, then each succeeding year a new 'thank you' is offered.
Family Friends of Scouting Unit Presentation Aids
Download the various training aides for conducting a unit presentation on Family Friends of Scouting. Call your District Family FOS Chair or District Executive for assistance, scheduling, or other questions.
FOS Presentation Training Videos (
Link)
FOS Words to Live By (
PDF)
FOS Presentation Request (
PDF)
FOS Manual (
PDF)
FOS Being a Presenter (
PDF)
FOS Timeline (
PDF)
True Cost of Scouting (
PDF)
FOS District Chairs (
Link)
Matching and Volunteer Incentive Grants
Many companies generously match the personal contributions of employees. In almost all cases today, this requires you, the employee, to initiate the action by notifying the company and requesting the match. Most typically this is done through internal websites. We are notified that a request has been made and asked to verify the contribution. We are happy to do that. Please note, this is a tax deductible gift from the company and will not show up on your end of the year contribution statement.
Volunteer Incentive Grants are another means to help fund the Longhorn Council. Companies frequently have a program to encourage employees to make contributions of time within the community. They will invest a monetary contribution to the charitable organization that you are volunteering for, again at your initiated request.
We realize many of you would like to have that gift made directly to your Pack or Troop. However, that usually can not occur. In the majority of cases the company has policies that disallow contributions to religious organizations and the great majority of our Packs, Troops, and Crews are chartered to churches. The BSA Charter Organization system means the unit takes on the tax status of its chartering organization. That gift cannot be sent to the LHC and then directed to your organization, most simply because of federal law that prohibits the "passing" or "washing" and intended contribution to one organization through Council books and then sent to another, unintended, recipient.
We hope you will still take advantage of these opportunities to ensure the Council meets its budgetary needs by directing the funding sources from these corporations and foundations to the Longhorn Council. It will 'count' toward the unit's Friends of Scouting total raised in support of the Council and will be used to promote and expand the many services and programs for boys, leaders, and camps within the Council.
For a review of unit fund raising and regulation go to the Fund Raising Activities page and download the Unit Fundraising Guidelines and FAQ.