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I just received information on a YMCA Visa Card. Shouldn't the BSA be on this idea as well. This idea may have been posted before.

There are alot of boys out there that would love to be a Scouts, but CAN'T because they either only have one parent or a parent that has lost there job or have both parents, just can not afford a uniform for them to be in Scouting. Boy Scout of America has fundraising for alot of different things, why not ask Scouts that have grow out of there uniforms whether it be Cubs, Boy Scout, Venturing, etc. to GIVE there uniforms, so they can be given to a less fortune boy that would love to be a scout. Let's make a stand Scouts and give someone else a chance
Our SE likes to thank the parents of Scouts which requires entering them into the system this results in duplicate listings per household. It would be great if we could specify head of household on a prospect record and link all records with the same address together. This would also eliminate re-asking of prospect families when they have given already.
When viewing the list of Position Descriptions or Giving Categories in Campaign Setup or the PD list, they are quite lengthy, and many are no longer used. They cannot be deleted because they were used in the past. I would like to be able to mark them as "expired" so only the current ones show in my list. A check box to "show all" could be included, much like we have the "show lapsed units" or "include deceased persons" boxes. Another nice otional feature would be to show only the positions for a specific campaign.
Could we somehow have people in the system under their given name, but indicate they have a "prefered name" which could appear on FOS billings, reports (perhaps as an additional line on reports) or other materials? One of my donors called his DE several times, irate, after his monthly bill arrived under his given name. However, to maintain the integrity of our youth protection procedures, we don't want to create a separate record in case an individual should appear on the "ineligible" list. Also, there tends to be confusion with these records - especially when a new DE comes on board - because the FR and Membership departments are often the only ones who see the names enough to realize that Skip's real name is Thomas. Finally, it may be beneficial on pledge cards, so when volunteers make calls, they know how how the donor prefers to be addressed.
As with viewing multiple addresses in a search, I believe it would be beneficial to also see a Nickname for an individual. Many times a person submits their legal name for registration, but is submitted for FOS using their nickname. I don't mean "Donald" vs "Don". But specifically those who use a very different or unrelated name: "Thomas" vs "Skip". It would help in reducing duplicated records.
Include an option in the payments and pledges function that will allow us to scan in a stack of cards, then change the status on all of them to "W" without having to go into each record individually. This would be great for unchecking "Copy Prospect to New Campaign" box as well. A more advanced version would show a warning if there is a current-year pledge, and allow an override.
Some prospects have a local contact address, but need to have the bill sent elsewhere for payment. An "alternate billing address" option would be helpful.
I would like to pull a report based on pledges or payments made within a certain date range
Almost every time we print billing statements or pledge cards, we add the same message or comment. It would be nice to be able to save a selection of frequently used comments so it doesn't have to be retyped each time.
With so many people using cell phones as their primary, or ONLY number, we need to have the option to include that number on pledge cards. The only alternative at this time is to incorrectly identify it as a home or work number.
I work in the Development Department and we need to produce invitations and cards for our many special events, and the printing costs certainly add up. My suggestion is to design your own invitations, Christmas cards, etc. and upload them to an on-line site with a quick turn-around. I use VistaPrint.com, and we have been able to save 1/3 - 1/2 over our local Sir Speedy. This DOES involve taking/making the time to design the complete card (PhotoShop and/or Publisher), but you save time in the long run by not having to run back and forth to the print shop. Another big plus is that you control the copy and don't have to worry about someone else making errors on your piece. With VistaPrint.com you also have the option of uploading your graphics and working with a designer for $12.95. You and the designer will be speaking over the phone and s/he will be making changes and posting updated proofs in front of your eyes! Still another advantage is that you are able to order small amounts without a paying horrendous price per piece. I have used this company for 15 years now and recommend them highly. One word of advice - tell them you do NOT want www.VistaPrint.com printed on the back of your cards or it WILL be there!
Several volunteer and membership organizations are working with industry suppliers or conversely it may be the industry suppliers who want to associate with the organization to provide a way for purchasers to round off their order either online or at a point of sale. The NRA Round Up is probabaly the largest I'm aware of and is used by shooting retailers Midway USA & Brownells. Cabela's does an add a buck for the NRA as well.

If everytime someone bought something at a scout shop, tooth of time, or at scoutstuff.org, probably other applications as well. We should offer them the chance to "change the future" by simpling rounding up their total after tax, shipping, etc. That change could add up quickly.

Here is a link showing how the NRA has gained over $4.2MM from donations via Midway USA and over $6MM total since 1992.

http://www.midwayusa.com/nrapage.dll/gettotal?utm_source=nrasupport&utm_medium=homepage112808
The name & address of the donor that prints on the bottom half of the billing statement form does not show completely in a window envelope. Can the form be changed to move the name and address down a line or two? This would be helpful so that the statements do not need to be folded above the perforation.
There has got to be a better way of pulling up FOS reports in MyBSA. It would be wonderful to be able to click on Fundraising, then a FOS link, then select my council, then my district, and select my campaign division (scouter, family, community, or even special event). Then I select report type like $ pledged/given per unit, or $ pledged/given per person or both.

It would also be fun to run a report sorted by total amount given per person or by unit showing the largest or smallest amount first and in order likewise. As it is, scoutnet and Mybsa is very difficult to use to generate these reports for FOS. All the fundrasing links on MyBSA and scoutnet are way to confusing and NOT user friendly.

My Thoughts