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Click the Link www.packsignup.digbro.com
This form enables your council to signup and take advantage of an exciting new system to help your troops and packs recruit and communicate all the great things happening with your local units. In conjunction with ISI Technologies, the Mid-America Council in Omaha, NE created an entertaining and informative webBrochure™ that presents scouting in a compelling way with easy-to-use interfaces and powerful tools your units can personalize with their own information.
Your units benefit from a fun way to help them recruit and inform other people about their activities in a very cost-effective way. There are no fees for your council to register or participate in this program. The BSA webBrochure™ is a win-win for your entire organization and helps advance the message and goodwill about scouting to a wider audience.
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In the spirit of going green and saving money why not look into installing hand blowers in all the BSA bathrooms instead of the paper hand towels we use now. Not only would we be saving trees, but money as well. The average cost to install a hand blower is between $50 to $150 per unit, and the cost to run about .10 cents per KWH. Our cost savings could be as much as 95% less than continuing to use paper hand towels according to calculations at XLERATOR® Hand Dryers. (I am not endorsing this company, just picked one at random.) In a day when we can't afford not to watch every penny, I think the transition might be very well worth it.
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Skype is a very useful tool that I've found can help save a lot of money. I just switched my cell plan to 500 minutes from 900 because of it. Here are some of the features Skype offers and how they could be helpful:
Instant messaging: Skype offers instant messaging, but it also has the ability to archive the conversation, unlike MSN instant messenger. It's free to download. Instant messaging is much quicker than sending someone a one or two worded message.
Long Distance Calling: Skype allows the user to make calls from his or her computer over the internet for free to other computers and at very low rates to cell phones and land lines. It has a subscription service where a person can call any land phone in the US for a flat rate of $3 a month. To make this easier, they are marketing through Wal-Mart the 2-in-one phone that lets people use a regular handset phone to make and receive calls either through a landline or through the internet via Skype. So, when I'm home and want to make long distance calls, i use Skype. Imagine how much money this can save. There is a way to set up voicemail with Skype and to assign a caller ID so people know who is calling.
Phone Conferences/video conferences
We spend a lot on phone conferences in my area since we are so spread out. Why not do them on Skype for free? Only the host, really, would have to have a computer. The rest could be on landlines. They could have video conferences with those who have a webcam. Why not call a meeting when people can be on, rather than spend transportation and lodging/food costs, do some training this way, etc?
Sending money via Paypal:
Skype offers the feature of sending money this way to a person's contacts.
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...and now is no time to stop.
With a shrinking economy and shrinking contributions on the horizon, we can take steps now to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels, reduce our carbon footprint AND virtually eliminate our monthly electric bills.
Using fund 2 dollars and money raised from foundations supporting charities going 'green', we can build solar panels (in our case) for approximately $90,000 which can eliminate our $20,000 annual electric bill. If we remain "on grid", the extra power generated on weekends which goes unused, can be sold back to the electric company.
Fund 2 dollars, saving fund 1 expense and more money to serve kids!
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A great tool for managng your expenses and saving money that I learned from Charlie Rosser while at GNYC is something called the Fiscal Management Report. Essentially you lay out all of your accounts line by line in a spreadsheet and project for every line item where you think you will end the year in terms of money coming in and expenses going out. At the start of the year you mirror pretty closely to the budget, but we all know that as the year progresses things change (something costs less than you anticipated, vacancies occur that weren't planned for, something raises less money than you thought it woud, etc.). While it is tedious to do so, you have someone input onto the sheet at the close of each month the actuals for each account and then review the report as a group on a monthly basis (in New York we just did it with key managers, at Jersey Shore I've been doing it with all of the professional staff). Publicly reviewing it holds people accoutnable for spending more than they projected they would, allows staff to better familiarize themselves with their accounts, supplies a quick reference to figure out where you have wiggle room when unforseen expenses occur that need to be charged somewhere, and allows at any given time to essentially keep a running tally/projection on if the Council will have a surplus or deficit and how big or small it will be.
It takes awhile (about a full year of going through it) for everyone to understand what they are doing and become very accurate with their projections (particualry on expenses) but the more you use it, the more valuable it becomes. As much as I hated going through the long monthly meetings reviewing it in New York (sorry Charlie), it's a tool I quickly started using in my own Council to get a better handle on what was happening with our budget. It's been a best practice for me and I'm happy to send along a sample of what the report looks like to anyone who thinks it could be a help.
Craig Shelley, SE, Jersey Shore Council
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Indeed in these economic hard times, councils are going to face challenges to maintain staffing, programs and facilities. Many councils are struggling with choices and often need to make personnel reductions. And while these folks may find a position at another council, with every council facing many of the same financial challenges we may lose dedicated and quality employees.
If a council has all of its current positions filled, could a work furlough be used rather than de-fund the position. For example my county has mandated a two week furlough for every employee--essentially a vacation without pay. This is being done to avoid layoffs or terminations. Persons can either take the two weeks off or take 14 days off during a two month period.
We are an organization that emphasizes family values and it would seem this is a kinder way of weathering these economic challenges. Granted we are all cash strapped these days and having reduced income effects us--but if a sacrifice would save the job of a valued employee it seems the right thing to do and after all a Scout is Kind and Loyal and they are words to live by.
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