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Where Your Money Goes
Support from Many Sources Scouting funds are received through a variety of broad categories. Thanks to you and others, Scouting is a top program in our area. Hundreds of companies, organizations, and leaders not even registered in Scouting continually make the South Georgia Council their charity.
How it breaks down:
46% Friends of Scouting
3% United Way
18% Camping and Activities
13% Special Events (such as golf tournaments, Distinguished Citizens Dinners, Hunt Auctions)
11% Product Sales
5% Investments, Foundations & Other Income
4% Scout Shop Sales
What are some of the things the South Georgia Council does for the leader and the unit? There are many services that the council provides for its volunteers.
Here are just some of the highlights.
Our Clerical Staff Helps: Handle registrations, BOYS' LIFE magazine subscriptions, advancement records, membership, training, and answer numerous daily Scouting questions Provide, without charge, dozens of regular and special forms, applications, certificates and literature
A Trained, Full-Time Staff to Help Units With: Informal training in unit operation, committees, commissioners, Quarterly Program Updates, meetings, conferences, courses, district and council activities that directly benefit leaders and units Contacts with the community resources (clubs, churches, government, etc.), securing help for all units that they alone could not obtain such as the use of parks, recreational areas, use of buildings for special affairs, picnic areas, camp sites and swimming facilities, etc.
The Council and Field Executives Help: Produce district and council calendars and schedules, programs, kits, and special aids to assist leaders and their committees Recruits and maintains a corp of commissioners to help unit leaders and committees
The Council Provides the Leader With: Formal training courses with most of the cost of trainer literature and materials, etc., and all the staff time included in the council budget.
Camping: Maintains Camps Osborn and Patten for year-round camping. Coordinate expeditions to High Adventue Bases and National Scout Jamboree To Help the Leader Develop His/Her Program, the
Council Provides Without Charge: Calendar of activities, meetings and special events, recruiting opportunities, materials, books, pamphlets, folders, videos, and special helps from the National Council and cooperating organizations.
To Protect the Unit Leader, The Council: Maintains a liability insurance policy which protects all leaders in the event of a suit arising from Scouting activities. Have staff members available on what is practically an around-the-clock, around-the-calendar basis to meet any emergency. WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU!
Friends of Scouting Delivering the promise of programs that shape the lives of young people is the goal of the Alapaha Area Council, Boy Scouts of America. Because our goal is to serve every available youth that wishes to join Scouting, your generous support is needed to provide quality programs, activities, support services and facilities.
A major source of revenue for the Council is the annual Friends of Scouting (FOS) Campaign. The Alapaha Area Council's campaign asks concerned individuals and community businesses and leaders to financially support the council's operations and continued service to youth and their leaders.
Your FOS gift supports the following initiatives:
• Activities for youth that have minimal fees, such as Cub Scout Day Camp, camporees, Cub Family Camping weekends, and many more. • Your council service center for volunteers that provides administrative and program support to unit leaders • The Scout Shop to provide uniforms, advancement and recognition patches, and program materials for youth and leaders Basic and advanced leader training programs and materials • A full-time, trained professional staff committed to the continued successful operation of the Scouting program for thousands of youth in our communities • Liability insurance for adult leaders and chartered organizations • Accident and sickness insurance coverage for all registered scouts and leaders • Free services on estate planning, taxes, trusts, wills and planned giving for donors interested in keeping the Scouting program moving forward
Leaving a Legacy: Consider the great investment opportunities: gold, real estate, stocks and bonds, and BOY SCOUTS. Yes, the Boy Scouts. Other investment opportunities lose their
luster, their value declines according to the whims of an unpredictable market. But the worth of the Boy Scouts never declines - it is an investment that always appreciates and always pays dividends because Boy Scouts invest in people. For over 90 years, the programs of the Boy Scouts of America have been teaching young people fundamental lessons in life, and developing enlightened, responsible citizens by instilling the timeless values of trustworthiness and loyalty, helpfulness and friendliness, cheerfulness, courage and kindness. Yet like all good investments, the Boy Scouts need contributions now to reap a golden harvest in the future. Encouraging gifts to the BSA local council endowment fund is one of Scout's highest priorities. It is one of the best ways to ensure that your council can continue to offer the outstanding programs it now has and also grow to meet the needs of the youth and communities it serves.
 James E. West was the first Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America, and he served in that position for more than three decades. The West Fellowship award is available for gifts of $1,000 and up in cash or marketable securities to our council endowment fund. The gift must be in addition to - and not replace or diminish - the donor's annual Friends of Scouting support. Many individuals and corporations make these gifts on behalf of someone else - such as in honor of an Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver recipient, a retirement, a special accomplishment, or anniversary or in memory of a special individual. If an institution is truly "the lengthened shadow of a man" it is more than fitting that the BSA honor James E. West's significant contributions to Scouting in such a significant way.
 Founded in 1910, Boy Scouts of America has grown into something larger and more significant than anyone anticipated. We honor that special day by presenting the 1910 Society award to donors who make gifts of $25,000 or more to our council endowment. These gifts can be in the form of cash, securities, land, five-year pledges, or other property suitable for a council endowment fund or easily converted to cash. There are four levels of recognition in the 1910 Society that honor four very special individuals who shaped modern-day Scouting. Ernest Thompson Seton, nationally known artist and naturalist, author of the first official American Scout handbook and many other books important to Scouting. Seton Level Membership: $25,000 minimum gift
Daniel Carter Beard, first chairman of the National Court of Honor, national Scout commissioner, and author of many well known books and stories for youth. Beard Level Membership: $100,000 minimum gift Theodore Roosevelt, first Chief Scout Citizen, first vice president of the BSA, and president of the United States. Roosevelt Level Membership: $500,000 minimum gift Waite Phillips, one of the BSA's first benefactors, and donor to the BSA of almost 130,000 acres of land in New Mexico which became Philmont Scout Ranch. Phillips Level Membership: $1,000,000 and up
 The Founders Circle The last level of endowment recognition, the Founders Circle, is intended to recognize deferred gifts designated for council endowment funds. With deferred giving (also called planned giving) so widely and effectively used by so many donors, the BSA wants to recognize the importance of such major gifts. Donors are recognized for gift commitments with a minimum value of $100,000. Unlike the other endowment recognition awards, a donor may qualify for membership with gifts made through:
Charitable bequests in a will or codicil Charitable trusts, such as unitrusts, annuity trusts, and lead trusts. BSA Gift Annuities or BSA Pooled Income Fund gifts Life insurance/retirement plan designations Other deferred gifts approved by the local council
As with the 1910 Society, there are four levels of membership within the Founders Circle. They are:
Bronze: $100,000 minimum gift commitment Silver: $250,000 minimum gift commitment Gold: $500,000 minimum gift commitment
Platinum: $1,000,000 minimum gift commitment
The early founders of the BSA had the vision and commitment to make Scouting the number one youth organization in the world. In that spirit, we honor the modern-day visionaries who qualify for the Founders Circle in their commitment to perpetuate the visions and beliefs of those founders.
 The South Georgia Council receives funding from three local United Way agencies: United Way of Greater Valdosta, United Way of South Georgia and the United Way of Southwest Georgia. The funding received from the three United Way chapters account for 3% of the funds necessary to run the council operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q I heard that the United Way has stopped funding the Boy Scouts. Is this true? A No. Unfortunately, headlines in the media blare out "United Way Cubs Funding to Boy Scouts!" but then in
paragraph #3 tell you it's just one United Way chapter in another state or city. Out of the approximately 1,400 United Way chapters in the U.S., only about 60 - or less than 5% - have discontinued or restricted their funding to their local Boy Scout council. The South Georgia Council has enjoyed strong, positive relationships with the United Ways of Greater Valdosta, South Georgia and Southwest Georgia and expects these relationships
to continue into the future. We did lose funding from the United Way of South Central Georgia.
Q Has my local United Way cut funding to the Boy Scouts? A Local United Way's have made tough decisions based on dollars they have to allocate. Total United Way support has decreased $50,000 over the past two years.
Q Is my United Way going to continue its support of local Boy Scouts of America programs? A Our local Alapaha Area Council, serving 12 counties in south central Georgia, is a member agency of three United Ways. The boards of our participating United Ways have stated that they will continue to fund our local Boy Scout programs.
Q I designate my United Way gift to the Boy Scouts. How does this money help? A Each United Way is independently operated and led by local volunteers, thus, the manner in which they deal with designated gifts differs.
Q How can I be helpful in ensuring the success of my United Way and its campaign? A Participate in your local campaign and encourage your co-workers and friends to do the same. You could
also volunteer to participate in the allocation process or Day of Caring. A letter to your local United Way stating your appreciation for their continuing support of Boy Scout programs means a lot - negative feedback tends to far outweigh positive feedback.
Special Events
The Alapaha Area Council runs a variety of special events throughout the year designed to honor community leaders, tell the story of the council, and to raise funds to support our numerous programs.
Distinguished Citizens Dinner This gala, black tie affair is designed to honor outstanding citizens in the Valdosta/Lowndes County area. Past recipients have been Ed Crane, Loyce Turner, Dr. Hugh Bailey, Hon. Mac McLane, Joe Cordova, the late Bill Eager and Dr. Ron Zaccari. Guest speakers have included Saxby Chambliss, Gov. Sonny Perdue, Johnny Isaakson and Jack Kingston.
Sporting Clays Tournament This annual event brings teams from all counties across the council to Southwinds Quail and Sporting Clays course to show off their skills, have a great time and raise much needed funds for Scouting.
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