Scouting and United Way Support
As a founding agency of the United Way, the Boy Scouts of America greatly appreciates the support that has been extended to Boy Scout councils across the country. For many decades, United Way funding has helped the BSA bring the Scouting programs to underprivileged youth, introduce new programs, and broaden the existing program.
Sioux Council, BSA works with twelve United Way campaigns in the sixty-one counties that make up the council. In 2007, total funding from all Untied Way partners was approximately 15% of the total budget. Sioux Council, BSA staff supports their local United Way campaign in communities where they live and work. Support is both in the form of financial and volunteer time. See below for a complete list of United Way partners. Click on the links to learn more about the communities and needs they serve.
Sioux Council Partner United Ways
- Sioux Empire United Way - Sioux Falls, SD Area
- Brookings Area United Way - Brookings, SD
- Capital Area United Way - Hughes and Stanley Counties, SD
- Heartland Region United Way - Huron, SD
- Interlakes Area United Way - Madison, SD
- Mitchell United Way - Mitchell, SD
- United Way & Volunteer Services of Greater Yankton - Yankton, SD
- United Way of Northeastern South Dakota - Aberdeen, SD
- United Way of Southwest Minnesota - Marshall, MN
- United Way of Vermillion - Vermillion, SD
- Watertown Area United Way - Watertown, SD
- Worthington Area United Way - Worthington, MN
Who pays for Scouting?
Youth Members
Assisted by their parents or guardians, boys in Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, and Varsity Scouting, and young men and women in Venturing pay their share from personal savings and participation in money-earning projects. Members buy their own uniforms, handbooks, and personal equipment and pay their own camp fees.
Units
Weekly or monthly dues and funds from approved money-earning projects meet expenses for supplies and activities in the Cub Scout pack, Boy Scout troop, Varsity Scout team, and Venturing crew. These monies help pay for camping equipment, registration fees, Boys' Life magazine, uniform insignia, special activities, and program materials.
Chartered Organizations
Each chartered organization using the Scouting program provides a meeting place and adult volunteer leadership for its BSA unit(s). The chartered organization and local council must approve unit money-earning projects before the launch of the project.
Local Council
Financial resources for the local council (the local nonprofit corporation chartered by the National Council) come from an annual Friends of Scouting campaign, local United Ways, foundation grants, special events, project sales, investment income, trust funds, bequests, and gifts of real and personal property.
These funds provide for professional staff supervision, organization of new Scouting units, service for existing units, training of volunteer leaders, and maintenance of council camps. They also finance the operation of the local council service center, where volunteer leaders can obtain literature, insignia, advancement badges, and other items vital to the program. In addition, the service center maintains advancement and membership records.
National Organization
Funds to support the national organization of the Boy Scouts of America come from registration fees, local council service fees, investment income, Scouting and Boys' Life magazines, sale of uniforms and equipment, and contributions from individuals. These monies help to deliver the program of the BSA (through four regional service centers and more than 300 local councils) to chartered organizations that use the Scouting program to meet the needs of their youth.
The National Boy Scouts of America Foundation also provides funding for both local council needs and national organization initiatives. Most of this funding comes from specifically designated gifts made to the foundation by individuals, corporations, and other foundations.