The BSA National Recognition Awards For Local Council Endowment Gifts
Encouraging gifts to BSA local council endowment funds is one of Scouting's highest priorities. It is one of the only ways to ensure that your council can continue to offer the outstanding programs they now have and also grow to meet the needs of the youth and communities it serves.
In its gratitude for such support, the BSA nationally offers three distinct endowment recognition awards. These awards are presented by the local council to donors who support Scouting's financial future with council endowment gifts.
Those programs are:
THE JAMES E. WEST FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM
THE 1910 SOCIETY
THE FOUNDERS CIRCLE
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 to those who make gifts of $1,000 and up in cash or marketable securities to a 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, special accomplishment or anniversary -- or in memory of a special individual. If an institution is truly " the lengthened shadow of one 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, the Boy Scouts of America has grown into something larger and more significant than anyone expected. We honor that special date by presenting The 1910 Society award to donors who make gifts of $25,000 or more to their council endowments. 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 within The 1910 Society, in honor of four very special individuals who shaped modern-day Scouting:
1) 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
2) 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
3) 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
4) Waite Phillips, one of the BSA's first benefactors, and donor to the BSA of almost 130,000 acres of land in New Mexico and what is now Philmont Scout Ranch;
Phillips level membership: $1,000,000 and up
The newest 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 endomwent recognition awards, a donor may qualify for membership with gifts made through:
As with the 1910 Society, there are four levels of membership within the Founders Circle. They are:
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 with their commitment to perpetuate the visions and beliefs of those founders.
(For Council Files)
Please give this form (and attach to your gift, if applicable) directly to your local council.
Name(s) :(to appear on certificate) ___________________________________________________
Company: (if applicable) _______________________________________________
Mailing Address: _______________________________________________
City/State/ZIP: _______________________________________________
Phone: ____________________
___ I would like more information about: _________________________________________
___ I would like to make a gift that qualifies for membership in (please check one):
_____ James E. West Fellowship Program
$1,000 or more in cash or marketable securities to a local council endowment fund*
_____ The 1910 Society
$25,000 or more, outright or in a pledge payable within five years, to a local council endowment fund
Four Giving Levels: Ernest Thompson Seton Member -- $25,000 minimum
Daniel Carter Beard Member -- $100,000 minimum
Theodore Roosevelt Member -- $500,000 minimum
Waite Phillips Member -- $1,000,000 minimum
_____ The Founders Circle
$100,000 or more in the form of a deferred gift commitment to a council endowment fund
Four Giving Levels: Bronze Member -- $100,000 minimum
Silver Member -- $250,000 minimum
Gold Member -- $500,000 minimum
Platinum Member -- $1,000,000 minimum
VALUE OF QUALIFYING GIFT: $ _________________________________
DESCRIPTION OF QUALIFYING GIFT:______________________________________________
Name of Donor (if different than above) ______________________________________________________
This gift is: ___ Anonymous ___ In Honor of ___ In Memory Of
GIFT PLEDGE (For 1910 Membership Only)
In consideration of membership in the 1910 Society, and of the pledges of others, I hereby agree to give the endowment fund of the __________________________ Council, BSA, located in ___________________________, a gift of $ ____________________, to be paid no later than the end of calendar year _______. I recognize that the Council will rely on my gift in securing pledges of others and in any future financial commitments for programs and projects related to Scouting.
* For the West Fellowship, only one name may be listed on the certificate for the minimum gift. A Fellowship in the name of "Mr. and Mrs....", for example, would require a $2,000 minimum gift.