TO:
Council Volunteers, Parents, FOS Family Donors
FROM:
Matthew Bull, Scout Executive
SUBJECT:
We need your help
LINK TO:
Online Donation Page
Dear Scouting Community,
On behalf of the Baden-Powell Council, we are incredibly grateful for your continued support for the mission and programs of the Boy Scouts of America.
As Scouting has done for over 100 years, we are working with our Scouts and volunteers to respond to the challenges we face today. We are responding to Coronavirus by continuing to support our membership in Scouting at Home. Some things we are doing include:
- Posting Scouting activities for Cub Scouts and Scouts BSA aged youth on Facebook, daily from Monday to Friday.
- Holding online events online such as our Virtual Campfires, the second of which was held this Sunday.
- Helping our Volunteers transition to holding virtual meetings.
- Continuing to provide financial assistance to Scouts for Camp and other activities.
- And many more things to come...
We understand that this year will be especially challenging for many of our families, volunteers and donors impacted by the recent outbreak of the Coronavirus.
As you can imagine, funding the Scouting movement in this environment is incredibly challenging, with many families and businesses facing a good deal of uncertainty right now. That said, we also know that the mission and programs of the BSA must continue, our Scouts need and deserve it.
To help us stay on course, we are asking our key supporters like you to
consider making your contribution as early as possible this year, complete payment on your pledge as soon as you can, and to be as generous as your means will allow. Donations can be made online
here. We understand that some will be unable to make financial commitments at this time. That said, we remain undeterred by recent events and committed to making the investments our Scouts and our camps need, but we can only do that with your help.
The CARES Act & Giving in 2020
You should also know that the recently passed Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act provides additional incentives for donors in 2020.
The CARES Act allows donors who take the
standard deduction when filing their 2020 taxes to receive a $300 tax credit. The way to think about it is this‐ you can either give those dollars to the Federal government in the form of taxes by not making a charitable contribution, or you can give those dollars to a non‐profit of your choosing (hopefully us)!
For folks who choose to use the
itemized deduction, the CARES Act goes even further, lifting the limitations on charitable contributions by individuals who itemize from 60% of adjusted gross income to 100%, and for corporations by increasing the limitation from 10% to 25% of taxable income.
Finally, we know that the CARES Act provides direct, tax‐free payments to adults of up to $1,200. We also know that some donors are interested in donating these dollars directly to a charity of their choice. We encourage our supporters to consider Scouting if this is a decision you are considering.
I thank you for your commitment to the Scouting movement.
Yours in Scouting,
Matthew Bull
Scout Executive & CEO
Baden-Powell Council, Boy Scouts of America
