Full story of our debt

Just want to take a moment and tell the full story of our debt.

The final piece of the debt elimination was a conservation easement on 450 acres at Storer Scout Reservation. All those acres create a wilderness buffer for the 250 internal acres. The 250 internal acres (Adams Pond Camp and Wild Goose Camp) are unencumbered and restriction free, these 250 acres contain all the shore line around Adams pond and most of the shore line at Wild Goose. Scouts can still hike, mountain bike, horseback ride and otherwise participate in outdoor pursuits within the conservation area. The council can still log within the conservation area. 

Previous aspects of the debt elimination include the conservation of Parker Mountain, the sale of unrestricted investments, the sale of 30 acres at camp Massasoit and the sale of the Jamaica Plain office. As you can see, the council made every effort to minimize impact to youth in the decisions around debt elimination. The council still has the controlling interest in all four original properties.

The long-term debt was originally comprised of $5.3 million. The $8 million number includes interest and budget shortfalls caused by the extreme debt over the ten year period.

The debt certainly hand cuffed council operations over the past decade in several ways. The two most notable are staffing and cash flow. The middle years 09 and 10 were clearly the tightest (and the smallest). The 22,000 square-foot Egan Center was reduced to 7,000 square-foot of usable space, and the full-time staff was reduced to six people for about half a year.

The cash flow concerns remained a problem throughout the debt period. While the council has brought in more money then it spent on operating annual basis for the past five years that does not include the capital fund. The capital fund is generally viewed through a longer-term lens, during that 10 year period the capital fund would typically endure significant debt in between periods of large cash deposits. The recent conservation easement is a perfect example it took 18 months from start to finish and brought in $619,000 during those 18 months the operating cash was burdened to generate the money required to pay the mortgage, the end result is the $619,000 goes to the principal and pays back some of the cash requirements extended over the past 18 months.

Additionally, projects like logging at Storer or annual surpluses would go immediately to debt reduction - so those occasional cash infusions could never be used to "catch our breath" or invest in the future.

On the other hand, we did dramatically increase the money generated in non-debt capital funds over the past few years. And we have worked hard to ensure that all the funds raised for camp improvements have been spent in camp improvements - not debt elimination. That's why both primary camps are looking better each day.

So, every NEW dollar we raised in the past few years weather operating or capital went to program delivery, administrative improvements, camp enhancements, marketing and communication or some other annual benefit to Scouting. And we challenged ourselves to pay for the debt elimination without losing the controlling interest in the camps. It will take another year or two for the cash flow to actually "self correct" but it will improve every day. (As an example: for the first time the 2015 logging operation at Storer will be able to be used toward camp improvements).

So the mortgage is gone! We'll post a year-end Financial Statement when it's complete. And any short term loans or revolving credit concerns are down to the lowest amount since 2011. And the operating budget - the amount raised and spent in support of Scouting each year is up over $2.5 million for the third year in a row. (It was down to $1.8 million during our thinnest years)

Finally it's our hope and belief that Scouts can feel this difference - none of this matters until it makes a positive impact for a Scout. While Scouts and families don't see the budget, and likely don't care, the differences between then and now begin with someone to answer the phone, camp improvements, higher visibility, and program! Program! And more program offerings! I'm sure anyone who was an active leader during the thinnest years could apply the council to the "smell test" and agree things are clearly looking much better. And, one thing we are very proud of - the unseen stuff is also greatly improved. The unseen stuff is the infrastructure at the properties (these improvements are much more that a "pretty coat of paint") the governance and the business practices are all stronger and getting better right alongside the visual improvements.

Whew! That's the whole story of debt elimination. The debt is gone but the job is far from done - we will continue to improve each day. For everyone who was with Scouting throughout these years THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Everyone who has joined us recently .... You are joining a rapidly growing and great youth development program - WELCOME!

Follow Up to the Scouters Summits

A few years ago as we were developing our long range plan the property committee posed the question, “Which comes first the property requirements, or the program requirements?” it’s a classic chicken or the egg problem and when all your properties have seen better days and you have limited funds to reverse trend, it’s a critical question and necessary to help the committee know where to start! The answer the committee arrived at was neither – the committee wisely realized strategy comes first.

Strategy tells us where we can and intend to go. Listening to the Scouting community tells us where we should go. We (Boston Minuteman Council) have been proud of our “recovery” over the past few years – but it’s nothing compared to what is on the horizon.

Our strategy was built upon listening to unit volunteers and developing solutions. To be honest, three years ago the council was hardly in a place to start solving problems as we still had significant issues to contend with – but we started both projects in earnest as soon as possible. The strategy the council employed was to create “gravity” that would bring people toward Scouting rather than “twisting arms” to get people to give or volunteer. To create that gravity we focused on two things

a.       Membership – creating programs that are accessible (easy to participate)the boy wanted to do
b.      Parent Engagement - Create opportunity for instant and high quality experiences with their son so they can catch the Scouting spirit along with him.

To achieve this we zeroed in on Camp Sayre. It seemed the best way to serve the needs of our units was to develop a top notch camp, in a convenient and popular location that would provide year round high quality programs, great facilities, and weekly trainings, not to mention the convenience of the scout shop, food options and the best shower house in any Boy Scout camp in America. This is a long term strategic solution.

The development of this solution has been underway for the past three years. It’s easiest to see the physical improvements. But the volunteer staff improvements, customer service, quality program and marketing have all been visible too. Each program (STEM Camp, Boy Scout Day Camp, Winter Camp) is evaluated and improved from one day to the next, and new programs are built on top of the lessons learned from the previous program. Each program acts as a test pilot for the next. The weekend programs have lifted a blue print from summer family camp. By providing various trainings every Saturday we improve the quality of the courses at a much more rapid pace. And of course train dozens and dozens more volunteers than ever before. By instituting ScoutReach roundtables directly into Saturday programs we ensure that our Scouts in disadvantaged neighborhoods have the same quality program as their wealthier counterparts. The programs, training, facilities and the general look and feel of the camp is designed to engage parents.

All this adds up to a massive shift in how a council is defined. 

The comments below are from the past month and half.

•         “This was our first time and my son loved it...lots of great creativity and plenty to do...lots of different ages served, too.” Parent – Oct 18, 2014 (pumpkin fest)

•         “Service is outstanding.  Staff friendly and helpful. Facilities clean and top notch. It gets better every year. That is why we always return.” – Scout Master Oct 11, 2014

•         “Everyone from the camp master, to the dinner staff, made our weekend fantastic...it was nice to see what a Boy Scout camp and council can be...all about customer service and most importantly...the boys!”- Scout Master Oct 4, 2014

•         “We had a great time. The camp-wide campfire was quite fun for all.  The staff are very enthusiastic and helpful. Dinner was great. Thank you.  We will come back next year!” – Cub Master Sept 27,2014

•         “Everything from beginning to end - communication, activities, and supervision at events - was beyond our expectations.”- Parent Sept 20, 2014

•         “The staff was engaged and knew what they were doing.  And they taught in a hands-on mode that works really well with both kids and adults. It was an excellent experience.” – Scout Master Sept 20, 2014

It took a while to get it right, and we haven’t yet hit our stride, but it is close J Thanks to everyone who has given their time, expertise, had patience being a part of the growing pains, made a donation or otherwise contributed to this budding success.

We held two Scouters Summits this week to reflect on the overall direction of the council – all the writing above was discussed at those two meetings. Additionally we discussed the current status of our long term debt, Camp Massasoit and Camp Norse as well as the collaboration with Yankee Clipper Council.

Debt Elimination:  We have balanced our operating budget for the past several years, and now, the external long term debt will be completely eliminated by the end of the year.

Camp Massasoit is in the final stages of being “re-purposed.” Over the past three years we attempted 7 options including a solar farm, tenants, public camp grounds and even a sand and gravel quarry. Most everyone is aware of the solution we settled on, which had two components, partial land sale for debt reduction and Annawon collaboration to allow a tenant into Massasoit. This worked great for two years however, this spring in became clear that – unlike the “Parker Mountain Solution” that option would not work long term. 100% of those lot sales went to debt reduction and the final funding for Debt elimination will come from a conservation easement at Storer.

These developments, made it clear that we cannot properly maintain the property, we have other property concerns that also must be addressed, and our Scouts and leaders main focus is quality program and appropriate facilities, thus brought us back to the “re-purpose conversation” about Massasoit without the burden of an external debt. The properties committee is currently reviewing the final two options conservation sale with camping rights, and an outright sale. We anticipate one of those options to come to fruition during 2015. We also anticipate the proceeds from a sale to be used for long term investment and camp improvements – since we have a strong recent track record of a balanced budget these investments will create long term very visible improvements. The sentiment expressed over this decision has been consistent among everyone who attended the summits and everyone we’ve talked with about this over the past 6 months as we moved closer to this reality: It’s a disappointing reality but everyone is in reluctant agreement that we are on the right path and stronger Scouting is the priority for every community.

Our ongoing collaboration work with the Yankee Clipper Council is part of a larger scale trend that many councils across America have and will continue to go through for the foreseeable future. The two councils have spent much time together and several beneficial collaborations have been created over the past few months: University of Scouting, Scouting for Food are two programs. The Marketing committees worked well together and shared the footprint for last Spring’s billboard campaign, the combined social media programs and the Shane Victorino letter. The membership committees also worked together creating a collaborative purchasing power for flyers and promotional materials as well as several helpful best practices. And finally, the two councils have begun to work together to generate corporate funding for both councils.

However, with all this success, it still a lot of work to collaborate relative to the scope of the benefits. Our effort as a council must always center around what is best for the Packs, Troops and Crews. We keep this in our sights every day. Our council believes that a merger – not only with Yankee Clipper but other councils too -  is an eventual certainty. However, we do not support merger for merger sake. We support a thoughtful and strategic approach to the best way to organize to strengthen and grow Scouting.

The types of collaborations mentioned above certainly provide a benefit so most of those will continue for the immediate future.  We will continue to be neighborly and helpful when we can. We'll communicate any changes as they occur.

Scout Update - October 2014

Scout Update

October 27, 2014

Membership

Very proud of our membership volunteers lead by Dominic Amara and every Cub Pack! Our membership is up over year to date Oct 31 and with a week to go, that increase will surely grow! October marks the 5^th consecutive month of membership growth!

Program
The big program story for the fall is Pumpkin Fest! Over 2,000 Cubs Scouts and families participated in pumpkin themed program at Camp Sayre last Saturday.

Pumpkin Fest is simply one great moment in an entire series of great program developments at Camp Sayre. Over the past few years we have added programs, services and great new facilities. NOW, after all that hard work we are really hitting our stride. Each weekend we serve hundreds of Scouts through innovative and exciting programs! Check out some of the recent comments….

•         “Everyone from the camp master, to the dinner staff, made our weekend fantastic...it was nice to see what a Boy Scout camp and council can be...all about customer service and most importantly...the boys!”- Scout Master Oct 4, 2014

•         “We had a great time. The camp-wide campfire was quite fun for all.  The staff are very enthusiastic and helpful. Dinner was great. Thank you.  We will come back next year!” – Cub Master Sept 27,2014

•         “Everything from beginning to end - communication, activities, and supervision at events - was beyond our expectations.”- Parent Sept 20, 2014

•         “The staff was engaged and knew what they were doing.  And they taught in a hands-on mode that works really well with both kids and adults. It was an excellent experience.” – Scout Master Sept 20, 2014

Development

The hospitality breakfast steering committee met yesterday and confirmed the event will be held on December 11^th honoring Manny Costa, CEO Costa Produce. The event is well on its way toward achieving the goal with $10,000 already pledged from the committee!

The popcorn sales were down slightly. The development committee will host a debrief early next year (after the logistics and delivery process is complete) with unit popcorn kernals to identify possible causes and address any concerns.  

Marketing
Groupon and Living Social! Part of the growth at Pumpkinfest came from our recent marketing committee effort to reach out and attract families to Scouting through our quality programs. about 10% of the Pumpkinfest campers came through social media coupons and otherwise wouldn’t have felt invited.

Also, in an effort to make Scouting more accessible the Marketing committee has launched a new blog. www.30SecondScouting.com This blog provides cool outdoor, nature, STEM and related Scouting hands on activities in 30 seconds or less! Check it out and leave a comment on the programs you and your Scouts like the most!

Internal National Measurement Standards
Since 2010 Scouting has embarked on a national continuous improvement plan. Boston Minuteman often scores high, however, the entire country has struggled in the past two years.

Property Improvements!

Although it’s not nearly as exciting as the new Ropes Course or Shooting ranges this month the team will be finishing up some Camp Sayre projects completing the pavilion, re-surfacing several large pot holes and the dirt roads through camp, as well as adding a few parking spaces.

Also in November we’ll receive a phone and internet upgrade that’ll increase everyone’s ability to high speed internet and access wifi while at camp!

The properties Committee is in the process of developing the 2015 priority camp improvement projects at Sayre and Storer.

Scout Update

 Development

Salute to Scouting – September 30^th

The Salute campaign is off to a strong start thanks to our board and many long time supporters including State Street, TD Bank, Amica, PWC, Deloitte, KPMG, BCBSof MA, Pyramid Hotel Group and many others. This year looks strong as Patricia Jacobs has recently secured over $65,000 through generous contributions from AT&T, Bruins and WEEI.

Hospitality Update – 4^th quarter

Jim Carmody, Tom Kershaw and Jim Dina are working together as the steering committee for the hospitality event.

Properties

Hayden Lodge Sewer

This approved project was delayed for over a year as we dealt with other more pressing and costly infrastructure issues. However, the project is now complete, capping of the most important “non visual” improvement for Camp Sayre.

Pavilion

The new welcoming pavilion at Camp Sayre is near completion. This will serve as the organization headquarters for out of camp trips such as Cub Scout Canoe trips, Rock Climbing excursions, and trips to the Freedom Trail.   

Storer Improvements

All summer our Scouts and leaders enjoyed the new paddle boards, the brand new rifle range and appreciated the new grass on previously barren parade field.

Membership

July, 2014 1.4% Membership Gain – again one of the highest gains in New England and the country. We have grown and maintained strong membership over the past several years, we anticipate reaching our membership previous 2011 high water mark by the end of the year of early the following year.

The strong spring and summer recruitment combined with ever increasing retention puts us in a strong position to maintain this growth for year end.

Program

Scouting for Food

Congratulations and thank you to Margaret Casey and Matt Budz from Knox Trail who took the lead on Scouting for Food. Because of their combined efforts Scouting will receive media attention through WCVB-TV 5 as our media sponsor, and Anthony Consigli of Consigli Construction has agreed to serve as chairman for the collaborative effort.

Summer Camp

All our camps received high customer service evaluations from Scout leaders and parents! We are grateful to our camp staff and directors who work tirelessly to provide the annual “mountain top” experience for 2,700 scouts and families!

Collaboration

Boston Minuteman Council and Yankee Clipper Council have entered into discussions to identify possible collaborative relationships or efficiencies, designed to further our effort to help Scouting thrive in every zip code. You may have received an electronic survey about this process – if so, please share your thoughts.