Camp Michaels Capital Campaign
Camp Michaels is a remote camping facility of the Dan Beard Council that no longer provided for the needs of our Scouts or the program. A capital campaign was undertaken to improve the facility and bring it up to modern standards with a new dining hall, modern shower facilities, and upgraded camping options. As the council's manager for the $5 million upgrade project, I was responsible for all aspects of the project delivery as well as integrally involved in donor solicitations and relations.
Council Sponsorships
Philanthropy and community giving has changed in recent years, causing councils to develop creative sponsorship opportunities to recognize donors and corporate partners. This packet was developed to highlight the numerous options donors have to give in meaningful ways. It is also a useful tool for staff and volunteers when prospecting and cultivating donors.
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Case Statement
Efficiently and effectively communicating Scouting America's value to the community, and outlining a case for support is a critical step in the donor cultivation process. My team developed this case statement with input from the LinkedIn marketing team. It has proven to be a useful tool when introducing Scouting's impact to a new prospect.
Merit Badge Sponsorship Program
Merit Badges present a unique oportunity to develop strong relationships with corportations or community organizations. At Pathway to Adventure Council I initiated a merit badge sponsorship program to generate needed revenues for operating support, provide program opportunities for Scouts, and develop stronger ties to the Scouting program for interested companies.
Special Events
Council's should have a diversified portfolio of revenue sources, one of which is often special events. I have served in many capacities throughout my career is support of council special events. As CFO in Pathway to Adventure Council, I often engaged with our event committees and leaders, helping to develop event strategies, prospect new donors, and deliver event logistics and materials. In 2024, Pathway to Adventure Council raised $1.2M in Special Events.
Fund Development & Capital Campaign
Program & Property Management
Camp Marketing
The most amazing camp program is meaningless if no one attends. Scouts need to know what is available so they can make the decision to attend. Pathway to Adventure Council's Owasippe Scout Reservation is the nation's oldest Scout Camp. We reimagined our marketing materials going into the 2024 camp season, and saw a 9% growth in attendance.
Long Range Facility Planning
Council properties such as camps or service centers are often a council's largest financial asset. Councils make a promise to the community to protect and maintain those assets when we ask for support to build them. Our Properties Committee developed a comprehensive property management plan that addressed preventative maintenance, capital setbacks, and outlined a 20-year replacement schedule.
Camp Branding
Camp brands are much more than a logo. They represent the way a camper feels about the facilty or program, and help distinguish it from the competition. I had the honor to lead the effort to design new brands for the camps in Dan Beard Council. Working with staff and board members, and partnering with a nationally recognized branding agency, we developed a new brand strategy and brand assets for the camps
Family Scouting Upgrades
Many Scout camps were built to serve our past membership and are not well suited for the needs of today's Scouts. Careful design choices and utilization of modern construction methods allowed the council to meet the current needs of our membership and better serve the Heatlh and Safety of all campers.
Spook-O-Ree
Born out of a crazy idea in 2006, with many of the early attractions built in my garage at camp, Spook-O-Ree has become one of the largest programs held each year in Dan Beard Council. Spook-O-Ree offers a unique Scouting activity and is one of the only Halloween events in the Cincinnati area designed for Cub Scout aged kids and their families.
Scouting at Home
The early days of the Covid-19 pandemic kept everyone home and made Scouting difficult. The Dan Beard Council program team led the effort to create content that would keep families engaged in Scouting during this challenging time. One such effort was our Scouting at Home Video Series. Dozens of videos were created as a series of daily videos reaching over 75,000 views.
Finance & Governance
Financial Stewardship
Transparency with the board is a core tenant of goverance and long-term financial success. To help accomplish this goal, I created a Financial KPI dashboard to quickly and effectively communicate key finacial metrics to the Pathway to Adventure Council Executive Board. This simplified the financial statements and highlighted areas that needed attention, leading to more substantive conversations about important areas of focus.
Banking and Treasury Management
Every business relationship is an opportunity for a council to improve processes and develop new revenue funds to support programming. At Pathway to Adventure Council I led a RFP process to evaluate our banking relationship. The council changed baning partners, resulting in a significant increase in direct support from our banking partner, plus support in modernizing our treasury management processes, and generation of interest reveue through short term investments of our cash reserves.
Endowment & Trust Management
Councils have a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that funds restricted for purpose or time are used exclusively under the stated restrictions. However, these records can often be lost or misunderstood after a merger or the passing of time. This was the case at Pathway to Adventure Council, and I undertook a project working with the Council Treasurer and the VP of Legal to investigate and fully understand the restrictions on the more that 20 different funds in our Fund 3 investments. As a result, we ensured that any funds withdrawn were used in line with the intended purposes, and also made an additional $60,000 available to support operations annually after verifying the intended purpose.
