Annual Giving Campaign

The annual giving campaign is about asking for support, but it is also about telling the Scouting story and all the good Scouting has accomplished. We need your help to spread the Scouting story and gather support for our Scouts. Each member of the Three Fires Council has been impacted by Scouting in one way or another. We ask that you share this personal impact with your friends, family and neighbors to continue the program in our communities for years to come.

For assistance as you plan annual giving or outreach, please contact your District Executive.

Donor Advised Fund

A donor advised fund (DAF) is a charitable giving program that allows you to combine the most favorable tax benefits with the flexibility to support your favorite causes.

If you have a donor advised fund, DAF Direct enables you to recommend grants to this nonprofit directly from your DAF (as long as your DAF's sponsoring organization is participating).

Designations can be:

  • Endowment
  • Capital
  • Annual Giving
  • Eagle Dinner

Major Gifts, Endowment support and Planned Giving

While your yearly Friends of Scouting support is needed for our continued operations and programs, please consider making a special gift to Scouting. Become a legacy supporter, honor a loved one, or pay tribute to someone who has made a special impact on the Scouting program. Donating to the Council endowment fund will ensure that your gift will continue to provide support for the Scouting program in the Three Fires Council for generations of future Scouts.

In addition, please consider exploring the opportunity to include Scouting in your estate planning. There are many ways in which you can provide for a program that has given so much to so many.

Explore below for more information on the James E. West Fellowship Award, the Second Century Society and some thoughts on planned estate giving.

The James E. West Fellowship

The James E. West FellowshipThe James E. West Fellowship Award is a national recognition for individuals who contribute $1,000 or more in cash or securities to the Three Fires Council Endowment Trust Fund.

Donors may choose to make a contribution of $1,000 or more to the endowment fund and have their own James E. West Fellowship Award presented to them as a way to inspire other individuals to contribute to the future of Scouting. Each gift is awarded a certificate and a special square knot to be worn on the Scout field uniform. Individuals are welcome to pledge a gift and make payments over the year. This contribution is in addition to, and does not diminish or replace, the donor’s annual gift to the Council’s Friends of Scouting Campaign.

James E. West Application

The James E. West FellowshipYou may also choose to make a James E. West fellowship gift to honor someone else. Districts volunteers can pool contributions to make a gift in honor of a special leader, or Scout and award it at the District Recognition Dinner. Parents may choose to honor their Eagle Scout or Scoutmaster of their unit. Scout units can choose a leader to honor.

Waite Phillips, founder of Waite Phillips Oil Company and donor of Philmont Scout Ranch to the Boy Scouts of America, once said, “It is truly a wise man who can leave something for the future.” Thank you for your consideration of our “Pay it Forward” program and the lasting legacy we can leave for our future Scouts.

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Second Century Society

The Second Century Society, SCS, is the Boy Scouts of America’s national social organization of individuals, families, foundations, and corporations stewarded by key volunteers and implemented by the Boy Scouts of America National Foundation.

Established in 2011, SCS, replaces the 1910 Society and Founders Circle as the way to recognize Scouting’s major donors at both the local and national levels.

These gifts include an outright gift of $25,000 or more payable over five years, or a deferred gift of $100,000 or more to a local council, the Boy Scouts of America Foundation, high-adventure base or any Scouting entity for operating, capital, or endowment.

Any donor who is recognized as a Second Century Society member is awarded a certificate and can wear the lapel pin indicating their level of support.

Planned Giving Opportunities – Leaving a Legacy for Scouting

Consider the following ways to leave a legacy of your own or in memory of a special friend or loved one:

  • A gift included in your will or living trust can establish a lasting legacy.
  • A gift of excess retirement funds, such as pension plans or Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), may allow you to give more, while eliminating taxes that may otherwise largely deplete these assets.
  • A gift of life insurance that has fulfilled its original purpose may offer excellent tax benefits. Policies that you purchased to protect a loved one who no longer needs that protection can be an excellent way to make a gift in honor of that person.
  • A gift that provides an income can be a tax-effective way to provide you and/or someone else you designate with regular payments for life or other period of time. Check with us or your advisors for more information.
  • A gift made in any of these ways will serve as your tribute to Scouting or to honor special loved ones.

Memorial and Tributes

The Memorial/Tribute Fund of Three Fires Council is a way to recognize the Scouting experiences of a deceased Scout or Scouter. Click here to donate to our memorial fund.

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eBay Giving

In response to some recent inquiries about auctions and selling items to benefit the Council, TFC is now registered as an official charity on eBay. Now if you sell something on eBay you can designate a portion to support the Boy Scouts of America, Three Fires Council!

Amazon Smile

Did you know you can support the Three Fires Council while shopping on Amazon?! TFC is now an AmazonSmile Charity! Sign up for Amazon Smile and search for Three Fires Council, BSA to set your charity. Remember to use AmazonSmile every time you shop to donate back to Scouting!

CapitolOne Shopping

CapitalOne Shopping is a tool that helps you save online while you shop by comparing multiple retailers. CapitalOne Shopping is a FREE tool that helps our members ave, while also supporting Scouting in the Three Fires Council!

Matching Gift Program

Each year hundreds of volunteers make contributions to the Three Fires Council and then work with their employer to match their gift. Many companies will do a 2 to 1 match or even 3 to 1 match and some will match your volunteer hours to Scouting. Please look into this unique opportunity with your employer to see how you can have a bigger impact on Scouting.

You Too Can Make a Difference Through Matching Gifts From Your Employer
Contact your Human Resources Department and fill out a matching gift form to match your Friends of Scouting contribution or for your hours of volunteer service. Submit the form to your company or mail it to the Council depending on the instructions. Once the Council receives the form we will verify the gift or the hours of service and return to your employer to match your Scouting contribution. You will make an even greater impact on Scouting!

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Vehicle Donations

Do you have a car that you would like to donate to Scouting to help our council? If so, click on the link above, which has the information that you will need to donate.

We have a great relationship with Insurance Auto Auctions, a company that processes more than 1 million vehicle donations at more than 160 locations around the country; and our Scouting campaign continues to grow from this great service. Our council is already using the program! For more than 100 years, the Boy Scouts of America® has changed lives, and your support will help provide character development, citizenship training, personal fitness, and leadership skills for youth across America.

Gift in kind

There are many ways to help out our camps while helping the Scouts save on their operating budget.

  • Gifts-in-kind is a simple concept whereby the Boy Scouts accept the donation of a product that it would normally have purchased through its annual operating budget. The key is that the donated product meets the specifications of what would have been purchased; making the item donated a “budget relief” for the council.
  • Specific project support is a concept whereby the Boy Scouts account and credit specific costs related to a particular program or activity from the operating budget. The costs are separated and written up as a “project” so that the potential donor knows exactly what he or she is supporting financially. This is an excellent way to match donor interests with specific budgetary expenses that are already a part of the council’s operating budget.

If you would like to support in one of these ways please check out our Program Support Brochure.