Issues?
Governance documents?
Advice?
Meeting frequency / format?
More trouble than it's worth. There are plenty of threads on this very topic alone.
The only way to win is not to play.
Johnny... truly, read the archives. Not advised. Its led to busted regs, recriminations and terminations (not advised). If you must, read the regs carefully, and seek Wing approval and FM review before doing anything.
V/r
Spam
There is absolutely nothing wrong with setting up a booster club, just make sure you do it right.
It should be set up as a separate 501(c)3 for tax purposes. Make sure that anyone who has any say over the running of the squadron is not directly involved in the decision making process for the booster club; ideally have a non-CAP member be in charge of it.
Quote from: Eclipse on November 16, 2019, 04:56:25 PM
The only way to win is not to play.
The only way to win is to play the game right; giving up and not trying just ensures a lack of success.
Quote from: abdsp51 on November 16, 2019, 04:46:09 PM
More trouble than it's worth. There are plenty of threads on this very topic alone.
While pessimistic, this is often times true. Most squadrons who do this do it so that they can try to bypass CAP finance regs and end up getting in trouble or give up before they even start. If you don't have an entirely separate group of people willing and knowledgeable in running it without any support from the squadron directly, then it will likely be far more trouble than it is worth.
Quote from: jeders on November 16, 2019, 07:51:00 PMIf you don't have an entirely separate group of people willing and knowledgeable in running it without any support from the squadron directly, then it will likely be far more trouble than it is worth.
This is the core of the issue, these people do not exist in the real world.
There is no such thing as a disinterested group of people who will take the effort and time
to fundraise for CAP "because reasons", so what you get is spouses, etc., taking direction
from the members.
As indicated the only reason to do this is to circumvent some regulation which is probably not a real barrier to
donation anyway, or some weird notion that "Wing will take our money.".
Here's how this works out sometimes, in just a couple of real world examples:
- Local unit booster club sets "dues" to belong, in order to fund local unit activities (such as the considerable expenses of drill teams, etc) and those members who are not on the "booster club committee", and who have no vote in setting the dues level, are priced out of the high dues. When some of these parents then question why their son or daughter isn't then "allowed" to be on the unit drill team, they are upbraided for not paying their dues (which is a "pay to play" situation, and is illegal in the sports/rec programs of most state public high schools, but CAP faces the same logistics). This is in conflict with the basic federal law that no member may be denied participation in a federally funded activity (and CAP is such).
- Local unit booster club president/officers start taking "ownership" of the strategic direction of where they see the unit going, on behalf of "their" cadets. The resulting conflict stems from the volunteer fund raisers who turn their fund raising goals into goals for where that earmarked money goals (undercutting local unit volunteer leadership and leading to a collapse).
Suggest that if you have parents who want to raise money, have them join as sponsor members and have the unit Finance Committee (under the control of unit leadership) assign them to fund raising. Single process of goal setting/accountability/tracking/openness.
The last Soviet premier Gorbachev had a few great ideas: "Glastnost" (openness) was a good one. CAP could use more of that, and regardless of good intentions we have seen so very many booster clubs have self destructive problems with lack of openness, divisive lines of authority, and self interest which destroys unit cohesiveness.
R/s
Spam
BTW: Wing can take your money (and some have). There have been examples in the past where units were saving for a major project such as buying an aircraft and the money was diverted or the fund raised asset (radios/vehicle/etc. was transferred). National has even tried to put the touch on Wings to grab a share of donations at Wing level. So, what Eclipse mentions there isn't beyond belief, sadly. Money... is control. :-\
My roommate at the YDC last weekend is from the La Crosse WI squadron. They have a booster club, and have had one for many, many years. They might be some folks to talk to in an effort to understand how to do it and keep it done right.
Quote from: Spam on November 16, 2019, 09:10:12 PM
BTW: Wing can take your money (and some have). There have been examples in the past where units were saving for a major project such as buying an aircraft and the money was diverted or the fund raised asset (radios/vehicle/etc. was transferred). National has even tried to put the touch on Wings to grab a share of donations at Wing level. So, what Eclipse mentions there isn't beyond belief, sadly.
OK, seriously, how long ago was that? There's no unit in the last 20 years that was "saving to buy an airplane" if for no other reason
then a local unit can't actually own or control and airplane.
Wing taking money from units obviously "real" in that everything, including all the cash, is a corporate assets, but outside serious shenanigans
like de-chartering units explicitly to take their money, wing isn't going to take any money from units, nor, frankly, should any unit have enough cash
in the back to get a Wing's attention (there's far too many units sitting on 5 figures "in case they need it").
I just took a few moments (TMFT for the win!) to review the 2014 updated Booster Club rules and honestly,
I have no idea why anyone would bother.
Why would a Unit CC give up that much control over money raised in his unit's name? Just fund raise directly.
Unless the intention is to run a casino night with a cannabis tasting bar, what is a booster club going to do that
the unit can't do themselves?
And if someone can explain this paragraph in a way that makes sense, I'm all ears...
CAPR 173-4, Page 7:
https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/R173_004_3C78BD19C872E.pdf
"f. Wear of the Civil Air Patrol uniform and similar clothing while performing fund
raising for Booster Club is prohibited. Garments (e.g. squadron t-shirts) identifying the squadron
and not referring to Civil Air Patrol are acceptable. Garments (e.g., squadron t-shirts or other
forms of clothing identifying the squadron) are not to be worn in conjunction with any activity
with the booster club."
So squadron t-shirts are acceptable, but squadron t-shirts are not to be worn? I've read this thing like 10 times and
can't find the decoder.
Quote from: Eclipse on November 16, 2019, 11:36:54 PM
I just took a few moments (TMFT for the win!) to review the 2014 updated Booster Club rules and honestly,
I have no idea why anyone would bother.
Why would a Unit CC give up that much control over money raised in his unit's name? Just fund raise directly.
Unless the intention is to run a casino night with a cannabis tasting bar, what is a booster club going to do that
the unit can't do themselves?
And if someone can explain this paragraph in a way that makes sense, I'm all ears...
CAPR 173-4, Page 7:
https://www.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/R173_004_3C78BD19C872E.pdf
"f. Wear of the Civil Air Patrol uniform and similar clothing while performing fund
raising for Booster Club is prohibited. Garments (e.g. squadron t-shirts) identifying the squadron
and not referring to Civil Air Patrol are acceptable. Garments (e.g., squadron t-shirts or other
forms of clothing identifying the squadron) are not to be worn in conjunction with any activity
with the booster club."
So squadron t-shirts are acceptable, but squadron t-shirts are not to be worn? I've read this thing like 10 times and
can't find the decoder.
Wear of a squadron t-shirt is OK for fund-raising with a booster club, as long as it doesn't have "Civil Air Patrol" on it. Any other activity done by the booster club no sqdn t-shirts, regardless of "Civil Air Patrol" reference are permitted. This could entail a community clean-up, parking at an event, ad nauseum.
I think that may have been the intent, but that's not what it says.
I can't personally fathom any activity that is both a good idea and that would need
a booster club to execute, and that goes doubly for cadets who would participate.
And let's not forget that doing so would be without the protection of the corporation
in regards to liability.
As someone who actually wrote the original 174-4, I can say that Booster Clubs are highly discouraged. The reason, is the temptation of FW&A. It takes a lot of discipline on all parties to make it work without falling into a very deep hole. My strong advice is just don't consider forming one.
Quote from: FW on November 17, 2019, 01:16:49 PM
As someone who actually wrote the original 174-4, I can say that Booster Clubs are highly discouraged. The reason, is the temptation of FW&A. It takes a lot of discipline on all parties to make it work without falling into a very deep hole. My strong advice is just don't consider forming one.
I agree 100%.