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SCOUT EXECUTIVE'S MINUTE Dear Friends of Scouting: 
Embarking on a $4 million capital development campaign is a large task. It takes the cooperation of board, staff, volunteers, community and business leaders as well as Scouting alumni to bring such a campaign to fruition. It takes a great deal of vision, planning, relationships, and a lot of individual and group meetings.Currently, we are in the cultivation phase of the campaign. Meeting with people, explaining the concept, the need, the costs, the structure, and what it will all look like when we are successful at the conclusion of the overall campaign. When it is all said and done, the capital development campaign is about people and our relationships with them. Two things are fundamental to our success. The first is to have a compelling case statement. In other words, do we really need what we say we need in order to successfully perform and meet our organization’s program concerns? Anyone who has been to our both of our camps knows that they are very well-used, in need of extensive repairs, in need of new buildings to support our mission, and in need of basic health and safety items. Anyone who has been to our volunteer service center will attest to over-crowded parking lot, non-ADA compliant bathrooms, small and dimly lit offices, in-adequate meeting space, and a generally “worn out” look. For our facilities --- thirty-five to sixty years of hard daily usage and weather has taken its toll. Expressing those capital needs with a plan for addressing those same needs will be critical to our success The second is to have talked with the right people. Are we getting our message out to our Scouting alumni, business and community decision makers? Does literally everybody in northwest suburbs know that we are about to embark on a major mission? While I am convinced we have a compelling case statement, I am equally doubtful that we have talked with enough of the right people. That’s where I am asking for your help. If you have a contact with one or more of the above listed groups or individuals please let me know by return e-mail (so I can keep track of your valuable input). Please tell me who you know in terms of Scouting alumni as well as business and community leaders; their address (so we can send them a 2004 NWSC Annual Report that helps to open the door and communicate Scouting’s story); their phone numbers; and how you know them. Do not assume we already have data that has your unique information. Before we can ask anyone for financial support, we must first let them know what we are doing (our successes and challenges), that we have been good stewards of previous funds entrusted to our care, our results, and then finally, our needs and how they can help meet those needs. By working together and sharing this information we can truly have a positive impact on our ability to serve today’s youth, tomorrow’s youth, and our Scouting volunteers who really make Scouting happen week after week, and year after year in the northwest suburbs. Please send your information to staylor@bsamail.org. I will make sure that your input gets into the right hands as we organize our capital development campaign. Stephen J. Taylor, CFRE Scout Executive Northwest Suburban Council |