[This is a proposal that I proposed to the Scout Association of Maldives in July 2010.]
Maldivian National Scout Foundation
Introduction
In order to carry out different events, activities and programs the Scout Association needs necessary financial support and material capability. However, currently the Association is more a depended organization in Maldives than a self-sufficient organization. The Association has no income source to generate enough financial wealth to facilitate, Organize, conduct or coordinate its activities and events throughout the country. Due to lack of financial capability and lack of material wealth the Association has not been able to fully operate or properly function from its very start. The Association has been a dependent to the annual financial assistance provided by the Ministry of education which until recently the Association had been granted by the government. Being the largest youth movement in Maldives with members in all corners of the country it’s important to secure and maintain financial resources and funds that are deemed necessary for the association to reach to them and to run its programs, events and activities.
Concept
The basic idea or concept of establishing a Maldivian National Scout Foundation is to provide the scout movement in Maldives with an independent financial body associated directly under the Maldivian National Scout Council to ensure and secure necessary funds in terms of finance, that is needed for the Scout Association of Maldives to properly operate and fully function its program and activities.
The Maldivian National Scout Foundation will operate as a National Scout Fund. Managed by a team of elected Foundation Management Committee, which will be answerable to the Maldivian National Scout Council.
The main purpose of the foundation shall be to provide the Scout Association of Maldives with the necessary financial assistance that it require. The foundation will have to work in order to increase the funds and to ensure its proper and secure maintenance. A Foundation Management Committee shall be the caretaker of the foundation and be responsible for the foundation and its funds.
Foundation Management Committee
· Shall consist of total seven (7) members
· Has a three (3) year term (elected every three (3) years)
· Shall be elected in the Annual General Meeting of the Scout Association of Maldives
· Chairman (elected among the members) of the Foundation Management committee should be made the National Commissioner for finance
· Is answerable to the National Scout council
· Shall be responsible for the collection of membership fees from members of the Association
· Shall be responsible for raising funds for the National Scout Fund
· Shall be responsible for maintaining a secure figure in the fund
· Shall be responsible for the maintaining and looking after the Associations Financial resources including bank accounts of the association
· Should work to develop more financial resources and income sources to the Association
· Shall organize fund raising events and activities
· Shall maintain proper records of the funds and transactions of the foundation
· Should prepare regular reports on its funds and produce them to the National Scout Council
· Is responsible for granting funds for different scouting activities in the country (a more specific guideline should be made)
· Shall conduct regular audits on an yearly basis through an independent auditing party
· Shall work with National Commissioners providing them with advice on financial matters
· Has the right to withdraw funds that had been granted, from different scouting activities, projects and programs depending on the use of money (a separate guideline should be made)
· Shall allocate certain financial resources to different departments of the Association for their proper functioning
Requirements for a Foundation Management Committee member:
· Should be citizens of Maldives
· Should be of over 25 years of age
· Should be a member of the Scout Movement
· Should have a background in Business, Economics, Commerce or Mathematics
OR
Should have minimum 5 years experience in an area related to finance
The foundation should also grant funds to different Scout Groups in Maldives to help them financially to run different scouting activities and programs (separate guideline should be made). Funds can also be granted for physical resource development and other areas within scouting.
The Foundation Management Committee can appoint sub-committees when needed.
The Foundation Management Committee should keep all its records, transactions, and work as transparent as possible.
Members of the Foundation Management Committee can be elected only from the Annual General Meeting of the Association. Any member who wants to resign can do so by submitting a letter of resignation to the Chairman of the Foundation Management Committee.
The National Scout Council can remove a member of the Foundation Management Committee after providing valid reasons with facts to support their argument.
In case where all members of the Foundation Management Committee is no longer in office the National Scout Council should appoint a temporary Foundation Management Committee until a new committee is elected in the next Annual General Meeting.
The Constitution and By-laws of the Scout Association of Maldives should give the authority to the functioning of this Foundation.
Comments
but it all about fund management and etc...
but we need a source of income. where will we get that money?
a volunteer service is usually sponsored. in our case it the government. but in state where government is trying to minimize the expenditure.it is very unlikely to extend the sponsorship further.
we could replace the old management wit new one but what could you do,if there is no finance to do the plans with great ambition ( do not forget ambitions is not only needed experience is needed much more).
if you think deeper scouting in Maldives was not a youth movement its more like a school activity.(co-curricular activity). once school over scouting over.( though we go under the motto of once a scout always a scout). we have few committed people. carpentering to carry out the activities ( though in foreign countries volunteers a payed . we are not)
and also note that the teacher in pre and primary are not volunteers they are teachers most of them are forced to take a batch
lets see possibilities for fund rising :-
> CHIP A JOB (too risky to sent our kids, though it was great success in 1980's)
> carnivals/dinner nights (history shows that it can barely cover its cost)
> sell sticker ( not enough to fund a event)
these where few concepts used in past:
we need to move on to 21st century
and invest in a long term benefiting business:(type of business doesn't matter).
BTW i just cant help to wonder why the association couldn't secure uniform fund since they sell it at profit. may be they used it for events in that case certainly justifiable.
in my view we need payed people to their posts. or else few rich people can afford to volunteer.
BTW im not the brightest scout. i may have misinformation. just a thought from a scouter watching from a distance.
We are funded by the government of maldives with a "ramzee ehee" and we have never done any successful fundraising program in the near past. Which makes us handicap when it comes to fulfilling the needs of the scouts and the leaders.
This has happened because the scout association was and still is governed by a very few qualified people while most of the seats are occupied people who lack experience and progressive thinking related to the field. they have been provided with the warrant to sit there for the sake of merit but not for the experience in the field the person has to look after. this is the main reason why SAM has been a unsuccessful business. While you say that expirience is important how many of them are expirienced to handle it?!
Its true that scouting in maldives has to approach to modern ways of fundraising, which can be long lasting. The topic has been in the council for years and hasnt been brought to reality..why? because we dont have an enforcing body or a means of enforcement. SAM just assigns people to posts, and after that theres in no way to make him answerable. The problem here starts with the pay to the voluntary service. this is the reason why they fail to do their job (though some of them are experienced).
Scouting in maldives has been and will be a school dominated institution. And the only way to make the teacher scout leaders understand the seriousness and the nobleness of their work is by making the trainings more fruitful, and this has been discussed in the ExCo for 9 years without a solution!
Btw. Financial Commissioner told me that nothing sold on profit basis..