Help us keep our movement going. It has never been so important for our young people.
19/04/2020
Dear Parents and Carers,
These are challenging and uncertain times for us all.
While we are not meeting face to face (to keep everyone safe) it is more important than ever to make sure that we can continue into the future.
Changes to monthly subscriptions and helping us meet our essential costs.
Unfortunately, we still have fixed costs, which we have to pay, whether we’re meeting face to face or not. Our fixed costs include our rent, utilities, licences, and costs incurred at a national level (covering vital services such as insurance and safeguarding support). All of these still need to be paid.
Now that April’s payments are out of the way, we are asking parents to cancel their monthly Standing Orders with us, because from 1st August, we will be using Online Scout Manager to collect monthly subscriptions.
OSM makes it much easier for us as a group to track incoming payments for Subs, and allows us to easily collect the required info to claim Gift Aid on our subs. We are hoping that by that time the pandemic will be over, and things will be settling back to normal. Ashley or your Section Leaders will be back in touch when where ready to move forward with this.
In the meantime, we have come up with the following solution with the hope of giving as much support as we can to our parents and carers:
- For the next 3 months, namely May, June and July, for those of you who are able, we would really appreciate it if you could pay your monthly subs via our Fundraising website using this link – https://fundraising.1stinceandelton.org.uk/product/subs-full-1-month/. You can pay for it with Credit/Debit Card or BACS all in one go by changing the product quantity, or you can pay month by month.
- For those who are struggling, we ask if you could make a contribution of £6 a month. This will help cover our essential costs over the next few months. It will mean that we can still be here ready to welcome your children back when the crisis passes. Just like with the above option, we ask that this be done through our Fundraising website, using this link – https://fundraising.1stinceandelton.org.uk/product/subs-contribution-1-month/. You can pay for it with Credit/Debit Card or BACS all in one go by changing the product quantity, or you can pay month by month.
- And for those that are facing significant financial challenges at the moment, we do not wish to cause any further financial hardship and fully understand if you are unable to make any contribution.
As you will know we are a local charity, run by unpaid volunteers, as well as being part of a national membership organisation. We rely on income from parents and carers to keep operating. By supporting us financially now, we can make sure our Scout Group is still here for your child when these challenging times have passed.
Why your support matters.
The Scout movement is so important to your child and to our community. Our local Group is entirely run by unpaid volunteers. By supporting each other during this challenging time, we can make sure we can continue in your area to support your child.
Help for you at home.
We have set up a dedicated page on our website which is continually updated to help support our members continue their scouting journey through this difficult period.
The page has a collection of useful information and activities that can be done in the comfort of your own home, as well as acting as a central hub to other resources such as The Scouts Great Indoors and Badges at Home.
You can visit the page by heading to https://1stinceandelton.org.uk/coronavirus.
Thanks for sticking with us. It is your support that counts the most.
Best Wishes & Stay Safe,
Natalie Tudor
Chairperson
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