Council Endowment
Gifts to the Connecticut Yankee Council Endowment Fund help ensure that we can continue to offer the outstanding programs it now has and also grow to meet the needs of the youth and communities it serve. In its gratitude for such support, the BSA nationally offers three distinct endowment recognition awards. These awards are presented by the local Council to donors who support Scouting's financial future with Council endowment gifts.
If you would like to find out more about solutions for your particular estate planning needs, our gift recognition program or about our Council Endowment Fund, please contact Tony Vogl at 203-876-6868, ext. 244 or e-mail vogl@ctyankee.org.
James E. West Fellowship
The James E. West Fellowship award is available for gifts of $1,000 and up in cash or marketable securities to a council endowment fund. The gift must be in addition to and not replace or diminish the donor’s annual Friends of Scouting support. Many individuals and corporation make these gifts either on behalf of someone else such as in honor of an Eagle Scout, Silver Beaver recipient, a retirement, a special accomplishment, or anniversary or in memory of a special individual.
Those who are recognized by the James E. West Fellowship Award will cast their own legendary shadow as they help ensure the Scouting legacy for future generations for young people and create the financial stability of the program for the twenty-first century of the Council. Monies contributed to the Endowment Fund through the James E. West Fellowship are never spent; only the interest is used to further the programs and outreach of the Connecticut Yankee Council.
1910 Society
Founded in 1910, the Boy Scouts of America has grown into something larger and more significant than anyone anticipated. We honor that special date by presenting the 1910 Society award to donors who make gifts of $25,000 or more to their council endowments. These gifts can be in the form of cash, securities, land, five-year pledges, or other property suitable for a council endowment fund or easily converted to cash. There are four levels of recognition in the 1910 Society that honor four very special individuals who shaped modern-day Scouting:
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Ernest Thompson Seton, nationally known artist and naturalist, author of the first official American Scout handbook and many other books important to Scouting. Seton Level Membership: $25,000 Minimum Gift.
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Daniel Carter Beard, first chairman of the National Court of Honor, national Scout commissioner, and author of many well-known books and stories for youth. Beard Level Membership: $100,000 Minimum Gift.
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Theodore Roosevelt, first Chief Scout Citizen, first vice president of BSA, and president of the United States. Roosevelt Level Membership: $500,000 Minimum Gift.
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Waite Phillips, one of the BSA’s first benefactors, and donor to the BSA of almost 130,000 acres of land in New Mexico which became Philmont Scout Ranch. Phillips Level Membership: $1,000,000 And Up.
Founders Circle
The Founders Circle, is intended to recognize deferred gifts designated for council endowment funds. With deferred giving (also called planned giving) so widely and effectively used by so many donors, the BSA wants to recognize the importance of such major gifts. Donors are recognized for gift commitments with a minimum value of $100,000. Unlike the other endowment recognition awards, a donor may qualify for membership with gifts made through:
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Charitable bequests in a will or codicil.
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Charitable trusts, such as unitrusts, annuity trusts, and lead trusts.
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Life insurance/retirement plan designations.
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Other deferred gifts approved by the local council.
As with the 1910 Society, there are four levels of membership within the Founders Circle:
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Bronze - $100,000 Minimum Gift Commitment
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Silver - $250,000 Minimum Gift Commitment
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Gold - $500,000 Minimum Gift Commitment
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Platinum - $1,000,000 And Up
"We only have a short time to live, so it is essential to do things that are worthwhile and to do them now."
- Lord Robert Baden Powell