Endowment

Scouting helps young men and women build character, citizenship and fitness. Developing youth who are physically strong, mentally awake, morally straight, has been the work of Scouting America since 1910. Our efforts will be even more important in coming years.

Learning from exemplary leaders, engaging programs, and timeless values, Scouts work to improve themselves and their communities. For many, positive attitudes and attributes learned as a youth will continue throughout life. Today’s Scouts will become tomorrow’s leaders in the trades and professions, business, education, government, and all walks of life. 

Gift Recognition

Encouraging gifts to the Sam Houston Area Council endowment is one of our highest priorities. A gift to endowment ensures that the council can continue to offer the outstanding programs we now have and also grow to meet the needs of our youth and community for the next 100 years.

For the donor, a gift to endowment says, "Scouting is important to me and my family." It says that Scouting truly is a movement with a mission for me. It is more than an organization; it is a way of life. It is what we say and do in the spirit of the Scout Oath and Law. The Sam Houston Area Council Endowment exists to ensure the council's long-term financial health. Your support will help us meet the current and future goals of the Sam Houston Area Council.

Please consider a gift to the endowment and help us "Be Prepared" by making a pledge or gift today. 

Learn more about our giving options and gift recognition programs:

James E. West

The James E. West Fellowship Award nationally recognizes individuals who contribute $1,000 or more in cash or securities to the Sam Houston Area Council's permanent Endowment. Individuals may contribute monies toward a fellowship in honor of someone else: an Eagle Scout, parent, graduate, Silver Beaver award recipient, Vigil Honor recipient, Scoutmaster, Cubmaster, retiree, volunteer, or special loved ones including non-Scouters, youth or adults. 

Fellowships can also be provided "in memory of" a departed loved one, business associate or special Scouter or non-Scouter. 

The award is named after the first chief Scout Executive who exemplified Ralph Waldo Emerson's observation that "An institution is the lengthened shadow of one man." Today, Scouting is the "lengthened shadow" of the more than three decades of the farseeing and dedicated leadership of Dr. James E. West.

Contributions 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 Sam Houston Area Council. Members of the Sam Houston Area Council's endowment societies are recognized with their names are displayed in the lobby of the Cockrell Scout Center.

The national endowment recognition of James E. West and the Second Century Society recognizes supports of the Sam Houston Area Council’s endowment. 

James E. West Fellowship Application

James E. West Recognition Levels

$1,000+          Bronze member level: certificate and pin
$5,000+ Silver member level: certificate and pin
$10,000+ Gold member level: certificate and pin
$15,000+ Diamond member level: certificate and pin
$25,000+ Become a Second Century Society Member

(Donors may make cumulative gifts to reach silver, gold, and diamond levels.)

Second Century Society

The Second Century Society is reserved for those who make an outright gift of $25,000 or more payable over five years, or a deferred gift of $100,000 or more, to the Sam Houston Area Council for operating, capital, or endowment.

Second Century Society Application

Second Century Society Recognition Levels

$25,000+ certificate & lapel pin
$100,000+ certificate, lapel pin, framed Rockwell print, custom insignia item
$500,000+ certificate, lapel pin, framed Rockwell print, custom insginia item
$1,000,000+ certificate, lapel pin, framed Rockwell print, custom insginia item

Planned Giving

As a donor to the Sam Houston Area Council, you can use your giving to achieve personal goals, enhance your financial security, and to help shape the future of Scouting. Planned giving includes a number of ways for you to include charitable giving in your total financial plan. There are advantageous tax treatments of gifts under both state and federal law. Planned giving can help you maximize these tax benefits.

Tax advantages can often make it possible for you to provide a greater gift than you thought possible, while also benefiting your family and heirs. Many donors and supporters of Scouting have chosen planned giving as a way to show their interest in supporting Scouting beyond their lifetime while realizing some tax benefits today.

The type of asset and the way it is given to Scouting determines the actual tax and financial benefits that can result from a gift. Certain planned gift arrangements provide you with an opportunity to diversify your holdings, turn highly appreciated assets into a gift that provides you income, and allow you to enjoy significant tax savings. With careful planning today, you may reduce or eliminate estate, inheritance, or gift taxes, allowing your family and the charities you support to receive the full benefits of your life's work. Certain gift plans actually result in a greater amount of wealth passed on to your family.

As with all financial decisions, a planned gift should be designed with care. A planned giving professional should work closely and confidentially with you to ensure that your gift achieves your individual goals and expresses your personal vision.

Example Bequest Language

Please feel free to change the numbers or percentages as you desire.

1. Bequest of cash “I bequeath the sum of $10,000 to The Sam Houston Area Council of Houston, TX."

2. Bequest of a percent of the estate “I devise and bequeath 20% of the remainder and residue of property owned at my death, whether real or personal, and wherever located to The Sam Houston Area Council of Houston, TX."

3. Contingent Bequest “If my brother John Doe survives me, I devise and bequeath 20% of the remainder and residue of property owned at my death, whether real or personal, and wherever located to John Doe. If John Doe does not survive me, then I devise and bequeath 20% of my residuary estate, whether real or personal property and wherever located to The Sam Houston Area Council of Houston, TX."

Stewardship

Stewardship of the investments made by our donors are very important to us. Our investment committee meet regularly to review how the funds are invested and if they are performing properly.

Council's Investment Fund Spending Policy and oversight

The purpose of the Sam Houston Area Council’s investment fund is to assist in the financial requirements of the council, in its delivery of a quality Scout program, in its service to its chartering partners and in its long-term financial sustainability. The investment fund of the council is made up of unrestricted (board designated) net assets, temporarily restricted net assets and permanently restricted (endowment) net assets.

The Sam Houston Area Council manages its investment fund using the guidelines found in the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act.

The Sam Houston Area Council’s investment fund will only incur costs that are appropriate and reasonable in relation to the assets, the purposes of the council, and the skills available to the council. These costs, which are netted out from the market value of the fund prior to calculation of a distribution, are related to the audit, investment managers and the council’s human resources responsible for the management and growth of the investment fund.

The Sam Houston Area Council board of directors has delegated oversight of the council’s endowment to the Investment Committee which meets quarterly and operates within the parameters of the council’s Investment Policy Statement. The Investment Committee manages the endowment assets to ensure that these funds provide for Scouting in perpetuity.

The council staff and the Investment Committee continually review investment performance, asset allocation, and analyze recommendations from Goldman Sachs, who manages the account.

The executive committee may amend this spending policy.

 

Contact

For more information about the endowment programs of the Sam Houston Area Council, please contact:

Travis Briner
Director of Development
(713) 756-3370
 travis.briner@scouting.org 

 

 

 

By contributing to the Sam Houston Area Council endowment, you are making a philanthropic gift that will continue to benefit Scouting beyond your lifetime, creating a legacy that will last forever. The Sam Houston Area Council endowment is both permanent and protected and is a very strategic way to financially support the mission of Scouting in perpetuity.

  • Perpetuates the donor’s values and priorities. An endowment gift can perpetuate your values in the wake of change; it can assure that programs that are important to you will survive. By creating or adding to a permanent endowment for a designated purpose aligned with Scouting’s mission and the Council gift acceptance policy, you enable and obligate the Sam Houston Area Council to conduct your expressed wishes, as long as it is practical and possible. A restricted endowment can ensure organizational support for the donor’s priorities.
  • Establishes your Legacy. Because an endowment gift will be invested permanently, it can serve as a permanent tribute to you and extend your values to future generations. It can establish your Scouting Legacy, a way to define your place in the history of the Sam Houston Area Council.
  • Makes significant investment in the future. Many donors make larger endowment gifts, often through planned giving vehicles than they dreamed was possible. Endowment gifts are sometimes your last (and largest) gift to the organization you value most. You can receive great satisfaction from making a significant contribution from assets accumulated over your lifetime. In the case of deferred planned gifts, the gifts may be your final act of contributing to the Sam Houston Area Council.
  • Endows annual gifts. An endowment gift gives you the option to perpetuate your annual gift. For example, the $1,000 per year donor might make a $20,000 endowment gift to continue annual gifts of $1,000 to the organization in the future through the annual distribution.
    • For example, a 65-year-old Scouter who has given $1,000 to the Sam Houston Area Council each year since their child earned the rank of Eagle Scout found comfort in creating a $20,000 deferred endowment, which, at 5%, generated the same $1,000 annually to the Sam Houston Area Council in perpetuity to support future Scouts on their path to Eagle.
  • Creates an ongoing source of income. Because a permanent endowment is an invested pool of money that provides a reliable source of income in perpetuity, the Sam Houston Area Council can count on annual distributions to carry out our mission.
  • Enhances stability- A well-managed endowment communicates planned long-term stability, fiscal responsibility, and financial viability. The Sam Houston Area Council Endowment and Investment Fund, currently managed by Goldman Sachs, has a distribution policy that allows the council to take a 5% distribution based on a 12-quarter rolling average of the fund's value.
  • Relieves pressure on the annual fund. Annual fund goals (e.g., Friends of Scouting, Special Events, Grants and Foundations) tend to rise right along with the cost of providing services and operating the organization, but the ability of the annual fund to meet increasing demand is not limitless and continues to add pressure on our families, volunteers, staff, and organization to keep pace.  An endowment can support the organization’s operating budget annually and relieve some of the stress of rising operating costs.
  • Allows program expansion/innovation. Program expansion and innovation can be funded with distributions from endowment funds used for staff positions, facility maintenance, equipment and supplies, marketing, outreach efforts, and any other purpose designated by the donor (in alignment with the council gift acceptance policy) or by the board of directors.
  • Offers flexibility for management. Endowments offer options to meet new challenges by providing greater financial flexibility and self-sustaining income streams. Endowments can augment uncertain income sources, broaden the overall revenue mix, and create stability to weather any storm (real or metaphorical).

Using the giving vehicles outlined below, you can be more empowered to think more broadly about what your gift can accomplish. Through appropriate stewardship, there is an opportunity to increase the cash gifts received from legacy donors during their lifetime. Incorporating planned giving into your plans allows you to leave legacy behind and secures the financial health of the Sam Houston Area Council.

    • Gifts of Cash/Donor Advised Funds(DAF)- A DAF is a dedicated charitable fund maintained by a public charity (a "sponsoring organization") that is exclusively dedicated to charitable giving. When you contribute to a donor-advised fund during your lifetime, you are eligible for an immediate income tax deduction. Making an endowment gift, using a DAF is a great way to use assets you already have designated for charitable purposes.
    • Planned/Estate Giving/Bequest- A charitable bequest is a gift to charity made at death through your will or trust. A bequest can be specified by gift amount or a percentage of your estate. Charitable bequests are appealing because they allow you to leave a lasting impact on an organization with assets that only become liquid upon your death.
    • Gifts of Stock- Gifts of stock, bonds, or mutual funds can be a tax-efficient way for you to support the Sam Houston Area Council. Rather than paying tax when you sell appreciated stock, you can use this asset to make charitable donations directly to the Council. You would receive a federal tax deduction for gifts of stock based on the assets fair market value on the date of the gift. Beneficiary designations are easy to implement from a donor perspective, and once completed, you simply need to notify your bank/broker for gift execution.
    • Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD’s)/IRA Charitable Distribution- Using a QCD or IRA account allows taxpayers age 70½+ to transfer up to $105,000 directly from their IRA to charity. This benefits a donor because you do not need to transfer income to your private account to make a gift to charity, and the transfer from your IRA directly to charity allows you to make the gift tax-free.
    • Life Insurance Policy- Gifts of life insurance can be made on life insurance policies that are currently owned with a transfer of ownership, established with a charitable beneficiary, or purchased by charity on a donor’s life. Most commonly, gifts of life insurance are transferred to charity when the policy is no longer needed for its original purpose. In these instances, the donor is putting an idle asset to work, and funding a larger, future gift. Additionally, if premiums are paid, the benefits to the Sam Houston Area Council are guaranteed.

When a policy is established on behalf of the Sam Houston Area Council you are entitled to an income-tax charitable deduction for the net premiums paid and the value of the policy, plus any premiums the Council pays after the transfer of ownership. The benefit of life insurance gifts is that at upon your death, proceeds from the policy paid promptly are not subject to the probate.

It is important to know that there are many giving vehicles to make an endowment gift to the Sam Houston Area Council, we strongly advise consulting with your attorney, wealth managers, and/or tax advisors to ensure you are maximizing your impact and benefits.

In order to make a bequest, you should speak with your attorney. Your attorney can help you include a bequest to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America in your estate plan. We have provided some basic bequest language to assist you and your attorney.
 

  1. Specific Bequest If you are considering making an outright bequest to Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, we recommend the following language:

    Bequest of a Specific Dollar Amount I hereby give, devise and bequeath _________ and No/100 dollars ($DOLLARS) to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 2225 North Loop West, Houston, TEXAS 77008, Federal Tax ID #76-0239833, for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s general use and purpose.

    Bequest of Specific Personal Property I hereby give, devise and bequeath DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 2225 North Loop West, Houston, TEXAS 77008, Federal Tax ID #76-0239833, for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s general use and purpose.

    Bequest of Specific Real Estate I hereby give, devise and bequeath all of the right, title and interest in and to the real estate located at ADDRESS OR DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 2225 North Loop West, Houston, TEXAS 77008, Federal Tax ID #76-0239833, for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s general use and purpose.
     
  2. Percentage Bequest If you are considering making a bequest of a percentage of your estate to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, we recommend the following language: I hereby give, devise and bequeath ____ percent (___%) of my total estate, determined as of the date of my death, to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 2225 North Loop West, Houston, TEXAS 77008, Federal Tax ID #76-0239833, for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s general use and purpose.
     
  3. Residual Bequest I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 2225 North Loop West, Houston, TEXAS 77008, Federal Tax ID #76-0239833, ALL OR A PERCENTAGE of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to be used for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s general use and purpose.
     
  4. Contingent Bequest  If (primary beneficiary) does not survive me, then I hereby give, devise and bequeath to the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, a nonprofit organization located at 2225 North Loop West, Houston, TEXAS 77008, Federal Tax ID #76-0239833, DESCRIPTION OF PROPERTY to be used for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America’s general use and purpose.
     

  5. Restricted Bequests If you are considering a bequest but would like to ensure that your bequest will be used for a specific purpose, please let us know. We would be happy to work with you and your attorney to help you identify ways to give and meet your charitable objectives. We will also work with you and your attorney to craft language to accomplish your goals.

    If you are making a restricted bequest, we recommend that your attorney include the following provision to give the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America flexibility should it no longer be possible for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America to use your gift as you originally intended:

    If, in the judgment of the Board of Directors of the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America, it shall become impossible for the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America to use this bequest to accomplish the specific purposes of this bequest, the Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America may use the income and principal of this gift for such purpose or purposes as the Board determines is most closely related to the restricted purpose of my bequest.

The Investment (Endowment) Fund budget was developed based upon the Council’s Spending Policy that allows a distribution amount of 5%.

The Spending Policy is as follows: “The maximum distributable income from the Investment Fund for any year will be calculated on the basis of market values of the fund determined at least quarterly and averaged over a period of not less than three years immediately preceding the year in which the appropriation for expenditure is to be made multiplied by 5%.” The annual distributable amount has nothing to do with the performance of investments.

Prior to execution the Council Chair of the Board, Council Budget Committee Chair or Council Treasurer must approve the amount of the portion of the distribution that will be redirected to the Capital Fund and/or Investment (Endowment) Fund, the maximum for which will not exceed the amount allowed by the Spending Policy. If by December 31 of the current budget year, it is determined that no portion of this pre-authorized distribution is available for the above-referenced purpose, then no amount will be redirected to either fund and the authority granted by the Executive Committee, hereto, will expire.

The final amount of the portion redirected to the Capital Fund and/or Investment (Endowment) Fund, if any, will be reported to the Executive Committee at its meeting in January 2025.”

Goal- Grow Council Endowment to $125,000,000 by 2030

Council Endowment Funding Priorities

  • Staff
    • SE- $10,000,000
    • Cabinet- $5,000,000
    • Field Directors- $2,500,000
    • District Executive- $1,000,000
  • ScoutReach        
    • ScoutReach Director and Staff
    • Scout Reach Unit
    • Membership
  • Cockrell Scout Center (rename opportunity?)
  • Marketing

 

Philanthropist Recognition- TB NOTE: Recognition could align with theme..?

For any endowment gift of $25,000 or more, the Council will establish a fund in your name within our Endowment/Investment fund. Annually, you will receive a report on the performance of the fund and the value of the account after distribution.

  • $1m+- David Weekley Legacy Society
  • $100k-$999k- Tellepsen Society
  • $50k-$99k-
  • $10k-$49k-
  • $1,000-$9,999- James E. West