Analysis of Tulsa Campfire - Research Paper Example

Tulsa Campfire [Institute] Tulsa Campfire Tulsa Campfire marked its into history in the year 1910 when it was founded by Luther Gulick and his wife Miss Charlotte. It was the first non-sectarian organization for girls in the United States. The basic aim and vision of this organization was to help children cooperate with one another and respect each other’s differences and similarities (Campfire, 2012). Campfire Tulsa has gone through a lot since the past century. The first ever meeting headed by Mr. Gulick was conducted in 1910 where the name “Campfire” was proposed. Within two years to its establishment, Campfire Girls were incorporated as a national agency in Washington D.C. Soon it commenced its programs such as “Blue Bird” for younger girls, the name of the program changed to “Star Fight” in 1989 where it served both the girls and boys. In 1918, the first Campfire council was formed in Kansas City. Time does fly by as in no time it reached its silver jubilee and on account of its 50th anniversary a program named the “She Cares … Do You?” started. Under this program, more than 2 million trees were planted and 13,000 birdhouses were built. The organization took the acceleration and a number of different projects started such as a program named “Junior High” in 1962 and Metropolitan Critical Areas (MCA) Project in 1964. The “Wohelo” awards were also introduced during these years named after Campfire’s watchwords “work”, “health” and “love”. In 1975, young boys were also encouraged to participate. In 1983, a program “Adventure” started; then in 1988, “Teens in action” was initiated and following these in 1992, Champions for Children program also began. In 1997, “Kid Day” was celebrated where adults expressed their love to children through letters. In the year 2000, Campfire celebrated its 90th anniversary being one of the leading youth development agencies across the nation. In the year 1999, the organization looked further and after completing its initial goal made up a new mission. The mission works on to develop caring and confident youth who will be the leaders of tomorrow. It requires its director to have the basic knowledge regarding insurance. Comprehensive general liability, directors liability, umbrella liability are an integrated part of this organization. Furthermore, insurance on automotives, property and accidents or illness is covered. The organization also places emphasis on bonding, special benefits and annual increments. Campfire will be responsible for any kind of risk taken by the council and, therefore, it has a properly managed risk plan. At the Campfire, firstly, a risk is identified and then a plan is made accordingly to avoid the risks. For example, there could be property risks etc. The firm will work in four main areas to manage it which are firstly avoid the risk, retain the risk, transfer it or reduce the particular risk. The organization is headed by the president Anne Daubney who is assisted by a vice president administrator Jeff Zumwalt and vice president for youth activities Patti Miller. The secretary Bershunda Burnett and the treasurer Alice Helmke also are a vital part of this organization. The board consists of 23members that work tirelessly carrying the mission of the organization. The organization has good relations with quite a number of other associations such as Campfire USA National site, Americorps, Tulsa area 211, Ernst and Young Ready by 21 and many more. The board members are expected to follow some policies and objectives. The board members must attend and participate in the meetings exuberantly and that they serve at least one community. Board members are also considered among the probable to be at different events such as Kid Day. They serve as the ambassadors to the firm so the board members must have the knowledge about the Campfire’s programs so that they can promote such stuff. Moreover, the board members have to involve themselves actively in the fund raising events and must spend an annual spending of $1,000. A director was quoted, “My first priority had to be taking care of my family, but it was also important to me to see some of my estate go to Campfire – I give every month now, why should it stop”. The board holds its meetings every month with the exception of December, June and July. An annual meeting is held in May. The meetings are held looking after the monthly progress and with the mission in mind. The organization has also created itself new agendas with firstly being to create the interest among the stakeholders for the programs, moreover to increase sustainability, liability and organizational growth. It aims to carry its mission under effective leadership and operational structure. The camp has a proper organizational pattern where every team member, usually a leisure professional, is provided with a leaders’ book. The book contains every kind of basic information needed such as safety. Jobs are given after a complete procedure which includes a personal interview of the applicant with the supervising staff, verification of previous work, criminal background is checked and the automobile insurance is verified. They will have to abide by the rules and carry the mission forward. They must adhere to discipline and must not pass any harsh comments. No discrimination must be made on the basis of religion, race or colour (Campfire, 2012). After the selection of volunteers, they are given the basic training. The leaders training also includes intro to Campfire, forms and risk management, emblems and ceremonials, sales, first aid training and applicable program courses. It is ensured that if the on job trainer or leader changes or takes a part time shift, then all the children must know the change. Inactive participation, non generous spending, comments against race, religion or colour could lead you to disqualification or termination. It works strictly on the policy to fire executive directors when needed. The council works as a team where the work is distributed among the staff and board. There are even some cases where joint work is needed. For tax and legal responsibilities, the council has divided the work among its staff and the board. The staffs notify the board about the entire payroll, tax delays, tax problems and any kind of legal suits. The board works along with the staff and tries to solve these tax problems and approve legal settlements. Finances are a vital part of any organization and that is exactly why a lot of consideration is provided towards the cash flow projects and accounting. Proper filling system is there to avoid any mismanagement. Complete monthly and quarterly statements are made at the end of the month relating to income and outcome expense for each major program. A comparison is done on yearly basis of actual to budget for each program and a balance sheet is prepared for restricted funds. All these statements are expected to be sent to the finance committee for further checking before the monthly meetings (Campfire, 2012). The board organizes a financial committee and also by itself takes part in reviewing statements and financial reports. To avoid any kind of mishap, the board members are required to remain patient in cases where there is a delay. The staffs also works on the cash flow projections in cases where cash flow shortages are probable and proper work must be done to bridge the gap. Staff must maximize the investment if the cash flow increases the projections. The board must also keep an eye on the cash flow projects and must show their concerns in cases where cash flow shortages are likely. The council works extensively and tries to propose the budget in the best of interest to the organization. In the salary scenario, the main work comes under the board. The staffs only provide an annual report regarding the position of employees. The board ranks them in positions, ensures that all workers are utilized and participating actively. They approve any promotions, grants or even terminations by the annual report (Campfire, 2012). Tulsa Campfire is an organization which offers public relation programs that increase cooperation among people. Administrators are responsible for these programs which are then supervised by the supervisors. Tasks are assigned to leaders and volunteers; in fact, all the participants are somehow involved in uplifting such vital programs. Counsellors in training get full attention and in this way, the organization helps them in developing a stronger character. When the participants are in the camp, they push themselves to do even better and, thus, gain confidence. They become more independent and develop life skills and values. Leadership qualities are also enhanced and young participants are able to resolve conflicts by themselves. People get to learn more about the environment which is significant because they then try to solve the environmental issues and problems. At Campfire, annual reports and newsletters are published which contain details about public relations. They try to reach people through different ways like by using the media. Televisions and radios do speak about organization’s programs. Public relation projects also help in bringing more creative people to the organization. A part of budget is also spent on these projects and the board gives serious attention to the financial information. When problems occur, the board members pretty understand and they work as problem solvers as well as governors. Here the difficulty of the work is respected and the participants are given credit if the work is up to the mark. In addition, there are proper policies to handle public complaints too. It is extremely important to do things that are necessary for a better organization. At Tulsa Campfire, the board has a written succession plan for its own leadership and also for the executive director so that even he knows that he will be evaluated. The board members are supposed to review their mission regularly, therefore, a strategic plan is written. All these members should know about finance and all of them are responsible for fundraising. They approve the annual budget since they have to lead and not follow. At Tulsa Campfire, planning and programming is given great importance. About 82% of expenses are spent on programming. Duties are divided among staff members so that the best outcome can be obtained and immense focus is laid upon decision making skills. The staffs are responsible to plan annual objectives and tests which are then approved by the board members (McLean and Hurd 2011). Not only this, but progress reports are also prepared so as to tell each person about the achievement of their goals and objectives. The staffs have another great duty which is to prepare preliminary budget and to be accountable if the spending exceeds the budget. If problems are found in the budget then the board members enquire about it from the members of the staff. Fund raising campaigns are also structured which are all ensured by the board. They have a proper schedule and a calendar which states the upcoming events. Since there are quite a lot of tasks for the staff, a group of tremendously talented people is selected to carry out these jobs. Tulsa Campfire targets the youth but there are a lot of opportunities for families. Even sponsorships are offered to women. It is a fact that all the programs that are carried out at Tulsa Campfire are effective and useful in one way or the other. Participants are exuberant to take part in even more activities. Leadership qualities in each individual are explored and the person is ready to face leadership challenges. A good leader is one who leads the people sensibly in the right direction without putting them under pressure. In summer camps, special emphasis is laid on sports. Different activities involving sports are introduced and even sports kits are distributed among the participants. Here at Tulsa, a great platform is provided to each and every person. There are various facilities and opportunities to be availed. Outstanding camp facilities are available which are not only sources of fun but are also imperative in grooming and polishing the person. Apart from this, fantastic tours and trips are arranged to make people more enthusiastic and keen. Healthy food and drinks are provided to make sure no one suffers from health issues. Large space is provided which accommodates the activities that are offered. A safe and healthy environment is established which is extremely supportive to everyone. It is ensured that interaction is carried out at each level so that there are no communication barriers and as a result, the best can be obtained (McLean and Hurd 2011). Tulsa Campfire focuses on the future, therefore, excellent facilities are provided so that this mission may be accomplished. Computer programs are arranged in order to enhance computer skills. Business and vocational exploration are also given importance. Since we all know how necessary it is nowadays to be aware of science, Tulsa offers science subjects like chemistry, mathematics, space etc which make a person even more vigilant. On the other hand, recreational facilities such as sports programs, art, and musical programs are also provided. Members of the board ensure that all these services are provided to the people. References Campfire official website (2012). Retrieved from http://www.Campfireusa.org/ McLean, D. & Hurd, A. (2011). Kraus Recreation and Leisure in Modern Society. US: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Read More