SCI Utah: How We Have Allocated Funds for Hunting and Wildlife Conservation in 2024
SCI Utah chapter is committed to hunting rights and traditions and wildlife conservation, and those commitments are reflected in our fundraising and spending practices. We would like our members to understand how we raise funds and how we spend them.
Fundraising
Most of our funds are raised at our annual banquet. This event is a major undertaking with months of preparation dedicated by chapter directors and dozens of other volunteers. To make the event enjoyable and highly profitable, hunt donations are solicited year-round. To provide the best firearms and other merchandise at the best possible prices we have begun purchasing them year-round as well. We have commitments for most of our hunt donations already. We have already purchased most of our firearms through special purchase programs with manufacturers and distributors for our April 12 banquet. Doing so allows us to take advantage of special pricing offers that will not be available in the month or two before the banquet. Of course, our merchandise donors greatly contribute to our fundraising by offering their merchandise as gifts and prizes at our banquet as well.
We also offered three online-only auctions in 2024 through the website www.onlinehuntingauctions.com, and we staffed a booth and sold raffle tickets at the Western Hunting and Conservation Expo. These efforts also raised significant funds for our chapter.
Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Spending Program
Our chapter leadership consists of 12 directors who sit on the board of directors. All of these directors are volunteers. No one is compensated. And our chapter has no employees. This lean and mean approach is key to keeping administrative costs to a minimum.
Our 2024 spending budget includes the following:
- 61% to Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Program: Most of our spending is dedicated to programs we all support as hunters and lovers of wildlife. These include numerous wildlife conservation projects in the State of Utah. Our spending also reflects our commitment to youth hunters with programs such as the youth pheasant hunt and the Future Sportsmen’s Camp that took place the day of our banquet. We also support our veterans, specifically the Military Sportsmen of America as well as our disabled members in the Disabled Outdoorsmen. In 2024 we also started a wildlife conservation scholarship, awarding it to a college student who is committed to a career in wildlife management. We are adding an additional chapter goose hunt in the coming year and retaining a Utah lobbyist to assist is in our efforts with the state to promote conservation and protect hunters rights.
- 32% to Fundraising: Our second spending category consists of expenses to conduct our fundraising activities, first among them our annual fundraising banquet. We are committed to having a first-rate event and that requires an excellent venue, world-class auctioneer team, and the best hunts and guns in the industry. These fundraising efforts attract hunters and their families to participate in our banquet and join SCI. Our chapter leadership takes these funds and redeploys them into our hunting and wildlife conservation programs to realize the mission of SCI.
- 3% to Administration: We have kept administrative costs low. These are necessary costs such as bookkeeping, legal fees, a storage unit, and logistics for training and board meetings. Our directors and officers serve on a strictly voluntary basis – no funds are spent to compensate them for their work.
- 4% to Savings: To ensure the long-term sustainability of our chapter, we are allocating additional funds to savings. Our savings allows us to build financial reserves that can support future conservation efforts, adapt to unforeseen challenges, and maintain stability in our operations.
By joining SCI Utah, you become part of a passionate community dedicated to protecting hunting rights, preserving traditions, and advancing wildlife conservation. Your membership not only supports these important efforts but also connects you with like-minded individuals who share your values. As a member, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in our events, contribute to impactful conservation programs, and ensure the future of hunting in Utah. Together, we can continue to make a difference—join SCI Utah today and help protect the future of hunting and wildlife for generations to come.