I learned in church today

[bluegoose]

So, it wasn't technically during church, but I learned that wards usually schedule these Primary Programs for the last Sunday of a quarter in order to boost Sacrament Mtg attendance & get a bigger budget when numbers are tallied for appropriations.

being ignorant of how this works, I ask those who know - is this somehow true? Seems like it shouldn't matter which Sunday the chapel is packed. I heard this from 2 different people.

I've never heard of this and I've never heard it considered even once over the years. Like KC said, the wards and stakes that I've been in do the primary program when the primary president tells them they will be ready.

Maybe some bishops are more calculating like that than others, but I've just never run across any of them that care enough about the budget to try to manipulate the numbers like that.

[BigFatMeanie]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe that attendance is averaged for the quarter - not just calculated based on the last week of the quarter.

[Katy Lied]

I haven't come out and asked, but I'm pretty sure that our ward holds "sweeps week." Here are some past lineups:

Missionary Return plus Missionary Farewell (Chairs all the way back to the stage)
F&T with Baby blessing involving one of the largest families in the city (Chairs halfway back to the stage)
Primary Program

[Eddie]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe that attendance is averaged for the quarter - not just calculated based on the last week of the quarter.

It's actually averaged for the last month of the quarter, not just the last week.

So they are looking at average weekly attendance for the months of March, June, Sept, Dec.

[LVAllen]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe that attendance is averaged for the quarter - not just calculated based on the last week of the quarter.

It isn't averaged across the quarter. But quarterly reports are due in January, April, July, October for the just-ending quarter. Included are the sacrament meeting attendance figures, and the instructions on that are pretty straightforward: "Record the average sacrament meeting attendance for the last month of the quarter. Include in your count all individuals who attended sacrament meeting, members and nonmembers alike." So a bump in attendance in March, June, September, and December will improve the numbers, while a bump in attendance in any other month won't. And the ward's budget allocation is literally based on Butts In Seats.

Basically, the budget allowance is based on attendance at sacrament meeting, YM/YW meetings, and Senior Primary (8-11). The "basic allowance" is the sacrament meeting number: $12/person/quarter, or $48 annually. The "Additional budget allowance" is based on a 2004 letter, and includes money for YM/YW and Primary. YM/YW attendance adds $12.50/person/quarter ($50 annually), Primary adds $6.25/person aged 8-11/quarter ($25 annually). Also, YSAs whose records are in the ward also add a maximum of $6.25/person/quarter, based on the overall sacrament meeting attendance percentage.

So, say your quarterly report shows the following numbers: sacrament meeting attendance of 250 out of 500 members of record, 30 youth attending meetings, 50 children aged 8-11 attending Primary, and 10 Young Single Adults. That gives you (250*12)+(12.5*30)+(6.25*50)+(6.25*10*50%) = $3,718.75. This is the largest possible budget allowance for your ward based on that quarter. Assuming 4 quarters of basically static numbers, the annual amount sent to the stake based on your ward would be $3,718.75*4 = $14,875. From that amount, the stake will withhold some for stake expenses and pass through whatever is left. The stake may also decides that special needs exist, either in your ward or in another and might allocate more (or less) based on the needs of other wards in the stake.

In theory, ward leaders would plan things that draw in large numbers of folk (farewells, primary programs) in a counting month. In practice, that takes more organizational foresight than most wards are capable of.

[Clark Addison]

I'm not 100% sure but I believe that attendance is averaged for the quarter - not just calculated based on the last week of the quarter.

Not last week, last month. Like you, I am also not 100%, but I am almost 100% that Home Teaching and other stats are only counted in those months. Back when I went to priesthood, we would always get some variation of "And this is a reporting month, so try extra hard to get it done. So it makes sense that Sac Meeting attendance works the same way.

But I may be wrong. I have never personally reported anything.

[Sullyute]

I haven't come out and asked, but I'm pretty sure that our ward holds "sweeps week." Here are some past lineups:

Missionary Return plus Missionary Farewell (Chairs all the way back to the stage)
F&T with Baby blessing involving one of the largest families in the city (Chairs halfway back to the stage)
Primary Program

So unless all of the visitors are non-members or less-actives, then you are taking away from other wards budgets? Which helps to justify Clack and others lying about padding their numbers.

[wally]

No.

good post.

[swampfrog]

Maybe some bishops are more calculating like that than others, but I've just never run across any of them that care enough about the budget to try to manipulate the numbers like that.

Wards with large primary and/or YM/YW will find many of the programs severely underfunded. My wife is the Primary President over a decent size group of kids and we have 50+ active youth. Our Bishop cares a lot about the budget since there isn't enough of it. Counting months are part of the discussion.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Our ward has almost 100% attendance.

[hostile]

Our ward has almost 100% attendance.

You won't have enough room for everyone that shows up for the primary program.

[TripletDaddy]

You won't have enough room for everyone that shows up for the primary program.

But they will have the budget next year to build a larger chapel!

[CardiacCoug]

Our ward has almost 100% attendance.

Satan's Plan!

[Jeff Lebowski]

Satan's Plan!

No way, Jose. We are kicking Satan's ass!

[Dwight Schr-ute]

No way, Jose. We are kicking Satan's ass!

Did you know that even Satan chose not to be gay?!