Save the Sons of Confederate Veterans is a network of SCV members who are committed, above all else, to the guardianship of Confederate heritage. Unlike the current SCV leadership, the SSCV believes that the true story of the Confederate soldier is best told in an educational forum, as opposed to the adversarial approach that does little but generate public hostility. SSCV further believes that linking the honorable record of the Confederate soldier and his symbols to the extremist modern-day secession movement, as espoused by the League of the South, or to the racist social agenda pursued by the Council of Conservative Citizens, only increases public hostility toward our proud Confederate heritage.

This paper outlines a comprehensive program of Confederate heritage enrichment and support strategies.

Be active, visible and involved in your community. Invite the public and local media to camp meetings, camp activities, memorial services, monument dedications, school programs, etc. Be aware of your public image. Develop a relationship with local media representatives that is based on professional respect. Let the community know what the SCV is and what it does. When appropriate or necessary, let the community know what the SCV is not.

Become knowledgeable about the average Confederate soldier that came from your locale. Define him and interpret his story in terms of the world in which he lived. Improve your communications and public speaking skills. Identify a camp member, who has these talents, to serve as your representative to the local media. Participate in local parades, veterans’ day observances and patriotic holidays. Organize and uniform a color guard that will proudly represent your camp and the Confederate soldier. Be mindful of the image that your color-guard projects.

Become a community writer for your local paper. Get involved with the African-American, Hispanic and Jewish communities to research and erect monuments to their role as Confederates. Get involved with the local MOS&B chapter, UDC chapter, Children of the Confederacy chapter and local reenactment groups. Joint activities provide great public relations opportunities for all groups and provide additional venues to promote the Confederate soldier’s good name. Confederate Day Memorial Observances provide great opportunity for exposure and joint programs with UDC, Children of Confederacy, and reenactment community. Get them all involved in both planning and execution of the event.

Use your newsletter effectively. Send copies out to local media. Keep them apprised and interested in what your camp is doing. Publish local histories. Tell the story of Confederate soldiers from your area.

Plan and erect new monuments. Restore and repair existing monuments. Work with other groups on their monument projects: WWII, Viet Nam era, etc.

1. We suggest that each camp set up a separate 501(c)(3)-monument fund. This will encourage community members to donate who might otherwise not be inclined to participate.

2. Develop and maintain a positive working-relationship with local reenactment groups. They are eager to place monuments to specific Confederate military units.

1. Visit public and private school classrooms and present educational programs

2. Offer scholarship programs at community colleges, colleges, and universities.

3. Develop book donation programs: donate books on Confederate history. Have a bookplate placed in each book stating that it is donated by the camp. Invite the media for coverage. Send books with bookplate in place to local men and women serving in the military or to local veterans in hospitals.

4. Develop hospital and retirement center programs, particularly at veterans’ hospitals for education, book donations and visits.

Note: Involve your camp only in appropriate book projects. So-called exposé’s on historical figures, books on modern political leaders, social or religious topics and similar subjects are inappropriate.

The SCV is charged with defending Confederate heritage, not with defending "all things Southern" and certainly not with defending the right to wear a "rebel" T-shirt or a bikini emblazoned with Confederate flag. Confederate heritage guardianship should be kept positive. Work in coordination with Division and national philosophies that are based on the Guardianship program. Choose your battles carefully. Prioritize your projects. Assume guardianship not only of Confederate symbols, but also of their appropriate and respectful display.

As you implement the Confederate Soldiers Guardianship program, you will often meet initial resistance or hostility. When this occurs, do not over-react: negotiate. Solutions can be reached by presenting your case non-confrontationally, with appropriate documentation. Do not depend on documentation in every case. Often, those you are dealing with only need to be convinced that you have no modern political or social agenda. Get to know those who resist your efforts. Let them get to know you. Invite them to a camp meeting. Attend their group gathering or church activities. If a solution cannot be found, seek arbitration. Bombarding civic groups, local politicians, school boards, and government employees with hostile communications is self-defeating to immediate issues and damages the cause of Confederate heritage defense in the long run.

Implementation of these positive strategies has resulted in successes at the corporate, local government and community levels. Contact SSCV for information on camps and individual SCV members who have used these positive strategies successfully.

Litigation should be a last recourse and should be in coordination with the national Confederate Soldiers' Guardianship program. Use local attorneys who will be familiar with all parties involved. Use outside attorneys only when all else fails.

Be wary of groups or individuals who seek a relationship with your camp in order to bring their philosophy and politics before your membership. Every legitimate social, religious and political philosophy in America has extremists. Many of these extremists want to involve the SCV in order to gain our support, membership, and resources. Linking the story of the Confederate soldier to modern political agendas only generates modern political enemies for the Sons of Confederate Veterans and for the Confederate soldier. Neither our image, nor his, will ever be enhanced by making him a poster-boy in contemporary politics.

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