Scientology Critical Information Directory

This site is best viewed using a highly standards-compliant browser

Scientology's "FSM"

FSM: "Field Staff Member".

Caroline Letkeman's Refund and Reparation: "Field Staff Member, FSM Commission"
FIELD STAFF MEMBER COMMISSION, 1. the official Scn organization to which the Field Staff Member is attached will pay the Field Staff Member a percentage of all training and processing fees received by that organization through its Field Staff Members. [...] FSM percentages are corrected and established as follows: 15% will be paid for any selectee routed on for auditor training, 10% will be paid for any selectee routed on the solo line. [...]
  Caroline Letkeman's Refund and Reparation: "Field Staff Member Practices"
FSM TRAINING AWARDS GAME!
for Selecting People Onto the PURIFICATION RUNDOWN
When you start 5 public onto the PURIFICATION RUNDOWN, in addition to your 10% cash FSM commission, you will receive $500 in FSM Training Awards for you to use on your own training!
See the FSM I/C today to get your family and friends onto the Purification Rundown!
Send your public to see the FREE "CLEAR BODY, CLEAR MIND" lecture this TUESDAY AT 7:30 PM in room 101.

©2001 by CSCCI

more more more more

Affidavit of Edmond Hattaway (26 February 2001)

7. It should be stated that this group and Sterling Management (which caters primarily to dentists) were at that time, and most probably still are today, the largest FSM (Field Staff Member) organizations in all of scientology. FSM organizations disseminate Scientology to their public and receive a 10% commission for the services that their recruits pay for.

Boston Herald (1998): "Inside the Church of Scientology: Scientology reaches into schools through Narconon" by Joseph Mallia

And a glossy brochure in Narconon's Everett office offers an intensive, in-patient purification program for $18,500 — including "withdrawal services" — at the Oklahoma hospital.

In Scientology, salesmen like Wiggins are called "Field Service Members," (FSMs) and are paid a percentage of any courses bought from the church by people they recruit, said Dennis Erlich, a Scientology Church defector.

FSMs are paid a commission of 10-35 percent of what their recruits spend on church training, according to a Dec. 29, 1997, memo written by Commander Sherry Murphy of the Church of Scientology's Fields Executive International division.

"If he recruits, he gets a 10-15 percent straight sales commission," said Erlich, who was a top Scientology trainer for 15 years. "He gets the commission on everything that the person purchases from then on, of Scientology auditing and training," he said.

And Wiggins has a very active history with Narconon — as of 1997 he had lectured before a total of 375,000 people, according to the Church of Scientology.

Schools pay $200-$300 for short lectures by Wiggins, Mack said.

St. Petersburg Times (1993): "Scientologists profit from new members" by Karl Vick

It pays to pitch Scientology, according to earnings reports the church has filed with the Internal Revenue Service.

One man averaged almost $200,000 a year in commissions from the fees of new members he had solicited to become Scientologists.

The church gives its proselytizers 10 to 15 percent of what newcomers "donate" for church services, such as the process called auditing that tells how far from salvation the newcomer is. That means the top pitchman in the 1990s, identified only as Barry Klein, drummed up more than $1.3-million for Scientology each year.

Scientologists who collect from other church members can make out even better. Ken Pirak made $407,000 in 1991 from a western states "membership tour," as the church calls its fund-raising roundups. Next in line that year was Steve Grant, whose commissions totaled $340,000 from a membership tour based in Clearwater, home of Scientology's spiritual headquarters. [...]

Narconon Exposed: "Flag FSM Newsletter, vol. XIX, no. XVII (1992)"

This document comes from a 1992 edition of Flag FSM Newsletter (vol. XIX, no. XVII), an internal Church of Scientology publication which is distributed to Field Staff Members. FSMs are effectively salespeople, being Scientology members who sell Scientology courses and publications to "raw meat" (the general public) for a cut of 15% of the proceeds. This often goes straight back to the Church, as many FSMs use their sales income to offset the cost of their own Scientology courses.

The magazine shows top ten lists of the most effective FSMs worldwide - effectiveness is defined by the amount of money raised for the Church of Scientology by recruitment or sales activities on the Church's behalf. Most of the organisations listed are either Church organisations or officially sanctioned "missions", but two are entities which supposedly are not part of the Church at all. Sterling Management Services is a Californian management consultancy which sells L. Ron Hubbard's "admin technology" - ostensibly completely non-religious - to businesses. Narconon is also ostensibly non-religious; yet the branch at Los Molinos, in the mountains above Madrid in Spain, is listed as the fourth most productive Scientology recruiter for 1992.

Forbes (1987): "The prophet and profits of Scientology" by Richard Behar

Some newcomers are encouraged to become "field staff members," who recruit new raw meat on the streets for commissions to pay for their own services—they get 10% to 15% of all services rendered to the piece of meat they bring in. [...]

Scientology Lies: "Understanding Scientology: FSMs"

A list of Scientology writing related to the "Field Staff Member" concept.

Evidences