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SCOUTER Feature:
Any Active Scout Group Needs
Operating Capital
by Ed Henderson
Dues alone can't cover it,
and while some sponsors do provide partial funding (and many do not, it is not a
requirement for a Chartered Organization to provide any operating funds to a scout unit),
nearly every scout unit must still consider other avenues of raising capital.
In considering how a Pack,
Troop or Post should set about raising funds many questions and issues need to be
examined. First, the council MUST be informed PRIOR to the start of any unit fundraising.
A UNIT MONEY EARNING APPLICATION must be filled out and approved by the Scout Executive.
Sometimes a council will ask a unit to wait on starting a project if a major council event
is underway like FOS kickoff or Pop Corn selling. Sometimes what may seem a great
fundraising idea to a unit might need closer scrutiny from the local scout office.
Raffles, scouts being in uniform, and other games of chance are all items that will not be
approved.
Keeping excellent
paperwork is another concern. Scouts will work hard on these efforts, especially if they
know they are going to personally benefit from it with a unit account or special trip.
Proper accounting should proceed all the way to the end of the campaign when vendors must
be paid in a timely fashion and any unsold merchandise returned. The BSA has some great
reference material including a Unit Budget Plan that can aid Troop Treasurers in their
rolls. Unit Management Software providers like Troopmaster have computer programs that can
help a troop manage their assets as well as track individual scout accounts.
Local laws are another
matter that needs attention. Is door to door selling legal & safe for a particular
area? Will your scouts get in trouble at school if they carry around a box of candy all
day? Are permits required? Have you as a leader done everything to insure that any selling
is done in a safe environment?
Even out of uniform,
scouts represent the good name of Boy Scouting in their fundraising activities. Is the
product or service you are selling worth the price being asked? Is the fund raising effort
going to involve the scouts in a meaningful way or is it a gimmick to get the parents to
cough up more money. Will the scouts be enthusiastic about the project, is it something
they are comfortable selling.
No adult joins Scouting to
raise funds all day but this need will occasionally become an issue with every unit.
Rather than being a dreaded event to be endured, it can be exciting and fun. Scouts can
earn a variety of Merit Badge requirements for Salesmanship, Communication, & American
Business as a part of the effort. At SCOUTER.com we have found many great ways for a unit
to raise money. All of the ideas presented are just that, we make no endorsement of any of
the commercial fundraising programs that we list. Our links have been broken those down
into three sub categories:
TRAILS END POPCORN - In
just over the past decade Trails End has become as much identified with the Boy Scouts as
the great Cookie sales of the Girl Scouts. Most councils now look to the annual Trail's
End Popcorn Sell as a major event for the council, as well as the units which also share
in the revenues. Depending on the rewards program developed by the council, scouts can
often earn prizes or pay their way to summer camp. Because this single event has grown to
such great importance in the Boy Scout community, we have come across many web pages
developed by everyone from the Unit or District "Kernel" (the person in charge
of quarterbacking the event) all the way up to the official Trail's End Popcorn site. If a
unit is really willing to get excited about this effort, a lot of money can be raised and
that makes Scouting better for everyone in your area.
TROOP FUNDRAISING REPORTS
& COMMERCIAL FUNDRAISERS - We wanted to break down the other links we came across into
two groups so that the reports and success stories of individual units could stand out
separate from the dozens of companies that exist to aid units in various commercial
fundraising programs.
There are many good unit
fundraising ideas that come from the leaders themselves. Let's face it, no company is
going to produce a web site promoting Spaghetti Suppers & Yard Sales as good
fundraisers but thousands of units do those kinds of things each year. Others leaders can
benefit from those experiences and knowledge by checking out this sub category which is
free of commercial fund raising companies. This site only contains reports, ideas, and
issues raised by other Scouters and Units on their successes and concerns.
Finally, there are the
commercial fundraising sources. In every issue of SCOUTER & Scouting Magazines there
are no end of companies that are offering all manner of candy, wreaths, light bulbs, and
other items to sell. Many units have gone on fantastic trips or purchased all new
equipment on the strength of $1.00 packets of M & M sold on school yards & buses
or going door to door with calendars or taking orders for mail order fruit.
Do you have a fund raising
story to tell or a new site to list? Use the "Submit a Link" form at the bottom
of this page. We would be delighted to share with other Scouters around the country your
fundraising message. |
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