Pack donations during popcorn booth sales

[chaucer 10]

Hi,

 

During our popcorn booth sales, we had customers also provid donations to our Pack.

 

When we sell popcorn, we allow the boys to keep 1/3 of the Packs profit for their Scout account.

 

My question is: Should the same be allowed for the donations? Or should the donations be received on behalf of the whole pack and the total amount be received for the Pack?

 

 

 

Thanks for your thoughts?

[Gold Winger 9]

The money should go to the pack.

[NJCubScouter 1389]

Yes, it is "found money" for the pack, use it in good health and Good Scouting. I suspect that the amount of the donations is modest enough that if you start whacking it into pieces it is not going to do much good for anybody, but if kept together the pack can buy a thing or two with it.

[chaucer 10]

thanks..what rationale can I use for the parents who want to keep some of it in their son's scout account. They feel he was out there "working for the pack" and should keep the same percentage as the popcorn sale.

[Gold Winger 9]

"The committe has decided that donations go to the pack in their entirety." End of discussion.

[Karen_216 10]

We have the military donations option on our popcorn forms. It is in incriments of 25.00. We round it to the nearest 25.00 and that is counted towards that and then any odd amount just gets put in the pack. We get same percentage as pack sale. If you have that option you could use that. (of course pack only gets percentage but we felt we wanted to do this since we told customers)

 

[ScoutMomSD 10]

we are just starting the scout account concept. Going into my second year of Cub Scouts, I had never heard of such a thing with Girl Scouts except in the abstract ie we have about "x dollars" per girl to spend.

 

I think its pretty selfish to have ANY parent assume that ANY funds go to their scout. That the pack will graciously set up a fund for each boy based on their determination is what I would call "gravy".

 

If its an issue of financial need, you should have a fund for that which is separate.

 

I think it would be good to talk to the parents about the concept of a non profit organization. I worry more for the sons of these so called parents.

[Gold Winger 9]

I think that Scout accounts sprang up because of the unequal selling efforts of many Scouts. For example, for boys sold over 75% of the popcorn in my my son's pack. Many sold zero. The same was true in my daughter's GS troop, two girls sold the lion's share of the cookies. which also caused some consternation.

 

If everyone was out there working to the same degree, regardless of achievement level, that would be one thing but when a unit is being funded almost entirely by four boys, something is out of whack.

[ScoutMomSD 10]

this is a slippery slope.

 

1) first, we are in a recession/depression (pick your "ession"). My husband has said literally he will not ask folks to buy stuff as we dont know the financial situation of everyone and he doesnt want to impose. And this is a person who has been in sales over 20 years. We are in a nice neighborhood and there are at least 5 EMPTY homes for sale within a mile radius.

 

2) second, since school started in September, we have had 5 OTHER fundraisers between the schools my kids go to. We cant do everything. I dont want my child to be that annoying one who everytime you open the door they want you to buy something.

 

3) third, just like the derby, the parent participation makes or breaks most boys. There are several boys in our pack whose parents pound the streets and "fill it up" on the form - good for them. There are others who have told me they just take the form to work, set it down, and they fill it up without the boy being involved. Then there are companies who prohibit solicitation, usually because of union issues. Which is the situation my hubbie is in. And I work at home.

 

So just because the boy has sold more doesnt mean the BOY has sold more.

 

Dont get me wrong, I applaud those who do it with the boy. But that is not necessarily the highest percent. A lot of the school based fundraisers have these glamorous prizes like lunch with your friends in a limo, or a Nintendo Wii. My daughter has a friend whose dad is a pilot - he takes all the stuff to work and she has gotten 90% of the top prizes for each thing.

 

I just dont like this "you are bad" if you dont sell a lot and "good" if you do.

 

fyi - my hubbie and I love the site sales. When you add in my years as a girl scout and the years with my daughter plus the last 2 with cub scouts, I have probably sold something in front of a store for at least 10 years.

 

Again back to the OP, the LAST issue should be how much each kid gets. The FIRST issue should be working with parents to determine a fair way to allocate sales and if they are set up individual funds.

 

I love that our pack is allocating it based on time vs amount. Because there are some kids that are super outgoing (like my son) and some that are very shy.

 

 

[Gold Winger 9]

" My daughter has a friend whose dad is a pilot "

 

This is Captain Bob, the flight attendants are passing out order forms for my daughter's fundraiser. If you wish to ever see your luggage again, put your claim check number on the order form next to your name.

[David.Vath 10]

Our Pack takes every $25 of donations and uses it to send popcorn to our (military) troops.

[ScoutNut 147]

I would recommend that all booth sale donations be used toward purchasing Military Popcorn (if available to you) or popcorn to be donated to a Food Bank. The purchase would be counted as part of the Booth Sale totals, and distributed to the boys in whatever manner you use for booth sales. Any leftover donations either go to the Pack itself, or to FOS (since they were given to support Scouting, NOT a single boy).

 

 

[chaucer 10]

Thanks to everyone's input.

 

I wanted to buy the military popcorn with our donation and then provide the remaining to the Pack.

 

I was outvoted at our committee mtg (5 to 4), mostly by the parents who sons recevied the donations who felt "they worked their tails off" to get the donations.

 

I hardly think so, so much for the scouting spirit when it comes to money.