eagle54 10 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 We have had our best results with selling pointsetters, we have had some results selling popcorn - the council orders the popcorn and we then pick it it. We have better results for the sale of popcorn setting up outside Walmart. We even had some folks that made a donation to the troop. Link to post Share on other sites
Eamonn 61 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 I was at a Blue and Gold today (In fact I was at two - more chicken!!) One pack was one of the top sellers in the council thanks to selling outside local stores. The CM said that he was surprised at how many people gave $20.00 for a small box of popcorn and didn't want the change. Eamonn Link to post Share on other sites
Sparkie 12 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 I found out years ago that putting out a donation can (that the scouts decorated) does wonders for donations! Some people are not interested in popcorn, but still want to support scouting. I highly recommend using one if you are doing site-sales. Sparkie Link to post Share on other sites
Twocubdad 665 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 Pointsetters? Your troop sells puppies? What a cute idea! Our pack receives $400-500 in donations every popcorn season. We take the donations each boy collects and convert it into popcorn sales. That way the Scout gets the credit toward their sales prizes for the money they collect. Obviously, that means the lion's share of the donations go to the Council and Trail's End, but that's not a huge issue for us. At the end of the sales period, we have a huge stack of popcorn that has been "donated." We then donate that to the local fire and police departments for their break rooms, the local food pantry and include it in our holiday soldier boxes (if the units have access to microwaves.) The donations to the police and fire departments are especially nice as most of our Scouts have been on tours of the stations and the popcorn is a nice thank you. This year several boys had their photo in the paper with the police chief dropping off the popcorn. Link to post Share on other sites
Sparkie 12 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 Twocubdad, What a great idea!!! I'm going to love passing this one along in our council Sparkie Link to post Share on other sites
Sturgen 10 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 My troop has only sold popcorn once, and never again, for the time and energy put into it the profit turnover is too low. Instead we hold an annual spaghetti dinner, donations accepted but not required, we normally make about $500 there, and of course it is a wonderful, although frightening, leadership project for a 14 or 15 yr old, coincidently my first major leadership project as a youth. There is no reason a similar project couldnt be done multiple times a year. We also are fortunate enough to have our SMs step daughter being a relatively well known sculptor. She donates several statues to the troop at cost, and we sell them at retail, mainly to parents of eagle scouts from our troop. Some of you may be familiar with the statue, I believe it is still the National Prestige Award in Scouting, titled Footsteps to the Future by Greenbar Bill, if you look closely my troops number is on the shoulder. I would encourage all troops to expand beyond popcorn, keep selling if you like, but it never hurts to try out some other projects as well. Christmas wreathes, tree disposal, bird houses, almost any product a boy can produce, you can sell. Link to post Share on other sites
Twocubdad 665 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 Since DSteele is in transit and isn't here to put in a plug for popcorn, I will. One thing to remember about popcorn sales is that it is a significant fundraiser for the council as well as the unit. I don't recall exact figures, but I know that for our district, the income from popcorn and FOS is comparable. I don't know how much work is involved in your spaghetti dinner, but we can make close to $500 for our unit selling popcorn at a busy shopping center in one day. We'll break the day into three, three-hours shifts with two Scouts and one parents responsible for each shift. Boys usually sell $300-500 per shift with roughly 30% staying with the pack. Of course our popcorn colonel spends time before hand making arrangements with the store managers. We've got a large pack and a VERY good popcorn chairman. Two-thirds of our sales come through show-and-sell booths that our chairman arranges. We've sold over $20,000 worth every year that I've been involved in the pack and are very strong financially because of if. Link to post Share on other sites
Bob White 20 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 We just had a pack in a town of 1,900 sell $23,000 in BSA Popcorn. $500$ They banked just shy of $8,000. Sorry, but if you can't make money selling Scout popcorn then you just aren't doing it right. Sure there are other projects you can do but I haven't found anything in nearly 30 years that is as easy, and makes as much money, as scout popcorn. Link to post Share on other sites
eagle54 10 Posted March 1, 2004 Author Share Posted March 1, 2004 For instance we are selling tickets to Boy Scout Family Fest "Scout Show" - For a donation of $2.00 you receive a ticket to the scout show, $17.00 off a ticket to Six Flage over Texas, $10.00 off a ticket to Hurricane Habor - a water park, and a free domino's pizza when a large 3 or more toppiing pizza. Does it help if you incorporate pictures of "Summer Camp" and troop activities. Link to post Share on other sites
Sparkie 12 Posted March 1, 2004 Share Posted March 1, 2004 Let's not forget that the Popcorn sales also support council. I would wonder how you are supporting council if you don't participate in Popcorn or Wreath Sales? I'm not against other fundraisers, but i would hope that a portion is being directed to council. Sparkie Link to post Share on other sites
Eamonn 61 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Like it or not popcorn sales are needed to help support the council. When we were running our family business we used to receive presents from different companies - Beer distributors - Food Vendors.. I asked them if they would consider giving Boy Scout Pop corn as the gift. Soon we were selling popcorn by the case load. Even now that we have sold the businesses, we are still moving a lot of popcorn sad to say not as much as one of the distributors went and became a board member. He still gives the gift of popcorn and I now play in the golf outing that he holds to raise money for the council. OJ done well out of all this he has a great mountain bike gift certificates and a lot of other neat stuff. He still sells a fair amount. I used to leave an order form in the break room at work but we have a nurse with three boys in the program, so I don't anymore. Of course the down side is Girl Scout cookies. I have to buy from all the popcorn buyers. Last count there was 28 boxes of them. I love the lemon ones !! Eamonn Link to post Share on other sites
ScoutNut 147 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 What I tell both my GS Leaders and my Cub Scout Parents is that they need to stop complaining about the cost and/or quality of the product and comparing it to similar retail products. You are not selling popcorn or cookies. You are selling Scouting! Sure you could come up with a different fundraiser that might make you more profit, but that is not necessarily the point. The Scout products have the program name featured on the product. If people just wanted microwave popcorn or mint cookies they could buy Orville's or Keebler's. They buy Scout products because they know that they are supporting the Scouting programs. Link to post Share on other sites
Sparkie 12 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Right on Scoutnut! It's where you place the value! It's not in the popcorn, it's in what the program provides for the kids. When parents start giving me that shpeel (sp?), i half jokingly tell them "think of it as insurance that scouting will provide johnny a program where he won't be bored and come down your street in a couple years wacking your mailboxes with a baseball bat!" They usually chuckle about it, but there is some truth to it . Link to post Share on other sites
evmori 11 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 "Sorry, but if you can't make money selling Scout popcorn then you just aren't doing it right" Not true. It is possible no one will but very much popcorn because it is pricey. And the profit margin is kinda low. A unit could sell candy bars or hoagies and makes more because the price is lower & the profit margin is higher! Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10(This message has been edited by evmori) Link to post Share on other sites
EagleInKY 14 Posted March 2, 2004 Share Posted March 2, 2004 Gotta go with the pro-popcorn crowd. Our pack of 50 has sold about $11,000 each of the past two years. We've done it by offering innovative prizes for the top sellers and something for every boy that sells. I should also note that we have several families with multiple Cubs and a handful that don't participate, so the sales were effectively made by about 35-40 Cubs. Our troop of 9 boys topped $2500 this year. We give each boy 1/4 of the profit toward his activities fees. Three of the boys had siblings selling in the pack and didn't sell as much. We're going to do a Krispi-Kreme sale here in a couple of months. I've heard from some other troops that have done well with it. We also set up a food booth at a local community day. If weather is good, we'll make a several hundred dollars. The profit/effort ratio is much lower than popcorn, but it gets us in the public eye. Link to post Share on other sites
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