Rent a Scout

[briantshore 14]

With spring just around the corner, I have a fundraising idea. I have heard of Rent a Scout where you advertise to do yard work, garage cleanup, ect. Has anyone done this and what were your results.

I wonder how you work this following the guidlines of child protection, and guides to safe scouting. Do you team each boy up with a adult?

I see this could give the boy a chance to make money on his own if he shows he can do a good job. This would be excelent for our senior citizens who may need some extra help with spring cleanup.

[gwd-scouter 11]

Briant: our troop has the same idea. Have looked through the guide to safe scouting and can't find anything prohibiting the idea. Of course, the unit fundraising form must be sent in the Council and they may have some problem with it. Have left a message with our Council to ask about it, but haven't heard back yet.

[EagleInKY 14]

I've heard this discussed before, and believe a troop or two around here have tried it. You may run into challenges due to the fact that it competes with local businesses providing these services. The flip side of the argument is that this is a one-time offering vs. an ongoing service. I think you'll get some leeway because of that.

 

As for safety, I think they had to stipulate that power tools could not be used by the scouts. Also, for YP the buddy system had to be employed and there had to be reasonable adult supervision. One adult may be able to supervise a few "crews" if they are close together, but the scouts could not be turned loose totally on their own.

 

I've never tried it myself, but that's some of the rumors I've heard.

[gwd-scouter 11]

Hope some of those others than have done this before chime in with advice.

 

Question about power tools - do lawn mowers count?

 

That is the specific question of safety asked by our Troop Committee and I can't find anything anywhere that say boys can't use lawn mowers.

 

Buddy system is an excellent reminder. And, we plan to target only one neighborhood at a time, scheduling maybe a couple of weekends, so the adults can sort of wander around and check on things.

[Fishsqueezer 10]

We have been doing this for years with quite a bit of success. We create a call list within the troop of those that are interested in jobs. We require that the parent participate in the job with the boy for a safety feature or that the parent make arrangements with the other parents if it is a multi-boy job. Essentially the hiring individual gets 2 for 1 with a boy and a parent. We do not have set prices - it is done for a donation of any amount the individual wishes for the job. Some pay extremely well, others poorly. One problem we have is with getting boys to work. They sign up and say they want to do the jobs but are never available when called. We end up with a few families doing all the jobs. Most of the work is seasonal and a lot of people want the job done "right now". The process we go through is as follows:

 

Designate contact person and advertise service

Public calls contact and describes needs

Contact calls boys on list to find one that can do the job

Contact provides boy with public's contact information

Boy contacts public and sets up work date and time

Boy brings donation to troop treasurer to deposit in scout account

 

This needs to be regularly advertised. Our local paper donates some column space whenever they have it. We also post it in parent's businesses and churches.