Soliciting money for an Eagle Project

[CNYScouter]

This may have been discussed before but I have a question regarding Soliciting money to buy material for an Eagle Scout Project.

 

Our District has a guide for the Life to Eagle process.

In this it states:

Donations of materials or supplies may be requested. Funds (cash) may not be directly solicited.

 

There are people on the advancement committee that are going as far as saying that a Scout can not accept cash donation, even unsolicited.

An example is if a Scout asks for a donation for material and the person offers a cash donation instead they must turn it down.

 

From the ACP&P (pg. 27)

 

Fund-raising is permitted only for securing materials needed to carry out the project.

 

Donors to Eagle Scout projects must be made aware of what entity is benefiting from the project, and that it clearly is not the Boy Scouts of America.

 

Any funds raised for an Eagle Scout project that are not used for the purchase of project materials must be returned to the donor.

 

From these there is no mention of material only donations nor is it very clear about cash donations solicited or unsolicited.

 

Its my understanding because a Scout does the Eagle project outside the sphere of Scouting (ACP&P pg. 27) the guidelines for Unit fundraising do not apply and he can solicit funds and accept cash donations for an Eagle Project.

 

I am understanding this correctly?

 

[sheldonsmom]

My Eagle son directly solicited funds to cover the costs of his Eagle project 2 years ago. He raised the money to build benches around the walking path at a retirement community. He had hoped to raise enough for 8 benches but had enough for 9. This was done with the blessing of our local district and council.

 

[FScouter]

Oh what a tangled web we weave

When first we practice to re-write BSA rules.

Apologies to Sir Walter Scott.

 

[Twocubdad]

So how do they propose that Scout's pay for project costs? Do they require the Scout to raise the money for the project himself (which may be a variation I could get behind)? Are they counting on parents to pony up, or is money from a parent considered a donation?

 

I'd like to know more, but on it's face it seems like another of the stupid advancement policies people think up when they've been in the same position too long.

[highcountry]

I'm in the bunch that dis-agrees with committees/volunteers writting thier own rules. Since the scout is only bound to the BSA regs on this one, anything the Committee adds is moot and has no weight. If he receives any funds, I would suggest he keep that in confidence and use it to buy materials, then simply say the materials were donated....they were in a way, someone donated the means to get the materials. No mention of any cash or funds, do the project and get it signed off. Good luck. Admiting money was donated and used to buy materials is only going to start a peeing contest that will drag things out, sap folks energy for more positive things and have a bad effect on this boy's productive work that is being done under the BSA rules.

[CNYScouter]

So how do they propose that Scout's pay for project costs?

 

They expect a Scout to either get all the material donated or hold some type of fundraiser (candy sale or such) to raise the funds.

 

From my short discussion about this from one of the Scouters on the Advancement Committee parents can contribute but it is looked down upon if they finance the whole thing.

This committee member went to say they didnt think it was right that a Scout could not accept the unsolicited offer of cash as in the case where Scout asks for a donation of material and the person offers a cash donation instead.

 

When the issue of Venturers cant earn Eagle came up the Advancement Committee decided it was time to update its Life to Eagle so all the units would know that this is allowed.

I didnt have the guts to say to them that the only ones not aware of this were the Advancement Committee.

All of the Venturing Crew Advisors I talked with all understood this.

 

I have been told that if I saw anything else in the guide that wasnt correct I should let the Advancement Committee Chair know.

Hes a reasonable guy and has said that he wants to make sure we are following the guidelines.

This is only one of the things I see in the District guidelines that don't follow the ACP&P.

The ACP&P is very clear with the other items.

 

From what I see it seems we have a long-time Scouter (the same one who told me that Venturers cant earn Eagle) who is stating what National Policy is.

 

People are taking his word for it without ever bothering to check what the real policy actually is.

 

[evmori]

There are people on the advancement committee that are going as far as saying that a Scout can not accept cash donation, even unsolicited.

 

Ask them to show you this in writing. So far in this thread, no one has.

[Beavah]

Yah, I don't reckon that even at its most arrogant the BSA would presume to tell other NFP entities that they can't solicit cash donations, eh?

 

The boy is doin' this for some community agency. It's perfectly fine for him to solicit donations on behalf of that agency, including cash and cash equivalents. Indeed, I reckon in most councils it's a standard practice for Eagle projects.

 

And for an unsolicited cash donation, the donation is not the boy's or the BSA's to turn down, eh? That's a free-will donation being made to the community agency. The boy as agent has a duty to convey it. Only the agency he's doin' the volunteer work for has the right or authority to refuse it.

 

We adults make this stuff so unnecessarily complicated sometimes.

 

Beavah