GoFundMe for Eagle Projects

[Jameson76 1481]

On 8/11/2017 at 3:40 PM, blw2 said:

I can say that in my relatively short time as Troop Treasurer, we've had a few scouts now make eagle, and I have not seen 1 nickle from any of it.  Not in or out.  Honestly I have no idea how they are raising their money for the projects.

Unless they want or need to run the money through the troop, you would not.  Most of our Eagles handle their own, keep it under the threshold, turn over any excess funds to whomever was designated in the original fundraising request.  I would say well over half of ours, and we have 8 - 10 per year, get their funding from families and close friends.  No mass appeal.

[ItsBrian 284]

I believe my Council does not allow it. Atleast my district doesn’t.

@NJCubScouter Am I right or did I read something else?

[NJCubScouter 1389]

15 minutes ago, ItsBrian said:

I believe my Council does not allow it. Atleast my district doesn’t.

@NJCubScouter Am I right or did I read something else?

I'm not sure.  Our troop did not allow it, but then I read something somewhere (Bryan's Blog maybe) that said it was permitted.  I am not sure whether I have heard of a policy of our council or not.

[Back Pack 431]

You can use crowd funding per national. 

My council rep wasn’t sure until I showed him that it was allowed  

https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/07/21/crowd-funding-sites-eagle-project-fundraising/

[Longhaired_Mac 37]

I'm not up to date on official positions on this matter but when I did my project back in the day National had made a point of preference. They preferred the projects be of service, implying work, so that no one could make the claim that a boys family bought him his Eagle. Yes realistically you have to raise funds for supplies at times but similar to OA the project should be about service to the community. If your prospective Eagle needs money because he can't find suppliers that will donate materials then you are left with finding funds to purchase what is needed. And it's my understanding that begrudgingly National says it's ok.  But the focus still needs to be on the SERVICE project. How the scouts raise funds and the frustration of working within parameters set by others is just part of the learning. If the local council or district or troop leadership want to put limits on how the project gel's done, well that's unfortunate but the process of going around them or fighting them is going to be at least as consuming as trying to find alternate means of accumulating donations in the first place. I guess it comes down to what lessons the scouts need to learn. As far as crowd funding, when laws and fiances are being dealt with responsibly, there really shouldn't be a problem.

[DeanRx 69]

Not to go off topic... but I find it ironic that national has an official position that states they would prefer no or at least minimal fundraising for the Eagle Project.... yet the scouter magazine had an online article not too long ago spotlighting an Eagle project a lad had completed to place a fountain statue memorial to a classmate in a park.  The scout raised over 15 K for the project ?!?!?

 

Like a great many things, BSA national can't seem to keep from contradicting themselves...

[mashmaster 783]

19 hours ago, DeanRx said:

Not to go off topic... but I find it ironic that national has an official position that states they would prefer no or at least minimal fundraising for the Eagle Project.... yet the scouter magazine had an online article not too long ago spotlighting an Eagle project a lad had completed to place a fountain statue memorial to a classmate in a park.  The scout raised over 15 K for the project ?!?!?

 

Like a great many things, BSA national can't seem to keep from contradicting themselves...

Yeah agreed, I think the thoughts of National are that the scout should be thrifty and try to work with local merchants for donations of supplies vs. just getting money,  I do this it is a valuble skill for the scout to talk with the manager of Home Depot or whatever to see how they can help.  I wish more boys did that vs. just putting up a webpage to have mom and dad ask for money.  There is a life skill for sure.  I encourage our scouts to do both.

[acco40 95]

What is the purpose of an Eagle Scout Project?  What does the Life Scout learn from a GoFundMe page?  What does a Scout learn from asking companies to fund or provide raw materials for his project?  What does a Scout learn from asking private citizens for donations?  These topics should be discussion between the Life Scout and his Eagle Project Adviser.

[Momleader 65]

When I was helping eagles thru the process with my sons’ troop I suggested that they include printed copies of all the go-fund-me reports or screen shots for their Eagle Scout books if they were ever asked for it.  The scouts weren’t told they couldn’t use GFM as a method to raise money.