Fundraising Ideas for Scouts

Troop fundraisers allow for bigger trips, lower-cost Scout camp adventures, and a way to make Scouting affordable for all. But more importantly, a good Troop fundraiser allows for personal growth and learning opportunities for the Scouts. I must be honest – I greatly dislike any fundraising that involves an order form.

In my experience, the parents take the order form to work and the Scout gets nothing out of the fundraising experience. The worst possible fundraiser for a Troop, in my opinion, asks for donations without any product or service in return. This teaches nothing positive to the Scouts.

I greatly like a fundraiser that involves all the Scouts in an activity where they learn to make or do something, interact with the public, and make a direct connection between effort and reward.

Here are some guidelines for a successful and memorable fundraiser for your Troop.

Start well in advance
If you have a fundraising chair on your committee, that person should meet with the PLC at least 60 days in advance for straightforward events and 90 days for more complex ideas. I also advise that the Fundraising chair visit the annual planning meeting for possible dates and ideas.
Have a Goal
The fundraiser should have a specific reason and a financial target. For example, The Troop is going out of state for summer camp and we need to raise 2800.00
Fill out a Unit Money-Earning Application
Submit the application well in advance. This will focus on your plan and provides a framework for promoting the event.
Prepare and Practice
Seems obvious, but do all the Scouts know how to wash a car or bus a table? You should prepare by breaking down the steps involved in the fundraiser and teaching the skills. If your plan involves the Scouts producing a product, this becomes even more important.
Promote
For your fundraiser to be successful, people must know about it. Use Social Media, local papers, and any means necessary to make the event successful.
Get set up to take credit cards
There is a quick way to increase your fundraising efforts – take credit cards! Many services allow you to add a card reader to your cellphone. PayPal, Square, and many other providers will let you accept cards for payment and tips.

Here are a few fundraisers we have used. Some did better than others, but all of them hit the mark in helping Scouts Learn new skills.

Make Something

Our Troop likes to make things and then sell them. Our usual sales are held at our town’s festivals. We get a table for free and the Scouts take turns at the table selling products. Here are some of the things with which we have done well.

Bird Houses

We got a donation from a local sawmill of a bunch of rejected fence boards. Our Woodworking Merit Badge Counselor worked with a crew of 8 Scouts and Three adults and set up a production line to build birdhouses. On a Saturday, the group built 100 birdhouses which we sold for 10.00 each. The only cost was glue, nails, and sandpaper.

Duct Tape Wallets

The Troop would gather 30 minutes early and make duct tape wallets, key chains, phone cases, and other items. The Troop bought the duct tape and supplies. We cleared $850.00

Paracord keychains and bracelets

The Scouts really liked this one! The troop provided paracord in different colors and the keyring and buckles. The exciting part for me was that these gave the Scouts a tremendous sense of pride. (I made this one – it has over 6 feet of cord!) This project started for a craft event, but orders kept coming in. We earned over $1,000 on this one.

Do Something

A great way to get the Scouts active is to have a fundraiser that involves physical activity. We did learn that it is usually better to ask for a donation than set a price. Here are a few examples:

The Car Wash

We found the key to car wash success was to promote it as a Free car wash. The Scouts would go to local businesses and ask for a donation per car washed. It could be as low as 25¢ or as much as $1 per car washed. We would put up their sign at the event as a sponsor. We also included a maximum donation line for any business that wanted a cap on their donation. After the event, we would collect the donations from each sponsor and put out a press release thanking them. The key to putting this fundraiser over the top is to also have a marked donation jar for people who want to tip the car wash crew.

The “A-thon”

We did 4 of these one year as the Scouts enjoyed them. Bike-a-thon, Hike-a-thon, (most anything)-a-thon were great starters for a fundraiser that was enjoyable and easy! We used a signup sheet for people to sponsor a Scout at so much a mile. The side benefit to this is that it’s a great way to encourage earning the bicycling or hiking merit badge. The typical Scout could get 10-15 sponsors at between 10¢ and $1.00 a mile.

The Gift Wrap

This was always a huge source of revenue. Arrange with a local store to set up outside and offer free gift wrapping for the holidays. Buy the wrapping supplies from the store and have the Scouts do the wrapping. Set up a donation jar and let people pay whatever they think will be fair. We would start early in December on the weekends and be at the store every evening during the last week before Christmas. This was VERY lucrative for the Troop and donations of $20. or more were not uncommon.

Sell Something

So by now you know I’m not suggesting candles or trees or anything else that comes prepackaged from a company. If the ONLY goal is to raise money – these can be successful. It’s just that the Scout can get so much more out of a personal event. Here are a few Examples:

The Supper

Pancakes, spaghetti, or Bar-B-cue the opportunities are endless! A good supper would generate between 500 and 1500 dollars. We had service clubs and churches that would let us use their meeting halls for free. A few Tips:

Always presell tickets at a reduced price. For example, $5.00 in advance and $7.00 at the door. Be aware that not all ticket buyers will show up for the event.

Have the Scouts take tickets, bus tables, get drinks, and sell desserts. The more visible they are – the better for this and future events.

Practice safe food handling procedures. Be sure you have someone who knows what they are doing! Often, the venue will have someone who will volunteer to help.

If you have older Scouts ask them to help in the kitchen.

Sign out the tickets to the Scouts to sell – if they lose them, they are responsible for payment. Be sure to number the tickets for tracking purposes.

Don’t overbuy or over-prepare the food. If you have some leftover uncooked food, you have just planned some meals for the next campout(s).

The Yard Sale

I was not a fan of this idea the first time I heard it. I thought it would be too complicated and too much for the Scouts. I was so wrong! The Scouts loved it, we make a bunch of money, and we helped out our community. Here is what we did.

Gather up items for the sale. Parents provided some, the local storage unit place gave us a free unit to store things for the sale, and donated the contents of a couple of abandoned units. We had a bunch of stuff from tools and plates to furniture and mirrors.

Promote, promote, promote. Have signs, use social media, and any other method to promote the day and time of the sale. We put signs on the main roads to guide people to our sale.

Let the Scouts sell the product! No pre-pricing is necessary. Train the Scouts how to sell, point out anything of real value, and teach them to tell everyone who visits why they are holding the sale. This is a great way to introduce the Scouts to your Salesmanship Merit Badge counselor.

Line up a place to take what is leftover. Donate the remaining items to a local charity.

Fundraisers are a great way to earn money, accomplish rank requirements, encourage the Scouts to do physical activities, and learn to relate to the general public. Try one of the fundraising ideas and see how easy it is!

References:
30 Fundraising Ideas for Scouts
Boy Scout Fundraising
Top 5 Boy Scout Fundraising Tips
9 Fun and Easy Duct Tape Crafts