FUNDRAISING IDEAS

Fundraising For Scouting

Or more to the point, fundraising for Boy Scouts! Why only Boy Scouts? Well, the Girl Scouts organization has its own very successful, tasty and popular fundraiser that we all participate in every year, Girl Scout Cookies! No need for a PR drive or even mass marketing for the Girl Scout Cookies. This time honored and eagerly awaited time of year brings a smile to everyone’s face. And we always buy enough to stock the freezer for just a little while.

So while there is no set in stone yearly fundraiser for our Boy Scouts, it is one of the easier organizations to fundraise for, as there are typically no political, religious or sociological aspects to the Boy Scout Troops that fundraise. These are typically the first stumbling block for many fundraisers, as these aspects tend to limit the pool of donors slightly.

Obviously, we think that one of the best ways to fundraise is through a dedicated Phoneraiser. With 100% of the profits going directly to your organization, and virtually no overhead, Phoneraisers are not only good for you, but they are good for the environment and good for others as well.

That being said, there are certainly some basic rules of fundraising, which your little fundraisers might not be aware of, and although scouts tend to the more polite end of society by virtue of their scouting experiences, reminding them of a few etiquette rules will never go amiss.

• Language matters. Especially when speaking with older donors, as they are very set in their ways typically and like to be spoken to in a way that does not contain any slang, shortening of names, and which always adheres to the proper forms of address. More to the point do not refer to your mature donors as old, elderly or senior citizens. In fact, for the most part, it is best not to reference people’s age.
• Teach your scouts to send out or hand deliver personal thank you notes. No emails for thank yous, even in this day and age. A handwritten note implies that you have taken the time to appreciate and acknowledge a person’s gift. Not only is this the appropriate and polite thing to do, but this will also encourage your donors to contribute in the future.
• Take your scouts to visible public locations, in their uniforms, so that you can attract more donors. At the same time, make sure that your scouts do not approach people alone, but do so in a group, or with a parent or responsible adult. Grocery stores, libraries, public events, these are all good places to do some last minute drives for your fundraiser.

Remember that as Boy Scouts, your group has a natural head start on many of the other groups looking to obtain fundraising resources and funds. As with schools, most people will have a connection to the scouting community, whether as a parent, teacher, sibling, family member or former scout. You have a large pool of potential donors, and using this network to your fullest advantage will help you to have a successful fundraiser.

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