Fifty members of Boy Scout Troop 5 in Austin, Tex.

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Scouts from another troop could afford to fly halfway around the globe for a high adventure trek in the pristine wilderness of New Zealand. Yet another troop spent July traveling through Central America and cruising the Caribbean.

The summer for many other Scout units, however, represented a struggle just to cover the cost of sending some boys for a week at the local council Scout camp - and some didn't even make it that far. With enough of it, the world can be your oyster. Without it, summer - as well as the rest of the year - can be a real bummer.

The elements of a quality unit program - from buying camping gear to supplementing members' costs for uniforms, camporee and summer camp fees, Boys' Life subscriptions, and more - cost money. Figuring out how to earn the necessary funds to pay for program elements is a challenge all units face. Financially successful units follow three deceptively simple steps: They figure out well in advance how much money they need. They choose a profitable money-earning project that meets Scouting guidelines and fills that need.

They work like beavers to complete it. Projects should be selected only after planning the unit's annual budget to determine expenses.

However, only about 25 percent of all Scouting units follow this model approach. For the other 75 percent, earning the necessary money for activities and equipment can be a confusing, exhausting chore at best. At worst, it can become a nightmare of pitfalls, shortfalls, disappointments, and conflicts with the local council. There are many ways to earn money without violating the time-honored principles and ethics of Scouting.

Some units rely on such traditional projects as Scouting show ticket sales, chili or spaghetti suppers, car washes, rummage sales, Christmas tree lots, and collecting aluminum cans for recycling. But for most, says Schmidt, the greatest amount of money can be earned through the sale of a commercial product.

A "product" can be anything from fertilizer to first-aid kits or from Christmas cards to candy bars. Bruce Walcutt, chairman of the national Boy Scout Camping Task Force and high adventure coordinator for Troop 5 in Austin, heartily agrees.

That, and a similar amount raised in a massive garage sale, helped subsidize the troop's trip to the French Alps and enabled several Scouts to go who couldn't have afforded it otherwise.

Ideas for pack money-earning projects - Scouting magazine

Popcorn sales work so well, leaders say, because they are coordinated at the council level; each unit sells in a specified area, avoiding confusion and competition. Council control also helps avoid other problems encountered when units strike out on their own to raise money. Individual units usually don't have the expertise to do them properly, and in most cases they are in violation of national BSA policy, which prohibits the direct solicitation of funds by units. The best way for unit leaders to inform the council of their money-earning plans, and to insure that a proposed project meets all standards and regulations, is to submit the one-page Unit Money-Earning Application BSA Supply No.

Every council office has the forms, and if it's a council-approved project, there is no problem. Boy Scout and Cub Scout uniforms can be major assets in making sales.

But uniforms can be worn only during council-sponsored money-earning activities, Schmidt points out. Because a commercial product should be sold on its own merits, youth members are not allowed to wear the BSA uniform while participating in a unit sales project. Whatever product a unit may decide to sell, many pitfalls can be avoided by following these time-tested standards:. This can lead to repeat business year after year. Be sure whatever you sell represents a good value for the money. Because your Scouts are doing most of the work, make certain your agreement with the supplier provides a fair split on the profits - 50 percent or close to it.

To stimulate their young salesmen, some successful money-earning units offer a bonus for each item sold. One of these is Troop of Ada, Mich.

Troop 's wreath sales have become so successful that other area Cub Scout packs and Boy Scout troops have also gotten involved. In fact, the more wreaths we buy, the lower our cost per item, so the bigger orders save us money in the long run. Before settling on wreath sales, the troop tried a number of other money-earning ventures with varying degrees of success.

We also tried selling Christmas cards, light bulbs, and 'Scout time,' but once we got into wreaths, they worked so well for us that we stayed with them. This holiday season, thousands of homes in the Grand Rapids area will sport a wreath ordered by Troop , Buchanan notes. Individual members of the troop have made enough money from the wreath sales to fund their summer camps, trips to Philmont, and even ones to Europe.

A frequent contributor to Scouting magazine, Bill Sloan also wrote about organizing a successful unit product sales campaign in "Scout Salesmen" in the October issue. Information and answers to questions about money-earning projects or about the fund-raising process in general can be found at the BSA Finance Support Division's special Web site, http: Beware of money-earning opportunities that seem "too good to be true.

An example of an apparent "golden goose" that turned out to be a turkey in disguise occurred several years ago when the BSA was offered an exclusive deal to sell the autobiography of an overwhelmingly popular Hall of Fame baseball pitcher.

If they want a product like this, they'll go to a bookstore.

Fundraising - MeritBadgeDotOrg

You might have to knock on doors to make one sale. Raffles or games of chance are a strict "no-no" with the BSA, yet local units often find themselves unwittingly drifting into these troubled waters in search of needed funds.

So why are raffles not O. And how do you tell if a proposed money-earning project violates the no-raffles policy? Several dozen parents volunteer to bake cakes to help a Cub Scout pack raise money for a special outing. Leaders debate whether to sell chances on the cakes or auction them off to the highest bidders. Some maintain that selling chances will bring in more money.

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Others say, "We can't do that - it's against the rules. How do you decide? By following the long-standing BSA precept that each person who buys something from a Scout unit must receive something of value in return. However, if you sell chances, one person wins the prize while the others receive nothing for what they paid.

That's why we never endorse raffles. What about a "chance" to win a door prize? A unit may give away door prizes in connection with a dinner or entertainment event if no added charge is made for the chance to win a prize. Although offering door prizes may increase the incentive to buy tickets to the event, each buyer also receives the actual value of a meal or a performance in return for the price of the ticket.

The door prizes are a free "extra. Other articles in this issue Table of Contents Letters News Briefs Front Line Stuff Family Talk Worth Retelling Green Bar Bill's Patrol Corner Unit Anniversaries Family Fun Page The Dream-o-ree Keys to Successful Money-Earning Projects To God and Country Making Wood Badge More Accessible Skunk Train to Yesterday Climbing the Cliffs at Kelso Going to the Library. Car washes are among the many types of traditional projects that Scouting units use to finance their year-round programs.

A sales product should be both something people need or like and a good value for the money. Where to Learn More About Money-Earning Information and answers to questions about money-earning projects or about the fund-raising process in general can be found at the BSA Finance Support Division's special Web site, http: The Unit Money-Earning Application No. The form is available at local council service centers and is also reproduced in the Cub Scout Leader Book.

The following Scouting magazine articles will soon be posted in the magazine section of the BSA Web site - or get reprints by sending one self-addressed, business-size envelope with 55 cents' postage for all four of the articles to Money-Earning Reprints, Scouting Magazine, S, P. Box , Irving TX One troop's innovative savings program. Tips on organizing a product sales campaign. A summary of BSA policy and regulations. One troop's recipe for a money-earning breakfast.

Use Caution When Selecting Products to Sell Beware of money-earning opportunities that seem "too good to be true. Why Raffles Are a No-No but Door Prizes May Be O. By applying a simple test to the following example, you can find the answer to both questions: