Ideal Year of Scouting

[encsteph]

Hello all,

 

I tried doing a search within the Forum on this topic but didn't get any relevant results so I figured I would just ask:

 

Has anybody used the Trails End "Ideal Year of Scouting" program within their pack?

 

I have read through all the literature I could find online about it and it seems like a really good program if you can pull it off.

 

I have sent an email to my DE asking if he knew of anybody within our District/Council who has personal experience with this program but I'm pretty sure he's on vacation so I figured I would ask this very experienced and knowledgeable crowd.

 

Our pack has done the popcorn sales in the past several years but it's always been setting up a table at the local supermarket. We always do at least 2 if not 3 other types of fundraisers throughout the year and each family has to pay for just about everything except the awards/badges.

 

As the new CM I am looking for ways to improve the scout experience and I think if we work hard and achieve the goals we set up in the IYOS program not only would it not cost the families any out of pocket but the scouts would enjoy the program more because they would be able to do more things and not have to be selling something every other month. They would do the selling once a year and then it would be done for the year and they could reap the rewards for the other 11 months.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Eric

[Bob White]

Hi Eric,

 

I know a number of units who have improved their program and increased their fundraising by following the steps in the Ideal Year of Scouting plan.

 

One Pack in particular that went from $800 dollars in popcorn sales to over $10,000 in a single year once they adopted the plan.

 

I like it a lot.

 

BW

[encsteph]

Bob,

 

That's exactly the kind of thing I want to do within our Pack.

 

To all indications it could help our pack go from a small pack of about 20 scouts that struggles to do "fun" activities without costing the families and arm and a leg into a pack that has kids beating down the door to join becuase of all the fun things the kids are learning and doing.

 

Our pack services two towns that have at best guess about 300 kids in the right age group for scouts and like I said we average around 20 kids.

 

Thanks again.

 

Eric

[SCOUT JOHN]

Hi

Can you tell me more about this program. My two boys like to sell popcorn but the pack does not do much to get the boys involed.

Thanks John

[Bob White]

Basically here is the Ideal Year of Scouting in a nut shell sort of.

Many troops plan their program based on their financial resources. That's backwards. The way to have an exciting Scouting program is to plan an exciting Scouting program.

 

What would your pack committee, troop PLC and committee, etc. do this program year if it could deliver an ideal year of scouting to the families.

 

Write it down, put in on a calendar, make a plan. Include everything you need, want to provide, want to do, where to go.

 

Now figure out what that would cost to do for each scout. Then figure out how much Popcorn each scout would have to sell to pay their own way.

 

Now gather the families and present the program. For instance, when I was a cubmaster we wanted a full resource library for every den, We wanted to start each den off with $25 for supplies each program year. We planned to give each scout their neckerchief and handbook each time they graduated. Webelos 1 got a Boy Scout Handbook, Webelos 2 got a Polaris compass. All boys go to day camp (pack pays 1/3, CO paid 1/3, family paid 1/3, Webelos spent a weekend on a docked submarine. We had professional entertainment at program at every other pack meeting. Pack paid for all awards and activity fees. Pack paid for pinewood derby cars, paid for Blue and Gold, paid all membership fees, paid for Boy's Life.

 

We said we would do all this at no additional cost to the families if

each scout would sell a minimum of $450 in popcorn (in our council that was about $180 profit), about two order forms worth. Otherwise, the family would pay any activity costs and would need to pay $100 in pack fees.

 

We averaged well over the $450 per scout.

 

If you show the parents a great program and show them a way to enjoy it free for just two weeks of work they will respond. It requires a good plan, good enthusiasm and a little salesmanship. But it works great. We were the top selling pack in the district and second in the council.

 

BW

 

 

[dsteele]

My advice is to check out the program. It's web based and sponsored by Trail's End popcorn. So don't be surprised when it steers your pack/troop/crew to Trail's End as the single fund-raiser (which it can be!)

 

If you log on to www.trails-end.com, you'll see a link to the Ideal Year of Scouting or IYOS . . . do some exploring.

 

If you have questions about the site, contact your council service center and speak with the professional who advises the council popcorn sale (if your council sells Trail's End.) He or she can guide you to someone who knows the program even if they don't know it themselves.

 

It's a fact . . . units that use it make more money and can afford more "stuff" than units that don't.

 

It can even manage Scout accounts for you.

 

Unc.

[ScoutNut]

We don't use that particular program, but we do pay for our whole year with just the popcorn fundraiser.

 

We give each scout a goal to reach. If they reach the goal they receive a free rocket for our Rocket Shoot. The top 10 sellers all get to throw a whipped cream "pie" (paper plate) at the Scouter of their choice during our December Pack meeting.

 

We do a combination of Take-Order with Show & Sell. Show & Sell $ get divided up between the boys who participate & goes towards both their incentive gift & their Pack goal. Some boys do most of their popcorn thru Show & Sell booth sales.

 

This year we had about 90% reach goal. Many more were close. There was only 1 family who did not participate at all.

 

 

[encsteph]

ScoutNut,

 

How did you handle the family that didn't participate at all?

 

Did you request them to give the pack the amount of profit that them reaching their goal would have brought into the pack?

 

I ask because I can think of two families that have never participated in any fundraiser at all and I'm curious how to handle the situation.

 

In my opinion, it's not fair to the other scouts that the two non-participants should have their fees/activities paid for by the pack if they didn't even attempt to sell any popcorn.

 

Thanks for all the great advice. I have contacted our Council Popcorn person and am trying to schedule a time where we can sit down and talk through all the details.

 

Eric

[starwolfmom]

I don't know if our pack really follows the "Ideal Year of Scouting" plan, but fall popcorn is our one and only fundraiser. With about 30-35 boys in the pack, we sold about $16,000 in popcorn this year. (We were fifth in the council.)

 

I don't know what our new Cubmaster's policy is, but the old cubmaster always gave folks the option that if they didn't want to sell popcorn, they could write a check for (x dollars) and be covered for the year's activities. (and don't get on my case that it wasn't the cubmaster's place to make policy--in our pack, the CM is also the CC and the committee is the den leaders.)

 

Elizabeth

[ScoutNut]

The one family that did not sell is brand new this year. They actually signed up for 2 booth sales and then canceled because the dad went out of town for work.

 

We decided to let them slide this year & to put in a Pack policy on this for next year. We still have not decided on just what the policy will be, but hey, why rush things! LOL

 

Our CM doesn't see it as much of a problem, but I think it is the principal involved. The family can well afford to buy at least a tin for a gift if they don't like munching on corn themselves.

 

My goal for next year (I am Popcorn Kernal BTW) is to be able to pay 100% for Day Camp for the boys who meet their goal or 50% for Summer Camp.

 

 

[ScoutMomAng]

Hey there!

 

My first year as Popcorn Kernal I implemented the Ideal Year of Scouting but I didn't do it as the "Ideal Year Of Scouting". Let me elaborate a little here. The Council I'm in, at the time I became Popcorn Kernal was a little lax in the training department so I took what I knew from my Girl Scout Cookies and implemented it into the Cub Scouts Popcorn Sales! Then later in the year the Ideal Year of Scouting was discussed...hmmmm...sounded a little familiar!

 

Anyway, when I implemented it our pack was selling about a $2,000.00 in popcorn the year before. I took it to the boys, got them excited about what the pack wanted to spend all that money on, and next thing I knew we increased our sales by $7,000.00 with only about 15 boys selling! The council was thoroughly impressed and asked what I had done. That's when I found out about the Ideal Year of Scouting.

 

This year we did it on the "fly". In a hurry. There wasn't really a lot of incentive for the boys to sell because most of the boys were new to the pack (I believe this is what happened anyway) so they weren't too interested in going to Day Camp for free and parents didn't seem to know exactly what that meant. We didn't sell very well this year. We actually dropped in sales with MORE boys selling. Wasn't a good thing but we still came out with a prety good chunk of change. We (I) also went to the local Wal~Mart and asked for a donation for the month of whatever. We got $50.00. I took that money and bought a HUGE remote control car for the top sales person. That was an incentive enough for a Wolf to sell $1500.00 in popcorn!

 

One other thing you need to do is to "train" the boys on selling. The right way and the wrong way. The upbeat way as opposed to the, "hi..wanna buy some popcorn?" way. You have to make it look fun and get them excited. Especially your Webelos because they are going to look at it as, "my son won't benefit from it so I'm not going to push him to sell it if he doesn't want to" (at least this was the experience we seemed to have).

 

But as for implementing it, you should get as many adult leaders in your pack/troop together to set the budget for your pack and the goal of each boy to raise.

 

Hope all that info helped. Or was I just rambling?????

 

Ang

[encsteph]

Ang,

 

NO you weren't rambling at all! It was all good stuff.

 

If you don't mind me asking, how did you "train" the boys on selling?

 

I am very excited about this program and the opportunities it will present us and my two kids (Bear and Tiger) are both so hyped from hearing me talk about it with my wife that they would sell $10,000 if they had to!

 

I would love to get the rest of the pack even half as excited.

 

Thanks again.

 

Eric

[Bob White]

Since Cubs Sell the most Popcorn I will share the approach I have found very sucessful.

 

Wear a complete uniform and a big smile.

Stay off the lawns, stay on the sidewalks.

Always have a buddy nearby.

Have a few penms a couple order forms.

Knock or ring, and ask to speak with an adult if an adult does not answer the door.

Say this as you hold out a pen and an order form.

 

"Hi, my name is___________ I am a cub scout in pack ________and I am selling Delicious Boy Scout Popcorn. How much would you like to order today?"

 

BW

[ScoutMomAng]

encsteph,

 

You have to remember first I started with my GS knowledge, since that is the information I had.

 

I learned EVERYTHING I thought needed to be known about the popcorn we were selling. If you can get samples of some of it for the pack to try go for it. I made a list of do's and don'ts for selling popcorn.

 

1. Greet your customer! Hi! How are you doing today? (This we tested this year with my boys, neither of which are good speakers but when Mom jumped in and started with a warm greeting of Hi How are you doing today? and the back and forth of that conversation...great and you? blah blah blah...I let the boys make their pitch...that generated a sale 7 out of 10 times!)

 

2. Don't sell after dark.

 

3. Don't go alone.

 

4. Take an adult (not just an older sibling) when money taking is involved.

 

I'm sure you can make a good list of do's and don'ts on your own. Teach the boys the safety points. Have the parents work with them before going out. Do some demos in the pack meeting. Grab a boy...tell him to come to the "door" and sell you popcorn. Then grab an adult that can act like a boy or if you have a very outgoing boy that can do it have him come to the door and sell you popcorn very enthusiastically, with clear speech. Make sure the boys understand the right way and the wrong way to sell popcorn. Play out a few scenarios....Be the stranger and ask the boy to step in....when he does correct him immediately...you are a stranger he doesn't know you. Be firm on your safety rules and etiquette. Tell the boy you aren't interested...see if he still says Thank you. Tell the boy you are on a diet and don't need any popcorn...see if he comes up with on his own that Popcorn in the tin makes a GREAT gift! Tell the boy you are a diabetic (you'll hear it a lot), and see if the boy can come up with his own solution as to sell that popcorn to that customer.

 

Then I presented to the pack the biggest item we wanted out of the popcorn funds. That first year it was a BRAND NEW aluminum Pinewood Derby track with digital timer and read out. I got them excited about racing their cars on a brand new track...being the first ones to race down the new track. I hyped it up. I talked about the trophies they could win. When I made this pitch I got excited myself. I love selling (guess that's why I work at Wal~Mart...LOL). If you can get prizes to keep them motivated that will help. Get weekly prizes. Ask stores for donations...Wal~Mart, Target, K-Mart whatever. Ask early so that you have them on hand. In the first week you tell them...the first one to come to the next den meeting with $100.00 in sales gets this model rocket! They will race into the den meetings to be the first one there, especially if they have met the goal. Keep reminding them of these prizes via e-mail and phone calls if you have time (I didn't...too many boys to call).

 

Make sure you get a big prize...bigger than what the fundraiser itself has to offer for the top seller in the pack. Bring that prize to every den meeting, every pack meeting and every event so that you can keep reminding the boys (and the parents) what they can take home.

 

To make a great selling point for the parents, first make a list of all the things you plan on doing with that money. Then read it off....for example, since we have a large tourist area I read off something like this: How would you like your boys to be able to go to Miracle Strip Park and Ship Wreck Island for free? How about a day at the zoo for free? How about a trip to the USS Alabama for free? How about have the pack pay for your pinewood derby cars? How about....I'm sure you get the idea. Then for the last thing ask the parents directly...look out into the crowd of parents and pitch this as the kicker. "How would you like your son to get a scholarship towards college education just by selling popcorn? How about if you could make that scholarship grow with each passing year and none of the money comes from your pocket?" When you explain how this can be done you will see many parents very eager to get in on that program.

 

Go to Trails end website and print off the story of the Wolf scout that sold $7,000.00 (I believe that was the amount). When you get to the trails end website go to Councils then click on Kernals Journals and on the right side there is a list of Unit Articles. Read them...get LOTS of information from them.

 

Another good thing, we learned the hard way, don't let the pack plan a ton of events for every weekend during popcorn season. Our pack had something fun scheduled every weekend during popcorn sales. It made it hard for the boys to decide whether they were going to go have fun or go sell popcorn.

 

And yes, the uniform does make a fantastic impression.

 

Maybe I should just put my "training" onto a video tape and distribute it to packs! LOL

[encsteph]

Ang,

 

That's great!

 

Thanks so much.

 

Eric