Lady_Leigh67 Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 In my perusing of websites, I have noticed that some Pack's have a raffle of some sort with their Pack Meeting. Does anyone here do that? What is involved? No, I have not asked the folks whose websites I have noticed this on...I thought I would ask you wonderful folks since you are more trustworthy! :-) Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pack212Scouter Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 BSA has a no gambling policy. Therefore although some units do such things, raffles, etc. are not allowed. Door prizes are allowed. It's the fine line between offering something to everyone in attendance and requiring a purchase for a "chance". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlFansome Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Check out http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/9910/a-ksmp.html#sbarc for an blurb from Scouting magazine from 10 years ago. Basically, if you are paying for a chance to win something...that's against policy since it's basically gambling. However, if there's no money changing hands (i.e. door prizes) then you're OK. Our Pack used to have a $$ raffle but we got rid of it a few years ago. We still have a drawing as a way to encourage on-time attendance, but no money changes hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Leigh67 Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 Good point. I forgot that raffles for $$ are illegal. As for door prizes for attending, I think that would be kind of cool. What kinds of items do you have as door prizes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlFansome Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 As Cubmaster, I tried to change it up frequently. Since the prizes where for the boys, they'd be things like: $5 gift card to Scout shop, Jamba Juice, etc... small lego sets (Bionicles) marbles small crafts (balsa wood airplanes) I'd go to Target and wander the toy section to see what they had for around $5 or less. Nothing expensive, but just something to encourage on-time attendance to pack meetings, which had been a problem in the past. All boys arriving on time get tickets for the drawing. Definitely has solved the on-time problem once the parents started hearing it from the boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady_Leigh67 Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 AlFansome, how many "prizes" do you generally give out at each Pack Meeting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlFansome Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Usually one per den (we have a den per grade, typically). Each den's ticket stubs go into a different envelope. This ensures that the prizes are spread around and each group gets a chance. As I said, the primary purpose of the drawing for us is to encourage on-time behavior, and it's been very successful. Any more than that and costs can start to add up over the course of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanRx Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 We do "drawings" for door prizes at most every meeting. Its a way to break the boredom if a scout has to sit through several awards that he is not getting. Cubs get restless and it also gives the next presenter time to get to the stage and get set-up / etc... if I keep them going with a raffle. Usually 2 to 3 a pack meeting. Anything from a pack of gum, to a camping safety whistle, to a collapsable cup, etc... Once or twice a year, we'll have a big ticket item at the end of the pack show. Example, one year for Space Derby we gave away two tickets to a travelling Star Trek Exhibit at a local museum. We do a "pit the cubmaster" every fall for the scouts that sell a certain dollar amount of popcorn, the get to splat me with a whipped cream pie in the face. That meeting, we raffled off two Marie Calander's Pies. Total cost in the past year was less than $150 for 'door prize' supplies for the pack meetings. It comes out of unit funds. No one buys a chance to win anything. As for the 'no gambling' rule - guess I shouldn't let the boys play blackjack on the pack campouts anymore Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanRx Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 As an interesting aside from the article refernced... The BSA national finance guy advises that "products in the $5 to $7 range usually sell best". Funny that the entry level item in popcorn sales starts at $10 (and is an extremely small can for your money - some might even argue that the product received doesn't meet the standard of fair market value for the size). I know the article was written in 1999, but this is where the Girl Scouts have us beat. Even though they are overpriced, more folks have no problem paying $4 / box for some cookies. Wish BSA would follow its own advice and get the units a $5 item in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaver1onit Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 They have a $7.00 item this year(trail mix)if you do the show and sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evmori Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Why is anyone giving out door prizes at Pack Meetings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle92 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Don't know how long the raffles and door prizes have been going on, but my old pack did them back int he 80s. It was a raffle, I know, I know, and the money went into pack cophers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanRx Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 evmori- I'll give a couple reasons we do them... 1) Its FUN to 'win' something. If you are a scout that is not getting an award of some type that month, what is your incentive to show up to the pack meeting? Boring if you get to sit for an hour watching others get called up on stage. Yeah, you get to be in a skit or sing a song, or help with the colors (maybe if its your Den's turn), but if you've already gotten your rank badge and have no belt loops or arrow points being awarded - why be there? Sorry, but thats a very true statement for kids of the cubs age. It helps keep those not getting awards engaged in the meeting. 2) It is a GREAT diversion / transision between portions of the program. After a few awards, it breaks up the monotony of the same thing happening. Also, if I have a transision in which I'm waiting for a speaker to come forward, or they have something to set up (i.e. Den setting props in place for a skit), instead of having "dead air" time during the meeting (which leads to rowdiness) - I tell everyone to check their ticket stub and have a quick drawing. By the time I've handed out a pack of Pok-e-mon cards to the lucky winner, the skit is ready to go and I've succeeded in holding the boy's attention and diverting chaos in the pack meeting. It works very, very well.... A 3rd reason I can think of is it is a tool of being on time. Scouts can only get a door prize ticket BEFORE the meeting starts. All our meetings start right on time now, very few if any stragglers showing up late. There is a method to the madness... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evmori Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Its FUN to 'win' something. If you are a scout that is not getting an award of some type that month, what is your incentive to show up to the pack meeting? How about because you are a member of the Pack?? If you need to pass out an incentive to just have people show up, maybe you need to look at what you are doing at your Pack meetings. It is a GREAT diversion / transision between portions of the program. Why is that needed? If you need a diversion, maybe you need to look at what you are doing at your Pack meetings. A 3rd reason I can think of is it is a tool of being on time. Better but still not a good reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
infoscouter Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 We too have converted our raffle into a door prize drawing. Tickets are awarded for being on time, bringing a food shelf item, being in uniform - with neckerchief (and an extra ticket for wearing uniform pants). Additional tickets may be awarded for showing Scout Spirit during the meeting. The scouts from one den each month are tasked with bringing a small, prepackaged food item - cookies or snack cakes. In addition, we pick up items at dollar stores, the Target dollar bin, Scout shop, etc. We generally give out 6-10 items per meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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