Fundraising Ideas Needed

[jimhayes1949]

Make Money and SAVE LIVES!!!. Tired of selling candy, cookies and popcorn?

Have vision! Make Money! Save Lives!

EMSfile (see: emsfile.com/fundraiser )

 

50% profits!: No up front money: Quick one-time sales: NO having to take orders then comeback and deliver product: No special storage: Not perishable consumable:

 

My name is Jim Hayes (jimhayes@emsfile.com). I am President of EMSfile...a company, that has developed and marketed Community Service Programs in conjunction with Television Stations across the nation... from Honolulu to Bermuda. We have developed and produce the EMSfile which provides critical medical information in times of emergencies. (see: www.emdfile.com). Based upon the initial recomendation of a Scout and Methodist Minister we have adapted our EMSfile Products as a great fundraiser tool (see: www.emsfile.com/fundraiser). Instead of selling consumables, sell something that has saved hundreds of lives nationwide... For more information, e-mail me or contact fundraiser@emsfile.com. MAKE MONEY. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

[jimhayes1949]

Hi! Jim Hayes again. As I said previously, I am President of EMSfile sooo I obviously can't type. Sorry for incorrect web site addresses.

 

Below are correct site addresses

 

www.emsfile.com and www.emsfile.com/fundraiser

 

 

 

[jimhayes1949]

Hi! Jim Hayes again. As I said previously, I am President of EMSfile sooo I obviously can't type. Sorry for incorrect web site addresses.

 

Below are correct site addresses

 

www.emsfile.com and www.emsfile.com/fundraiser

 

 

 

[OldGreyEagle]

We will have two fundraisers this year, one is staffing a hotdog/Coke wagon out side the local Wal-Mart (we got Memorial Day Weekend, WOO HOO) The local Coke distrubutor donates the use of the wagon, we have to pay for the product used. The more donated supplies, such as buns, dogs, the more we make, last year it was about $750.

 

Then, last night we got a suprise, it seems many theme parks have a hard time getting reliable help and are always looking for help. In our area DORNEY PARK AND WILD WATER KINGDOM has what they call a booster bucks program. If you work an eight hour shift, they donate 50 dollars to your group. Individuals must be over 16 and follow their dress code. Jobs include helping with rides, concessions, almost anything except actual ride operations. Our goal is to have 25 people work.

From what I understand many theme parks have this program or a similar one, sounds like fun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bob White]

Hi OGE,

Not meaning to sound a pessimist but...isn't DORNEY PARK taking major advantage of you. If they had to employ a person to do that work, Dorney would have to pay a wage, workers compensation, employee benefits, etc. It would cost them alot more than a mere $6.25 an hour they are donating. Your unit would make more money if you donated 8 hrs worth of your salary and you took the tax write-off insted of Dorney getting it and evading their responsibilities as an employer. (plus you wouldn't have to work 8 hours in a amusement park uniform.)

Just another way to look at this.

Bob

 

PS, My son donated 5 hours of his time selling Boy Scout Popcorn, he made $285 for the Council, and $285 for his Troop and his Scout account and he got to wear his uniform while he did it.

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Perhaps Bob, but there was a story in our local newspaper about this program two years ago and its so popular that this year is the first year our troop got a slot to participate so there are lots of people standing in line to be taken advantage of.

 

The reason for this program as I explained is the park knows the "boosters" are much more reliable than the normal summer workers and sometimes they cant fill all their vacancies with employees. The troop committee, which has a few financial types on it, thought it was a good deal and aproved the idea. We see it as Win-Win between the park and us.

 

In our area, it seems every organization has its "pet" fundraisers, if its not chocolate bars for the little league its cookies for the Girl Scouts or christmas trees and wreaths for the high school band or candles for the Middle school band or, or , well, as Rosanne Rosanne A'Dan would say, "its always something". I see this as a way of making money for out troop without going door to door begging people to buy something else.

 

I admit, I hate to sell and dont like my son selling things either.

 

Now with this proram we will both work together for 8 hours, get a 100 dollars for the troop and have a blast doing it, I think its the park that is being taken advantage of actually.

 

(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[eagle90]

OGE - Sounds like a great fundraiser. A lot less work thatn selling things door to door for weeks on end. In one day you have your cash!

 

And Bob, look beyond the dollar per hour for a minute - I bet there is some great Scout fellowship involved here. You may even get some parents who don't do a lot during the year come out and do this.

[Bob White]

eagle90

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy scout fellowship. I look forward to scout fellowship. But when we are talking about funraising and you say 'look beyond the money" I have to think that is kind of counter productive to the purpose of fundraising. I socialize for fellowship, I play games for fellowship, I even attend some meetings for fellowship. but I don't intend to spend a lot of time in fundraising, so when I do it, and when I ask others to do it, I expect it to be worth my time and theirs. I also expect that the bulk of what I earn to go to scouting.

I mean no disrespect to OGE I enjoy and agree with almost every thing he shares. But as a fundraiser the event he suggests has few rewards compared to a lot of other available resources.

* it makes far more money for the business concern than scouting..

* he cannot wear a scout uniform or even discus that he is raising money for scouting. (it is a brand name product or service)

* The time invested to income generated ration is very lopsided.

 

A single scout selling Popcorn (Just as one example) can get a far greater return in about 90 minutes. While they wear their uniform and increase the visibility of scouting and only a third of the money raised goes to a commercial business.

 

I can see how working at the amusement park would be fun, I don't deny that, and certainly any money for the troop helps. I just see how the park has marketed this as a boon for the community when really it is just a way for them to get cheap labor and avoid what would otherwise be State and Federally regulated employment protections and benefits.

 

The value of services being provided to the park far exceed the revenue they are sharing with the volunteer organizations. I don't think this is genuine philanthropy, it's actually a profitable employment tool for the park, thinly disguised to take advantage of the good will of community volunteers.

 

Just my opinion.

Bob

[eagle90]

This weekend is our troops annual Rummage sale. We will spend about 3 hours Friday night setting up and about 8 hours on Saturday running the sale. As always, we anticipate betwen $2000 and $3000 profit.

 

And guess what? WE WILL HAVE FUN DOING IT! We have prizes for the families bringing the goofiest items, the strangest article of clothing, etc.

You have to make it fun as well as a job. Remember the song from Mary Poppins - A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. No one like fundraising, but if you make it a little enjoyable you can turn it into a positive thing for the troop, and not just in terms of money.

 

Maybe thats why our troop has a 30 boys and a Committee of 28 people, ten of whom no longer have kids in the troop. They stay around because they enjoy it!

 

I'm just saying OGE's fund raiser sounds like a good way of getting people together and having some fun while makeing some money in a different way from the traditional popcorn, candy, greeting cards, etc.

[Bob White]

But thats my point eagle90. you are working together as a scout unit, in uniform and keeping the bulk of the proceeds. The Park we are discussing is taking the bulk of the procedds, the scouts and scouters cannot look like scouts and I doubt that they all get to work near each other. In addition it would 60 of them working an 8-hour shift to make the same amount as your rummage sale. I'm not saying that OGE or anyonelse shouldn't do this. I was merely commenting that it is not particularly profitable for anyone other than the commercial host and that a disproportionate amout of the money raised is shared with the volunteer organization.

Bob

Bob

[KL Wisconsin]

Our troop also works for an entertainment venue, Miller Park home of the Milwaukee Brewers. We get 10% of the revenue generated that night at the booth. It averages $600 a night, and remember when you are talking about hourly rates, these are tax-free dollars. The downside of this fundraiser is that the minimum age is 16, therefore our younger scouts cannot participate.

 

We also sell popcorn. Lots of it. We do Spring Show and Sell to give funds to our new scouts for camp. Our most successful fundraisers, however, are selling spring bedding plants and hanging baskets. We sell the bedding plants using order forms. We buy the plants by the full flat and sell in half flats. We offer any odd half-flats left over to the parents at a discount.

We sell the hanging baskets in front of local stores from the back of a truck on the day before Mother's Day. We have been doing this for years and the community looks forward to buying these ready-made Mother's Day presents. We buy them from a local nursery on a consignment basis.

 

We have a concession stand at our community festival, too. The boys made the stand, determined the menu, and determine the quantity of food to purchase, etc. They deal with the health inspectors, suppliers, festival committee, etc. It is a great learning experience for them. Any leftover food is donated to a nearby shelter.

[scoutmom]

Bob White,

 

Not all of us Scouters are as pro-popcorn as you seem to be. Yes, we do the Annual Popcorn Sale, but, I am not thrilled about it. I don't like asking people to pay $15 for a can of popcorn when they can go to Wal Mart and get a giant can for $3. In my opinion, the popcorn we sell is over priced and I am not thrilled with the quality. I know it's for a good cause, and I know a lot of people will disagree with me. Our Pack has not had tremendous success with the Popcorn sale. I know Packs that do great with Popcorn, I just don't think it'a all that wonderful.

[Bob White]

Scoutmom,

I'm not saying there aren't other ways to make money. I've been in units that did the flower sales and hanging baskets for Mother's Day, We've done Spaghetti Dinners, Car washes etc. but I'll be honest I never found anything that was as easy to do, or that made as much money as BSA popcorn. Our Pack always made a profit in excess of $4,000 annually. The troop does almost as well. No other fundraiser made as much. My son has pages and pages of customers who buy every year. They never complain about the price and they rave about the quality.

 

I have no problems with other fundraisers as long as they stay within the uniform policies. Like you, I'm very proud of this organization, and so I'm very particular about how it is represented in public.

 

Bob

[eagle90]

Just a follow up:

 

Our troop had its Annual Rummage Sale this weekend and made over $2600. we set up Friday night for about 3 hours and run the sale from 7:00 AM till 1:00 PM on Saturday. It's amazing how much Rummage 25 families can generate! And also amazing what people are willing to buy. Just $60 in classified ads and some local flyers is all the advertising we do. The leftovers are donated to the Cancer Federation, so someone benefits all the way around.

[sctmom]

Eagle90,

Great job!

Our troop collects stuff all year for the annual yard / rummage sale. They find neighborhoods that have neighborhood yard sales, give each family a ribbon to tie on their mailbox if they want the scouts to take away whatever didn't sell that day. You have to have a place to store all this stuff for the year, but it sounds like this works well. Find a couple of high priced neighborhoods and you can get some really "good junk".