Corporate Sponsor for a Scout Unit

[CNYScouter]

At our last District Committee meeting we were discussing District FOS and fundraising.

One of the committee members said that while on vacation this summer they ran into a Boy Scout Troop at one of the Battleship monuments (I dont know which one).

 

They began talking with the Troop leaders and asked what type of fundraiser they did to afford the trip they were on.

 

The Troop told them they had a Corporate Sponsor that paid a lot of the Troops expenses.

They went on to say that most troops in their area had these types of sponsors (sorry I dont know where the troop was from).

 

None of us on the District Committee had ever heard of doing this.

 

Someone did question if this went against any type of BSA fundraising rules

 

Any one heard of units doing this?

 

[Beavah]

Yah, technically it's not kosher for a unit to solicit corporate donations, eh? Mostly because we don't want individual units interfering with FOS. Nothing will cheese off a SE more than losing a potential large donor because they've been nickeled and dimed already by a few units.

 

However, it's just fine for a unit to accept free will donations made by individuals or corporations. Most often that happens when a parent in da troop has connections at the corporation (or is da owner!). I've seen a fair number of those, eh? Thing is, once your on a corporate donation list yeh tend to stay on, so often the donations continue well after junior has left the troop. And of course da CO can solicit monies for their youth programs and direct some of that to scouting.

 

What's really not OK is endorsement type sponsorship, where da unit is doin' anything more than token advertising of a product or otherwise making it look like scouting endorses coca cola. That doesn't seem to be what you're talking about, though.

 

Beavah

 

[shortridge]

On a more basic level, of course a company can sponsor a unit. It's called being a chartered organization!

[FScouter]

A Scout earns his own way. He doesn't expect a handout.

[Beavah]

Yah, I always love that one, FScouter. Yeh should try it on your SE during da next FOS season.

 

Of course we are always soliciting and accepting money to help provide kids with scouting. I reckon it's safe to say that no lad has ever paid his own way. We celebrate da fellows like Waite Phillips who give generously so that boys may have experiences of great adventures that they'd never be able to achieve on their own or with their own resources.

 

We call that "generosity", eh? It's something to encourage and be grateful for.

 

Beavah

[Eagle92]

The only corporate sponsors I knew of were two businesses that supported units with at risk youth. One SE and DFS were not happy with that, but latter ones had no problem. Scouts did every fundraiser possible for themselves, but the troops involved had gear paid for by the sponsor.

[FScouter]

In our troop boys pay their own way. We adults help them earn it. We teach them to rely on themselves, and not on some larger unseen entity. Yeah, we might get our car washed even if it doesn't really need it, or by a 2nd hot dog, or buy some less than useful junk at the annual yard sale.

 

We don't twist some corporate arm for a "generous" donation of free money so the boys don't have to work.

 

The SE can do his thing with the FOS campaign, but that has zip to do with our boys earning money to pay their weekly dues and camp fees.

[Beavah]

Yah, corporations are just groups of people, eh? Like other groups of people, they care about da community or at least about their image in the community.

 

I don't see any particular difference between twisting the arm of a neighbor to get an unnecessary car wash, a few extra garage sale trinkets, or some hideously expensive popcorn and making a request of a corporate donation officer. At least in da case of the corporation, they're getting something of real value - public goodwill and positive exposure. That's more of a value than even da chocolate covered popcorn .

 

And are yeh really telling me that your adult leaders don't pay for anything out of pocket? Yeh might be a first .

 

Beavah

[Scoutfish]

FScouter

 

I get what you are saying about a bunch of scouts just sitting on their butts and doing NOTHING AT ALL to earn assistance, but I did not get that impression from the original post.

 

That, and take into account that the corporate sponsor may have approched the troop/pack without any invite or prodding.

 

Now lets talk about " we might get our car washed even if it doesn't really need it, or by a 2nd hot dog, or buy some less than useful junk at the annual yard sale."

 

Completely honorable intentions, no doubt about it, but still- a rose by any other name is still a rose!

 

Asking people to buy useless junk - or more commonly...overpriced mediocre tasting popcorn at outrageous prices...is still asking for a handout.

 

The popcorn or useless junk is a token prize or a (nod, nod - wink, wink)good ole boy attempt to convinve ourselves that we are not asking for handouts.

 

The key thing here would be to have your scouts maybe go police the parking lot of the corporation ,or at the least, have all the scouts sign a thank you card.

 

Maybe the troop would give a portion to the CO to offset some expenses or costs in utilities , etc....

Being thrifty is a great trait, but thrifty will also accept a donation too.

 

Just as long as the scouts don't sit on their butts and whine about waiting to get a handout...then a donation is great!

 

 

Speaking of popcorn.....Seriously, I can sell a potential customer a small quart size can of plain popcorn for $10.00 or they can go to Wal-Mart and but a 5 gallon size can of caramel, cheese and butter popcorn for $2.50?

 

Sure some folks will buy it from us, but again..it's not about the popcorn at all...it's a donation.

[Eagle92]

one of the corporate sponsors I'm talking about read about the Scoutreach program I and my FD were trying to get started in the newspaper, and wanted to be a part of that.

[nldscout]

We have 2 businesses in our area plus a private individual that makes annual donations to scouting and other youth groups. They will not donate to FOS and don'r even want to talk to council about it.

 

The one private individual used to be a big FOS supporter years ago to the tune of 5000 a year, then the nugs at council pissed him off big time and he quit talking to them and quit donating except directly to the troop and pack.

[BartHumphries]

How about going to one of those patch companies and getting a patch made with the business's name then sewing that to the kids backpacks when we hike? Corporate "sponsorship" like that -- is that alright? That's not a handout anymore, that's them paying us for advertising. Is that legal? Allowed?

[SSScout]

I always will remember the gateway arch at the Jamboree from a Detroit Council Troop that announced to all the passers-by that "Antonio's Pizza salutes the BSA!" in a sweeping pizza studded arch. In smaller lettering it announced where they were from.

I looked to see if the tents were similarly emblazoned, but they were plain REI tents, (with REI emblazoning).

I think it was Antonio, might have been another name. Oh well.

[Oak Tree]

There were many units at jamboree who clearly had corporate partners - Halo on a JSP, or Cheerwine signs, or Louisville Slugger baseball bats as their border. The JSPs were required to be approved by National.

 

If you are just receiving a donation, you don't need approval. I am guessing that donations "in kind" don't require any special approval either - at least in practice (asking the fence company to donate some fencing, for example). I don't feel as good about selling advertising space on troop equipment. That would seem like a fund-raiser that should be approved by council.

 

I like the idea of going the NASCAR route - great big ad space on the Scout trailer.

[boomerscout]

'How about going to one of those patch companies and getting a patch made with the business's name then sewing that to the kids backpacks"

 

as long as the patch doesn't have any Scout symbols on it, or the words "Boy Scouts" or "Scouting", it should be OK. Maybe Beavah can give us the official word?