Troop Calendar and Lack of interest

[Scoutfish]

Well, I understand not having the money.

 

When money is tight, it doesn't matter how cheap - cheap is! If I can't spend $10.00 then I can't buy a $2.00 flashlight, a $12.00 sleeping bag or anything else.

 

But I do know that I could save up SOME money if I knew I had enough of a heads up to do it with.

 

Nope, you don't need sleeping bags or pads, but if yourthat tight, you probably don't have the blankets that you'd be willing to chance ruining by laying them on the ground.

 

Never lived in a city myself, but I can imagine taxi fare or bus fare adding up and depleteling your cash if you need a ride to the closest camping area.

 

But having said that..I'd sleep under a cheap blue poly tarp if that's what it took. The tarp might not survive two trips, but I'd enjoy the two trips that killed the tarp.

[BadenP]

Some great idea have been given. You know one factor that might impact this process is in our high tech devices driven society I have noticed many youth have really lost the ability to use their imaginations to their full potential. You hand them some blank paper and they just look at you like you gave them a blackberry that was broken. So as an adult leader you need to help them tap into that potential, focus on the task of creating something from nothing, without the benefit of a computer device doing it for them. Food and rewards are definite factors in motivation.

[Basementdweller]

We have several multi scout families to 10 bucks for food for the camp out can become 30 real quick. That is simply going to the free campsites.

 

We already hike and fish, Free museums around, state historical sites. on and on and on. Jamboree, Philmont, northern tier are unobtainable.

 

 

The Fall camporee cost $15 to just get in the door, $10 for food that is a $25 weekend which is $75 for one family.

 

 

Klondike derby is $35....just the entry.......

 

Our fundraisers barely cover Recharter and Summer camp

 

 

Troop Gear isn't a problem, We have patrol boxes and tents for 40 scouts. We have transportation. It is food and camp site costs.

 

 

Well you get the picture.

 

Far as the CO goes we took asked for a received help to send two boys to camp who could not afford it. Made a brief presentation, The boys asked for help and the congregation stepped up.

 

but lets look at the cost of the program

 

Fall camporee $25

November Camp $15

December Party $10

Recharter $35

January Cabin $30

Feb Klondike $40

March Camp $25

April Camp $10

May outing $15

June Summercamp $180

July FishingCamp$15

 

 

$360 bucks and that isn't with a bunch of expensive outings. In our council that is like $1,000 worth of popcorn.

 

With three that is more than a grand.

[boomerscout]

I would probably skip the November camp and January cabin trips and use that time for service projects and Red Cross programs in first-aid and lifesaving

Anyway, these Scouts eat at home when not camping, right? So, if they go on a campout Sat & Sun, could they not just bring the food they would've eaten if they hadn't gone camping?

It's true your troop probably cannot do Philmont + Jamboree + Northern Tier at this time. Can they do one? Can they sub a cheaper alternative for Northern Tier or Philmont which can be just as exciting with two years of planning?

My old patrol did a lot of fundraising separate from our troop. We bagged for tips at the grocery, did odd jobs as rent-a-Scouts. My old troop sometimes camped for free on state land in return for service projects at the state park.

Can you have a monthly can drive having your church members save alum cans month by month?

[Lisabob]

So what I am hearing is that you believe the cost of outings is what is keeping your scouts from planning a calendar of fun and adventurous activities. That, more than lack of imagination or ideas, seems to be holding back your boys. Is that an accurate reflection of what you think is going on here?

 

So that we can have a better and more useful discussion about budgeting and planning: Roughly how many boys are in the troop? Generally speaking, where are you located (region, state, anything so people can kick around ideas that make sense in your neck of the woods)

 

I know that you have already asked your CO for help sending the boys to camp and they delivered, which is really great. I know that you are living in an area where money is tight, which makes fund raising much harder (few relatives willing to buy over-priced popcorn).

 

I do think there are creative solutions to be found.

 

Here are four things I have seen scouts do to raise money, none of which rely on families to kick in the wealth or door to door sales in potentially dangerous neighborhoods.

 

1. One troop cleans up the food court area at a local summer festival. For this they are paid about $2500. Scouts who work receive a share of the money based on the time they work, the troop receives the rest.

 

2. Another troop sells pop/water at a parade (in summer) and hot chocolate at another event in late fall. These are events that are well-attended by people outside the local community. The troop also cleans up at these events (empty trash cans, wipe down tables, sweep, etc.). The city gov't pays them between $500-$1000 for their clean up efforts, plus whatever they make selling the drinks.

 

3. Son's jambo troop worked with a local speedway to sell NASCAR pins at a couple of race days. I didn't go - I hate car racing, ugh - but the boys who did made money hand over fist. All they had to do was be there. (They also collected returnable cans/bottles and made a good return there too - but some people may object because there were evidently a lot of beer cans and maybe you don't want your scouts collecting those.)

 

4. Another troop volunteers a couple of times a year at a local recycling center. In exchange they get all the returnable cans and bottles that the center collected that month. They have to return them and it is a sticky, messy job. But they make a couple hundred dollars every time they do it and the percentage of beer:pop cans is not such an issue at the recycling center as at the speedway.

 

I don't know what is in your area, but I agree it is important in these tough economic times to think about service-oriented fund raisers rather than depending on neighbors and relatives to buy yet another tin of popcorn or stupid overpriced candle.

 

Maybe you also want to work with your PLC to look at the budget you have first, and plan based on that. If the boys have a budget of $300/year for camping fees and they really want to go to the Klondike event, then they know they need to find ways to drop the cost of other events. Maybe they choose to drop the fall camporee and do a cheap local alternative in the city park, instead. Maybe they decide that they don't need cabins to camp in January (cabins cost more money than tent camping!).