🚀 go-pugleaf

jlw3@cbnewsj.cb.att.com (Joseph L. Wood, III) writes:

>We sell fertilizer every spring.  We go out on the first
>Sunday afternoon in March and take orders for a variety of products.
>We then make up an order for our supplier who gives us a really
>good deal and arrange for the loan of a semi to bring the stuff to town.
>On Friday 12 days later we deliver to the customers.  We are
>a very small troop and we can pull in $1500 from even our small town.

>The fact that we deliver is our competitive edge.  Our prices aren't
>any better than the local nursery store.

>Joe Wood

I seem to recall in the fine print on the back of the Unit Money-Earning
form (BSA) that units aren't supposed to engage in fund-raising activities
which are in competition with local businesses.  We aren't supposed to be
doing things that would take business away from commercial enterprises, at
least the way I read it.

Our pack recently combined public service with fund-raising by painting
large black-on-white house numbers on the curb or front steps of
neighborhood homes.  We advertised in the neighborhood newsletter, took
orders in advance (by mail or phone to a volunteer) and then spent a day
going around and doing the painting.  We made our own stencils to keep the
cost down.  We got 19 orders at $5.00 each, with expenses of less than $10.00.

The downside of the event is that Cub Scouts really haven't developed good
spray-painting skills, so they were frustrated when the adults didn't let
them spray the numbers, and the adults were frustrated when the kids did
prevail and try their hand at it (with a few runny numbers resulting).  We
had to send adults back out to do some touch-up work.  We're not sure
we'll do the event again, but we're out of the hole financially for the
time being.  It might work better for a Troop or Post.  We got positive
free publicity on the radio from the fire chief who was on a local morning
talk show.

Mark Turner
Committee Chair, Pack 2, Bellingham, WA
mturner@henson.cc.wwu.edu