Fundraising and Donations for Eagle Projects

1. The Eagle ProjectPart 3: Fundraising, Implementation and Service Project Report - Eagle Education Experience - EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

2. This presentation is designed to assist Scouts, parents and Scout leaders with the Eagle Scout advancement process and leadership-capability enhancement. The Washington, D.C. District of the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America offers the Eagle Education Experience to empower Eagle Scout candidates with knowledge, skills and abilities that they can use to achieve the Eagle Scout rank, become stronger leaders and more effectively accomplish noble goals. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

3. Funding and Donations for Projects • Eagle Scout candidates often need to conduct fundraising events (fundraisers) so they can acquire sufficient funds to purchase items they need for completing their Eagle Scout Service Project. • During a fundraiser, a good or service is offered in exchange for funds, for example, an Eagle candidate leads volunteers in providing a car wash service to raise funds for buying planks of wood for a bridge that will be built as the main part of his Eagle Project. • As an alternative to fundraisers, Eagle candidates also could ask for (solicit) donations of funds to purchase items for the project or could ask for donations of the items themselves. • An event can be designed as both a fundraiser and a donation solicitation. • Multiple fundraisers or donation solicitations can be conducted for supporting an Eagle Project. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

4. Funding and Donations for Projects • For each fundraiser or donation solicitation, you, the Eagle candidate, must lead volunteers and delegate responsibilities to achieve the goal of that fundraiser or donation solicitation. • Any fundraiser or solicitation of donations must be in accordance with the Scout Oath and Law. Therefore, among the things that cannot be a fundraiser or donation event are: • raffles, poker tournaments, or other games dependent on chance; • activities that involve deprecating a person, like a dunk booth; • a fundraiser or donation event that is conducted at a location owned by an organization with goals that largely contradict the ideals of Scouting, or one which is sponsored by such an organization. • All fundraising and donation solicitations to acquire funds to purchase items for an Eagle Project must occur before the start of the project. • Money fundraised or donated for the project must be deposited into a bank account of the project beneficiary or your unit within three business days. • Any raised or donated funds for the Eagle Project that are not used for its completion must either be provided to the project beneficiary or spent on enhancements for the project. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

5. Funding and Donations for Projects • For fundraisers and donation solicitations, you must identify to those providing funds or donated items that the money is to be raised and donations are to be acquired on behalf of the beneficiary of the Eagle Project, not the BSA, and all raised funds, donated funds and donated items will be used to benefit the project beneficiary. • This identification must be present in any communications regarding the fundraiser or donation solicitation and must be present in written form at any physical site or in electronic form on any Internet page regarding the fundraiser or donation solicitation. This identification must be present on any documentation regarding proof of purchase or proof of donation. • If a fundraiser participant or a donor wants documentation, such as a receipt, of a good or service purchased for a fundraiser or a donation, that documentation must be provided by the project beneficiary, not the BSA. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

6. Funding and Donations for Projects • When conducting a fundraiser or donation event in-person, wearing your field uniform/Class A uniform adds legitimacy to your efforts and therefore increases likelihood of success. • For in-person fundraisers or solicitations of donations, your volunteers should conduct these efforts as a group, instead of individually, to emphasize broadness of support for your project. • Send thank-you notes to all who donated funds or items for the project. • If any contracts are to be established for a fundraiser or donation event for your Eagle Project, (and, more generally, if any contracts are to be established for any purpose for your Eagle Project), they must be agreed upon and signed by an adult representing you. The adult must accept personal liability for the contract without any liability for the BSA. The contract cannot reference the BSA, your unit, your unit’s chartered organization, your BSA district or your BSA council. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

7. Fundraising Application • Within the Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook, between the Project Final Plan and Service Project Report sections, is an Eagle Scout Service Project Fundraising Application. • For the National Capital Area Council, of which the Washington, D.C. District is part, an Eagle candidate generally must submit this application for a fundraiser or donation solicitation only if the goal for: • a fundraiser is to raise at least $500; • a donation solicitation is to receive funds and/or items that together have total value of at least $500; or • an event that is part fundraiser and part donation solicitation is to acquire a total value of at least $500. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

8. Fundraising Application • Even if the fundraising application normally would need to be submitted based on council requirements, it would not need to be submitted for a fundraiser or donation solicitation in which the funds or donations are sourced only from one of the following, or only from multiple among the following: • the project beneficiary; • the Eagle candidate himself; • the Eagle candidate’s parents, guardians or relatives; • the Eagle candidate’s unit, including Scouts within the unit, their parents and other members of the unit; or • the chartering organization of the Eagle candidate’s unit. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

9. Fundraising Application • When the application is required to be submitted, it must be submitted AT LEAST TWO WEEKS IN ADVANCE of when the fundraiser or donation solicitation is to occur. • For the National Capital Area Council (NCAC), the applications are submitted directly to the council office instead of to district Eagle advancement representatives. • To submit the application, an Eagle candidate can e-mail a scanned copy of it to ncaceaglefunds@scouting.org, or e-mail it to Margee Egan, NCAC program specialist, at margee.egan@scouting.org. • When the application is required to be submitted, the fundraiser or donation solicitation detailed in the application cannot begin until the Eagle candidate receives confirmation of approval. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

10. Fundraising Application • Before the fundraiser or donation solicitation detailed by the application can be conducted, the application must have three signatures of approval. • Signatures of approval from the beneficiary representative and a unit leader are needed. Ideally, these would be the same individuals who signed the Project Proposal, but this is not required. • For the National Capital Area Council, after the beneficiary representative and unit leader signatures of approval are acquired, the Eagle candidate must send the application to the council office. A council representative’s approval of the application will be in the form of either a scanned or print copy of the application with a signature included for Authorized Council Approval or an e-mail indicating council approval. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

11. Fundraising Application • If a fundraising application needs to be submitted for an Eagle Project, it does not need to be submitted with the Project Proposal. • For each Eagle Project, if a fundraising application is required for the project, all the fundraisers and donation events that are to be done in support of the project can be detailed on one fundraising application, or each fundraiser or donation event can be detailed on its own fundraising application. • Any fundraising application for an Eagle Project, with all three approval signatures indicated, must be included with the completed Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook when it is submitted to confirm completion of the Eagle Project process and for review by the Eagle Scout Board of Review. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

12. Fundraising Application • An Eagle candidate must use the “Describe how funds will be raised” data-entry field on the application to detail: • how the fundraiser or donation solicitation will be conducted; • how he will lead volunteers, including how he will delegate responsibilities to them, to fulfill the fundraising and/or donation target; • the account of the beneficiary or the Eagle candidate’s unit into which the funds will be deposited. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

13. Fundraising Application • If you are conducting a donation event, use the “If people or companies will be asked for donations” data-entry field to identify what will be asked to be donated (i.e., funds, materials, supplies or tools), to elaborate on the plan for conducting the donation event and who, specifically, will be helping with the donation event and what they will be doing. • For fundraisers that are not also donation events, write “not applicable” in this data-entry field. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

14. Fundraising Application • For donation events, you must attach to the fundraising application a typed sheet that lists prospective donors (people and/or businesses and/or other organizations) and identifies what each prospective donor will be asked to donate. • For those asked to donate funds, identify a target amount of funds they will be asked to donate. • For those asked to donate items, identify target quantities of items they will be asked to donate. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

15. Fundraising Application • If a contract is to be signed in connection with a fundraiser or donation solicitation for your project, it must be signed by an adult and cannot in any way reference the BSA regarding liability. You must identify on the fundraising application who will sign the contract. • You must detail in the “Contract details” section all relevant details regarding the contract, including, but not limited to, terms of agreement for rendering goods or services under the contract and penalties for violation of the contract. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

16. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • It is time to implement your plan to complete the project. • Make sure to bring a copy of your project plan with you when you are implementing the project. • Remember to avoid micromanaging, as delegation is necessary for demonstration of effective leadership. • Your key role on project work days should be that of a general supervisor, ensuring that volunteers are properly adhering to your plan. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

17. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • Three days before a work session for your project, you should contact the volunteers who you are expecting to attend that work session to confirm that they will be able to attend. • It is especially important to confirm that volunteers who you are expecting to drive other volunteers or items to a worksite will be attending. • Ask your volunteers to arrive to a work session for your project at least 15 minutes early so that you can better ensure the work session starts on time. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

18. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • Some projects are most effectively completed with work sessions on multiple days instead of a single work session on one day, while other projects are most effectively completed with one work session instead of multiple sessions. You must determine during the planning of your project which option would work best for your project and implement that option. • Some projects have one worksite, while others have multiple worksites. You must determine this detail during the planning of your project and implement your project accordingly. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

19. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • As the leader of your Eagle Scout Service Project, you must ensure that all steps of the project are timely completed during implementation of the project and that all volunteers are efficiently working to achieve timely completion of those steps. • Designating certain volunteers as managers of subgroups of volunteers is a helpful strategy if your project involves multiple steps for which work must occur at the same time or involves multiple worksites. • If you use this strategy, you should frequently communicate with these managers to monitor progress of the volunteer groups. You still must be the primary leader of the project; the group managers would have only limited managerial authority. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

20. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • Remember to allocate time for your volunteers to have meal and rest breaks. • Also, remember that meal and rest breaks count toward the total number of hours worked on the project. • For outdoor projects, ensure that copious water is available. • Make sure to enforce the buddy system and Youth Protection, and that everyone operating power tools or other hazardous equipment is wearing protective gear. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

21. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • Ensure a safety officer is present or nearby and readily available at all times when the project is being implemented. There must be a first-aid kit at each project worksite. • Make sure that all drivers adhere to the strictest form of the BSA’s driving policies: • Youth protection (two-deep leadership) • Anyone less than 21 years old cannot drive volunteers less than 18 years old. 18-year-olds can drive only others at least 18 years of age. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

22. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • Ensure that at least one designated individual is documenting implementation of the project with PLENTY of photographs of the project process and final result. • Keep a sign-in sheet/log of hours worked for all project dates in which volunteers record the time they arrived and the time they departed. This greatly assists one’s efforts to accurately record the total number of combined hours (also known as volunteer-hours or man-hours) spent on the project. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

23. Implementing the Eagle Scout Project • Do not declare the project to be complete until you are satisfied that you have achieved your project goal and that the work is benefiting the beneficiary and befitting of an Eagle Scout. • Thank all volunteers for their help; ensure that all volunteers safely leave the worksites. • Delegate to a volunteer the responsibility of creating a press release about the project to publicize the community improvement and encourage others to benefit from it. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

24. Service Project Report • As the Eagle Scout Board of Review will significantly focus on the Service Project Report, it is ESSENTIAL to detail throughout the report how you successfully demonstrated effective leadership skills and how your leadership enabled your project to be a success. • For the “Please provide a brief description” data-entry field, whenever possible, use anecdotal data or quantitative data to identify beneficial effects the project already has had. • For the “Describe what you did after your proposal was approved” data-entry field, detail your further planning, including what you further specified in your Project Final Plan and how you recruited volunteers. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

25. Service Project Report • For describing what went well, highlight ways in which you demonstrated effective leadership during the implementation of your project, particularly with regard to delegation of responsibilities, and components of your completed project that were significant accomplishments. • For any challenges you identify in the Service Project Report, explain how you overcame them. • For any changes you identify in the Service Project Report, explain why they were made and how the changes effectively enabled you to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

26. Service Project Report • It is highly recommended that your responses, whenever possible, explain how your Project Final Plan was able to be effectively implemented. • Provide plenty of details and explain how your plans helped you achieve your goals. • Emphasize throughout the Service Project Report how you demonstrated effective leadership skills and how your volunteers’ work was positively affected by the directions and management you provided. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

27. Service Project Report • Leadership: For describing what you learned about being a leader, highlight leadership methods that you determined to be effective during the planning and implementation of your project. • If there were item shortages, you must explain how you used your leadership skills to overcome them. If you had fewer items than you needed, you must explain why this happened and what steps you took to alleviate the situation without reducing the quality of your project from what was planned. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

28. Service Project Report • Use your sign-in/sign-out sheet from your project implementation dates to acquire the data regarding hours worked by all volunteers and find the sum of the hours. • As per federal Labor Department regulations respected by the BSA, all hours worked for planning or implementing the project can be rounded to the nearest 15 minutes. • Planning and implementation hours are both included in the total number of combined hours. • Remember that there is no minimum number of hours required for an Eagle Project, but that the total hours should indicate significant effort was exerted. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

29. Service Project Report • It is unacceptable for project costs to have exceeded project revenues. You must ensure throughout the implementation of your project that your project costs remain less than your revenues (i.e., the project remains within budget). • You should enable your beneficiary to receive excess funds that were not used for the project as soon as possible after the project’s completion, OR ask the beneficiary how the funds can be used to expand the project, and with approval expand it. If no expansion of the project with the excess funds, the beneficiary must receive the excess funds. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

30. Service Project Report • Include the significant number of photographs snapped before, during and after implementation of the project. • Whenever possible, provide direct comparisons of post-project photos with pre-project photos to further demonstrate your effective leadership. • A beneficiary representative and your unit leader must sign their approvals of your efforts before you submit your completed Eagle Scout Service Project Workbook with your Eagle Scout Rank Application. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

31. Project Report Additions • It is strongly recommended that you also include the following with your Service Project Report, as these items help demonstrate effectiveness of your leadership: • a distinct description of the actual results you achieved in comparison to what you planned; • names of volunteers and their assignments; copies of the sign-in/sign-out sheets or logs of hours worked on the project; • copies of communications for volunteer recruitment efforts and articles publicizing the completed project. EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA

32. Discussion and Questions EAGLE EDUCATION EXPERIENCE – WASHINGTON, D.C. DISTRICT, NCAC, BSA