Popcorn
The Popcorn Fundraiser is one of the major fundraising exercises that we do. 60% of the cost of the popcorn returns to Scouting and 40% comes back directly to our Group.
The youth have a few weeks to gather prepaid orders for fancy popcorn. The forms and money are collected in late October and a single overall order is placed.
In mid-November, we pick up the order from a warehouse, and sort it into individual orders. The youth then deliver the popcorn to the people who ordered it.
How to Sell
Youth (and Leaders) have a few weeks to gather orders. Talk to your family, friends and neighbours. Everyone loves the taste of Scout Popcorn and the proceeds go to great cause!
- A good spiel is similar to: “Hi my name is _________. We are doing a fundraiser for Scouts. I was hoping you would like to buy some Scout popcorn to support us.” Then explain that the funds are used for camps, jamboree, to replace the canoe that was stolen, etc.
- Don’t start with “Do you want to buy…” or “I was wondering if you would like to buy…” as that gets people’s backs up right away.
- As the parent standing on the sidewalk, keep track of which houses you go to, and check off if they bought some popcorn (or made a donation), said no, or weren’t home. On another day, you can then revisit the houses where people were not home. Sometime wander up the walk to engage the person and help out your youth. It helps if they recognize you, as then it is harder for them to say no!
- When people comment about the cost, we explain that it is really a donation to Scouting. Sometimes I say it is a donation to Scouting and you happen to get some free popcorn!
- Always thank them, whether they buy or not.
- Say that the popcorn will be delivered in mid-November.
- The thankyou business cards with the email address and vague delivery date (mid November) on there are perfect to hand to people when you leave.
Prizes and Awards
Incentive prizes need to be discussed at the Group Committee meeting. In the past these incentive prizes were provided by the popcorn people, but in 2015, this responsibility was downloaded to the Groups. We therefore need to decide on the prizes and purchase them. Typically Walmart gift cards work well ($10 per $200 sold with cards in $10 increments). There may be some additional National-provided incentive prizes for people who sell over $300 (pocketknife or flashlight).
The popcorn patches and incentive prizes used to be provided at the same day as the popcorn pickup. This has changed and they now get delivered to the Group Commissioner at a later date.
The B.L.A.S.T. Trophy must be retrieved from the previous year’s winner. A plaque needs to be engraved and affixed for presentation at the Christmas Party.
The top popcorn sellers of each Section get to throw a whipped cream pie in a leader’s face at the Christmas Party. This is always a highlight!
High sellers can qualify for a scholarship. If applicable, the paperwork for this needs to be completed and submitted by the Group Commissioner.
Recent sales history:
| Year | Sales ($) | Profit ($) |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | $4,219.45 | $1,843.45 |
| 2014 | $11,280.00 ($3,290 by Evan O’Brien) ($7,990.00 by remainder of group) | $4,512.00 ($1,318 by Evan O’Brien) ($3,194.00 by remainder of group) |
| 2013 | $9,135.35 | $3,609.35 |
| 2012 | $7,545.00 | $2,907.51 |
| 2011 | $7,181.00 | $2,574.00 |
| 2010 | $7,869.80 | $3,449.00 |
| 2009 | $5,225.00 | $1,868.00 |
| 2008 | ~$5,000.00 | $1,805.60 |
In 2015, we dropped in sales by a lot. Not only did our top seller for many years (Evan O’Brien) leave Scouting, most of the other kids didn’t do as well. Also, very few leaders participated. An idea for the future could be to take a dozen kids to Queens Park one Saturday for “The Great Popcorn Blitz”. Assign streets and a huge area could be covered. This would likely sell a lot of popcorn.
Things to remember to do to kick this off:
- An overall popcorn coordinator is required. That person needs to get the forms at the Popcorn kickoff meeting and distribute them to the various Sections. The Popcorn kickoff is in late September or early October, often at the Rotary Building at Camp McLean. The popcorn coordinator needs to push this and challenge the kids to get out and sell items, not simply sell one package of popcorn to their parents. If we do well on this fundraiser, it really relieves the financial pressure for the rest of the year.
- Attend the Popcorn Kickoff event that happens in late September. The popcorn coordinator or Group Commissioner should receive an email about this. If not, contact Lesley Walters, the FVC Popcorn Coordinator at lesley.walters@scouts.ca.
- Pick up the forms and go Section to Section to push the sale.
- Suggest to have a selling day (The Great Popcorn Blitz) and take kids to Queens Park and do a blanket coverage.
- The feedback from other groups is DO NOT buy extra and try to sell it later. While it sounds like a good idea, this is apparently a disaster.
Things to remember to do in late October:
- In the Group Committee meeting, discuss order, pickup and sorting.
- Place the overall order and scan all the individual orders.
- Purchase incentive prizes.
- Ensure that the national provided prizes and the patches are ordered.
- Get the B.L.A.S.T. Trophy and engrave a plaque.
- Submit the scholarship application if applicable.
- Organize a sorting location.
Sorting Day:
- Pick-up happens in mid-November from a warehouse in Langley or Maple Ridge somewhere and the location changes every year. The person picking up the order will need the complete order form, a cheque (if not prepaid), and know the pickup location. The pickup time is assigned for us from the popcorn people (all groups pick up at different times) and varies year to year. It typically take less than an hour to get the order at the warehouse.
- Depending on the size of the order, make sure the cargo trailer is available and one of the Sections hasn’t taken it for the weekend to go to say, Rainbucket! If a low amount of popcorn is sold (say $4,000) it will likely fit into an SUV.
- The person who picks up the popcorn needs the order form, the pickup location, and the pickup time.
- The organizer needs to bring copies of the sales forms, masking tape, packing tape and pens to the sorting location. Mike Hamilton has a box of tape, pens, etc.
- Sorting happens at someone’s house or at a Church. With a very large order, it works much better in a large area like Queens Ave. United Church or Knox Presbyterian Church. Phone early and book a spot because sometimes they are rented out. More people doesn’t necessarily make the sorting easier. Slow and steady wins the race. Going too quickly can result in mistakes, which can take a very long time to find. A good suggestion is to distribute the popcorn by type in a circle around the room in the same order it is on the form. This makes sorting a lot easier. Have two types of people – sorters and checkers. That way, two sets of eyes are on every order. Once the order is verified, put a piece of green tape over it with the name. The original order form is returned to the seller with the order.
- Encourage sellers to come by and pick up their order right away. At the end, the Section leaders need to take the remaining orders for their Section and take them to the next meeting.
- If one youth sells a huge amount, insist that they attend the sorting and take their popcorn right away. Have parents pick up the popcorn on that day or distribute popcorn at the following Section meeting. Sorting takes about 90 minutes or so, so people can pick up around 3:00. It is easier on the Section leaders if the parents pick it up from the sorting location.