The troop’s spring fundraiser, a pancake and sausage breakfast to be held on Palm Sunday, had it’s kick-off Monday night as the Scouts used their meeting night to begin selling tickets in our community. This breakfast has been a great fundraiser for over 20 years, and usually adds over a thousand dollars to the troop treasury.
During the ninety minute first night kick-off we pair up the Scouts and, using maps of the city and parents for the transportation, send the boys into their sections to sell as many tickets as possible. We we had a larger troop of over 30 boys we could cover most of the town and sell enough tickets to pay the expenses of the breakfast. Now that we have a small troop of only ten members we may sell enough to pay for half of the expenses.
A percentage of the ticket sales in put into a kitty which is evenly split between the boys who work that first night. This credit is then used to pay camp costs. After the first night, the Scouts and parents continue to sell tickets on their own time. The boys receive camp credit for those sales also.
Several years ago a few of the younger boys came back after the first night of selling with tears in their eyes. Some of the older boys were very frustrated. Unfortunately, some people were very rude to the boys when they answered their door. Others made up excuses or out right lied to the boys to avoid having to buy a breakfast ticket. “I already bought my tickets,” was the most popular lie, which was impossible because the boys had just received their tickets. “I will be out of town,” was said before the boys could even tell them the date of the breakfast. “I will get my ticket from the girl scouts,” was my favorite. (Umm, excuse me. This is a BOY SCOUT fundraiser.)
The next time we had a ticket sales kick-off I made a game of it. I told the boys to remember the excuses given to avoid buying a ticket. When the boys returned we had a few good laughs over those reasons, instead of a few tears over hurt feelings.
My question to those people is a simple one. Why do you lie to the Scouts? We try to teach the boys to be honest and trustworthy and you lie to them, looking them in the eye as you do it. If you would just tell the Scout, “No thank you, I am not interested”, the Scout would understand, thank you for your time, and move on to the next home. Is that too much too ask? I would hope not.
