Money Earning Activities and Service Projects
Money Earning Activities:
These are some of the money earning activities that our troop did to
raise money for our trip to London. Besides the Nuts and Calendars Sales, and the Cookie Sale, fundraising is a great way to raise a little extra money for the troop. This money could be used for many different things, such as buying badges or awards for the girls. The money can also be used to take the girls on a trip, a small trip camping at the local State Park, or a huge trip to one of the World Centers.
Spaghetti Dinner
How: We made tickets and pre-sold them for $5. We made a sign the
night of the event and set it on the road outside the building the dinner was in. Our troop was very fortunate
to have an editorial written about our spaghetti dinner in our local newspaper. Try to get as much
free advertisement as possible.
When: Our troop held this event in the beginning of May from 6-8
pm on a Saturday.
Where: The local community center was a great place to host the
dinner. Due to Girl Scouts being a non-profit organization, we did not have to pay to rent out the
building.
Other Money: We had a container to collect tips by the entry- way.
We also sold baked goods like pies, which sold very well.
Preparation: To be prepared for the supper, cook the noodles ahead
of time and put them in plastic Ziploc bags and refrigerate. On the night of the event, just drop
the bags into boiling water. Make sure you have all the materials necessary as well, such as
tablecloths, cleaning materials, appropriate containers for food, etc. Don't forget beverages as
well.
Success: We hit the jackpot on this event! We ended up making over
$1,000. This was our biggest and most successful fundraiser.
Leader notes
Pancake
Breakfast
How: We pre-sold tickets as well as selling them at the door for
$5. We also had a sign by the road so people driving by might come in.
When: This was held on a Saturday morning in December. We hoped to
draw pre-Christmas shopper.
Where: The Community United Methodist Church basement.
Other Money: We had a jar out for donations.
Advice: Don't overcook! We had way too much food left over. Pancakes don't take too long to make,
so go in small increments.
Success: This event could have been more successful if we had put more
effort into the advertising. Sadly, it wasn't very successful.
Leader notes
Car Wash
How: People held signs by the road as well as "advertising" by word-of-mouth.
When: We held this event several times during the spring and summer for a few years.
Where: We had our local Rite Aid Store provided the space for the car wash and the water in their
parking lot. Be sure to find a place with a good deal on using their parking lot.
Locating Materials: Our local hardware (Ace Hardware) store donated materials to wash the cars and the
rest we could borrow from our parents. However, we did have to buy the soap.
Advice:Ask people to help you to make your carwash much more efficient. Use materials sparingly and
make sure you have everything such as a tire scrubber, sponges, towels, heavy-duty soap for really dirty
areas, and maybe an extension to the hose (aside from the normal nozzle) to wash the tops of vans and trucks.
Success: As far as a carwash goes, we did fairly well. We usually ended making between $100-200 each
time.
Leader notes
Bake Sales
How: We depended on passers-by to purchase items as well as word-of-mouth.
When: We held these on Saturday mornings to catch the morning shoppers.
Where: We had one bake sale inside Plumb's and one outside Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart will match what you make
and donate the money to your troop.
Advice:Doing a bake sale in a grocery store is not very successful because people would rather buy
food from the store bakery.
Success: It bombed! We didn't make any movey, it was a lot of work for little or no money.
Leader notes
Pie Sales
How: We sold to our family and friends, also going door to door for pie making orders. We also put an
excerpt in our high school newsletter. We sold the pies for $5 per pie.
When: We would make all of the of pies, but not bake them, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving so that our customers could use them as dessert for Thanksgiving, or freeze them to use at a later date.
Where: The Community United Methodist Church let us use their large kitchen downstairs.
Locating Materials:All of the apples to make the pies were donated by one of the parents, and all of
the parents donated the rest of the materials.
Advice: Have all of the girls make the dough for the crust ahead of time and refrigerate until the
making of the pies. As mentioned before don't bake the pies as that adds more time necessary and people
cannot save the pies to use at a later date.
Success: Everyone loved the pies! We did this several years in a row and acquired quite a few regulars.
People would actually ask when we were making pies again. Each time we did this activity, we raised about
$600! We most likely would have made more money, but we could only make so many pies.
Leader notes
Pop Can Drive
How: We didn't do any advertisement except to tell friends and family when we were going to do this activity so they could save cans to give to us.
When: You can do this activity anytime of the year, as you just go door to door asking for cans. Obviously, the weather has to be nice enough though.
Advice: This is a great quick fundraiser to put together. No materials except garbage cans to collect the cans in are necessary. Just be sure to plan about 2 hours after collecting cans to return the cans and collect money.
Success: This can be successful to the troop is everyone helps.
Art Fair/ Craft Sales
How: We had no publicity for this fundraiser because our community has a summer art fair every year and that is where we held it.
When/Where:The Art Fair was good because there are many people that pass by looking for things to purchase.
Locating Materials: Many of the things we sold were either made by ourselves or were basically free. We did not have to pay for our booth because we are a non-profit organization.
Advice: One suggestion would be to make year decorations because a lot of people buy those.
Success: Over all, the success of this fundraiser was not particularly good and we did not make very much money.
Leader notes
Cupcakes
How: Our elementary school has a Friday Flier and we put in an add telling parents that we would make birthday/ special occasion cupcakes for their children in elementary school.
When: We did this fundraiser throughout the school year.
Locating Materials: The 4 girls in our troop alternated baking the cupcakes at our houses and delivering them to the respective class in the morning the day they were needed. Our parents donated the cupcake mix, and frosting.
Advice: Definitely take turns making the cupcakes and delivering them. Make sure you have a sure-fire way of collecting the money though.
Success:This project was very successful and parents liked not having to bake treats for their kids when they had hectic schedules.
Leader notes
Other money earning activities
Service Projects:
Service projects are a great way to help the community. They are also a fun way for a
troop to do things together. The girls will learn how great it feels to help, and they will have fun at the
same time. The community also enjoys when they see Girl Scouts helping out.
Coffee and Cookies- During Elementary
conferences, we served coffee and cookies in the hallway for parents and teachers.
Plant Flowers- We talked to the city to find
out where and what to plant so we could brighten up the community.
Painting Fire Hydrants- We received paint and
brushes from the fire station and freshened up the coats of paint on the hydrants in various parts of the
city. We did this to make them look nicer and more visible.
Beach Clean-up- We took garbage bags and gloves to the beach and cleaned up the shore.
Adopt-a-Highway- This is an easy thing to do
and the program is well known. Our council has a portion of the highway that we share in taking care of.
Soup Kitchen- Once a month our troop served
at a local soup kitchen. It was a great way to help others and meet new people.
SOS Troop- Service on Short Notice is a
program that we signed up for to help the council with any activity that they needed Girl Scouts to attend.
Golfing Fore Girls- This was a fundraiser
hosted by our council. Our troop volunteered and we gave refreshments and prizes to golfers. We also got to drive golf carts all day.
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