Fundraising

International events cost many thousands of dollars to attend. There are however many ways to help reduce this amount through local fundraising.

Start with a simple plan and a fundraising target in mind. Then gather together as many friends from your local area as you can that are interested in attending. Organise a gathering to discuss ideas for fundraising using some of the ideas listed below. Don’t forget to invite your parents and leaders along to help support you in your activities, and always ensure that your activities are organised safely and with appropriate supervision.

• Bunnings BBQs – register with your local Bunnings store for your Scout Group to be allocated a day to operate the BBQ.
• Garage sale – organise a community garage sale by inviting donations and collecting the proceeds from items sold.
• Meat raffles – approach your local club about hosting a meat raffle or something similar on a regular basis (e.g. fortnightly or monthly). Make a deal with a local butcher to prepare the meat tray for you and organise your group to sell the tickets at the local club.
• Major events service – find out about major events in your local area and have your group apply for paid roles such as parking, customer service or cleaning jobs.
• Auctions – invite local businesses to donate goods to your group and host an auction night in your local area.
• Fruit picking – during the school holidays, organise for a group of friends to work on a fruit farm for some part time work.
• Catalogue drives – distribute brochures of popular foods or household goods in your local area and receive a commission on items that are purchased.
• Supermarket packing – arrange with your local supermarket to pack bags for customers and advertise for donations.

Funding Assistance

Funding assistance may be available to Youth Members from a variety of sources. To be eligible for assistance, a Youth Member will need to be a registered member of Scouts Australia.

Additionally, it should be noted that:

• financial assistance is provided only to those in genuine need;
• participants must have paid the deposit themselves;
• any funding grants will only be made to the Contingent account. (i.e. the individual will not receive the funding directly); and
• funding assistance to individuals is not publicised and is considered to be a confidential matter.

Demand often exceeds the money that is available with funding assistance, so you may need to investigate other funding opportunities outside Scouting. Organisations such as Rotary, Lions Clubs or Apex are often supportive of youth members travelling overseas in exchange for a presentation of their experience upon their return.

Some Branches have established specific funds to assist young people to attend International Scouting Events. You should speak with your Branch International Commissioner to learn of any funds that may be available.