For over 35 years the Boy Scouts of America has worked with Trail’s End to empower our Scouts and their leaders to raise the funds they need to go to camp, provide year-round programming, and to enable any Scout to earn their own way through the Scouting program! Fundraising through Popcorn sales is a tested and reliable method to fundraising, and unit leaders have the support, guidance, and training of Council volunteers and staff to guide every unit to success!
If your Scouts or committee are interested in participating with popcorn, please do not hesitate to contact your District Executive!
There are plenty of good reasons for your Scouts to take part in the annual popcorn sale. Scouts can earn money for camp and activities throughout the year and they learn valuable skills like teamwork, goal setting, time management and salesmanship – just to name a few. Scouts gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment, the popcorn sale is not about selling popcorn, it’s about promoting Scouting! Best of all, there is NO upfront cost to your Unit to participate! Units who take part in the Take Order and Online Direct popcorn sales will have a zero-risk fundraiser.
Selling popcorn also helps Pacific Harbors Council raise money for improving summer camp, offering more extensive training for our volunteer leaders, and keeps program and activity costs down. The popcorn sale benefits the Scouting community in our Council as a whole, as well as individual units and Scouts, bringing in nearly $300,000 to packs and troops in Pacific Harbors Council annually!
A scout can earn their own way to camp with a proven fundraiser that works, all while keeping money in their parents’ pockets!
Take Order and Online Direct sales are a no-risk fundraising opportunity available for all Scouts.
Scouts can earn incentives including Amazon gift cards!
Not only will scouts learn how to make a sales pitch and the value of hard work, but they can use aspects of the fundraiser to advance and earn rank and portions of several merit badges!
A portion of this fundraiser supports Pacific Harbors Council, which is used to improve properties and programs, supplement camp fees to keep them low, and provide camperships and Growing Leaders Fund registration assistance for Scouts in need!
The 2022 Popcorn Fundraiser has more support than ever to aide your Scouts in fundraising. Be sure to follow these steps to get prepared for your sale this fall!
Register your unit with Trails End – There is no commitment required, but we’d love to keep your unit in the loop until the sale begins!
Join us for the Q&A Session, where staff advisor Duc Button and Tracy Kapelski will answer your questions!
Review the Trails End 2022 Kernel Guide – It’s long but includes everything you need to know about popcorn!
If you would like to start early with sales, Scouts may begin popcorn sales online as early as July 1st! Commit your unit to selling here.
Now – July: Register your Unit!
Unit Kernel Popcorn Trainings:
July 12th (Tuesday) – Camp Thunderbird 7PM
July 13th (Wednesday) – Tacoma Scout Office 7PM
July 25th (Monday): Unit Show & Sell unit orders due to Council- Submit through Leader portal
July 30th (Saturday): POPCORN RALLY!
10:00 am Rainier District (Creighton SC)
3:00 pm Olympic District (Camp Thunderbird)
August 10th (Wednesday): Show & Sell Popcorn Pickup, by appointment
Popcorn Return Deadline
October 20th– Olympic District Office at Camp Thunderbird, by appointment
October 21st –Tacoma Scout Office, by appointment
October 24th (Monday): Unit Take Orders are Due through the leader portal
October 28th (Friday): Unit Payments are due, and Scout Prizes can be submitted!
November 11th (Friday): Take Order Popcorn Pickup.
Prizes – Instead of Scouts choosing from a number of prizes, all Scouts will receive an electronic Amazon gift card emailed directly to them a week after their unit’s fundraiser is complete. This will allow Scouts to choose from many more options for prizes, gifts, and toys, and have it shipped to their house, all without having to wait on prizes to be ordered, shipped, and distributed! Click here to download the prize flyer. In 2022, prizes are based on points instead of dollars, allowing for Scouts to earn additional rewards!
Scouts will earn 1 point for each $1.00 in cash sales.
Scouts will earn 1.5 points for each $1.00 in credit or debit card sales (wagon & storefront)
Training at Camp Thunderbird on Tuesday, July 12, 2022, 7PM
Training at Tacoma Council Office on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, 7PM
Trails End has a series of webinars available this summer check out the link to register and find one that works for you.
Trails End has provided a series of YouTube training videos for leaders to review at any time:
Kickoff types and how to organize them
Show and Sell
Unit orders are due by the posted dates on the timeline. No late orders can be accepted.
Popcorn inventory is being created upon ordering, providing the freshest product to our units. Orders will take two weeks to deliver once we have submitted the aggregate Council order. Late orders could mean we may lose our distribution sites.
Pacific Harbors Council will only accept returns on unsold popcorn at 10% of the unit’s initial order. Units should only order product that they intend to sell and should order in line with their Scout goals and participation. Units may mitigate their risk, or even have a no-risk sale, by focusing on or only engaging in Take Orders and Online Sales.
Every unit should order an amount of popcorn based on the goals and participation of Scouts within their unit. Please do not submit an order without first determining the level of Scout participation.
In 2022, Council is encouraging units to order according to their Scouts committed sales goals. The initial Show and Sell order should be less than the total goal, as additional product can be ordered through the Take Order. This order is by the case, not individual bag.
The final Take Order will allow units to order the exact number of containers they need to fulfill needs. Units should use any excess popcorn they have in inventory to fill their orders, then submit an order for addition product needed.
Pacific Harbors Council will provide you with a popcorn order calculator that will allow you to determine a variety of product in line with your goal, based off of ratios of popcorn sold in prior years.
Pacific Harbors Council encourages units to trade and transfer product throughout the sale to find more popcorn or take product from of other units who ordered too much. This can be completed via the Trails End website! Units with excess popcorn should make it available to other units as early as possible.
Pacific Harbors Council will provide an annual budget planner to help units gauge a goal amount per Scout based off of program participation.
Units keep their commission immediately but must pay Council the remaining balance by the deadlines posted on the timeline scheduled above.
Council Staff Advisor – Duc Button
Council Admin Staff – Tracy Kapelski-253-682-2217 xt 4
Rainier District Executive –
Olympic District Executive – Scott Smith
This newsletter is released twice monthly. It contains everything you need to know about Scouting in the Pacific Harbors Council
Monday-Friday 9AM-5PM
Saturday 10AM-3PM
Wednesday 1PM-7PM
Thursday – Saturday 10:30AM-4:30PM