KERNELS KORNER
The Chicagoland & NW Indiana 2014 Popcorn Sale E-Newsletter!

June 3, 2014
PAYING YOUR OWN WAY! UNIT COMMISSION STUCTURE!

Paying your own way. This is a fundamental principle of the Boy Scouts of America. Young people in Scouting are taught early on that if they want something in life, they need to earn it.  The annual popcorn sale provides an opportunity for Scouts to earn their portion of the unit’s annual budget and for the unit to earn their entire operating unit for the year.

For the 2014 Popcorn Cup, the following commission structure has been established to urge units to encourage all of their Scouts to participate in the sale, and to strive to increase their annual sales:

  • 30% Base Commission
  • +1% On-Time Payment
  • Existing units that have sold before:
    • +1% if 60% of boys sell & 5-7.5% increase in gross sales, or
    • +2% if 60% of boys sell & 7.6-10% increase in gross sales, or
    • +3% if 60% of boys sell & 10.1% or > increase in gross sales
  • New units or units that have not sold before:
    • +1% if 60% of boys sell & $50-99 avg. sale per boy (based on registered Scouts), or
    • +2% if 60% of boys sell & $100-149 avg. sale per boy (based on registered Scouts), or
    • +3% if 60% of boys sell & $150 or > avg. sale per boy (based on registered Scouts)

Total Possible Commission: 34%

Online sales commission is the same.

 

THE NEW POPCORN KERNELS TRAINING!
 

This year’s Popcorn Kernel Training will be filled with everything a Kernel needs to know to run a game-winning sale!  Learn out about the Chicagoland Popcorn Team, key sale dates, how-to’s of placing orders, inventory management and sales techniques, distribution and warehouse information, the NEW prize program and other new and exciting incentives!  Download Kernel Training & Kickoffs Flyer

After the training, we invite the rest of your unit to join us for Scout Night and Popcorn Kickoff at the ballpark. There’ll be fun, interactive activities for Scouts to get excited and learn about selling popcorn and a chance to cheer on the home team!


 

SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2014

Gary RailCats Stadium
Diamond Club
One Stadium Plaza
Gary, IN 46402
RSVP by Wed July 30

 -OR-

SATURDAY, AUGUST 9, 2014

Schaumburg Boomers Stadium
Picnic Area
1999 Springinsguth Rd
Schaumburg, IL 60193
RSVP by Wed Aug 6

RSVP for the training online or email your RSVP to kristy.rispens@scouting.org.
Please include your name, email, phone number, council, unit number, and which training you will attend with your RSVP if emailing!
 

Schedule of Events

3:00-4:30pm - Kernel Training
5:00pm - Scout Activities Open
6:00pm - First Pitch!

The Kernel training will take place rain or shine.  There will be supervised activities for Scouts during the training and although Kernels are not required to stay for the game, we hope you, your family, all of your unit’s Scouts and families will join us at 5pm for the game and fun activities like “Practice Your Pitch,” “Site Sale Table Race,” and many others!  Stay for the game and one of your Scouts may be picked to throw out the first pitch! 

Scout Night game tickets have been discounted to $5.00 each and must be purchased from the teams directly, see registration forms below.  Transportation for Scouts and families is available for a nominal fee and must be purchased prior to the game using the link(s) below. 

Scout Night Flyers & Transportation

August 2nd - Gary RailCats August 9th - Schaumburg Boomers
Scout Night Flyer & Registration Form Scout Night Flyer & Registration Form
Bus Transportation Information & Registration Bus Transportation Information & Registration
SIGN YOUR UNIT UP TO SELL POPCORN BY JUNE 15!

If your unit is selling popcorn this year, please let us know by June 15th!  Signing up to sell helps us to ensure that we have enough materials and supplies for everyone!

It's easy and it only takes a moment!  Fill out the online sign-up form or download the printable form to sign up now!

Thanks!  

 

 

 

 

IDEAL YEAR OF SCOUTING!

 Last time we talked about the first step in the Ideal Year of Scouting process: Listening.  Now that you have an idea of the fun and exciting activities your Scouts and parents want to participate in next year, it’s time to move on to step two:  Planning. 

Your unit should set a program planning meeting during the months of June or July and invite all adult leaders and committee members, youth leaders, commissioners and anyone else you think might be helpful to attend.

Prior to the meeting, gather key school, community, chartered organization, and district/council dates along with a family talent/resource survey for each family, last year’s calendar, and upcoming advancements/trainings each youth or adult will work on next year.

During the program planning meeting, add each of the dates you’ve gathered to your unit calendar.  Reference the resources provided by National and Boys' Life such as the 2014-2015 Boys' Life Planning Calendar as well as those for your specific program level to plan out your Scouting year.  All of these can be found at www.scoutpopcornsale.com/IYoS_Planning.

Make sure to include your regular unit meeting dates and any other important dates such as: membership/recruitment events (rallies, open house, Webelos-to-Scout transition ceremonies), camping opportunities, service project for your charter partner or community, advancement/recognition events (boards of review, court of honor, Blue & Gold).

The last and but most important step is to add the suggested activities from the “Listening” process to the plan.  To do so, tally the votes for each activity and work the highest scoring activities into the program calendar.  Planning the activities your Scouts are dreaming of will increase retention, help with recruiting new members, and secure the families’ buy-in for the annual popcorn sale.

Next time we’ll walk you through the budgeting process and show you all the resources available to help!

To learn more about the 5 steps to the Ideal Year of Scouting, visit www.scoutpopcornsale.com/IYoS.