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2018 Fall Popcorn Sale Leader Guidebook

Version: 18-1.1 Updated: July 17, 2018

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WELCOME TO THE 2018 POPCORN SALE!

Inside this Council Leader’s Guidebook you will find the following details for the sale:

Calendar Page 4 Product Line Page 4 Show & Sell Returns Page 5 Commission Structure Page 6 Tips for a Successful Sale Page 7 Program Planner Page 8 Container Goal Setting Page 9 Ways to Sell Trail’s End Popcorn Page 10 Incentives Page 11 Order & Pick-up Information Page 12 Key Contacts Page 13

This Council Leader’s Guidebook, along with the Popcorn Sale Guidebook, provides everything you need to have a successful popcorn sale this fall. The popcorn sale is an extremely effective way to fund your unit’s annual Scouting program. The sale is equally important to the Washington Crossing Council. It enables us to fund and maintain our camp, provide service to units, develop new programs, and much more. Please refer to the Popcorn Pages at www.washingtoncrossingbsa.org under the “Support Scouting” tab for complete sale details, updates, and other information to help improve your sale. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me or Popcorn Staff Advisor Dana Kuhns (dana.kuhns@scouting.org) at 215-348-7205. Thank you for your participation in this year’s campaign! We hope that you have a great sale and an even better year in Scouting!

Sincerely,

Adrienne Adrienne Rubin Council Popcorn Kernel Mom of Popcorn Selling Scout

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KEY 2018 DATES

June 12 Council Popcorn Kickoff August 24 Show & Sell Orders Due Online From Units September 7 Show & Sell Sorting/Early Pickup September 8 Show & Sell Popcorn Pickup October 6 & 7 Wawa Show & Sell Weekend (TENTATIVE) October 29 – November 2 Show & Sell Popcorn Returns Week November 2 Popcorn Sale Ends November 2 Take Order Due Online From Units November 16 Take Order Sorting/Early Pickup November 17 Take Order Pickup November 19 Prize Orders Due Online November 30 Popcorn Final Payments Due December 7 Popcorn Late Fee Goes Into Effect December 8 & 9 Popcorn Skyzone party (TENTATIVE) December 30 Popcorn Scholarship Forms Due Online

2018 POPCORN PRODUCT LIST

Chocolate Lovers Tin $60 Cheese Lovers Collection Box $30 Chocolatey Caramel Crunch Bag $25 Salted Caramel Corn Bag $25 18 Pack Kettle Corn Microwave $25 Caramel Corn with Almonds, Cashews & Pecans Bag $20 18 Pack Unbelievable Butter Microwave $20 White Cheddar Cheese Corn Bag $15 Classic Caramel Corn Bag $10 Popping Corn Bag $10 Military Donation $30 Military Donation $50

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2018 POPCORN COMMISSION STRUCTURE Unit Commission Structure:

Base Commission 30% Level 2 - Bonus Commission 2%

o Attend Popcorn Extravaganza & June Training o Submit Popcorn Order online and on time (Nov 3rd) o Submit Prize Order online and on Time (Nov 20th) o Pay Popcorn Bill on Time (Dec 11th)

Level 3 - Bonus Commission 2%

o Attain $5000 in gross popcorn sales Level 4 - Bonus Commission 2%

o Attain $10,000 in gross popcorn sales Level 5 - Bonus Commission 2%

o Attain $15,000 in gross popcorn sales

RECOGNIZING GROWTH 2%

o Achieve an INCREASE in gross popcorn sales over your unit total from last year.

Any unit achieving a 10% INCREASE in gross popcorn sales over its unit total from last

year will automatically receive the maximum commission of 40%.

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RETURNS OF SHOW AND SELL/SHOW AND DELIVER PRODUCTS

Units may return Show and Sell popcorn the week of October 29th to the Council Service Center for redistribution to other units. We prefer product to be returned in FULL cases of the same item, but we will accept individual items as well. Products containing chocolate cannot be returned. Units with a prior sales history may INITIALLY order popcorn product based on a 10% percent increase over last year’s actual Show and Sell product sales. Example: If you sold 10 18-Pack “Unbelievable Butter” Microwave cases in the 2017 Show & Sell, you can initially order 11 18-Pack “Unbelievable Butter” Microwave cases for 2018. Units with no prior sales history may INITIALLY order popcorn based on $100 of product per registered Scout selling. THERE ARE SOME RESTRICTIONS ON RETURN OF POPCORN FROM SHOW & SELL SALES:

1. Products containing chocolate cannot be returned to the Council.

2. You may only return the lesser of 10% of your show & sell order or $1,000.

LOCATION RESTRICTIONS

Your Unit is ONLY permitted to sell in the town in which it is located. Exceptions are large retailers (ShopRite, Pennington Market, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, etc.) along highways, such as Route 1 and Route 31. We recommend you book spaces well in advance. When scheduling, ask the manager if any other scout groups are scheduled and if they are, check with that Troop/Pack to make sure you are not double-booked. Double-booking has been a problem each of the last few years. If you have a scout that lives in another town and wants to sell door-to-door, you MUST check with the Troop/Pack in that town to make sure you are not going around twice in the same neighborhood. If you are in a town with more than one unit, we strongly encourage you to coordinate sales neighborhoods. Per Wawa’s company policy, units are not permitted to make their own arrangements to sell in front of a Wawa storefront. The Washington Crossing Council has a weekend dedicated to it in October and stores will be made available to units in a lottery during the summer.

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UNIT TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL POPCORN SALE The following are a variety of tips that will help units have a successful popcorn sale: Unit Leadership Tips:

1. Pick a Popcorn Kernel (Unit Popcorn Chair) and have him/her attend training. 2. MAKE IT FUN AND EXCITING FOR THE SCOUTS! 3. Units that encourage scouts to set individual goals sell more popcorn. 4. Units that allocate commissions into scout functions (toward camping fees, for example)

sell more popcorn. (Please see BSA requirements and guidelines on these at http://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/12/03/individual-scout-accounts/ )

Unit Popcorn Kernel Tips:

1. Develop your “Ideal Year of Scouting” and then set your budget to establish a unit goal. Let popcorn fund your quality Scouting program. Watch the online Youth and Unit leader training.

2. Educate parents of the direct benefits to them – i.e. Johnny sells $XX amount and earns funds towards the camp fee. Explain why this is such an important fundraiser, state goal, uses, explain Scholarship Program, $1,500 Program, achievements that can be earned, etc. Explain the life skills this will teach the Scout: confidence, goal-setting, etc. Show how this fundraiser gives more back to their child than other fundraisers.

3. Have a unit “Blitz Day” where every youth in the unit goes out selling and whoever sells the most that day gets a prize.

4. Have a big unit kickoff for the youth to get all materials and to GET EVERYONE EXCITED! All registered youth were mailed the Family Mailer/Take Order form. Have additional ones on hand for those that did not receive it or do not remember it. Review all prizes available to the youth. Set per Scout sales goals.

5. Establish an additional unit prize program in addition to the Council prize program, i.e., each Scout who sells $250 gets to go to Cub Parent Weekend (with their parent) or Camporee for FREE! Have a prize for the youth that has the highest sales each week or overall. Have a prize for the Den with the highest average sales amount.

6. Establish a unit goal. 7. Establish a unit customer base. Make 2 copies of all Take Order forms. One to keep in

unit records for next year in case a Scout moves away, etc. and one for the youth to keep so they can use the information when they call on them next year: “Last year, you ordered Chocolatey Caramel Crunch. Would you like it again or something else? Was that enough for you or would you like an additional bag?”

8. Do corporate sales using employers and companies of parents and leaders within your unit. Tell parents to secure permission from their employers and bring their scouts in to sell in person, if possible. Have them buy popcorn in your unit’s name as Thank You gifts and Rewards to their co-workers and clients.

9. Remind parents that popcorn makes great gifts for teachers, co-workers, neighbors, babysitters, and relatives.

10. Set up a Show and Sell at your unit’s Charter Organization or after weekly religious services.

11. Role play with your Scouts during a den or troop meeting on how to sell popcorn. 12. MAKE IT FUN AND EXCITING FOR THE SCOUTS!

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In addition to watching the online training and always wearing a full scout uniform, invite your scouts to follow these tips:

Elian’s Popcorn Selling Tips

10. Go on cooler days and when people are home. Right after school isn't a good time, because parents and adults are at work.

9. Bring a drink to refresh you if you need a refreshment. It really helps to not be thirsty.

8. Set a goal. You can use the prizes to help you. Goals can be dollar, time or number of customers.

7. When you feel like quitting, go to a couple more houses. It is good to challenge yourself to do more than you thought you could. 6. Never rush a sale. If they have questions about scouting, answer them.

If they have questions about scouting that you don't know the answer to, don't be embarrassed - ask your parent to answer it.

5. Say your name and if you live down the street or are a friend of someone who lives there. This is important because then they know more about who you are. 4. Focus on telling how good the popcorn is and how much it supports scouting.

70% of what people spend supports local scouting and only 30% is the cost of the product. The money pays for things like Pinewood Derby, campouts, awards, location fees and out-of-pocket costs for scouts who can't afford them.

3. Don't look at your paper when you are talking to the customer. Know your product. The more you sell, the more you'll memorize about the product.

2. Never mention the prizes when you're selling, even though they're really cool. If you mention the prizes, people will think, "Oh, you're not selling to support the scouts, you're selling for the prizes." That's not what you want.

1. Attend show and sells. You can usually sell more in two hours at a Show and Sell than walking around your neighborhood.

Also, remember to encourage Military Donations and HAVE FUN!! Other tips are available at boyscoutpopcornsale.blogspot.com.

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2018-2019 Unit Program Planner This Excel Worksheet will also be available at http://www.washingtoncrossingbsa.org/

ONLY ENTER DATA IN HIGHLIGHTED SPACES 1. Enter all your activities and costs per Scout under each month. Unit Type and Unit # 0 2. Enter your number of Scouts and unit commission %. Number of Scouts in Unit 0 3. Fill in the five shaded fields at the bottom of the sheet. Unit Commission % 0%

September October November Activities Cost Activities Cost Activities Cost

Total Cost $0.00 Total Cost $0.00 Total Cost $0.00 December January February

Activities Cost Activities Cost Activities Cost

Total Cost $0.00 Total Cost $0.00 Total Cost $0.00

March April May Activities Cost Activities Cost Activities Cost

Total Cost $0.00 Total Cost $0.00 Total Cost $0.00

June July August Activities Cost Activities Cost Activities Cost

Total Cost Total Cost $0.00 Total Cost

Registration & Insurance Unit Total Activity Cost &

Expenses Boys' Life Scout Total Activity Expenses Uniform Other Expenses Advancements Unit Sales Goal Total Expenses Scout Sales Goal Unit Commission

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SETTING CONTAINER SALES GOALS FOR YOUR SCOUTS

IN JUST THREE STEPS!

Using the boxes below as an example, go line by line, plug in your unit’s own data in the first two boxes to come up with a per container goal for each scout in your unit. This is a great tool to show to your parents how quickly their son’s sales efforts can result in easily achieving his goal.

$6,000 / 40% = $15,000

Pack

Budget Goal

Unit Commission

Unit Sales Goal

$15,000 / 70 = $214

Unit Sales Goal

Number of Scouts in

Unit Scout

Sales Goal

$214 / $17.99 = 12

Scout Sales Goal

Average Price per

Container *

Scout Container

Goal

*based on 2017 sales in WCC There will be a fillable PDF of this sheet on the Popcorn Page at www.WashingtonCrossingBSA.org so you can plug in your unit’s actual numbers and come up with your own results.

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THERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO SELL TRAIL'S END POPCORN! Take Order

1. The Scout goes door to door with a Take Order Form. 2. The customer writes his/her order on the Take Order Form. The scout collects the money

and submits the orders to the Popcorn Kernel. Scouts should ask if they can leave the popcorn if the customer is not home when they return. Most people will say yes.

3. A few weeks later, the Scout delivers the popcorn. Advantage: Higher Dollar Sales per Customer.

Show & Sell

1. The unit sets up a sales display at a high traffic volume area. 2. The Scout asks customers walking by if they would like to purchase product. 3. The Scout delivers the product from inventory and collects the money.

Advantage: High sales volume of lower-priced items.

Show & Deliver

1. The Scout goes door to door with a Take Order Form and a small inventory of products. 2. The customer writes his/her order on the Take Order Form. 3. The Scout asks the customer if they would like their product immediately. 4. The Scout delivers the product from inventory in the car and collects the money.

Advantage: Higher Dollar Sales per Customer and only 1 visit per household.

Note that this approach requires more effort on the part of the Kernel to track inventory. Selling at Work

1. Mom and/or Dad bring the Scout to sell at (or take an order form to) their work. 2. Fellow co-workers write their order on the order form. 3. Mom and/or Dad deliver product and collect the money in a few weeks.

Advantage: Increased Sales Dollars for the Scout. Note that if the Scout does

not go in person, this is recommended to supplement sales by the Scout, not replace them.

Selling Online

1. The Scout communicates his Order Key via email, phone, etc., to potential or existing customers.

2. The customer goes online to http://www.trails-end.com/ and purchases popcorn with a credit card.

3. The product is shipped directly from Trail’s End to the customer and the Scout and Unit receive credit for the sale.

Advantage: Ability to sell Popcorn year round and receive credit for the sale with NO delivery or collection hassles. This method provides an excellent opportunity to reach extended family and friends across the country.

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INCENTIVES Scout Prizes The prize flyer shows photos of all of this year’s prizes. Any Scout who sells at least one item will receive a patch! Scout Prizes are ordered online by the Unit Kernel by November 19th. The website URL for ordering will be posted on the Council website when it goes live in the fall. Prizes are shipped directly to the Unit Kernel for distribution to the Scouts. All Scouts who sell $1000 or more will be invited to a special Skyzone popcorn party in December. More details will be forthcoming later in the sale. College Scholarship Scouts who sell at least $2,500 (either online, face-to-face or both) within the 2018 calendar year will receive 6% of their total sales invested in their own college scholarship account. That's $0.06 of every dollar they sell, and they only have to hit the $2,500 minimum one time. Once a Scout is enrolled, 6% of his sales each year will be added to his account. Online sales count! Scouts need to complete a scholarship form and submit it to the Unit Popcorn Kernel who then will submit the form to the Council Service and Training Center no later than December 30, 2018, or online through the www.trails-end.com website. Scouts must submit the completed form not only to enroll for the first time, but also to report their subsequent yearly sales. Scouts headed to college will need to complete and submit the Scholarship Payout Form to Trail's End. The funds can be used for tuition, books, housing and/or other fees. Please be sure to read Trail’s End terms and conditions.

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ORDER & PICK-UP INFORMATION Pick-Up Guidelines • Bring enough vehicles to carry your entire order in one trip. • Bring order documents and verify your order as it's loaded. • Bring someone to help you count your order as it's loaded.

Show & Sell: Sorting & Early Pickup- Friday, September 7* Regular Pickup- Saturday- September 8

Take Order: Sorting & Early Pickup- Friday, November 16* Regular Pickup- Saturday, November 17

*Units that have volunteers help sort popcorn orders on Friday will home their orders that day after all the orders are sorted. All other units will be assigned a time on Saturday to receive their popcorn. Contact your District Kernel to let them know you are available to help. Units ordering more than $5,000 in popcorn are required to provide a volunteer to help with sorting. Pick Up location Information about the time and locations for the pickup locations throughout the Council for both the Show and Sale and the Take Order sale will be forthcoming. Specific details will be sent to the Unit Kernel. Payments Commissions will be assigned after the final orders are placed. Invoices listing the amount owed (and reflecting commissions earned through online sales) will be sent out the following week.

Full payment is expected when you pick up your final order. Payment should be made by unit check payable to Washington Crossing Council, BSA

NOTE: Popcorn Late payment fee goes in effect (3% increase of amount due by unit) if payment is not received by December 7th.

Vehicle Capacity Guidelines • Mid-Size Car 20 Cases • Jeep Cherokee 40 Cases • Mini-van 60 Cases • Suburban 70 Cases • Pick-up truck 90 Cases

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KEY CONTACTS Council Kernel Popcorn Staff Advisors Assistant Sale Manager

Adrienne Rubin 609 252 9129 adrienne.rubin@gmail.com

Dana Kuhns 215 348 7205 dana.kuhns@scouting.org

Dae Kenderdine 215 348 7205 dae.kenderdine@scouting.org

District Name District Kernel District Executive

Hunterdon Arrowhead

TBD

Theo Rael 215 348 7205 theodore.rael@scouting.org

Mercer Area

Adrienne Rubin 609 252 9129 adrienne.rubin@gmail.com

Preston Irving 215 348 7205 preston.irving@scouting.org

Tamanend TBD

Vince Polakowski 215 348 7205 vincent.polakowski@scouting.org

Tohickon

TBD William Maywood 215 348 7205 william.maywood@scouting.org

KEY WEBSITES

www.trails-end.com Trail’s End website to place unit orders www.sell.trails-end.com Trail’s End online website www.washingtoncrossingbsa.org Washington Crossing Council website

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NOTES: