Ensuring no youth is left behind
Scouts Canada believes that every child should have the opportunity to participate in great, safe Scouting adventures. Scouts Canada’s No One Left Behind program provides support to families who face financial barriers to enrolling their children in Scouting.
Every young person deserves to experience the world of adventure and friendship that Scouting offers. Thank you to our donors who make this possible through supporting the No One Left Behind program.
Since 2010, Scouts Canada’s No One Left Behind Program has helped over 16,900 youth to take part in great, safe Scouting adventures. This year, Scouts Canada has increased No One Left Behind funding to $523,000 to ensure more youth share in the Scouting experience.
Last year alone, over 3,000 youth were able to join Scouting thanks to No One Left Behind membership subsidies.
Over 400 youth received financial support for purchasing the outdoor gear they needed to take part in Scouting, and over $60,000 supported weekend and summer camps.
Great Adventures Start with Scout Popcorn
More than 1,000 Groups helped to raise over $6.5 million dollars through the 2017 Scout Popcorn campaign. This total represents a 9% increase over 2016. The 2017 Scout Popcorn campaign also introduced the Scout Popcorn Adventure Club; youth who sell over $2,500 worth of Scout Popcorn were enrolled in the club and received four gearboxes throughout the year. Each box contained a different collection of awesome camping gear for the youth to enjoy on their Scouting adventures. The year saw 176 youth join the club. We look forward to enrolling even more Scouting youth in 2018.
With the funds raised with Scout Popcorn in 2017–2018:
Over 60,000 Scouting youth achieved new heights rock-climbing and experienced new firsts like paddling, camping and learning how to start a campfire.
The funds raised could provide 19,500 new tents for Scouting youth.
The funds raised could provide 12,000 scuba diving adventures.
Scout Popcorn is not only about funding great adventures. It helps us achieve our Mission of developing well-rounded youth better prepared for success in the world. Through selling Scout Popcorn, Scouts learn many valuable life skills, such as marketing, developing business strategy and managing finances.
“Popcorn allows us to provide youth with new and unique experiences. From these activities and selling Scout Popcorn, we have seen them grow into capable young leaders ready to take on the world.”
While fundraising through Scout Popcorn subsidizes the cost of Group adventures, Scout Popcorn also offers a Post-Secondary Scholarship Program to ensure that even more Scouting youth have opportunities to achieve future success and make meaningful contributions to create a better world.
Through the scholarship program, youth who sell $2,500 in Scout Popcorn will receive 6% of their total sales invested into their own post-secondary scholarship account. Youth only need to hit the $2,500 mark once and 6% of their sales each year following will be added to their account. Since the scholarship program began in 1995, 1,252 Scouts have enrolled in the scholarship program, amassing a total of $577,000 in scholarship funds.
Top Groups
Hats of to the top 5 Groups in total Scout Popcorn Sales!
210th McKenzie Group — $70,050
169th Glen Allan Group — $65,170
243rd Tuscany Group — $62,970
1st St. Paul Group — $59,370
1st Okotoks Group — $59,330
The Value of Scouting
The Scouting program offers tremendous value to youth and their parents. Scouting parents consistently give our programs high scores for value, and Scouting costs significantly less than many other youth activities. Add the fact that many Scout Groups and camps are active year-round and the result is even greater value for dollar. The true cost to support a robust Scouting program is significantly higher than the registration fee that we charge.
This is why Scout Popcorn fundraising, retail sales through our Scout Shops, donations and sponsorships contribute to keeping Scouting affordable. These same revenue sources also support Scouts Canada’s No One Left Behind program, ensuring that financial barriers do not prevent kids from participating in great Scouting adventures.
Where does my money go when I register my child for Scouts?
Registration fees only cover a portion of the cost to deliver a quality Scouting program. With registration fees set at $230 per year, our net membership revenue per youth is $207. But the cost to support a quality Scouting program is actually $267 per youth.
Here’s how fee revenue is allocated:
$46 — Field Operations
$36 — Program, Marketing, Development
$68 — Business Services
$16 — Insurance, Legal, Pension
$75 — Field Services
$26 — HR, Volunteer Services, Safety
Revenues from a number of sources contribute to closing the gap between the membership fees charged and the true cost of a quality program. This additional revenue plays a big role in keeping our Scouting program affordable.
Scout Popcorn sales — $17 per member
Scout Shop revenue — $7 per member
Donations and sponsorships — $14 per member
Grants and investment income — $22 per member
Thank you to our donors
Over the past year, our generous donors and sponsors have provided youth with the opportunity to experience a world of friendship and adventure through Scouting. Thank you for your contribution to the accomplishment of our Mission: To help develop well-rounded youth, better prepared for success in the world.
Everyone has their own connection to Scouting and reasons for supporting Scouts Canada; however, I believe that we all share one thing in common: a vision where Canadian youth make meaningful contributions to creating a better world. I know that this vision is attainable through the Scouting program; I have seen it firsthand.