Fundraising For Your Eagle Scout Project

The Eagle Scout Service Project Fundraising Application in your project workbook must be used to obtain approval for fundraising of money and for in-kind donations of or discounts on materials, supplies, tools, or other needs for your service project.

No fundraising application is required for contributions from you, your relatives, your unit, its chartered organization, members or parents of members of your unit, or the beneficiary.

Be sure to attach to the fundraising application a list of prospective donors and what they will be asked to donate. For an event like a car wash, such a list is not required; for an event like a bake sale, people being asked to donate baked goods should be listed, but a list of customers is not needed.

Be sure to read the “Procedures and Limitations on Eagle Scout Service Project Fundraising” on the back of the fundraising application.

  • Re: Points 2 and 4: In Scouting America New Hampshire, Be sure to include with your fundraising application a copy of proposed flyers, posters, or social media advertisements for your fundraiser when the application is submitted to the Eagle Board for approval, so that the Eagle Board can confirm that
    • it is clear to all donors or event participants that the money is being raised on behalf of the project beneficiary, and
    • buyers or donors are informed that the money will be used for an Eagle Scout service project.
  • Re: Point 7: Youth are not normally permitted to solicit funds on behalf of other organizations. Scouting America New Hampshire does not make an exception allowing Eagle candidates to solicit funds for Eagle projects: Scouts can not ask for cash donations. Fundraising must be done on the basis of products or services of value in exchange for money received.
    • Asking for donations of or discounts on materials, supplies, tools, services, or other needs is allowed. For example:
      • Visiting a store that sells some of the things you need and asking if they can donate or give you a discount on any of the items you need is allowed. You should go in uniform, with a specific list of the things you are asking for, including quantities. Be prompt with a thank you note, as a courtesy to the donor, and to other Eagle candidates who may follow you.
      • A “wish list” of things needed on Amazon or similar sites is allowed: This amounts to a request for materials or supplies.
    • Unsolicited donations, cash or otherwise, may be accepted.
      For example: If a former scout, or a neighbor, etc. hears you are working on an Eagle project and, without being asked, offers to give you money for the project, you may accept it. It is asking for money, not accepting it, that is prohibited.
    • Beware of accepting donations of things you don’t need for your project – if you do, you need to work with the beneficiary to dispose of the unwanted donations.
  • Re: Point 8: There are no exceptions to the requirement for a fundraising application for certain types of fundraisers nor for fundraisers expected to raise less than some dollar threshold. A fundraising application must be approved by your Eagle Board unless
    • You don’t need to raise any funds, or
    • all funds, materials, supplies, tools, services, and other expenses required for your project come from the sources listed above that do not require a fundraising application.

Get the first 2 signatures on the fundraising form (Beneficiary and Unit Leader) then submit it directly to your Eagle Board for review and approval.

As a matter of courtesy, be sure to thank all donors to your project – even those for which a fundraising application is not required. For things like a car wash or bake sale, thank donors when the donations are received. For other donations or or discounts on material, supplies, etc., thank you notes to the donors are appropriate, at the time of the donation and/or when the project is completed.

When you’ve raised the funds required for your project, or while fundraising is in progress with high confidence that you will raise the funds required to complete the project, begin executing your project.