Help Fund Wallwood

Dear Friends and Family of Scouting,

As you most likely know, Scouting in our area has been under financial stress, and for the last several years funding has been in decline. A number of factors have driven these declines, including reductions in government and other charitable organizations’ support, and fewer donations from within the Scouting community’s Friends of Scouting program. As a result, less money has been available to fund our Scouting programs, including Wallwood.

Wallwood is both one of the biggest assets to Scouting in our area, and one of the biggest expenses. Each year it costs over $80,000 just to keep it open, and then it costs extra beyond this budget to fund the various programs and events that are hosted at Wallwood, as well as funds for any major improvements that need to be made.

The $80,000 annual operating cost may sound like a lot (it is!), but it’s only the essential items required to keep the camp open – they add up fast!  Here’s where the money goes:

  • Camp Ranger – $23,000
  • Electric Bill – $20,500
  • Project Supplies – $14,000
  • Payroll Taxes & Benefits – $9,200
  • Garbage Collection – $3,000
  • Pool Supplies – $3,000
  • Janitorial Supplies – $2,000
  • Misc Employee Expenses – $1,500
  • Government Permits – $1,000
  • Propane – $1,000
  • Vehicle Repair – $800
  • Kitchen Supplies – $500
  • Office Supplies – $500

Total Budget: $80,000/yr

In order for us to ensure that Wallwood can continue to thrive for the 1,858 Scouts in our area, we need your help. Traditional fundraising efforts simply aren’t bringing in enough money, and we needed to try something different. A group of volunteers came up with the idea to do a GoFundMe style campaign using CrowdRise (a sister company of GoFundMe that is tailored specifically for non-profit fundraising) to cover the annual costs that Wallwood incurs and to make it a contest among all the units to see which unit can raise the most money. We loved the idea, and we’re doing it – we hope you’ll join us!

Here’s how it works…

  • Watch this intro video from our local Scouts https://youtu.be/uc3HJk6HDCY
  • $80,000 goal for the campaign – if we exceed the goal, additional funds in excess of $80,000 will be set aside for an improvement project at Wallwood
  • Campaign runs from February 15th until May 30th
  • Get your unit signed up as a team on the main campaign page: https://www.crowdrise.com/helpfundwallwood by clicking the “Join” button at the top of the page… only 1 person from each unit needs to do this to create a page for your unit/team

  • Have your Scouts share the link to their unit’s CrowdRise page on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and through email (see example messages at HelpFundWallwood-CannedMessages.pdf and use HelpFundWallwood-Instagram.png as a post on Instagram)
  • Have your Scouts share hard-copy flyers for the campaign if they are too young for social media (print this flyer HelpFundWallwood-Flyer.pdf – make it personal by having your Scout sign their name at the bottom)
  • Don’t just share the link – send direct messages (or ask in person) requesting a specific amount from grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors to help support your love of Scouting
    • A post in the news feed is easy to ignore, it’s much harder to ignore a personalized message that’s asking the family member or friend to make a donation
    • See attached PDF for canned messages that your Scout can customize and use in their posts and personal messages
  • Goal of $75 per Scout
  • A special patch will be given to Scouts in units where everyone meets their goal of $75/scout
  • Two other patches will be awarded to the unit that raises the most money and to the unit that raises the most money per scout between now and May 30th
  • Watch for “Leaderboard” emails showing how units are ranking by amount raised, and the final board will be put on display at Wallwood throughout the summer’s activities

If you have questions or need more information, please contact Janet Norwillo @ jnorwillo@bellsouth.net, and thank you in advance for your support. For a campaign like this to work, we have to get everyone behind it – but if we do, it will be powerful. All it takes is just 3 $20 donations and a $15 donation from each Scout to meet our goal, and I think we’ll find that with the fun of the competition we can not only meet that goal but exceed it.

So let’s make it happen folks! Wallwood needs our help and by supporting this campaign, you’ll be helping to ensure our camp is well-funded and preserved for our youth today and generations to come.

Update: For step-by-step details on how to join and participate, please see the instructions published on February 28 at https://conta.cc/2TuLPGW