Eagle Projects

[RWSmith]

Good point, OGB. But, I'd have to say, laudable as the may or may not end up being, raising money for the project would be considered planning and development.

[t305spl]

Im sorry but I dont have time to read the replies before this so this question might have been answered before. If so can you please retype it. If I knew that I needed money to have an eagle project, could I start fundraising before I know what my project is yet, like saving up?

[PaulSWolf]

Im sorry but I dont have time to read the replies before this so this question might have been answered before. If so can you please retype it. If I knew that I needed money to have an eagle project, could I start fundraising before I know what my project is yet, like saving up?

No. No work on the project, including fundraising, may be done before the project is approved by the unit committee, unit leader, and district advancement committee.

[BM_Crawford]

I believe it can be done but none of the hours would count for the scout. I may be wrong though.

[ICanCanoeCanU]

No, I do not see how you can do ANYTHING for an Eagle Project before it has been approved? Any time spent on coordinating a fund raiser wouldn't count towards the project either. How can someone raise money for a project when the project is unknown? I've seen projects that require no money at all or the organization that's receiving the project has funded the entire project, now what happens to the money raised? Also, the council stresses to the scout not to start any part of the project until it's been approved. Also, if a scout is not Life rank with most of his badges done or almost done, he should not be putting effort into a project other than gathering thoughts for the future.

[t305spl]

That makes a lot of sense. I was just wondering. Thanks all.

[ASM-142]

I was talking with a district advancement chairman yesterday and we were discussing Eagle projects. He said he requires 100 hours. I told him he could not do that and he said until someone complains that was what he would do. Well if anyone tells you how many hours you MUST have get your parents to call the council service center and file a complaint. You may have to have your BOR in another district But you cannot be told how many hours are required. This also includes your SM and TC.

I am having a disagreement with a decision made by the Eagle BOR right now about something similiar. One of my life scouts presented his plan for building bat houses for a township park. These bat houses are multi-chamber and will be built in accordance with specifications provided by Bat Conservation International. He was planning on building 3 four chamber bat houses and then 2 rocket bat houses. This was discussed witht he director of the park who agreed to the numbers. The director also told this scout that he had a college student lined up for a work study program that would be able to monitor the bat houses.

The representative from District told this scout that a total of 5 bat houses was not sufficient and that he had to have at least 8 bat houses. How is the number of bat houses related to showing leadership in an Eagle Project?

This scout has decided that he will do the 8 Bat Houses but I want to be able to address this with District/Council if this comes up again.

[ASM-142]

A life scout in my troop that is in the process of doing his Eagle Project. A member of his Eagle Project BOR told him that he can not accept monatary donations from his family to purchase materials. This scout has most of the materials being donated but the total donations are falling short. Can family members donate money or materials for an Eagle Project?

If you have not guessed this is related to my previous post. The scout is able to get sufficient donations for his orignal plan but is having a very hard time to get additional donations required by his BOR decision to increase the number of bat houses.

[OldGreyBear]

ASM-142, you have a wonderful phrase as your "tag line", I would ask anyone to produce proof that an Eagle candidates family can't fund a project, and noting verbal is accepted. It many seem better to have the scout arrange non-family financing, but I dont see anything in the written rules they say the family cant

[ASM-142]

ASM-142, you have a wonderful phrase as your "tag line", I would ask anyone to produce proof that an Eagle candidates family can't fund a project, and noting verbal is accepted. It many seem better to have the scout arrange non-family financing, but I dont see anything in the written rules they say the family cant

That is what I thought in all my reading. The scout is going to continue looking for donations and funds but he does not want to wait starting the actual project much longer.

[Lynda J]

This is always coming up. Since it isn't written down that you can or can't what I always suggest is that the family member not donate the money but go and purchase the material and donate the material itself.

Personally I have no problem with family donating as long as it is only a small % of the total amount needed to fund the project.

I like the bat house thing.

[ASM-142]

For information on bats and bat houses go to www.batcon.org.

[Scouting179]

Nothing prohibits a family from paying for an Eagle project, but it is generally the path of last resort as it defeats the purpose the teaching the Scout leadership and self reliance. We encourage our Scouts to seek funds elsewhere (company donations, fund raisers, etc) and to only use family last. This is not written down anywhere.

There is no rule on the number of bat houses either. I STRONGLY feel it was wrong for the District Adv Rep to say 5 weren't enough. If 5 is what the benefiting organization wanted, then 5 was enough. I would take this to the council level if I were you.

[OldGreyBear]

On the original plan that had to have been approved by the District Advancement Committee, how many boxes were in that plan?

[ASM-142]

The plan that was signed by the SM, the benefitting organization, the district rep was 5. During the project review the district rep told the scout that he had to do 8 even tough this was not changed on the signed plan.

The actual number does not really matter. What matters, IMHO, is that the district rep told this scout that 5 was not acceptable and that he ad to do more or if would not count as an Eagle project even though this is what the benefiting organization wants.

[Scouting179]

The plan that was signed by the SM, the benefitting organization, the district rep was 5. During the project review the district rep told the scout that he had to do 8 even tough this was not changed on the signed plan.

So you mean the rep approved a 5-box project and then changed his mind? If so, THAT IS UNSAT. If it were up to me, I'd fire the district rep. The benefitting org determines how many are needed, not the rep.

[ASM-142]

The district rep signed the plan as it was written but told the scout he had to do 8.

This scout is going to do 8 just to get thru this without making waves. As a leader I will bring this up after the fact to prevent it from happening again.

This district rep will be the same district rep that will be involved in the final approval of the project as well as the Eagle BOR.

If the scout makes wave and the distict rep dealys things then the scout can lose out on earning palms. This scout already has the MB's for 3 palms but still will need the 9 months time (3 months for each palm)before he is 18 which is 11 months away. Therefore if Eagle is not obtained in 2 months then palms can be lost.

[Scouting179]

Your Eagle candidate SHOULD NOT have to worry about this stuff. If the DR and benefitting org approved 5, that's all he has to do. Adding 3 more ex post facto is UNSAT and UNSCOUTLIKE. Your scout shouldn't have to worry about the rep being on his BOR. Since this is already an issue, go to the District Chairman and bring this up and request a different rep be on his BOR.

The district rep has no say so in his palms. That's done just like Tfoot-Life, the scout completes it, your adv chair turns it into council. The rep is not on (should not be) those BORs. District reps only sit on Eagle BORs, at least everywhere I've been. BSA advancement guidelines do not require and DR on palm BORs.

Straighten out this maverick DR now, or it'll only get worse. I've seen things like this before.