2017 Popcorn and Nuts !



 

HOW WILL YOU COMMUNICATE?
 
One of the keys to having a great sale is effective Communication!  The most successful units are great communicators! There is no one best way to communicate. Your unit should adopt a plan that works best for you, your unit leaders, and yours Scouts and their families.

So where do you start with putting a communication plan together?  Make sure you have your sale plan together.  Review the Council Calendar dates.  Set your unit dates, (see the art. in this "What's Poppin'" for suggestions).  Review the sale calendar from the Council website and in your Unit guidebook.

Second, you need to determine how you are going to communicate .  Use a mix of communication styles; Unit announcements, Email, Text messages, Newsletter, Social media, Use your kickoff!  Use
familiar communication methods.  How do you communicate other information through you unit?  You know your unit best and what people look for. 

Third, determine who to communicate with. Communicate your deadlines and key information with Unit Committee Members and Leaders so they can help you stick to the plan.  Communicate the plan to the parents (check out this tool for the kickoff).  Benefits of popcorn and candy. Remember the "Ws".
                        Who, can help Communicate the plan to the Scouts?
What, are the key dates? What, are the prizes and incentives that your Scouts can earn?  What, we are selling? (Remember it's Scouting)
Where, are you doing Show and Sells, Neighborhood sales, Wagon Dragin'? Where do the orders get turned in?  Where do families pick up product?
When, what times are you doing sales?  When do orders need to be turned in to you?
Why, do we sell?  What are you trying to accomplish?
 
Using regular communication and reminders will help make your sale more effective and in the long run, your job easier.  Have a GREAT sale!

WEBINAR INFORMATION

Whether you are you a new Kernel or a seasoned veteran we have video trainings you can use to either review your knowledge of the sale or build it.  New this year on the trails-End website, https://scouting.trails-end.com/, is the Popcorn University.  The university is a collection of trainings you can review at your leisure.  Topics include the following:
Several of these videos will also be posted on our website either under "Information for Parents" or "Information for Scouts."  Because Trails end has offered trainings on everything that we used to, we will no longer be offering our own webinars.  If you still have thoughts or questions, please feel free to reach out to either Scott or your district kernel. 


REMINDERS AND TIPS - Setting your unit time lines

When putting your unit plan together be sure to consider the following;
                 
Deadlines.  There are several deadlines you need to consider for your unit plan.  Base your timeline on the council 2017 Fall product Sales Calendar, found in appendix iii of the unit guide or on the council website under forms.
 
Show and Sell sales locations.  Make sure to give yourself lots of time to contact the locations you want to sell at.  Not everyone will allow Scouts to sell outside of their business.  Key locations fill up fast, so get your request in early.  Plan on reaching out as a reminder to the Scouts who signed up for them at least a day or 2 ahead so you don't get no shows and lose potential sales.
 
Show and Sell Orders.  Work out before you order what you want to order.  Use the Show and Sell calculator to help you.  Remember if ordering over the 80% (indicated on the label of your unit envelope) your order must have a completed return policy waiver, where you opt out of the possibility of returns.  If you have questions contact either your District Kernel, District Executive or the Council Staff Advisor.  The Show and Sell order date for the council is Friday August 25th.  Orders will be placed early the next business day, so if you wait you will miss out.   
 
Same thing with Take Order orders.  Due October 25th make sure youth orders are in your hands and accounted for before you work out and place your order.
 
For units that participated in Show and Sell any leftover product may be returned to the council by the deadline of October 23rd.  You will want to make sure that any product that you distributed is back in your control before then so that you may both return it and use any that you can to fill your Take Order orders.  This cuts down on possibly moving product twice, once to turn in and then again to pick up making additional work for you.
 
Unit Prize orders are due November 1.  Be sure to schedule enough time to collect and put together your unit order.
 
Product pick up.  Don't wait till the last minute to schedule help to pick up your product if needed.  Consider things like is the unit doing an activity that week that would cut down on possible available manpower.  Depending on the warehouse, product may need to moved out of it that night to a council central location, which may be a longer trip than you had planned.  

 
2017 FALL PRODUCT SALE CALENDAR
Date
Action
Show & Sell
Take Order
Combined
7/21
Units submit their Unit Commitment Forms and RSVP for Kickoff
X
X
X
7/1-8/30
Contact local venues for Show and Sell Opportunities. Schedule early!
X
 
 
8/2
Product Sale Kickoff
X
X
X
8/4-9/15
Units conduct individual kickoffs to share information about the Product sale with their Scouts and their parents.
X
X
X
8/25
Show & Sell Orders due at Council Support Center or Online.
X
 
 
9/7&8
Units pick-up their Show & Sell product.  The unit kernel will be emailed information regarding the pick-up location & time.
X
 
 
10/23
Product sale return date. Returns are made to the warehouse by district.  Please do not return to service center.
X
 
 
10/25
Product sale campaign ends.  Unit Orders for the Take Order Sale are due.
X
X
X
11/1
Prize order completed online or form and incentive sheet due.
X
X
X
11/9&10
Unit's pick-up their Take Order product.  The unit kernel will be emailed information regarding the pick-up location & time.
 
X
X
11/28
Any missed or additional orders due.  The unit kernel will be emailed information regarding the pickup location and time. 
 
X
 
12/11
Product sale money Due - Final deadline.  Unit retains base commission on all sales.
X
X
X
12/13
Late Payment penalty begins:  Units will incur a 3% penalty per week on all outstanding balances due to the Council. i.e. late one week = -3%, and is ineligible for bonus commissions.
X
X
X
12/20
Late Payment penalty:  Units now incurs a 6% on all outstanding balances due to the Council and is ineligible for bonus commissions. 
X
X
X
12/27
Late Payment penalty:  Units now incurs 9% on all outstanding balances due the Council and is ineligible for bonus commissions.
X
X
X
1/7/18
Victory Celebration at Penn Cinema, By invitation only.  "Star Wars" movie.
X
X
X
2/1/18
Bonus commission and Online Sales commission checks sent to units.
X
X
X
 

 
Pennsylvania Dutch Council North East Region Meet and Greet
Thursday August 17th, 2017 6-8 PM
Graciously hosted by John and Carol Pyfer
1100 Little Brook Road Lancaster, PA 17603
 
To:  Scout Volunteers, Professional Staff, and Community Leaders
 
You are cordially invited to join the leadership of the Pennsylvania Dutch Council, and the North-East Region leadership for a meet and greet on Thursday August 17th from 6-8 PM. 
The focus of this gathering will be to hear from our region's top leadership on the state of Scouting, as well as a discussion on the direction of the organization nationally.
Special Guests will include North East Region Director John Mosby, North East Region Commissioner Ken King, and North East Region President Eric Shultz. Our National Director of Field Service Don McChesney is also scheduled to attend.
A formal discussion will begin at 7:00 PM.  Light refreshments will be provided.
Please RSVP to Leisha Rivera at [email protected], or call at 717-394-4063.
 
Our best,
 
Bert Kramer               James Troebliger                   Matthew Adams
Council President      Council Commissioner          Scout Executive

COUNCIL POPCORN MACHINE

The popcorn machine is available for units to borrow for their Kickoff and Show and Sell Events this fall!  It's a great way to help generate excitement for the sale!! You can down load the request  form a nd return it to Leisha, at  [email protected]   to schedule  the use of it.  Machine use is on a first come first served basis.  As long as the machine is being used as part of your sale there is no fee.  Use of the machine includes corn and oil packets, the first 8 packets are free.  Additional packets are available at $1.00 each.  Each packet feeds approximately 10 people.  Please be sure to clean the machine before returning.  If you would like to use the machine for other events there is a small cost.

PAST ISSUES

Missed a "What's Poppin'" or accidentally deleted it.  Don't worry.  There is an archive of past issues on the Council Website.  Just go to  http://padutchbsa.org/popcorn/whats-poppin/ , look at the menu on the left hand side and click on "What's Poppin'," and pick the issue you are looking for.
MEET YOUR 2017 POPCORN TEAM

Popcorn Team
Phone
Email
Joe Flaim
Council Kernel
717-­768­-0961
 
Roger Harvey
Conestoga River Kernel
717­-468­-5438
 
Heidi Patterson
Harvest Kernel
717-406-8776
 
Tom Carr
Horseshoe Trail Kernel
610­-203-4335
 
Candy Quattrini
Horseshoe Trail Co-Kernel
607-207-5038

Leishamarie Rivera
Council Popcorn Admin.
717-394-4063
Scott Arnold
Council Staff Advisor
717­-553­-4208