2025 Giving Bean Fundraiser

Almost $8k raised during our joint fundraiser in 2024: WAY TO GO, Troop 147!

Basic Facts

  • We are selling Giving Bean Coffee & Tea for our fundraiser this year! Giving Bean offers several options in a good price range of $12-20 each:
    • coffee – ground, whole beans, & K-kups
    • artisan loose tea
    • hot cocoa & chai latte mixes
    • shortbread cookies – vanilla & lemon flavors

  • Start Here!

    1. Register as a Giving Bean seller to get your personalized Seller ID, webform link, and QR code directly to your email address. If you have multiple Trailmen, you may choose to get individual IDs for each youth OR sign up with one “family name ID”. *We are not able to transfer sales from one troop to the other, if you have kids in both troops.*

    2. Sell from 10/14-11/18. Please collect payment upon recording the pre-order and record which payment method was used (cash, check, or online/card). You may also record donations and card sales on your sheet for record-keeping purposes, so you can verify your check/cash balance accurately.

    3. Return your pre-order forms 11/18. Products sold to local customers will be distributed to each family by 12/9 to hand-deliver after the fundraiser is complete.

  • Make checks payable to “Watermark Community Church”  with a memo for “Trail Life”.
  • The troop profit is approximately 40% of form sales (both on paper and individualized online webforms) PLUS any donations!
  • There are PRIZES for the top 3 sellers as well as a Prize Catalog that everyone gets to order from based on how much they sold – 1 point earned for each $10 profit AND for every $10 in donations. Prize Points will be calculated by the Treasurer at the end of the fundraising period after 11/11/25. After you get a final point total from our Treasurer once the fundraiser closes, you may submit your Trailman’s prize selection. Examples:
    • $300 local order form sales = $120 profit ($300 x 40%) = 12 prize points
    • $150 local order form sales + $200 sales online shipped direct = $60 local profit ($150 x 40%) + $50 shipped direct profit ($200 x 25%) + $40 donated = 15 prize points
  • NEW THIS YEAR! For non-local customers: Anything purchased via our troop store link will be shipped directly to them. This option earns the troop a lower but still reasonable 25% of sales. This link will be up year-round for repeat orders or coffee subscriptions. **Please remind those customers to enter your Trailman’s name or seller ID during the check-out process!**

 

Schedule

  • Oct. 14: Kick-off and distribute fundraiser packets/prize catalogs. Contact Troopmaster Roberts if you were absent and would like to arrange pick up.
  • Oct. 21: Collection Day #1 – Please bring your binder with any payments that have been collected so far.
  • Nov. 4: Collection Day #2 – Please bring your binder with any payments that have been collected so far.
  • Nov. 11: Collection Day #3 – Please bring your binder with any payments that have been collected so far.
  • Nov. 18: Final Collection Day Deadline – Please bring ALL order forms/payments and return fundraiser binders. If you are unable to attend, please turn in your binder 11/11 or call/text Troopmaster Roberts to arrange a drop-off time prior to 11/18.
  • Nov. 21: Coffee/tea ordered
  • Nov. 28: Prize Selections Due
  • Dec. 9 or prior: Coffee/tea given to Trailmen to deliver.
  • Delivery Date: You may inform customers that we will hand-deliver early in December.

Goal: $250+ sold per Trailman!

We are requesting that each participating Trailman sells at least $250 in Giving Bean products. Hitting this goal would cover a large portion of our normal troop costs, including paying for campsite fees, Court of Honor awards/advancements, meeting supplies, etc. *Note*: If your family chooses not to participate in the fundraiser, troop dues for the year are $100 per Trailman. Dues will be pro-rated for Trailmen who do not hit the fundraising goal.

Online Ordering – There are two different kinds:

  1. Webform – 40% profit for the troop: When you register as a Giving Bean seller (either individual Trailmen or as a family), you will receive a personalized web form link and QR code via email. This is to be used for hand-delivery to local customers or out of town family members who you’ll see in December.

  2. Website – 25% profit for the troop: This is primarily for supporters who are *NOT* local. Orders will be shipped directly from Giving Bean to customers, and they will need to create a login to complete their order. This link will be up year-round for repeat orders or coffee subscriptions. **Please remind those customers to enter your Trailman’s name or seller ID during the check-out process!**

Graphics & Printable Resources: GB Google Drive

This drive has printable order forms as well as all the other sheets which are included in your binder (cover page, product details, etc). There are two different Canva Templates for QR card flyers which can be customized with your Trailman’s name, customized QR code, and passed out to customers who are interested in TL and/or the fundraiser but may prefer to check it out later. You may forward your Seller ID email to us at [email protected] if you cannot access the Canva templates and would like to have printed QR sheets. There are also graphics about the fundraiser and our troop which may be printed and/or used for sharing online. Fundraiser Graphics & Resources

Tips

  • Wear your uniform, be polite, and keep it short to respect their time.
  • Have your Trailman learn some general info about the fundraiser products and practice his *short* sales pitch several times, so that he’s comfortable doing most of the talking. It’s much harder to resist a kid selling than an adult. If you don’t have one and would like to borrow a TLUSA shirt for use during fundraising, let us know.
    • Here’s a video of Kevin and Owen doing their sales pitch for a different fundraiser a couple years ago!
  • Keep good records. *Please* write down the payment method every single time you record an order, so that it is easier to go back later and figure out any problems. Count your funds regularly (each day of fundraising) if possible to make sure you have the right amount of money.
  • If you can, take a couple $5s, a few $10s, and several $1s with you to make change at the beginning. Remember how much you added, so that you can return that cash to your wallet later.
  • Make phone call sales!
  • You may choose to share the Troop’s social media post(s) about the fundraiser on your personal timeline, which is great. We also encourage you to reach out individually to friends and family (in-person, call, text, personal message, etc) as well rather than JUST posting on social media, since a personal touch is typically much more effective. Creating sales/thank you videos of your Trailman is always a big hit!
  • Selling to people who are not in your direct circle of friends/family can definitely help boost sales. We have found that as a general rule, it takes about an hour to canvas a city block (up one side of the street and back on the other side). Most of the time if someone answers the door, they will either donate or buy something. *Note*: Please follow any solicitation rules in your neighborhood.
  • Safety recommendations for selling in person:
    • Accept contactless credit card payments using QR Codes!
      • When you register as a Giving Bean seller, you will receive a personalized QR code that goes straight to your Trailman’s web form link. You may show that QR code on your phone and/or print the QR code to keep it in your binder for anyone who would like to pay for a local sale with a card.
      • On the cover page of your binder, you will see a QR code at the bottom right for DONATIONS. A customer can scan that QR code using their smartphone, tap on the link, and go straight to the page for donations. Practice the process on your own phone.
      • They will not need to create a login for Giving Bean webform orders; the checkout form is secured using https, and will require them to fill out their contact info, and payment info. If you are selling to a stranger, please stay with them to answer any questions about the process.
      • You may also use the printed QR code sheets with your Trailman’s name to leave with a customer who is interested in Trail Life and/or the fundraiser but may be busy when you knock on the door. Those orders WILL be attributed to your Trailman/family, even if you don’t write them down on your sheet (we will add the info to your sheet for delivery purposes).
      • Any orders for which payment cannot be verified will not be counted towards sales credits for prizes, and the troop *will not* order those products for delivery.
      • If a phone is having trouble with a QR code through the sheet protector, you may text them the troop website link: https://troopdallas.com/
    • *Never* enter a stranger’s home, and do not let them take your binder/payments with them inside to fill out the information. Our family has found that in most cases, it is best for us to write down the information (name miss-spellings are totally fine, the MOST important pieces of info are the address, product types/total quantity, and how/if they paid) rather than handing the binder to the customer.
  • If you have several friends/family members who live in the same out-of-town area, consider taking form orders from that group to hand-deliver at a later date when you see them rather than having them pay shipping costs. For instance, our extended family and another AHG family have a large concentration in Houston, so we usually send a shipment back with a relative who visits at Thanksgiving.

Specific Prize Selection Info

  • Prize Catalog Link PDF: After you get a final point total from our Treasurer, you will have the opportunity to submit your Trailman’s prize selection.
  • Polymer Carabiner, Robot Fidget, UCO Camping Spork, Paracord Survival Bracelet, Mini Pull-Back Cars (3), Erasable Drawing Pad, Collapsible Camping Lantern, Kaleidoscope, LED Headlamp, & Camo Drawstring Backpack – The color received will be chosen at random.
  • TLUSA Walk Worthy PVC Patch – This has velcro on the back and comes with a soft-side velcro piece to sew onto whatever item (backpack, hat, etc) you would like to decorate with the PVC Patch.
  • Troop Pizza Party Ticket – 15 points will earn one Trailman’s entry ticket into a celebratory pizza party. The date will be determined based on availability of those who choose this prize item.
  • Robot Fidget – You are able to reposition this fidget as well as spin it. You can even stack multiple fidgets while they are spinning!
  • Camo Drawstring Backpack – This is a standard drawstring backpack.
  • Glow Katana & Glow Octopus – These 3D printed items may have a delay in delivery depending on how many are ordered.
  • ***Note:*** I had a typo on the second page of the TL prize catalog and mixed up three of the prices. The TL Wristband is 3 points, Sound Machine is 18 points, and Mini Pull-Back Cars (3 of them) are 1 point. I apologize for the error.
  • FYI, Trailmen are absolutely allowed to choose a prize from the AHG Prize Catalog if he’d prefer! (A handful of prizes are the same, but most are different.)
  • If you have questions about a specific prize, email or call me. 😉

Pray

We are asking all troop families to pray diligently for health/safety during the fundraiser and that the Lord would bless our troop through the efforts of our Trailmen!

Contact: Katherine Roberts, TX-0147 Treasurer, 214-287-9866 or [email protected]