Activities for the first week of December

A few things happening on the project this week to let you know about:

Fleet Management

3 of us (Chairman, Group Scout Leader and Boating Manager) met on Monday to discuss 2 closely related matters - funding for the fleet of boats we need, and plans for the practical operation of the centre once it is ready.  We discussed issues like

• what state is our current fleet in,
• what replacements/additions do we need,
• how long would we expect the equipment to last (and hence what depreciation and rolling replacement programme do we need to budget for),
• how much money is involved now and in the future,
• where might we look for potential funding sources,
• who do we expect to use the boats and what other resources might we need to offer,
• what restrictions or practical difficulties might there be around who can use the facilities and equipment,
• how much would we charge groups for using the facilities, equipment, instructors etc. that we offer,
• what level of administration might be involved and what people and tools will we need to support that,
• how closely do the boating needs of the Sea Scouts (at the Aquativity Centre and beyond) match the needs of the wider users of the Aquativity Centre, and what impact does any mismatch have on fleet management.

This meeting will lead to the refinement of the Sea Scouts Boating Strategy and the development of a related Aquativity Centre Operational and Equipment Strategy.  More work and discussions within the Group and with some potential partners required here, but we are making good progress on that front, including the possibility of some new funding for boats coming along - I'll let you know if and when that comes to fruition.

Utilities Connections

In my last post, I mentioned that we are trying to sort out connections for electricity and water, as well as making arrangements for waste water.  We have a meeting arranged with Southern Water about these issues, tomorrow (weather permitting, with a good blanket of snow on the ground today).  The other item on the agenda is arrangements for the pontoon needed to enable the establishment of a Sailability Club on site.

Fundraising

This Saturday 4th December, we now have a good number of people signed up to do bag packing at Asda throughout the day.  This is the 2nd such event in recent weeks, and we are hopeful of an excellent turnout from members of the Sea Scout group, to enable us to raise a significant amount of new funding (all of which will be worth double under the fund matching arrangement we currently have available to us).  So if you are reading this as a member of the group and you haven't arranged your bag packing session on Saturday yet, hopefully you know who to contact.  If you are unsure, send an email here and I'll get you in touch.  And if you are in Totton on Saturday, please call into Asda and we'll pack your bags for you in return for a donation (if you've got no bags to pack, that's fine, just give us a donation anyway!).

And on the subject of fundraising (details taken direct from our recent Group newsletter), here are some EASY, and dare I say it, PAINLESS ways to help. The great news is that everything we raise until next September will be MATCHED POUND-FOR-POUND...

Fundraising Idea 1 – Sell Things! - on eBay
We are now registered as a charity on eBay.
If you are an ebay seller you can donate between 10 - 100% of your final selling price to the group. Every time you list an item for charity, you’ll get a fee credit on your basic insertion and final value fees equal to the percentage you donate.
Once you’re ready to sell your item, go to the Sell hub and select ‘Advanced Sell’. As you’re filling out the details, look out for the charity box just below where you set your price. Select 4th New Forest North (Eling) Sea Scouts and the percentage (10%-100%) of your final selling price that you'd like to donate. The minimum donation is £1 per listing.
A week after your item sells, MissionFish (eBay's charity partner) will automatically collect the donation from you. You can also manage your donations through the 'My Donations' section of My eBay, under the My Account tab. Any fee credits will appear on your next invoice.

Fundraising Idea 2 – Buy Things! - on eBay
When you pay through eBay Checkout for an item you’ve won, you can give £1 to the sea scouts. Here's how to set 4th New Forest (Eling) Sea Scouts as your favourite charity:
1. Sign into My eBay and visit your Donation Account, under the Account Tab
2. Click on ‘My Favourite Charities’ under My eBay
3. Search for 4th New Forest (Eling) Sea Scouts and click ‘Save as a Favourite’
Remember to activate your GIFT AID declaration via your donation account to boost every £1 you donate by an extra 28p, at no cost to you.

Fundraising Idea 3 – Buy More Things! - via easyfundraising.org.uk
Many of us buy stuff online.
easyfundraising.org.uk gets the companies you buy from to donate to a good cause (and there are few better than the Sea Scouts!) so long as you go through their website first. It costs you nothing other than a few minutes to register and a couple of extra clicks each time you shop.
The money comes from someone else! For example, Amazon, The Book People, Boden and M&S will donate 2.5% of what you spend. Gap will donate 3.5% and Groupon 6%! eBay donate 15% (of the seller’s
fee). Supermarkets offer a once only flat rate donation when you begin online grocery shopping with them. Many utilities and telecoms companies do the same when you switch to them (offering donations of up to £40!).
There is almost nothing that cannot be bought through easyfundraising, so please register now:
1. Go to easyfundraising.org.uk
2. Click on “Register as a user”
3. Select the charity/organisation you wish to donate to (we are listed as 4th New Forest North Sea Scouts)
4. Fill in your details and then click on “Register”
You then just need to remember to log in to easyfundraising.org.uk first before you do any more shopping online!

So let me particularly highlight the last of these ideas - you may have noticed that Christmas is coming, so lots of you will be buying presents online at the moment - instead of going straight to Amazon or your other favourite site, follow the instructions above (you only need do this the first time you use this service), then go to easyfundraising.org.uk and click through to Amazon or your other favourite site.  It costs you nothing but a few extra seconds and clicks, and not only will we get the 2.5% or similar of everything you spend, we'll also be able to fund-match to get twice as much!

AND through December, if you've registered as a user, easyfundraising.org.uk has an advent calendar competition with lots of great prizes every day (just visit their site each day and click on the day's window), and lots of offers with their retailers.  So it is in your interest to use the site, as well as helping us and our project.

Oh, and did I mention the bag packing on Saturday? 

I'm looking forward to a great turnout and a great day's takings - it will make a big difference to our funding position.