Fundraising with the Scouts Canada Northern Lights Council

Make a Donation,
Make A Difference!

The Northern Lights Council is a charitable organization committed to providing the youth of Northwest Territories, northern and central Alberta with rich, unique, accessible Scouting opportunities that promote character development and responsible citizenship. Every year, we aim to grow our program by reaching out to more youth in more communities in our territory. While membership, camp, and event fees off-set the cost of running our programs, they do not cover the cost entirely.

Fundraising initiatives and donations play a significant role in our program delivery and our ability to introduce Scouting to those less fortunate. Your support makes a difference!

Donations can be made to your local group, a specific council, No One Left Behind, or to the Scouts Canada Organization by going to https://www.scouts.ca/donate/online-ways-to-donate.html

Northern Lights Scout Foundation

The Northern Lights Scout Foundation provides financial support for Scouting in Northern Lights Council from the revenues generated by the investments which it holds for this purpose. The Foundation’s holdings have been acquired over many years through fundraising, donations and bequests. These investments provide an ongoing stream of income for the operation of the Council.

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Northern Lights Council Fundraising Activities

Scout Popcorn

Scout Popcorn is the most important fundraising program for Scouts in Edmonton, and across Canada. As a youth-led initiative that runs every year from mid-September to mid-October, it promotes confidence, responsibility and good citizenship. Since 1989, Canadian Scouts from all across the country have sold over $100 million of Scout Popcorn with more than half of the money raised doing directly to Scouting activities such as: summer camps, Jamborees, canoe trips, group excursions, and to help subsidize registration fees.

For more information about Scout Popcorn visit http://www.scoutpopcorn.ca or if you have specific Popcorn campaign questions, please contact your area commissioner or local group Popcorn leader.

Scoutrees

When you donate to Scoutrees, you support the environment. This national youth program, typically held in spring, encourages and promotes environmental stewardship. By planting trees, youth learn about the important role they have in our lives, as well as the critical need for conservation. Each spring since 1972, thousands of Beaver Scouts, Cub Scouts, Scouts, Venturer Scouts and Rover Scouts have planted over 80 million trees through the Scoutrees Program.

For more information visit http://www.scouts.ca/scoutrees

FUNDRAISING & DONATION FAQS

My group is interested in running a Casino*, Bingo, or Raffle draw. How do we plan one and what do you need?

All gaming fundraisers need to be applied for through the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) and approved by the Council Key 3. Information on how to apply can found at G.A.I.N seminars (Gambling Information for Charitable Organizations) throughout the year, or taken online.

* Please note that the wait time for casinos may be up to 3 years from the date of application.

I’m a business owner or organization that has a fundraising opportunity for your members. Who do I talk to?

We encourage all organizations to send us an email to northernlights@scouts.ca that breaks down the event or organization, your request from Scouts Canada, and what the benefits are to our members. Once your proposal has been reviewed by our Key 3, we will use our discretion to forward it along to our members. Interested groups will then contact you directly if they would like more information.

I have bags of empties! Are Scouts doing a bottle drive in my neighbourhood soon?

It’s quite possible – Scouts do bottle drives at varying times of the year across Northern Alberta and the NWT!

Use the Find a Scout Group tool to find a group close to you, or call 1-888-SCOUTS-NOW and we would be happy to get you in touch with someone.

I have some old camping equipment and a canoe in my garage and I would be interested in donating it to Scouts. Who do I talk to about dropping it off?

While we really appreciate the thought, we are currently at capacity for all camping equipment and canoes for our Council-run facilities.

If you’re passionate about donating, we recommend you get in touch with your local group and find out what they need. Keep checking back though, as we update our site regularly and may do public calls for specific items.

For safety and sanitation reasons, we cannot accept donations of the following:

Sleeping Bags and pillows
White Gas Stoves or Lanterns

I have some old Scout memorabilia in my attic. Does Scouts Canada want it?

Cool! While we no longer have a Scout museum in Alberta, you can reach out to the group that manages the Scouts Canada National Museum in Ottawa at museum@scouts.ca to see if they're interested.

There is also a large community that appreciates and collects all items related to Scouting. Please consider posting a message on our Facebook page (Scouts Canada - Northern Lights Council).