Exciting News: We’re Partnering with Pecatonica River Popcorn!

We’re thrilled to announce that for the 2025 popcorn sale, the Palmetto Council is partnering with Pecatonica River Popcorn—known for its high-quality, delicious products and strong support of Scouting.

Units can look forward to:

• Tasting samples at Program Kickoff and Popcorn Trainings

• Tasting kits to share with your Scouts and families

• A refreshing, fun, and rewarding fundraising experience

We’re confident this new partnership will help units raise more while offering a better product to your communities. Let’s pop into a successful sale season together!

MUST COMPLETE BY 7/15!

COUNCIL CODE IS 549PAC

2025 Popcorn Selling Dates:

• June 3 & 5 - Popcorn Training (in person)

• August 3 - Show N Sell Lottery - 7 PM via Zoom.

• August 29 - Show N Sell Orders Due

• September 4 - Pickup your Unit’s tasitng kit at Roundtable (Yes, this is one week earlier than usual).

• Week of September 8 - 12 - Have popcorn kickoffs with your unit

• September 18 - Unit Popcorn Pick Up Day

• September 19 - 21 - First weekend of Popcorn Sales

• September 26 - 28 - Show and Sell Weekend

• October 3 - 5 - Show and Sell Weekend

• October - 7 - Partial Popcorn Payment Due for extra 1% Commission

• October 10 - 12 - Show and Sell Weekend

• October 17 - 19 - Show and Sell Weekend (Same weekend as Gold Rush and Fall Family Campout for Cub Scouts)

• October 24 - 26 - Show and Sell Weekend

• Ocotber 30 - Product turn in

• October 30 - Take Order Forms Due

• November 13 - Take Order Pickup

• December 4 - Payment due to Council

Popcorn Rewards

The 2025 Popcorn Sale offers a variety of exciting rewards to motivate Scouts and recognize their efforts. This year’s prize program includes a mix of physical items, gift cards, and exclusive experiences.

Types of Prizes - Scouts can earn rewards through multiple avenues:

• Prize Items: A tiered catalog of fun prizes such as toys, gear, electronics, and Scout-themed items.

• Gift Cards: Higher-level sales can earn Amazon or Visa gift cards, offering flexibility and personalized reward choices.

• Council Rewards Day: All Scouts who sell $1,000 or more will receive an invitation to our exclusive Council Rewards Day.

  • Date & Location:

    • Held on one Saturday in March 2026.

    • We’ll ensure there are no conflicts with other major Council events.

    • Final details will be shared at prior to the start of the popcorn season

• Your Unit can opt out of prizes for an extra 3% commission. This option will still allow for the Scout to partcipate in the Council Rewards Day if they meet the requirements.

Setting Up Your Unit’s Square Account

• Square Set-up Link

• Square Set Up - see bottom of popcorn section of this page.

• Venmo Information

2024 Leader Resources

2025 Leaders Guide

2025 Training Presentation

2025 Budget Document

Secrets to Success

Ordering Popcorn - please see leader guide or helpful tips link

Popcorn FAQs - updates coming soon

Popcorn Needs Tracker - coming soon

Pecatonica Helpful Tips Page

Pecatonica River Training Videos

Store Front Claiming Dates and Information

Each unit will receive one entry into the lottery for every $5,000 in sales (or portion thereof) based on last year’s total sales.

• For example, if your unit sold $62,000 in 2024, you will receive 13 entries into the lottery.

• Units with less than $5,000 in sales will receive one entry.

• All entries will be placed into a drawing. The order in which names are drawn will determine the shift selection order for each round.

Round One:

• Each unit may select up to two shifts per turn, with a maximum of six shifts total during this round.

• We will continue rotating through the list until each unit has made up to three selections (2 shifts x 3 turns = 6 total shifts max).

Round Two and beyond:

• Units will select one shift per round based on descending order of 2024 popcorn sales.

  
  

Commission Structure

Every Unit begins at a base commission of 32%.

Additional incentives are available:

• Attend a Council-led Popcorn Training (in-person or virtual) = 1%

• Sell $10,000–$14,999 OR 15% increase over last year (minimum $5,000) = 1%

• Sell $15,000–$21,999 OR 20% increase over last year (minimum $10,000) = 1%

• Submit payment by October 7th for product sold to date = 1%

• Sell $22,000+ OR 30% increase over last year (minimum $15,000) = 2%

• Elect the “No Prize Option” (no prizes or gift cards for Scouts) = 3%

Highest total percentage is 41%

Square Set Up Instructions:

Here’s the updated set of instructions with the new section added and without emojis:

How to Set Up a Square Account for a Nonprofit Using a Chartered Partner’s EIN

Step 1: Gather Required Information

Before starting, you’ll need:

• Chartered partner’s EIN (Employer Identification Number)

• Legal name of the chartered partner (as registered with the IRS)

• Mailing address, phone number, and email for the account

• Bank account information for deposits (routing and account number)

• Authorized representative’s personal details (Square requires a person for identity verification — typically the unit treasurer, committee chair, or charter org rep)

Step 2: Create the Account

1. Go to squareup.com and click Get Started.

2. Select Create a Business Account.

3. Enter the email address you want tied to this account (should be a unit-controlled email, not an individual’s personal one if possible).

4. Create a secure password.

Step 3: Enter Business / Nonprofit Information

1. For Business Type, choose Nonprofit Organization (if available).

   • If not, choose Corporation or Other, depending on Square’s dropdown.

2. For EIN, enter the charter partner’s EIN (not the unit’s).

3. Enter the legal name and mailing address of the chartered partner organization.

4. Add a “Doing Business As” (DBA) name if you want the unit name (e.g., “Cub Scout Pack 123”) to appear on receipts.

Step 4: Verify Identity

• Square requires a person’s SSN for identity verification (to comply with financial regulations).

• Use the unit’s authorized financial officer (e.g., treasurer, committee chair, or charter org rep).

• This does not make the account personal — it’s just a required step for fraud prevention.

Step 5: Link Bank Account

1. Enter the charter partner’s bank account if funds are being deposited directly with them.

2. If the charter partner allows it, you can link a separate unit bank account (still under the charter partner’s EIN).

3. Square will send two small test deposits to confirm the account.

Step 6: Customize Account

• Set up your business profile (unit name, logo, contact info).

• Choose deposit schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly).

• Enable email or text receipts.

• Set up permissions for multiple leaders if needed.

Step 7: Compliance & Best Practices

• Make sure the chartered partner is aware the unit is using their EIN.

• Keep clear financial records (separate from personal accounts).

• Regularly reconcile transactions with the unit treasurer and chartered org rep.

• Consider using Square’s Team Permissions so multiple leaders can access without sharing the main login.

Options for Tracking Sales

When it comes to setting up your Square account, you have three good options. Each works well, so it just depends on whether your unit prefers simplicity or more detailed tracking.

Below is info received from another council who used Pecatonica.

Option 1: By Location

Track sales by store or event site.

1. Log in to squareup.com/dashboard.

2. Go to Account & Settings → Business Locations.

3. Select Create Location.

4. Enter a name (e.g., “Walmart,” “School Carnival”).

5. Save.

6. On the device, choose the correct location before taking sales.

This option is quick to set up, especially if you only have a few selling sites.

Option 2: By Parent User PINs

Track sales by individual parent.

1. Log in to the Square Dashboard.

2. Go to Staff → Team (Team Management).

3. Select Create Team Member.

4. Enter the parent’s name (contact info optional).

5. Assign role: Cashier/Sales Only (so they can sell but not adjust settings).

6. Save. Square generates a unique PIN.

7. Share PINs with parents. They log in with their number before sales.

This option takes more time to set up, but reports will show exactly which parent logged each sale.

Option 3: One Shared PIN + Notes

Set up with Scout names tracked manually.

1. Create one team member (e.g., “Parent Volunteer”).

2. Share the same PIN with all parents.

3. Instruct parents to add their Scout’s name in the Notes field with each transaction.

   • Example: “John S. – Bear”

4. Later, run transaction reports and filter by Notes to see totals.

This option is very quick to set up, but it relies on parents remembering to type names correctly.

Do you want me to also make this into a one-page leader handout with the steps condensed and bulleted for easy distribution?

Questions or need support?

Please contact Maggie.McMahon@scouting.org | 864.941.6490