​It's also important to remember that the project itself - actually doing the manual labor - is not going to be the hardest part of the project. The hardest and most time-consuming part of the project is going to be planning and getting it approved.

 

Q: What do Scouts need to know before undertaking their Eagle Scout Project?

A: I think it's important to know that you have to use the Eagle Scout project workbook. Again, you can’t shortcut this piece - you need to read-through the whole thing before you start and note that there are separate sections and they all have different purposes. Read through and understand all of them. 

 

Also, many Eagle Scout projects are at outdoor locations, so I would think about having the planning portion of your project take place during the winter months, so you'll be ready to complete the project during the warmer months of the summer. Below is a rough timeline that I used for my project: 
 

• November - January - Identify a benefactor and project

• February - Write-up project plan

• March - Get benefactor approval 

• April - Get Troop and district approval

• May - Begin recruiting volunteers; determine needed materials and establish budget

• June - Fundraising

• July - Build Eagle Scout project

• August - Create final report for submission

 

Q: How do I find a benefactor (organization who will benefit from your project)?

A: I was able to start to find a benefactor by looking for the places that are important to my community. This included my city government, the church, local food and local food shelves. You can usually find a contact on their website and email them asking if there are specific areas that could use your attention or may benefit from an Eagle Project. Chances are, someone with the organization has fielded a similar request to help in the past. 

 

The best way to find an organization to do your Eagle Project is to look at the organizations of which you're already a part. These can include after-school activities, sports, your school, the city and religious institutions. Those are always great places to start.

 

Q: How do you decide what makes a good project?

A: As long as the benefactor wants it to happen and believes it's necessary, then I think you’re project is likely a good fit. Also, I think you're good if it's a big enough project where you feel like you have to put effort into it but not so big that it feels impossible. And if your Scoutmaster, the Troop committee and the District representative all believe that it is a good project, then you're on the right track. Check out the National Eagle Scout Association project idea generator for inspiration.  

 

Q: How do you get an idea for an Eagle Scout project approved?

The biggest thing - and this is true for any stage of the project really - is to have as much information as possible. Document specifics of project, maybe two or three times as much information as you think you’ll need and you’ll be good. 

 

For instance, if you're building something, draw diagrams and detailed instructions for the volunteers to follow. If you are doing some sort of outdoor project, take pictures of the workspace, walk the workspace and do as much pre-work as possible so you can answer any questions. 

 

That's actually another thing you should do too is think of the questions that will most likely be asked and come up with answers for them. You can even present to a family member or a friend and see what questions they have so you can answer them before they even get asked. 

 

Q: Who are all the people who need to approve your project and in what order does that need to happen?

A: So there are four steps when it comes to getting your project approved - three of them can happen in any order but the last one needs to happen last.

 

• First off, you need to meet with the benefactor on the proposed plan and have them approve it. 

• Second, you’ll need to get the project approved by your Scoutmaster. You can walk them through your project plan with a buddy. 

• Third, you need to have a meeting with your Troop Committee and walk them through the plan and have them approve it.

• Finally, and this one need to happen last - would be the District representative. You’ll want to email the contact and set up a time to meet. 
   

I met with the representative at the site and I walked her through where everything was going to go and how it was going to work. Then I showed her my proposal and she had good things to say and she also had suggestions. Because the district representative will have listened to several different proposals, she or he is likely to have some good suggestions on ways to make your project better. Bring like a notebook to write down any suggestions that these people might have because they can be very valuable.

 

Q: Tell me about the difficulty of completing an Eagle Scout Project.

A: I think it comes down to two things: the first is communication. There are so many different levels you need to communicate - you have to communicate with your Scoutmaster, the Troop Committee, your district or council and you have to communicate with all of your volunteers. That can be the hardest part. It takes a long time to bring everyone on board and sometimes things get lost in translation. Additionally, some Scouts may not honor their commitments, which can be frustrating. 

 

I would say the other most difficult thing about it is planning and getting all the approvals you need. By far, the easiest part for me was the actual project itself but the pre-planning can take anywhere between 4 and 8 months. 

 

Q: What were the most surprising things about the process for you?

A: The most surprising thing would probably be the amount of emails I had to send. Communication is key, but with all the different emails you have to send to people and the follow-ups, it really adds up over time. It's great practice but that was really surprising to me. 

 

There were quite a few emails I had to send to several people to see if they had input, and then to follow up to confirm. Then I had to email multiple times to set up meetings to get approvals and then follow up meetings to update them on the plan. This was needed for the benefactor, but also the committee and the district representative. 

 

You’re also going to need to email volunteers several times (two weeks out, three days out, night before) to confirm and reconfirm details of what is expected of them. This includes what time they need to be there, what they should bring or wear and if you plan to feed them (if you can work this into your budget, it goes a long way toward ensuring people will show up).

 

Lastly and separate from communications and emails, I was surprised by how expensive things can get. It’s just $4 here or $6 there but when you're getting 15 of one thing and 15 of another, then the fundraising can really start to be a big thing. 

 

Q: How does fundraising work for your Eagle Scout Project?

A: So fundraising for your project can happen in multiple ways: you can go door to door and ask people for money similar to wreath and popcorn sales except you're just asking for money for your project. You can also fundraise online through websites like GoFundMe. It’s important to keep in mind that you do need to have a fundraising plan and you’ll need to get that approved before you can start fundraising.