Scout and Guide groups are always fundraising, for camps, for gear, for the badges and adventures that make the program what it is, and always with volunteer leaders who are already stretched. The usual fundraisers, the bunnings sausage sizzle, the bulb drive, the car wash, all work but all lean on the same handful of parents and leaders. An outdoor movie night at your hall or a local oval is the scout and guide fundraiser that raises more for less effort, because we run the screen and your group runs a simple canteen. Here is how Perth groups do it.
Why a Scout and Guide Fundraiser Movie Night Works
A movie night fits a Scout or Guide group for the same reasons it fits a school: it raises real money and it barely touches your volunteers. You invite the whole district, not just your own families, so the crowd is bigger than a group-only event, and you run a canteen for the margin. Because we deliver, set up, operate and pack down the screen, your leaders are free to run the gate and the food, not the technology. It also models exactly what Scouting and Guiding are about, community, the outdoors and everyone pitching in, which makes it an easy sell to families and a genuinely good night rather than just another ask.
Which Screen for a Hall or Oval
Open your event to the district and you will want a community-sized screen. The 5m community screen from $600 seats up to around 300 and suits most group and district nights, and it works on an oval or a large hall car park. For a big district or regional event, the 8m screen from $1,100 covers up to 1,200. Both are fully operated with a PA. If your hall grounds have power a walk from the seating, we bring a silent battery inverter. The screen size guide helps you choose.
The Money Side
The Licence You Need
A district movie night open to the public and ticketed is a public screening, so it needs a screening licence for the film. A personal streaming account does not cover it. It is inexpensive and I arrange it with you when you book. See my screening licence guide for the detail.
Your Hall or a Local Oval
Most Scout and Guide halls have grounds that suit a 5m screen, and if not, a local oval or reserve works just as well, though a public reserve may need a council permit. The two essentials are a flat area for the screen and seating and access to power, or our inverter. We coordinate placement with your leaders and set up before families arrive.
A Simple Run Sheet
More Than a Fundraiser
The best group nights are as much about community as cash. Families from across the district meet, prospective members see the group in action, and the whole thing reinforces why people join. That goodwill pays off in recruitment and volunteering long after the night is done. Groups often tell me the movie night became the one fundraiser families actually look forward to, rather than dread being rostered onto, which is why it tends to become an annual fixture rather than a one-off. Run it once well and it books itself the following year.
Booking Your Group Fundraiser Screen
Open it to the whole district
Inviting the district, not just your own group, is what makes the numbers work: the crowd is bigger and the canteen and BBQ carry the margin. It also models exactly what Scouting and Guiding are about, community and everyone pitching in, which makes it an easy sell to families.
Hall car park or local oval
The 5m community screen works on a hall car park or a local reserve up to around 300, fully operated so leaders run the gate and the BBQ rather than the gear. For a big regional event the 8m steps up.
The licence for a public night
A ticketed event open to the public needs a screening licence for the film, and a personal account does not cover it. It is inexpensive and I arrange it with you when you book, so it is one less thing for leaders to chase.
Lock your date
Send your expected crowd and venue via the contact page and I will match the screen, include delivery and secure the date. See the community screenings page for options, and if a public reserve is your site, start the council permit early.
What is included, and how to book
Every community and school hire is all-inclusive: the screen, a matched projector, a professional PA, delivery, setup, full operation on the night and pack-down, with free delivery within 20km of Kwinana. Not sure which size fits your crowd, our screen size guide matches the screen to your numbers, and our weather policy sets out the wet-weather plan. For the fundraising method see the school movie night fundraiser guide, and the schools and community page for the full range. Send your crowd, venue and date through the contact page and we will match the screen and sort the screening licence in one email. For a larger or council-run programme our council programme guide and the community events page are worth a look, and we bring a silent battery inverter for sites where mains power is a walk from the seating.