Hacking Eagle Project Ideas using the Internet

Photo: LeoLuigi

Probably the most frequent question that I am asked is, “What should I do for my project?”  It is the age-old question that stumps anyone who is looking to plan and complete his Eagle Project.

If you’ve been following this blog, you will have noticed that the Eagle Project is not as easy as it was once thought.  You’re now aware of your time/resource constraints and even your ambition level.  Still, that does not get you anywhere unless you know how to look for a project that suits your needs.

Introduction

In one of my former posts, I outline the initial thought process in approaching the selection phase of the Eagle Project.  Before I get ahead of myself, I want to explain to you the process of how a project should be selected.  You will find that it will be far easier to look find a project that fits your needs if you approach it a certain way.

Experience

One mistake that I made with my project 7+ years ago was that I was set on only one kind of project. For my Eagle Project, I planned on building park benches.

Why?  Because I already had plans for benches and all that I needed to do was work with a structural engineer to make them smaller so that they’d fit 3 senior citizens comfortably instead of a whole soccer team.  The mistake that I made was that I was trying to find a project that fit the plans that I already had.  I basically had to convince the retirement community that they needed more benches around their duck pond, instead of finding something else that they really needed.

It was like trying to fit a “round peg into a square hole.”  I wasted time looking for an organization that would take my benches.The obvious benefit was that I already had plans that I could lever to expedite my building process, however, it is best practice that you should not be set on one type of project solely based on the fact that you have plans.

It is far easier to Google “Bench Plans” than find an organization in your area that needs benches.  It’s a backwards approach that is inefficient. Here’s what I propose moving forward – look for organizations in your area and ask them what they need done to improve their services to the community.

Resources

Most folks are familiar with Eagle Projects, so convincing them that they aren’t wasting their time would not be a problem. To help you succeed in locating non-profit organizations in your area, check out these resources:

1.  Internal Revenue Service – The IRS is the US government agency responsible for tax collection and tax law enforcement.  Additionally, all for-profit and non-profit organizations must be registered with the IRS in order to conduct business.  Use the IRS database as a tool to look up non-profits in your area.

Link: http://www.irs.gov/app/pub-78

2.  GuideStar – GuideStar is an online resource that gathers and publicizes information about non-profit organizations.  It has useful information like contact information, mailing address, organization mission, goals, accomplishments, budgets and business needs.  In some sections, you may have to for their services (which are free) to view detailed information on each respective non-profit.  Another way to do this is simply search their database, then use Google and find their website that way.

Link: http://www.guidestar.org/

3.  1% for the Planet – 1% for the Planet is an online resource that “exists to build and support an alliance of businesses financially committed to creating a healthy planet.”  It has a huge database of non-profits that receive funding from for-profit entities (Eagle Project Solutions and Patagonia being some of them).  The premise is that 1% of all sales are donated to the non-profits of that businesses choice in exchange for marketing 1% for the Planet’s branding.  Use this as a resource to search their database and locate non-profits in your area, then use Google to hunt down specific information on those that you find.

Link: http://onepercentfortheplanet.org/en/search/nonprofits_search.php

Closing

Using the resources above, you will have a much better chance in locating a project that suits your needs and allows you to leverage troop resources and prior expertise in a way that is both efficient, effective and productive.

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About the Author: Eric Chrabot is a business strategy consultant to the federal sector and a member of the Project Management Institute in Washington, D.C.  In 2004, he received the rank of Eagle Scout from Troop 401 (Tidewater Council) after leading a team to create five park benches for a local retirement organization.  Eric holds a lifetime membership status in the National Eagle Scout Association and a Business Economics degree from Virginia Tech.

For more information on how you can manage your project more effectively and efficiently, please see our Eagle Project Solutions Products page.

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