The Order of the Arrow puts on many exciting programs as part of its mission: National Leadership Seminar, OA High Adventure, and the National Council of Chiefs, just to name a few. The OA Endowment Fund helps ensure that these programs can exist for years to come. The fund, which also supports the national officers, was started in the 1970s through the sale of Vigil Honor cards. Recently restructured in 2023, the OA Endowment hopes to continue to provide future opportunities to the OA.
To help fund the Order of the Arrow’s national programming, the OA sponsors a patch auction at NOAC, with the proceeds benefiting the OA Endowment Fund. NOAC 2024 will be no different. This year, it’s gone virtual as Arrowmen around the country can bid on unique and exclusive patches and Scouting memorabilia to add to their collections.
“All proceeds from the patch auction go directly into the OA Endowment Fund,” said 2022 National Chief and National Committee Member Tim Reiss, “which will help perpetuate the Order of the Arrow for many years to come.”
The patch auction site is now live and more items are being added daily! Arrowmen can visit the auction website to view the collection and place bids. Bidding closes on August 1, 2024, at 5 p.m. MT. Delegates and staff who are on-site at CU Boulder can view the patch auction collection at Ketchum Arts and Sciences Building rooms 1B87 and 1B71, but anyone in the country can place their bids through the website. If you are not on-site at NOAC 2024, you can have your winnings shipped to you for a nominal fee. Arrowmen on-site at NOAC 2024 can pick up their patches on Friday, August 2.
Also at NOAC 2024, there will be exclusive items available in the trading post to benefit the OA Endowment. The Endowment Trading Post started in the late 1990s as a way to support the OA Endowment through patch sales, and that legacy continues today. A wide variety of items are up at the post including special patch sets and unique items like limited-edition flaps, coins, and other exclusive memorabilia. Some of these items will include special OA Alliance merchandise with special event and trading post versions.
In the future, the OA Endowment will commission a statue at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, which will be unveiled in 2026. A special 1930s vintage collection is also being planned, along with artwork from OA’s Artist-in-Residence Joshua Hunt.
Direct opportunities to support the OA Endowment beyond the patch auction and trading post include the Legacy Fellowship Award for current James E. West Fellowship recipients to support the Order of the Arrow and the Goodman Society for planned giving. Supporting the endowment directly impacts Arrowmen and ensures the Order of the Arrow can fulfill its mission for years to come. More information on these opportunities or on the OA Endowment Fund can be found at oa-bsa.org/endowment.
“The ones who chose you need you.” Through your support, the OA will continue to support leadership development in Scouting into the next generation of Arrowmen and beyond.