Money Matters

New leaders with new troops are probably wondering how the troop will afford the supplies girls will need and get the money to cover expenses. Here are several ways to get the needed funds. One of the first ways is to assess dues. Once the leaders have decided the amount of dues they feel the troop will need, they should inform parents of the weekly or monthly dues at the annual parent’s meeting and tell them how much they will be expected to supply.

Brownie, Junior, Cadette, and Senior Girl Scout troops do not have “start up fees.” Troops don’t set a yearly fee for these funds. There is no “we set the fee at $50 a year” or any such thing. Money to operate the troop comes from weekly/monthly dues, product sales, and, if there is a specific need, a Junior, Cadette, or Senior troop can hold a fundraiser, if they have participated in both Council product sales campaigns during the year. Brownie Girl Scout troops are not allowed to participate in any additional money-earning activities aside from the Council sponsored product sales.

Daisy Girl Scouts do not collect dues, participate in Council sponsored product sales, or handle money in any way. Daisy Girl Scout troops are the only troops that can assess a fee for troop expenses, but it is handled by the adults of the troop, not the girls.

All troops, including Daisy Girl Scout troops, should have a troop bank account. This is the best way to keep track of troop funds, and a double check on the financing if everything purchased has a cancelled check to back it up. And, it makes filling out the financial statement at the end of the year so much easier. Remember when you go to open a bank account that you are opening an account that charges no service

charges and that you do not open an account that earns interest. There are banks in all parts of the Council that will allow you to open a free checking/non interest bearing account. There may be a minimum amount to open the account, but it is usually around $25. Check with your service unit administrators for a list of banks.

As has been stated in the past, all troop money, which includes all dues and troop money-earning funds, belongs equally to the entire troop. It is not individual money and it is never allocated on an individual girl basis. For more information about Girl Scout Finances, please refer to the GSSJC Resource Guide, Chapter 7.

Taking just one more

This is recruitment time and the Council is in the process of forming new troops with new leaders, but, there are also girls that need to be placed in an existing troop. Often times your service unit troop organizer will call a troop leader and be informed that this troop is “closed,” meaning they won’t take any new girls. This is an unfortunate decision because GSUSA is an inclusive organization and we are to offer Girl Scouting to “Every Girl, Everywhere.” There are really no good reasons to not accepting new girls into your troop. By “closing” your troop you are denying a young lady the opportunity to be a Girl Scout, and denying your troop the opportunity of making a new friend and

receiving a whole new personality into your troop. Adding new girls to an established troop can be a great thing, you get the chance to try new ideas, learn from this new girl and her parents, and you get to expand your troop’s circle of friendship. Please, when your troop organizer calls, open your troop and your arms to new girls.

Teach them respect

It was disheartening to read recently of the vandalism and destruction of property at GSSJC’s beautiful camps. The Council has some of the most outstanding camping facilities in the entire world and it is hard to believe that our own girls would want to deface them with graffiti and destruction. Our girls must be taught that it is not okay to write their names or any other message on the bunks, rafters, or book cases. If they see that someone else has done this, then they think it’s okay to do it. Please check their tents/cabins when you arrive and as you leave and, if they have defaced the facilities, they need to make it right. Be assured that the rangers know exactly who was in a unit and, as was stated in a recent issue of The Golden Link, troops can be barred from camping at our facilities.
There is a saying that has been passed down from Girl Scout to Girl Scout for many years: “A Girl Scout always leaves a place cleaner than she found it.” Please take time to teach your girls this motto and discuss with them what it means. And then, have a discussion about how we should treat our camp properties, those properties they have helped pay for with their cookie sales.