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Girl Led Financial Literacy

Finances

Girl Scout troops are Girl Led.  This means that the girls make age appropriate decisions about what to do and how to spend their money.

As with other Girl Scout activities, girls build their financial savvy as they get older. Every girl will be different, but here you’ll find some examples of the abilities and opportunities for progression of girls at each grade level.

  • Daisies
    The troop volunteers handle money, keep financial records, and do the group budget.
  • Girls can participate in the official product sales to help raise money for their adventures.
  • Daisies are always paired with a volunteer during the product sales.  Girls do the asking and deliver the product but the volunteer handles the money and keeps the girls safe.
  • Girls should be given the opportunity to practice identifying money and counting back change with an adult during each transaction.
  • Troop volunteers decide what the troop dues will be and what the money will be used for.

Brownies

  • The troop volunteers handle the money, keep financial records, and share some of the group-budgeting decisions with the girls.
  • Girls discuss the cost of activities (supplies, fees, transportation, rentals, etc.) with guidance from the volunteers.
  • Knowing the costs of their chosen activities, the girls work with troop volunteers to set a group goal for the official product sales.
  • Knowing the group goal, girls set their own personal goals for the official product sales.
  • Knowing what the troop dues pay for, the girls or the volunteers may decide what the troop dues will be.

Juniors

  • The group volunteers retain overall responsibility for long-term budgeting and record-keeping but share or delegate other financial responsibilities to the girls.
  • Girls set troop and personal goals for the product sales.
  • Girls decide on troop dues.  A girl is appointed to collect it and record it, keeping track of money that is spent from the troop dues.
  • Working with the troop volunteers, girls create their own budget for short-term and long-term goals, including camping, special events, projects, and their Bronze Award.

Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors

  • Girls estimate costs based on plans.
  • Girls determine the amount of troop dues and the scope of any money-earning activities.
  • Girls set troop and personal goals for the official product sales.
  • Girls create their own budget, including travel, camping, events, and leadership projects.
  • Girls may be involved in seeking donations of materials for Take Action projects, with Council Approval.
  • Girls keep their own financial records and report to the group.

Other Accounts

Finances

Can your troop use a payment account other than its main bank account?

Yes!  But…

It has to be an account dedicated for troop use.  It can not be a personal account that you use for other things.

You must print out and keep statements showing all troop activity – all money coming in, all money going out.

You must include all activity from this account in your open accounting system so all troop parents are aware of it and can review it.

You must include all activity from this account on your Annual Report.

The Best Practice is to use this account from money collections ONLY.  All funds should be transferred to the troop bank account, with statements from both accounts showing the matching withdrawal & deposit transactions.  Any payments made by the troop should be made from the troop bank account only.

Open Accounting

Finances

We are a non-profit.  We must follow the IRS rules for non-profits.  That means that the troop’s books must be open for any troop member or troop parent to review.  For younger girls, this should be a quick update about any money the troop has earned or spent since the last meeting and how they are doing on reaching a savings goal.  For older girls and parents this is most easily done by keeping the troop financial records online.  This spreadsheet will help you do that: https://tinyurl.com/SVGSFinances

You may also use a paper and pen system or your own electronic system.  No matter what you use, if a parent wants to review it, they have the right to do so.

All expenses must have a matching receipt.  When you get your monthly bank statement, staple the receipts from that month to the statement.
Note – Bank Statements are available for pick-up at every Service Unit meeting.

All bank statements and financial reports must be kept for 7 years.

Year-End-Report

Uncategorized

Every fall, each troop* must turn in a Year End Financial Report no later than the November Service Unit meeting.  One of the pages on the suggested “Troop Checkbook Register” spreadsheet adds up everything you need for that report, making filling it out a breeze.

What do you need to fill out this report?

If you are unsure what to do, read through the information below first.  Then look over the “Year End Report” mentioned in number 3 below.

(1) You will need the troop bank statement that includes September 30th.  This should be available in the distribution box at the end of the October Service Unit meeting.

(2) You will need reports showing all activity over the past year for any other accounts your troop uses – Square, VenMo, PayPal, etc.  Remember, these must be accounts used only for your troop.  They can not be used as personal accounts.

(3) You will need the Year End Troop Report form.  As in years past, this will be a paper form.  You can find it on Council’s website.  Search for it by name.

(4) You will need to know what equipment your troop owns (tents, stoves, scissors, etc.)

(5) You will need to know what your troop did this past year. (The poster you made for the Annual Awards Ceremony would be helpful here!)

(6) You must turn in:

  • a copy of your September bank statement
  • copies of the reports of all activity for any other accounts the troop use
  • completed Year End Troop Report form.


Paper copies of the completed report (with attached documents) must be turned in no later than the November Service Unit meeting.

*Troops that are less than one year old and that did not participate in either sale the previous year are not required to turn in a report their first year.  However, if you fill one out this fall, next year’s report will be smaller and you’ll have a better feel for what to do.

If you still have questions or need help, email info@simivalleygirlscouts.org.

Hosting an Event

Hosting events

You are thinking about hosting an event and you have questions.

First: THANK YOU!  Fun events keep Girl Scouts exciting and interesting.

What paperwork do I need to fill out to host an event?

  • We have a very handy document that will help you make sure you don’t forget anything: The Event Planning Worksheet.
  • If your girls are holding the event as a fund-raiser, be sure you’ve read and understand the Fund Raising requirements.
  • If you had any injuries, you must fill out and submit a copy of your First Aid Log to Council.
  • If you had any incidents, you must fill out and submit a copy of your Incident and Injury Report.  A copy of this report MUST be submitted to council within 48 hours of any incidents.

Where can I hold my event?
Many local schools and churches will let you use their space.  Parks are another good choice.  Private homes are not a good choice for many reasons, including lack of room, insurance reasons, and the comfort level of other parents.

Do I have to give out fun patches to people who come?
No, but it does give the girls a memory for the back of their vest.  If you don’t know  how many to buy, buy them after the event, once you know how many girls came.

Can my event be a fun event or must the girls earn badges or do community service?
Life is made up of many different puzzle pieces and fun should always be in there somewhere.  Badge and Journey workshops are great, skill building workshops are wonderful, community service opportunities are awesome – and pure fun is fabulous too!

How much should I charge for my event?  Can my troop use it as a fundraiser?
You can host the event as a service project, charging less than it costs to run the event.  You can charge just enough to break even.  And yes, you can charge extra so it is a fund raiser for your troop.
How much you charge is up to you. Think about how much you would be willing to spend to do this activity with YOUR troop.  Think about how much your girls need to raise to do the things they have planned.

How do I spread the word about my event?
We’ll help!  Send us the details, a digital copy of the flyer (if you made one), or a fun image for your event.

Fund Raising

Finances, Hosting events

Your troop has big plans!  And they knock the fall and cookie sales out of the park.  But to make their plans work, they need more funds.

Now what?
Girl Scouts are allowed to fund raise for specific goals.  There are several rules that must be followed.  Among them are:

  • The troop must have participated in the two most recent sales.  The troop must sell at least 12 boxes of cookies and 12 nuts/candies in order to be eligible to hold a fund raiser.
  • Fund raisers may not take place during either of the official sales (roughly October through early November in the fall and February through mid-March in the Spring).
  • Unlike hosting an event, fund raisers must be approved by the Service Unit.
  • Fundraisers can be events where other girls come and learn and do fun things or they can be garage sales and other pure fundraisers.  Be aware that this can not include any games of chance where prizes are awarded to the winners.  If in doubt – ask info@simivalleygirlscouts.org.
  • Fundraisers can not put the girls in a position where they appear to be selling things for a business or raising money for another organization.  This includes (but is not limited to) restaurant fund raisers, catalog sales, and “Tupperware” type demonstration parties.
  • Girls are not allowed to ask directly for a cash donation.  They can collect money to pay for cookies and nut sale items that will be donated through a council-approved donation program.
  • Girls can choose to donate some of the money they’ve raised to another organization HOWEVER they can not actively ask people to donate money to be given to that organization or display signs saying the money will be donated to another organization.
  • Troops must submit a Money Earning Report within one month of the end of the event. Troops who do not turn in this report will not be permitted to hold future fund raisers.

Insurance

Finances, Hosting events

For most things, Girl Scouts insurance policy covers all registered Girl Scouts.
Tag-alongs ARE covered by the basic Girl Scout insurance for basic troop meetings as long as you have a roster of everyone present and a parent or guardian stays at the meeting.

Examples of things that are not covered include:

  • Everyone – If you have not filled out a trip application, didn’t bother to collect permission slips, forgot to get parents to sign the slip for a high risk activity, or otherwise skipped on some paperwork, then Girl Scouts basic insurance policy probably won’t cover you.  Your own insurance will have to cover you and anyone with you.
  • Tag-alongs – anyone who is not a registered Girl Scout is not covered if the paperwork is not complete or you don’t have a full roster of everyone who is present at the event.  Some examples are siblings who are brought along to an event, friends who “tag-a-long” to a troop meeting, and guest speakers you invite to the event.
  • Buildings – if the location you are meeting at requires an insurance policy (COI), you’ll need to request one from council.  We have one on file already for all of SVUSD’s properties.
  • Longer trips or trips that go out of the country.

For field trips and longer trips, contact council for Plan 3 insurance.  This additional insurance provides extra protection for everyone on the trip.

Trip Applications

Paperwork

Kaleidoscope?  Savannah?  Europe or South America?  Somewhere else that’s exciting?

Traveling with your troop can be a lot of fun – exposing both your girls and YOU to wonderful adventures but you need to fill out the proper paperwork.  Below is a description of what you need.  We’ll be adding examples of these forms soon.

EVERY TRIP
If the trip is further than an hour away OR longer than 6 hours OR contains a high risk activity,  you’ll need to submit a travel or high-risk request.

When filling out this form, you’ll need to know:

  • Trip dates and times
  • Trip destination(s)
  • Modes of Transportation
  • Driver’s names, license expiration, insurance expiration, and a Troop Driver Information form for each driver.
  • Sleeping Arrangements
  • A separate document with trip details – you will upload this
  • Proof of completing Stepping Out, CPR, and Outdoor Training – you will upload these
  • Copies of any permits, agreements, etc. for the trip – you will upload these
  • A Troop Roster – you will upload this
  • The name, phone number, and email address for your “At Home Emergency Contact”
  • The name, phone number, email address, and training date for your First Aid / CPR parent and Stepping trained parent
  • The same information for your Outdoor Trained parent (if needed for this trip)
  • The same information for any other required trainings for this trip
  • The same information for your Wilderness First Aid parent (if needed for this trip)
  • Name and Address of the nearest hospital or urgent care to where you are going

You will need a completed copy of the Specific Trip Permission Form for every girl.

HIGH RISK
If the trip contains any High Risk Activities, you will also need a copy of the High Risk Activity Permission Form for every girl.

You can find all of the forms on Council’s website, scroll down to Travel Forms

DEADLINES
Don’t forget to turn them in on time.  If you turn your forms in late, they may not be approved in time for your trip.  You can always update and add details later, especially for International Trips.

Deadlines are:
Trip of 2 nights or less with no high risk activities: 2 weeks
Trip of 3 nights or more: 3 weeks
Trip with High Risk activities: 3 weeks
Trip with air travel: 3 months
International Trip: 2 years

First Aid Forms

Paperwork

Leaders should always have a first aid kit with them.  How large it is and what is in it will vary based on what the troop is doing.  For example:
Simple band-aids and other everyday supplies for troop meetings
Large kits with a wide variety of supplies and medicines for overnights and camp-outs

Inside the kit or elsewhere in the troop supplies, leaders need to have:
A First-aid Log to track everyday type injuries
An Incident and Injury Report Form for reporting information to our Council if someone is injured or an incident occurs
A copy of Council’s Emergency Procedures.

Every year, leaders should update their First-aid kit to replace used or expired items and to make sure the needed forms are there.

You can find a copies of the Injury and Emergency forms on Council’s website.

Four Annual Forms

Paperwork

There are four forms girls must have at every Girl Scout meeting or event:

  • Annual Permission – Gives permission for a girl to participate in various Girl Scout activities.
  • Permission to Release – States who is allowed to take a girl from a meeting or event.
  • Medical History – Given to emergency medical personnel in the event of an emergency.
  • Medication Permission – States what medicines troop leaders and other first-aiders are allowed to give a girl.

You will find copies of the Four Annual Forms here: https://www.girlscoutsccc.org/en/members/for-volunteers/forms-and-documents.html

  • Every girl must have a copy of these forms at every Girl Scout meeting or event.
  • Parents should keep a copy for those times when their daughter attends an event without her troop.

Tips for Leaders:

  • Put each girl’s forms in a separate envelope. Write her name on the outside and add a photo of the girl. Make a set of envelopes for each leader in the troop plus at least one extra.
  • When traveling, each girl’s forms must be in each vehicle.
  • A set should be kept with the troop’s “at home” emergency contact as well.
  • At the end of the Girl Scout year, be sure to shred the old forms as you replace them with new copies.

NOTE: PAPER copies are needed. Storing them electronically (via Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) is NOT ALLOWED as the sole means of storage as not every place has reliable internet access and batteries do die.