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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.

Outdoor Progression

Leader

Eager to get your troop outside?
Here’s a guide to help you take that leap when your girls are ready for it.

Chart showing the Outdoor Experiences Progression as girls get older. Daisies: Indoor Camping for 1 to 2 nights, Slingshots, Fishing Brownies: Cabin Camping for 1 to 3 nights, Equestrian, Canoeing Juniors: Tent Camping for 1 to 3 nights, Kayaking, Low Ropes Course Cadettes: Up to 6 nights of outdoor camping, Tomahawks, State Parks Seniors & Ambassadors: 6+ nights of outdoor camping, Destinations Program

It’s up to each troop to decide when they are ready for the next step in the adventure!  If your Daisies are not ready for sleepovers, wait until they are.  If your Juniors are ready to travel, help them figure out where to go, what to do, and how to budget.

Stepping Out Training is required when taking your troop beyond it’s normal meeting place.  Stepping Out Training must be renewed every 3 years.

First Aid/CPR/AED Training is also required.  You can find this training class many places, including with the Red Cross.  The class can be all in person (usually an 8 hour day) or it can be a combined class with an online portion AND an in person portion.  Check our Upcoming Events to find classes offered by our Council.

Outdoor Training is required for any outdoor cooking activities and for any outdoor overnights. Check our Upcoming Events to find classes offered by our Council.

Be sure to check Safety Activity Checkpoints to see what other trainings are required for your planned activities.