Category Archives: Paperwork

Disbanding a Troop

Finances, Paperwork

There are several reasons why a troop might disband.  The biggest are:

  • The girls all graduate high school.
  • The troop leaders step down and no other parents take their place.
  • The girls are pulled in too many different directions and decide to close their troop.

Whatever the reason, the GIRLS need to decide what to do with any money left in their account.  Troop funds are not the property of any individual girl and can not be divided up and given to the girls.  The girls can choose to:

  • Pay it forward – helping another troop or donating the money to the Service Unit’s or Council’s scholarship funds.
  • Donate it to another organization.
  • Have one last adventure together.

No matter which they choose, the troop leaders and treasurer are responsible for properly closing out the troop.  This includes:

  1. Making sure all checks and other debits to the account have cleared.
  2. Selling or donating any supplies and equipment owed by the troop.
  3. Working with the SU Treasurer to close the troop’s bank account.
  4. Completing the Disbanded Troop Form.

Year-End-Report

Finances, Paperwork

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.

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.