1. finance
2. bank
3. bank account

Helping girls decide what they want to do, and coaching them as they earn and manage money to
pursue their goals, is an integral part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience (GSLE). Your Girl Scout
troop/group plans and finances its own activities, with your guidance. At the same time the girls learn
many valuable skills that serve them throughout their lives.
Girl Scout troops and groups are funded by a share of money earned through council-sponsored product
sale activities (such as Girl Scout cookie activities and the fall nut and magazine sale), group moneyearning activities (council-approved, of course), and any dues your group may charge. This is in addition to
the $25 annual membership dues that go to the national organization and Badgerland Council to provide
programming for girls. This chapter gives you the ins and outs of establishing a group account and helping
girls manage their group’s finances, practice successful product-sales techniques, review the safety
requirements around product sales, and understand how to collaborate with sponsors and causes.
It is important to remember that all volunteers listed on troop/group bank accounts are ultimately
responsible for troop/group finances. Misuse of Girl Scout funds is a serious offense and will be
treated as such, including but not limited to criminal prosecution and termination as a Girl Scout
volunteer.
If your troop/group is earning and spending money, the group needs to set up a bank account. If you’re
taking over an existing group, you may inherit a checking account, but with a new group, you’ll want to
open a new account. This usually happens when there is money to deposit, such as dues, product sales,
or group money-earning activities. Consider these tips when working with a troop/group account:
Keep group funds in the bank before an activity or trip, paying for as many items as
possible in advance of your departure
Use debit cards during the activity or trip
Make one person responsible for group funds and for keeping a daily account of
expenditures
Have one or more back-up people who also have debit cards, in case the main card is
lost
All receipts for troop/group meeting purchases, including food and/or supplies, should
be kept for your records, and clearly labeled
Follow Badgerland Council’s financial policies and procedures for setting up an account. You must
submit a Troop Bank Account Record within 30 days of opening or changing an account. Councilsponsored product sale activities have specific banking and tracking procedures that will be part of each
product sale training.
At no time and under no circumstance should troop/group money
be deposited into a personal bank account.
Locate a bank in the community where you would like to do business. Items to consider include:
Does the bank offer free checking?
Have other volunteers had a good experience with the bank?
Are there any service fees?
Can you get a debit card and checkbook?
Once the leader receives the troop number, every troop must establish a checking and/or savings
account in an insured financial institution located within their community in the name of Girl Scouts of
Wisconsin - Badgerland Council, Inc., with Troop # . Troop checks must have the Girl Scouts of
Wisconsin - Badgerland Council, Inc., name and troop number on the checks. Leaders’ or volunteers’
names, addresses, school, or membership area should NOT be printed on checks; however, the
accounts should be set up so that the statements are mailed to the leader’s address, not a service
center address.
All troop/group accounts must use
Federal ID # 39-0806331 when opening a
new bank account
Troop bank accounts and checks MUST be titled:
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin – Badgerland Council, Inc.
Troop # XXXX
You may want to bring this portion of the guide with you as it contains the Badgerland Council Federal
ID # and guidelines on how to set up your account. You do NOT need to fill out an IRS W9 Form since
the account is tax-exempt.
Your personal identification will be required. Please take your driver’s license and Social Security
card. The account will be listed under the Federal Tax ID number, but most institutions require
your Social Security number for identification purposes.
After opening the account the leader should complete the Troop Bank Account Record Form (see the
forms section on the Volunteer Resources CD) and return it to the membership specialist for her/his
area within 30 days of opening a new troop bank account or changing any information on an existing
troop bank account.
Each bank account must have a minimum of two signers. The signers MUST be non-related, councilapproved adults, and registered adult members of that troop/group or membership area. Each check
may be signed by one signer on the account. You are not required to have two signatures on each
check. Additionally, it is recommended that you order a debit card for your Girl Scout account. Debit
cards are needed for online registration for events, trainings and membership renewal. Only councilapproved and registered adult members may hold a debit card. All receipts for debit card transactions
MUST be kept with the bank statements and reconciled with the troop checkbook each month. ALL
DEBTS incurred in the name of Girl Scouts of Wisconsin - Badgerland Council, Inc., are the responsibility
of the adult who incurs them. Any adult volunteer may be removed from volunteer positions in
GSWIBC if she/he has knowingly written a personal or troop check with insufficient funds (NSF) or on a
closed account to GSWIBC or to anyone else on behalf of a Girl Scout troop/group.
Any volunteer with a past due account, who has used funds for personal or inappropriate reasons,
and/or has uncollected non-sufficient funded checks will not be allowed to hold any volunteer
position in which that individual is responsible for handling funds. After such debt is cleared,
reappointment is at the discretion of the council.
In order to maintain the integrity of the account, careful record keeping is imperative. The checkbook
should be held by one volunteer and the statement and debit card held by the other. This allows both
leaders flexibility when they need to purchase supplies, etc., for the troop. By using this method, both
leaders should participate in balancing the account monthly.
No leader should ever reimburse themselves if they have made a purchase for the troop/group out of
personal funds. In the event that a leader needs to be reimbursed personally for a purchase, the
second signer on the account must verify the receipts are on file, and can reimburse the leader. At no
time should a leader reimburse themselves for a purchase.
The Troop Finance Report (found in the forms section on the Volunteer Resources CD) is due to your
membership specialist annually by June 30th. Please attach a copy of your troop account register and
your most recent bank statement or online activity statement for the last 6 months with this form.
The forms section of the Volunteer Resources CD has a Badgerland Council Tax Exempt
Certificate that can be used when purchasing items for Girl Scout activities. Present a copy of
the certificate when purchasing items and you should receive tax exempt status. It is unlawful
to use this certificate for anything that is not for Girl Scout use, and doing so will result in legal
action.
In general, you should only have to go to the bank and have the authorized signers changed on the
account. However, this can vary from bank to bank, so please check with your bank as to their policies.
You should also obtain the troop’s past financial information from the previous leader. If you are
unable to do so, you should contact your membership specialist for assistance as you will need to close
the old bank account. If you do close an old account, be sure to shred or return to Badgerland Council
all unused checks.
The Troop Bank Account Record Form (see the forms section of the Volunteer Resources CD) should
be submitted to your membership specialist within 30 days of making any changes to an existing
bank account.
Troop accounts must be closed within three weeks of the troop disbanding. A troop is considered
disbanded when girls and leaders decide not to continue or when new leadership cannot be recruited.
Any unused Girl Scout money left in accounts when troops/groups disband becomes the property of Girl
Scouts of Wisconsin - Badgerland Council, Inc. Prior to disbanding, the troop may decide to donate any
unused funds to a worthwhile organization, another troop, or for girl activities. As when closing a personal
account, be sure all checks and other debits have cleared the account before you close it, and realize that
you may have to close the account in person. Turn remaining funds over to your membership specialist or
staff contact with a copy of the Troop Finance Report (see forms section) and most current bank
statement. Be sure to shred or return to Badgerland Council all unused checks.
Please note: Any troop/group disbanding will need to contact their Membership Specialist
within 3 weeks of their decision to disband and will need to complete the Disbanding Troop
Process obtained from their Membership Specialist.
A troop/group is considered merged when at least two troops join to form one new troop.
When a troop merges with another existing troop, all funds of the former troop will be allocated to
the existing troop account. The account that is no longer needed for the new troop should be closed
as soon as the funds have been transferred to the new account. Be sure to shred or return any unused
checks, along with bank statements, and a Troop Finance Report (see forms section on the Volunteer
Resources CD) to the Membership Specialist. The newly joined leader will need to have his/her name
added to the troop account as a signer at the bank. The new troop will need to complete a new Troop
Bank Account Record Form (see the forms section on the Volunteer Resources CD) and return it to the
membership specialist.
Transferring girls is when a girl or group of girls leaves one troop/group to join a new troop/group.
Money does not belong to any individual girl. Thus, if one girl transfers to another troop, money does
not transfer with her. Troops who reorganize or split must first consult with their membership
specialist. After this consultation, troop funds will be allocated based upon the percentage of girls
from the original troop.
The membership area treasurer will be responsible for managing the membership area account. If for
some reason a membership area account is not already established, the same guidelines for
establishing a troop account should be used. The Membership Area Finance Report (see the forms
section on the Volunteer Resources CD) is due to your membership specialist annually by June 30th.
Please attach a copy of your membership area account register and the most recent bank statement or
online activity statement for the last 6 months with this form.
Troop/group dues are for troop/group program activities and supplies. The amount of dues and
frequency of payment should be determined by the girls, their families and the volunteers, and
should reflect the troop’s plans for the year, as well as the families’ ability to pay. Consideration
should be given to: what activities the girls want to do, other sources of money (product sales),
parents’ financial situations, and how girls get or earn their money. Younger girl dues average $.25$.50 per meeting and older girl dues may average $1.50-$2.00 per month. The troop/group and/or
parents should decide whether these dues are collected at each meeting or if they will be paid in
lump sums during the year. Troop dues are generally a first-year cost for new troops to establish a
financial base for the troop.
Girls earn money in two distinct ways:
The Girl Scout Cookie Program and other sales of Girl Scout–authorized products (such
as Girl Scout cookies, magazines, or nuts and candy), organized by Badgerland Council
and open to all Girl Scouts. Girls can participate in two council-sponsored product sale
activities each year: The ‘In A Nutshell: Nuts, Magazines and Sweets’ sale in the fall and
the Girl Scout Cookies sale in the winter and early spring. All girl members who take
part in any way of Girl Scouting (troop, camp, travel, etc.), including Daisies, are eligible
to participate in council-sponsored product-sale activities, with volunteer supervision.
Please remember: volunteers and Girl Scout council staff don’t sell cookies and other
products—girls do.
“Group money-earning” refers to activities organized by the group (not by the council)
that are planned and carried out by Junior through Ambassador Girl Scouts (in
partnership with adults) and that earn money for the group.
Girls’ participation in both council-sponsored product sale activities and group money-earning projects is
based upon the following:
Voluntary participation
Written permission of each girl’s parent or guardian
An understanding of (and ability to explain clearly to others) why the money is needed
An understanding that money-earning should not exceed what the group needs to
support its activities
Observance of local ordinances related to involvement of children in money-earning
activities, as well as health and safety laws
Vigilance in protecting the personal safety of each girl
Arrangements for safeguarding the money
There are a few specific guidelines-some required by the Internal Revenue Service-that ensure that sales
are conducted with legal and financial integrity. To that end, consider the following reminders and
cautions:
All rewards earned by girls through the product-sale activities must support Girl Scout
program experiences (such as camp, travel, and program events, but not scholarships or
financial credits toward outside organizations).
Rewards are based on sales ranges set by councils and may not be based on a dollarper-dollar calculation.
Groups are strongly encouraged to participate in council-sponsored product sales as
their primary money-earning activity; any group money-earning shouldn’t compete with
the Girl Scout Cookie Program or other council-sponsored product sales.
For any additional troop/group fund-raising activity beyond the fall and spring council
sponsored sales, Badgerland Council requires that you submit an application to your
membership specialist or staff contact at least three weeks prior to the activity. (See
the forms section on the Volunteer Resources CD for an application and details).
Girl Scouts forbids use of games of chance, the direct solicitation of cash, and productdemonstration parties.
Group money-earning activities need to be suited to the age and abilities of the girls and
consistent with the principles of the GSLE.
Money earned is for Girl Scout activities and is not to be retained by individuals. Girls
can, however, be awarded incentives and/or may earn Badgerland Bucks from their Girl
Scout product sales.
Funds acquired through group money-earning projects must be reported and accounted
for by the group, while following council procedures.
The best way to earn money for your group is to start with Girl Scout cookie activities and other councilsponsored product sales. From there, your troop/group may decide to earn additional funds on its own.
It is important to remember that while all Girl Scouts may participate in council-sponsored sales, only
Juniors through Ambassadors may participate in additional fund-raising activities.
Troop Bank Account Record
New troop leaders - Complete this form and return to your membership specialist within 30 days of
opening a new troop bank account.
Returning troop leaders – Complete this form and return to your membership specialist within 30 days
of making any changes to an account.
Troop #:
Membership Area #:
Membership Year:
Primary Name on the Account:
Address:
City:
State/ZIP:
Daytime Phone:
Evening Phone:
Cell Phone:
Account Number:
Type of Account:
E-mail:
Financial Institution Name:
□ Checking
□ Savings
List All Names Authorized to Sign on the Account:
1.
2.
3.
Please attach a voided check and/or savings deposit ticket to this form.