Managing Finances

Helping girls earn and manage money is an integral part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.

This section gives you an overview about setting up group accounts, helping girls manage their finances, review the safety requirement around product sales and understand how to collaborate with sponsors and causes

Establishing an Account

This section contains tips for opening, using and closing a group account.

• Finance Forms – includes Troop Finance Packet, finance report and Troop Disband Form

Helping Girls Reach Their Financial Goals

This section includes steps for facilitating girl-led financial planning.

• Finance Forms - includes Troop Money-Earning Project and Babysitting forms

Money-Earning Basics

This section covers the ways that girls earn money through Girl Scouts, and provides guidelines, policies and ideas for money-earning projects. This includes safety for money-earning projects and cookie sales including rules for how to market projects using email and social media.

• Money-earning guidelines
• Find the Babysitting Guidelines with our other Finance forms.
• Minnesota Department of Health (for food stand/community dinner projects)
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture (for bake sales)
• Iowa Department of Public Health (for food stand/community dinner projects)
• Wisconsin Department of  Health Services (for food stand/community dinner projects)
• Girl Scouts Online Safety Pledge
• Blog highlights of money-earning projects from the River Valleys council.

Collaborating with Sponsors + Other Organizations

This section provides guidelines surrounding working with businesses, individuals and organizations including how to take financial and in-kind donations and how to thank them.

• Contact River Valleys staff with questions about working with and recruiting sponsors.

Solicitation

This section provides guidance regarding asking for and accepting financial donations. Many rules apply to donations of varying amounts, so be sure to read this section carefully if you receive any donations (solicited or unsolicited).

Troop Sponsorship

This section contains a step-by-step guide for creating and maintaining partnerships between a Girl Scout troop and a community organization or business.

• Find the Troop Sponsorship form with our other Finance Forms

Financial + Sales Abilities by Grade Level

This guide shares the ways different ages of scouts are able to participate in financial activities.

Girl Scout Cookie Program Activity

Here is information about the Cookie Program and its history.

• River Valleys’ Cookie Program
• What Can a Cookie Do? - An inspiring video on the cookie program and its impact on girls
• GirlScoutCookies.org – This site has a troop locator to help people buy cookies as well as nutritional details and cookie info.

Product Sales: Financial Literacy + the Girl Scout Leadership Experience

Learn about the impact of Girl Scout product sales including helping girls learn financial literacy and business skills. This includes information on who can participate, where the proceeds goes and tips for a successful cookie sale. There is also considerable additional information about marketing cookies using email, web and social networking.

• Activity Planning and Approval Forms – includes Parent/Guardian permission forms and photo releases
• Girl Scouts Online Safety Pledge
• Let Me Know: Girl Scouts and Microsoft website addressing Internet safety for teens and tweens.