For Girls + Families

Our simplified navigation puts the stuff you’re looking for at your fingertips. Want to learn more about Girl Scouts? Ready to join now? Looking for activities, events and important dates? It’s all here.

For Troop Leaders

Designed as a comprehensive, interactive roundup of core plan “program essentials” content, our new Planning Guides offer activity plans and events for earning awards, badges and patches.

For Volunteers

To make the information in our volunteer guide more accessible, we created an online Volunteer Essentials area featuring section-by-section summaries, highlights and additional resources.

For Everyone

We hope you find some time to explore the new site. For help finding a page that’s in a new place, try the I’m Lost link at the top of the page. In the coming weeks, we’ll add new posts sharing more information about new features and content. Stay tuned!

Most Girl Scout program and activity plans can and should be supported through troop dues and participation in the Cookie Program Activity and Fall Product Program Activity. However, if a troop goal for a specific program or activity cannot be met, girls can participate in money-earning projects.

Here are just a few friendly reminders that should be followed when it comes to money-earning: 

• Don’t forget to submit an approval form 30 days prior to the start of your money-earning project.
• If your project will earn less than $100, no approval is required.
• Wondering if your service unit can help your troop with a project? A service unit cannot host or conduct money-earning projects, but they are welcome to help support and assist troops with planning. All proceeds from money-earning activities must go back to individual troops.
• Wondering if your Girl Scouts can raise money for other charities or for a good cause? Troops cannot raise money for another organization or charity, but they may choose to donate a portion of what they earn to a charity of their choice.
• Troops cannot take orders for, sell or endorse a commercial product or business of any kind. However, they can sell wholesale, non-branded or homemade items.

In order to protect the safety of girls, River Valleys’ tax exempt status and our GSUSA charter, all troops must follow federal, state and organizational money-earning policies. For a complete list of guidelines, visit Volunteer Essentials: Managing Group Finances. For additional information about money earning, check out the Money Earning page.

And don’t forget, you can always contact money-earning liaison, Rachel Hoben, at 800-845-0787 with your questions.

To help you, here is a spaghetti dinner money-earning example from the Kenyon Service Unit troops. Participants were Brownies to Ambassadors.

Money-earning tips

A service unit cannot host or conduct money-earning (ME) projects but can assist troops in developing and implementing projects. All proceeds must go back to troops.

When dealing with food for a ME project, you must contact the State Health Department to inquire whether or not you will need a food license prior to approval.

Spaghetti Dinner Insights

Was your project successful?

Yes. It was a great success. We served 140 people and the girls did a great job serving, assisting, cleaning and thanking everyone.

Did you meet your fundraising goal?

Just barely. We didn’t raise our prices, even though we knew the cost of food would be more. Each troop made about $100.

Would you do the same event again or change it in anyway?

We will do it again next year. It is a great way for the girls to be seen in the community. Not sure we would change anything, maybe plan sooner to have more time to advertise.
Thank you to all who have been sending in pictures from their money-earning projects. I am going to give you one more helpful reminder—Cookie Sales are just around the corner and ME projects cannot be held during the fall product sales or cookie sales. Please continue to turn in your approval forms 30 days in advance.

For more information check out money-earning guidelines and stay tuned for more money-earning tips!

Craft + Bake Sale Experience

Was your project successful?

Yes. We, Troop 51282, organized the event, set up a concession stand and also sponsored a food drive. Interacting with troops of all age levels was fun. We learned about planning, budgeting, marketing, selling, making change, dealing with customers and more.

What are you raising money for and did you meet your fundraising goal?

We are planning a trip to Pax Lodge World Centre in London. We will participate in a special program for the 100th year in Girl Scouting. Our goal was to make enough for the next trip payment. We met our goal, with a little extra help from some generous donations. You can learn more about taking a trip with your troop, destinations.

Would you do the same event again, or change it in anyway?

Yes. We want to encourage greater troop participation in our service unit. Currently we’re collecting feedback and asking troops who have hosted similar events how we can inspire more interest. Next year we want troops to submit an application with hopes to qualify as the host troop.

Helpful Money-Earning Tips

• When dealing with food you must contact the State Health Department to determine if a food license is needed prior to approval.
• Money-earning projects cannot be held during the Fall Product Sales and Cookie Sales. Please continue to turn in your money-earning project approval forms 30 days in advance.

Thank you to all troops sending in pictures in coordination with approved money-earning projects. I want to wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday season! Stay tuned for more fun money-earning excursions throughout River Valleys!

For other helpful tips and money-earning guidelines visit the money-earning section.

Staying In is a three-hour training session that includes information on:

• Indoor and outdoor activities to do with girls
• Girl progression and readiness
• River Valleys’ policies and Safety-Wise
• Leave No Trace principles
• River Valleys’ properties
• Menu planning and packing gear with girls

Participants in the Staying In session also have the opportunity to practice activities they could do with their girls, collaborate with other volunteers and gain new ideas.

Find Beyond the Troop trainings, including Staying In. A self study option also exists for both Girls Cook In and Girls Sleep In. By completing these two modules, you will have completed your prerequisite to Girls Cook Out and Girls Sleep Out.

Questions?

Email training@www.girlscoutsrv.org

Here are the steps to upload a picture to our page.

1. First Like us.
2. Next click Photo.
3. Click Upload a Photo.
4. Click Browse and find the picture on your computer.
5. Click Share and tell us about the photo.
6. Your picture is posted.

Now you can go to our Facebook page, like us and add your pictures.

In addition to filling up the calendar with activities the girls choose at the beginning of the year, it is important to start asking for additional support from your Girl Scout network. You can consider asking parents and family members, service unit team members, older-girl troops in your area, and council staff to assist your troop on various levels.

Your planning and preparation will help you kick off the 2011-2012 program year with a bang,and you will be able to create a fun and engaging Girl Scout year for your troop and everyone involved. Thank you for all you do, and good luck in the upcoming program year.

As your troop wraps up their Girl Scout year, it is important for you to turn in your troop’s Annual Finance Report. Two copies of this form, along with your May troop bank statement, should be submitted to your service unit treasurer by June 15.

This information is important for your service unit to acquire, because it helps the service unit keep accurate record of each troops account. Having this accurate information is also important in case the troop experiences a change in girls or leadership.

In addition to supporting the service unit financial records, completing the Annual Troop Finance Report also allows troops to provide an accurate account of troop funds to the girls and families at the end of each Girl Scout year. Through this process, troops are able to plan their upcoming Girl Scout activities and determine what funds will be needed to support their Girl Scout programming.

Thank you for completing your Annual Troop Finance Report!

For example, the Swimming Safety Activity Checkpoint is where you find information about swimming and water parks. Please note: the adults who attend with the girls act as watcher during swimming and water park activities. Included in the safety checkpoint is a list of water parks that currently have supplied us with a certificate of insurance.

For groups going horseback riding there is both a safety checkpoint and a list of approved horse stables.

If a program vendor you plan to use is not on the list, please contact Pam Wurster. Please note that council staff will request the certificate of insurance and that it is best to allow two weeks for the certificate to arrive in our office.

Enjoy your summer fun!