Financial

Our Sunnytrails treasurer is Lily Valmidiano and Marilou Thomas.  Contact her at: treasurer@gssunnytrails.com

Our service unit number is #668, our service unit is Sunny Trails.

Troop Finances should be completed through the volunteer Toolkit. Here is a webinar with great information about how to do it.

If you have changes to your account signers please email troopbanking@sdgirlscouts.org to get an authorization form, then you may take that to any Wells Fargo Bank to make the change.

All the information about money and your troop, financials and all the current forms are available on the new council Troop/Group Finances webpage.

Also, here are some of the things from Consuelo’s presentation on the Top 10 Things You Need to Know About Financials from the  Service Unit Meeting. It’s a must-read for everyone!!

Troop Finances
Do you or the parents in your troop have questions about how money is handled in the troop? Financial Guidelines.

What should you spend your money on?

What exactly are the do’s and don’ts? It can easily be summed up in these three simple rules:

  • Troops funds benefit the whole troop (not an individual or just a couple of people; and should be limited to actual troop members and volunteers)
  • The girls decide how troop funds are spent (GIRLS decide, adults guide and should be careful not to unduly influence decision)
  • Event and activities should relate to Girl Scout program goals Discover, Connect, Take Action (this does not mean everything has to be PBS educational, having fun learning new skills and trying new things is good)

Money Earning Projects
Girl Scouts is very supportive of developing entrepreneurship! Product sales train our girls early on to set goals and to learn how to budget for activities like camp, horseback riding and travel. But often troops set a goal that costs more than they can earn by selling cookies and they look for new ways to earn money. This is where Money Earning Projects come in.  We’ve got a great step by step guide to planning a Money Earning Project/Event here this covers the paperwork and timeline for getting it in. When you’ve decided what you’d like to do here is the Money Earning Project Proposal that you’ll fill out and give to one of the Service Unit Managers for approval. The rest of the paperwork that you may or may not need is listed with links below.

Paperwork for Money Earning Projects

Access all the forms for Money Earning on the council Troop/Group Finances webpage.

What can we do to earn money?
There are good suggestions on the back of the money earning project guidelines:
Workshops-Try-It, Badge, Camp skills, etc.
Car washes
Refreshment stand  (no labeled product /resale)
Events-Daisy Day, Brownie Sports, Songfest, Gingerbread House Building,  etc.
Walking tours,
Nature hikes
Back 2 School kits / Program in a box
Breakfasts, luncheons, dinners, teas, etc.
Face painting – offer your services at children’s birthday parties or man a booth at your school fall festival
Gift Baskets
Dances
Yard work
Troop/Group “own” cookbook
Plays or concerts
Gift-wrapping at holiday time
Party favors,
Placemats
Garage sales (recycling is always great too, and you don’t need a money earning form to do that)
Holiday cards
Luminarias
Seasonal Festivals
Craft items
Grow/sell plants
Child Care (refer to council guidelines)
Baked goods
Event photo booth
With a service unit as large as Sunnytrails there are always troops who are interested in attending an activity or event that your troop wants to plan. Just remember to plan ahead as much as possible for the best turn out!

What aren’t you allowed to do? 
Games of Chance like Raffles  & Auctions
Product demonstrations like :Avon, Mary Kay, Tupperware, Pampered Chef, etc.
Sales generating profits for a specific business/company other than Girl Scouts
like Krispy Kreme, M&M, Sees Candies, etc.
Pizza Hut, Papa Johns, etc.
Candle parties, home interiors, etc.
Catalog sales,
Shopping Mall promotions

Wells Fargo Accounts

All troop bank accounts are at Wells Fargo.

Representatives from Wells Fargo are willing to set up a free checking account for our girl scout troops at the SU meetings in the fall or at the bank. Here’s more information about the new partnership with Wells Fargo.

Dear leaders and troop treasurers,

I’m excited to announce our council’s new partnership with Wells Fargo. Approved by your volunteer board of directors, this partnership will make troop banking easier for anyone who participates—giving you more time to spend with your girls. Free online banking and debit cards are included in the program. And best of all, there are no monthly fees! We encourage all troops to take advantage of these wonderful benefits.

Here’s how to get started. All  troops—including those with existing Wells Fargo accounts—must follow these steps to create an account under the new program:
Step 1 – Contact the banking specialist for your area. The banking specialist will set an appointment at your nearest Wells Fargo branch for you to open your troop account. Allow a half hour for your appointment. If possible, bring your co-leader and/or troop treasurer with you.

Garrett B. Frank, (619) 442-1693, Garrett.B.Frank@wellsfargo.com

Jonathon Kernoski, (619) 265-8051, Jonathon.J.Kernoski@wellsfargo.com

Step 2 – Go to your scheduled appointment with your local banker. In addition to setting up your troop account, you will also establish and receive instruction on online banking.
Please bring the following items with you:

• Driver’s license or state-issued identification

• Second form of identification (e.g. credit card, passport, military ID)

• Money for initial deposit ($100 suggested; the bank will work with you if that amount is not available)

Step 3 – Please allow five business days to receive your ATM/debit cards, and 7-10 days to receive your free troop checks.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. And, once you get set up, let me know how this new troop banking program works for you.

Yours in Girl Scouting,

Regina Todd

Once you have opened your new account, please fill out this Bank Authority Form and send it to our service unit treasurer.