Girl Scout Guidelines for Money-Earning
By planning and participating in money-earning projects, girls build real-world skills that benefit their groups, councils, communities, and most importantly, themselves. Here are the "five skills" girls learn:
- Goal setting
- Decision making
- Money management
- People skills
- Business ethics
To ensure that girls build their new skills safely, Girl Scouts of the USA and local Girl Scout councils have developed money-earning guidelines for girls and adults to follow.
Do
- Make sure activities are grade-appropriate and that they follow the goals and principles of Girl Scout program.
- Decide as a group how to use money earned by the group—individuals cannot earn money for individual use.
- Make sure an adult is present at all times during money-earning activities outside the meeting place.
- Follow council guidelines for setting up a group bank account to be overseen by a designated adult volunteer. Involve girls in the oversight, if age appropriate.
- Encourage registered Girl Scouts who participate outside of troops to check with their councils if they want to participate in the Girl Scout Cookie and other sales programs or apply for financial assistance.
- Instruct girls in use of the Internet to market products, following GSUSA and national safety guidelines.
Don't
- Do any money-earning project without approval from your council.
- Participate in games of chance, direct solicitation for cash, or product endorsement.
- Raise money for other organizations or causes. (Girls can decide to donate as a group from their earnings or give service to that organization.)
- Conduct any sales on the Internet (with the exception of magazines and GSUSA-approved nut sale pilots).
Always check Volunteer Essentials, Girl Scout Safety Activity Checkpoints and policies in the current Blue Book of Basic Documents (PDF) as well as council policies and standards when planning money-earning projects. Ask your council for these resources.
Ideas for Group Money-Earning
Get creative! Money-earning need not be drudgery—have fun building new skills and helping achieve goals for the group and community. Here are ideas to get girls started:
- Sell Girl Scout Cookies, nuts, or magazine subscriptions from approved vendors
- Provide childcare at a special event
- Make handmade cards for occasions
- Pick up litter after sports events
- Have a themed car wash
- Do face-painting at a community event
- Wash neighborhood windows
- Hold a drive for returnable cans
- Walk pets
Look around you and see what needs could be filled or what interests your girls have. What will your next project be?
