Money-Earning Guidelines
Building Skills, Meeting Budgets

	FROM SAFETY-WISE "Fund-raising or fund development to support the Girl Scout council is the responsibility of adults, and the responsibility should not be placed with girls. Girls may provide support to these efforts through voluntary service. Selling Girl Scout Cookies is not a fund-raising activity. Fundraising or fund development refers to any of various methods of soliciting contributed funds—for example, an annual campaign, a capital campaign, project funding, planned giving, benefits, and federated funds allocation." —Standard 32, Safety-Wise, Girl Scouts of the USA

By planning and participating in money-earning projects, girls build real-world skills that benefit their troop/group, council, and community—but most importantly, themselves. Here are some of the things girls can learn:

• Budgeting
• Goal-setting
• Customer relations
• Good business practices
• Public relations

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. Safety-Wise, a GSUSA publication, outlines in detail everything troops, groups, and individuals need to know to begin a money-earning project. Following is a list of Do's and Don'ts to help you start thinking about future ventures:

Do

• Follow Safety-Wise standards and your council guidelines about money-earning.
• Make sure activities are age-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 their individual use.
• Make sure an adult is present at all times during money-earning activities outside the meeting place.
• Set up a group bank account that is overseen by a leader or a designated adult and follow council guidelines.
• Check with your council if you are an individual member and want to apply for financial assistance or sell Girl Scout Cookies® with a group.

Don't

• Participate in games of chance, direct solicitation for cash, or product endorsement.
• Raise money for another organization or cause (you can donate as a group from your treasury or give service)
• Do any money-earning project without approval from your council.
• Conduct any sales on the Internet.

Always check the policies in the Blue Book of Basic Documents 2000 and the Program Standards in Safety-Wise as well as council policies and standards while discussing potential projects.

Ideas for Group Money-Earning

Get creative! Money-earning shouldn't be drudgery—have fun building new skills and helping the troop or group. Here are some ideas to help you think about getting started:

• Sell Girl Scout Cookies®
• Provide childcare at a special event
• Make handmade cards for special 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?