Money Management Best Practices
Funds earned during Product Programs are the property of the troop and do not belong to individual girls. Meaning that proceeds do not follow a girl when she transfers to a new troop unless the old troop agrees to the transfer beforehand.
Troop volunteers should collect money often throughout the program to minimize the risk of loss, outstanding balances or caregiver debt. Troops can keep track of girl payments in their Digital Cookie account and/or M2OS account.
- Troops are to deposit money frequently and not leave funds in unsafe locations (like inside your car or your home).
- Girls/families should not hold on to money for more than one week.
- It’s recommended that Product Program money not be deposited into a personal bank account. Troops should collect all original money from girls to deposit into the troop account.
Troops without a bank account should contact MemberCare@cbgsc.org for instructions and assistance to open an account.
Venmo and other Cashless Payments
We understand that Venmo/Paypal and other cashless solutions are becoming more and more frequently, a necessity and it is now acceptable to utilize these payment systems at your own discretion. However, troops may ONLY use peer to peer payment apps to receive money from caregivers and to transfer money to Service Units and other troop accounts. Approved peer to peer payment apps in these situations are:
Venmo, Cash App, Facebook Payments and Apple Pay.
GSCB will not take on any risk, responsibility, or financial liability for troops, volunteers or caregivers who choose to use these apps.
Please use Digital Cookie and/or M2OS for your troop’s credit card payment needs.
Updates to Third-Party Service Organizations (TSO) Tax law changes effective January 1, 2024, and 1099-K from TSO Vendors (money payment app) – such as Venmo and other cashless apps
Due to Tax law changes effective 1/1/2024 you may receive a 1099-K for payments received for product sales or other parental payments (dues, events, etc.) for your Troop from a third-party payment organization such as Square, Venmo, Pay Pal, etc. when using a personal account totaling $5,000.00 or more.
Using Personal Money Payment Apps: Volunteers may choose to use a personal money payment app (TSO), such as a Venmo (or others approved by council) account they use for multiple purposes, and they would receive a 1099K if the total amount paid to them from all sources equals $5,000 or more in a calendar year. The volunteer has the option to identify the money is not for sale of products and is a reimbursement; however, this does not preclude them receiving a1099K.
If a parent is using their personal money payment app, we recommend they indicate Girl Scout related payments are ‘reimbursements’ and keep separate records to verify these amounts, should they be issued a 1099K. Additionally, they should consult their local tax advisor when preparing their personal tax return.
If using Digital Cookie as the payment processor – No changes are needed, and you will not receive a 1099-K.
Troops that are participating in the Cookie Program, are encouraged to use the Digital Cookie online website and the Digital Cookie app (when cookies are in hand starting February 1, 2025) for processing any credit/debit card payments in person/booth sales.
The app is easy to use and there is a function for OCR (optical scanning of cards) to improve the contactless payment process as well as being faster to use. It also sends the payment to eBudde so all that’s required is use of the booth recorder or allocating cookie sales to the girls.
Bounced/Returned Checks
The most common reason checks are returned from the bank is because they are not deposited promptly. Accepting checks is not recommended, but may be decided by the troop. If a troop decides to accept checks, GSCB strongly encourages only accepting checks from friends and family members.
To help the troop with bounced checks, GSCB highly recommends using the Global Check Recovery form. Fill out this form and turn it in to your troop bank (you do not need to bring or send it to GSCB). This is a free service for troops to collect funds on any bounced checks by a third-party.
GSCB Counterfeit Bills Policy
Troops should take precautions and invest in and use a counterfeit bill testing pen for each booth and anytime cash could be exchanged. They are available in many stores and online including Staples and other office supply stores.
Troops should not accept bills over $20, however, GSCB understands that can be difficult to ask. Counterfeit money is in circulation at any given time. If you or your troop receives a fake bill, please contact GSCB at MemberCare@cbgsc.org immediately for assistance. Be sure to include all the details about your booth (e.g. booth at Walgreens in Camden, DE at 11AM on Saturday MM/DD/YYY, troop number and the adult that received it). This may occur at the time of the bank deposit so please understand that the bank may have to turn the money away – or confiscate it without adding it to your bank deposit.
Caregiver Debt
All girls/families are financially responsible for all cookies or Fall Products ordered and checked out from the Cookie Cupboard or Troop. Before involving council, troops should attempt a minimum of three separate collection attempts. These attempts may be calls, emails, texts, etc. but must be documentable (photo evidence) – a paper trail is VERY important.
If the troop’s attempts to collect have been unsuccessful, notify council as soon as a problem becomes apparent by filling out the Caregiver Debt Form for each offending caregiver (siblings in the same troop with parents who owe may be filed on the same form).
Required information for a Caregiver Debt Form:
- Girl and Caregiver names and contact information
- Total balance due from family (i.e. the full $6 per box, owed to troop for the Cookie Program and full price of each in-person item left unpaid for Fall Products)
- Detailed explanation of collection attempts and photo evidence
- Documentation to support debt review including receipts where caregiver/troop had interactions etc.
Caregiver Debt Forms are due December 8th for the 2025 Fall Product Program. Troops are not liable for the caregiver debt at the time of an ACH debit but must complete an ACH Extension Request by the deadline. Forms for 2026 Cookies are due February 16th and March 23rd for the IO and Final ACH period respectively.
Once it is apparent, caregivers who owe the troop should NOT be allowed to take more cookies or additional FPP sales from the troop or Cookie Cupboard. GSCB may take legal action for any misuse of funds.
ACH Debits and ACH Credits
Program funds will be paid electronically to GSCB via Automated Clearing House (ACH). Bank information (Bank Name, Account Number & Routing Number) is added by council each year in eBudde and M20S, but it is the troop’s responsibility to double-check that the information is entered and correct.
Troops will receive an email notification, at least 5 days prior to the ACH Debit, of balance due for the upcoming withdrawal.
Ensure that all collected funds are deposited into the troop bank account at least 4 days prior to the scheduled ACH Debits.
Troops will be able to see the amount due to council for any given ACH debit on the Troop Sales Report tab in eBudde or by clicking “Banking and Payments” in M2OS.
- December 12th, 2025 - ACH for Fall Product Program balance
- February 20th, 2026 - IO ACH for Cookie Program IO balance
- March 27th, 2026 - ACH for Cookie Program Final balance
ACH Extension Requests
If a troop has Caregiver Debt and cannot cover their troop debit for any given ACH, they must fill out the Caregiver Debt Form and an ACH Extension Request Form. These forms can be completed by a Troop Co-Leader or Troop Cookie Champion/Troop Fall Product Champion.
ACH Extension Requests and Caregiver Debt forms are due:
- December 8th for the 2025 Fall Product Program.
- February 16th for the IO for 2026 Cookies
- March 23rd for the Final 2026 Cookies
Late forms cannot be accepted for ACH Extension requests.
Troops should turn in their caregiver debt forms by this deadline, so they are not held financially responsible for the debt on the ACH.
GSCB reserves the right to deny any ACH Extension Requests, including those that come in after the deadline.