As the scouting year gets underway, your co-leader and you will be planning outings and events for your girls to attend that are going to cost the troop money. That money, whether it is from dues or the hard work of selling cookies, needs to be used wisely if your troop is to continue to have its needs met.
One of the biggest issues leaders deal with in regard to money is who pays for events. Many leaders pride themselves in funding everything for the troop, but that comes with a high price tag.
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The cost of no-shows eats up a budget faster than a trip to the Girl Scout Shop for new badges.
While there is inherently nothing wrong with a totally self-funding troop, it gives parents the wrong impression. If they do not lose any money by not showing up when they said they would, it does not hurt them in the pocketbook. That is the one place parents pay attention! I have always stated that parents need to have some skin in the game, and if they have to finance something, they will pay better attention to RSVP dates and showing up.
Making your policy clear at the beginning of the year will help you avoid conflicts with money as the year progresses. Put it in writing in an email, a Facebook post, and as an old fashioned handout that you can attach to every email when contacting parents about upcoming events.
It is also important to never lay out funds for girls who have not paid. You will wind up with the extra job and stress of hunting a parent down for money. There are parents who are very good at avoiding you, so however you pay, do not cover the cost of a child who parents have not committed to her going.
How Can Troop Leaders Avoid Monetary Loss for Event No Shows?
Tips for Troops Paying for Everything
Your troop can still be self-funding, but there are ways to protect your bank account. In order to do this, a parent must hand you an old fashioned check for the full amount of the event that the troop is laying out for payment. Do not use cash…a parent may “forget” that you gave it back to her. A check is a paper trail. There is proof if you cashed it or not.
If the girl shows up for the event, hand the uncashed check back to the parent. If the girl is a no-show, put the funds into the troop account. Your costs are covered.
Partial Payments
If you take my advice and have parents put “skin in the game”, then they hand you a check or cash for half the amount of the event. If the entrance fee is $10, they give you five dollars. In the event that the girl does not show up, then you are only out a small amount of money. I would not do this with a large ticket event. Half a loss will still hurt your bottom line if enough girls do not show up.
Parents Pay
The simplest solution for who pays for an event is to have the parents pay the entire cost. They do that for sports, dance, and cheer, so Girl Scout should be treated no differently. The money you earn fundraising can be used for other things, like badges and craft or camping supplies.
How does your troop handle paying for events?
