Money Matters

• Donations/cookie shares

• Bank accounts

• Deposit-Only Card 

• Forms of payment and ways to take credit cards

• Helping families manage cookies

• Financial responsibility

• Financial restrictions

Donations versus Cookie Shares

•  Donations 

Any customer may choose to make a purchase to donate cookies. This means the customer gives the Girl Scout money but does not take cookies home with them, or simply gives the girl/troop a cash donation. These donations should be treated as cash sales and packages should be transferred down to the Girl Scout through a Troop to Girl Transfer, then, those donated packages can be given to local organizations. 

•  Cookie Shares 

Cookie Shares are donations made by GSGI using our inventory. Troop Donations are collected by troops or Girl Scouts and made to local charities out of the troop’s inventory. If a payment is indicated online as a Cookie Share or Donation, it is earmarked to come from GSGI’s inventory. If you would like it to come from your inventory, simply indicate which cookie variety you will be donating and mark it as a traditional sale online or in Smart Cookies so your Girl Scouts still get credit. 

Bank Account 

 All Girl Scout Troops need to have a Bank Account before the Cookie Seasons begin. 

 To open an account, fill out the Troop or Service Unit Bank Account Request Form. All signers must be non-related, registered, and have a current background check. Please fill out one form per Troop/Service Unit and allow 4-5 business days for processing.  

 How payments work:  

• Girl Scouts collect money from customers. 

• Girl Scouts turn in money to the TPM. Don’t forget to give them a receipt! 

• TPM deposits all money into the troop bank account (this should happen regularly throughout the season). 

• Payment to GSGI for the cookies is withdrawn from the troop bank account, leaving all other cash proceeds earned in the troop bank account. 

Troop payments for cookies you’ve received are automatically withdrawn from your troop bank account twice throughout the program. Each troop will receive an email with the amount due at least five business days before the scheduled withdrawal. Troop Proceeds are calculated in the second withdrawal and left in your account. 

• FEBRUARY 27: $2 per package received through February 16, minus the amount paid for by credit card, is withdrawn. Direct Ship sales are also excluded, as those cookies are never received into the troop inventory; the troop and the Girl Scout are credited automatically. 

• APRIL 3: 100% of remaining balance due is withdrawn. This includes credit for any online sales payments taken through Digital Cookie. It’s important to remember that all money collected is the property of the Girl Scouts and should never be deposited into personal accounts of parents/guardians or volunteers.  

Deposit-Only Cards: How payments work for Juliettes 

Throughout the cookie program, you and your Girl Scout will encounter a lot of cash and checks. 

• Money should be deposited in its original form using your Juliette’s deposit-only card at any Wells Fargo ATM or branch every two weeks throughout the program. Never deposit checks or cash into your own personal account first. Reference the Deposit-Only Card Guide for all the details on using their deposit-only cards! 

• We’ll help keep you on track. If you haven’t made a deposit for cookies received mid-way through the program, you’ll be unable to order and pick up additional cookies until a payment is received. 

• Checks can be made out to Girl Scouts or GSGI. (When depositing a check with your deposit-only card, write ‘For Deposit Only - Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa’ on the back of the check.) 

• Always use your PIN number when depositing with the card so your Juliette gets appropriate credit for the deposit. 

Be sure to get a receipt when making the deposits so you have a record showing you deposited money. Figuring out your finances will look a little different for you in Smart Cookies. Deposit 100% of what you collect in checks and cash. Your Juliette Program Credits (JPC) will be loaded alongside your Cookie Dough after the season.   

WHAT TO DO IF… 

• If you receive a bad check or have insufficient funds from a customer, submit the Bad Check Form within 90 days of the date on the check. GSGI will reimburse the troop for the amount of the check and fees. 

• If not enough funds are available to withdraw from your troop bank account to make your cookie payment, fill out a Payment Adjustment Form. This form must be submitted by February 25 for the first withdrawal and April 1 for the final withdrawal to be adjusted in time. You cannot skip an auto withdrawal. If no form is submitted, and there are insufficient funds in the troop account and your access to Smart Cookies will be frozen. The troop will not have access to more cookies until the balance is paid. If there is still troop debt at the end of the program, collection efforts will be made until the debt is paid. 

• If you experience theft, file a police report within 24 hours and notify GSGI as soon as possible at info@gsiowa.org so that we can help determine a resolution. 

• If a parent/guardian turns in less money than the amount due for the number of cookies they signed for, submit all of the following by the April 1 deadline:  

  • • The signed Product Program and Troop Activities Year-Round Permission Form. 

  • • Documentation (emails, text, phone records) of at least two collection attempts. 

  • • A Girl Shortage Form. 

• GSGI will contact the family directly to make arrangements for payment, and the troop’s auto withdrawal amount will be adjusted. Troops will be credited for the amount of the shortage only if all requested materials are provided by the deadline. 

Forms of payment

For the 2025 Girl Scout Cookie Program, standard policies are in place, which means that troops should be using cash, check, or transactions through Digital Cookie or Clover Go as payment means.  

Troop bank accounts are governed by strict standards in accordance with our non-profit status—thank you for helping maintain those standards!  

Remember to use receipts for every cookie and money exchange between your troop and your Girl Scouts during the cookie program!   

NEW THIS YEAR! Digital Cookie mobile app users will be excited to offer payment via Venmo and PayPal at booths this year. This payment option will also be available through a Girl Scout or troop’s virtual link. Clover Go will also allow Tap to Pay on iPhones.  

Ways to take credit cards 

Girl Scouts can take credit cards through the Digital Cookie app for customer orders. 

Troops and Juliettes can take credit cards via Digital Cookie or Clover Go. 

Helping families manage cookies

It’s extremely important to train and communicate clearly with your families so that neither the troop nor the individual family gets ‘stuck’ with cookies. Your first step is to make sure you have a signed Product Program and Troop Activities Year-Round Permission Form from every participating Girl Scout. If an individual family is having trouble with cookies or money:  

• Stay empathetic – Be direct and kind. Explain to the parent/guardian that they are financially responsible for the cookies they have signed for. Offer solutions, such as accepting a partial payment, helping them transfer cookies to someone else, or suggesting more ways to sell the cookies on hand. You can also exchange cookies that are in good condition for other varieties—you can exchange them from the troop inventory, and the troop can exchange with a cupboard or another troop. Click here for more on exchanges. [on Booth Resources page] 

• Stay calm – It’s natural to feel a bit panicked, but this is why there are policies and procedures in place to ensure the leader and troop are safeguarded when financial issues happen. As a TPM, you should document your collection attempts, and ensure you have signed receipts for all cookies transferred to families, as well as signed Product Program and Troop Activities Year-Round Permission Forms. If the family is not able to pay the full amount due to the troop, fill out the Girl Shortage Form. At that point, GSGI will follow up with the family to arrange payment, and the amount due by the troop will be adjusted. 

Financial responsibility 

Tracking cookies and money is an important part of managing the cookie program. TPMs and Juliette parent/guardians should track and document all the cookies they pick up, hand out, and receive money for. Ultimately, the troop/Juliette parent/guardian is responsible to pay for all cookies in their possession, with financial responsibility on each family for any cookies they have signed for and received. Families should turn in money throughout the program for cookies sold, not all at the very end.  

Ideally, money is turned in for all the cookies a family has picked up before they are given more.  

It is up to the TPM to decide if they will allow families to return the cookies they take. GSGI recommends that troops do not take returns from families, as that limits your ability to manage your troop inventory down to zero.  

Understanding financial restrictions

Sometimes families have a shortage in paying for product from a previous program, or other debt owed to GSGI. In these cases, Girl Scouts can ONLY sell cookies at booths or online. The family is not allowed to take responsibility for money or cookies directly.  

TPMs will be notified of Girl Scouts with restrictions in December. If a Girl Scout has a financial restriction, you will also see a “FR” after their last name in Smart Cookies. The family should be aware of the restriction from prior communication with the GSGI Finance Department. As the TPM, you may need to clarify to them how they can participate.