Council Federal ID #

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1 Quick Reference: Open a troop bank account following the processes outlined in this packet. Make sure all troop funds and expenses are handled through this account. Never use the troop account or any troop funds for personal use. Provide a completed ACH form to the council by October 1 for returning troops. Retain all receipts and deposit slips and keep detailed financial records. Complete an annual financial report in the Volunteer Toolkit by May 31 of each year and turn in to the Council. Do not keep individual accounts for girls. The IRS does not allow the earmarking of funds for individual girls. Troop money-earning activities, aside from council product programs, must be preapproved. All donations accepted by the troop must follow Council policy. Contact Customer Care for more information on troop money earning and donation policies.

2 Use this number when opening a troop or Service Area bank account. Council Federal ID # *Please note that you MUST bring a copy of the corporate resolution (Next page of this packet) to the bank with you to open an account! Opening Troop and Service Area Bank Accounts Bank Accounts: All troops and service areas must open a bank account. All group funds and expenses should be handled through this account. All troops are required to have their own bank account. All monies received in the name of the troop must be deposited in the troop account. In order for a service area to receive its service area allocation from the Council it must have a service area account. Recommended Bank: Associated Bank. If the personal banker at your local branch has any questions about setting up Girl Scout accounts provide them with the following contacts: Primary Contact: Secondary Contact: Cindy Bomski Ryan Thomson Senior Sales & Support Specialist/Commercial Banking Relationship Banker Location: Green Bay N. Adams Street branch If Associated Bank does not work for you, you may select another convenient local bank or credit union. Documents needed to open an account: The Corporate Resolution found on the next page of this packet is the only document needed to set up an account. It identifies the account as tax exempt and allows the Council to have oversight on all accounts opened in the name of Girl Scouts. You will also need the Council Federal ID#, , which is printed on this form. You should also bring a valid photo ID. Your financial institution may require other forms. Account Title: Your bank account must be titled: Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc. Troop # XXXX (your four-digit troop number,) OR Service Area (Name). Checks: Checks are not required, although many troops choose to have them. If you choose to have checks printed, the only information printed on them should be as follows: Line 1: Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes Line 2: Troop number (or service area name for service area accounts) Do NOT print your name, address or school/service Area information on your checks! If you elect to have mailed statements, be sure they are mailed to your address not the Council address. Debit Cards: We highly recommend that you request a debit card for your account. You will need this to use our online registration website, to register the girls for annual memberships, programs, and camps. Many retailers and field trip sites do not accept checks. Type of account: Troop accounts should be set up as a non-profit account not as a business or personal account. As a result, you should not have your social security number on the account. Instead, the taxpayer ID number will be the Council s Federal Tax ID number, In addition, you will not need to complete a W9 form. All financial institutions require an IRS W9 form when opening a new personal or commercial bank account. This form indicates what taxpayer the interest income should be reported to. Girl Scout troop or service area account are tax exempt and a W9 is not required for the account. Some banks may ask you for your social security number for identification purposes. Authorized Signers: You must have at least two authorized signers on the troop account. All signers must be registered adult Girl Scout members and approved volunteers with current background checks on file, who are willing to take an active role in managing the account, and providing regular oversight. Signers cannot be related. Some service areas have a Treasurer who will fill this role. Contact us at info@gsnwgl.org for more information. Monthly Fees: Please make sure that you are aware of all policies and monthly fees charged by your bank as they will impact your account balance. Associated Bank and many other banks and credit unions charge a $3.00 per month fee to receive paper statements, but if you sign up for online banking and discontinue paper statements this fee is waived. Costs incurred: There may be costs in opening your account due to the purchase of new checks. It is our recommendation that any costs associated with opening a new account be included in your troop budgeting process and the troop dues you determine. Account Use: All money received by the troop through dues, fundraising, and product sales, etc. must be deposited into the troop account. Detailed records of all purchases, withdrawals, and transactions must be kept, including receipts and deposit slips. This account may not be used for any type of non-troop related transactions. Troop and service area accounts may be randomly selected for review at any time. Theft or intentional misuse will be further investigated and may involve police. GSNWGL will not be held liable for misuse or theft but we will work with the troop to pursue legal remedies.

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4 Best Practices for Managing Troop Finances Keep detailed records as well as any paperwork documenting every transaction. This should include a receipt for every purchase/expenditure and all deposit slips documenting deposits to the troop account. Keep an itemized written record of each purchase including the purpose. GSNWGL provides an easy to use recordkeeping form or you can create your own version with the same information. If you would like an excel copy of our tool, contact Customer Care and one will be ed to you. Troops should also keep a file or manila envelope for each membership year containing all receipts and deposit slips for that year. Make sure that more than one person is monitoring the troops finances. This check and balance is important to ensure that everyone is protected. Annual financial reports are mandatory and are due to the council on May 31 of each year. Reports include an itemized list of all transactions within the troop account. You will be asked to submit your transaction spreadsheet. Keep parents and girls well-informed about troop finances. Provide regular financial updates and allow them access to your account records if requested. Allow girls and parents to have input on how troop funds are used whenever possible. Each troop is responsible for funding its own activities and supplies. Typically, new troops begin by charging annual dues, of $5- $20 per girl to generate funds for initial troop start-up costs. After that, troops will soon be able to fund their opportunities through product sales and other fundraisers and often do not require significant financial contributions from families unless planning a major expense such as a trip. Troops earn the majority of troop funds through our Fall Product Program (September- November) and Cookie Program (January-April). Other fundraising such as bake sales, car washes, etc. may also be done but a troop money earning form must be submitted to the Council and approved prior. You can find complete information on troop money earning, donations, and council fundraising policies on or by contacting the council at Money belongs to the troop not any individual girl. This means that all revenue should go into a general account to be spent on supplies and activities for all girls in the troop. You should not track sub-accounts for each girl with the specific amounts they raised. This is very important as it is an IRS regulation. Girls cannot be discriminated against based on family s ability to pay or participation in product programs. Troop activities should be selected that the troop can fund for all girls or they should be at a cost point that is accessible for all families. (Example: Do not plan a troop trip to Wisconsin Dells where each girl must pay $100 towards costs if that would not be accessible for all troop families.) The council will provide financial assistance toward national membership, a basic uniform piece, Council programs and camps, and up to $15 in troop dues for first year girl members with financial need. Never withdraw cash directly from the troop bank account if possible. Always write checks or use the troop debit card to create a paper trail. If you are going on an activity that requires cash, write a check for cash at the bank and record the specific purpose in memo. If you do not have checks, keep the withdrawal slip, record the exact purpose of the cash on it, and attach it to the receipts for the purchase you used the withdrawn cash toward. Whenever cash is exchanged always have a receipt signed by both the giver and the receiver. This would include money given from families for troop dues, memberships, product sale funds, programs, etc. Do not use the troop account or any troop funds for personal use. The funds in the account are held as non-profit and are the property of the troop and Council. Even if you have forgotten your own debit card or checkbook at home and intend to immediately return the funds it is never okay to use troop s funds for personal expenses. The council does perform random reviews of troop accounts and any thefts or intentional misuse may be turned over.

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6 ACH Procedure ACH Definition ACH, or Automated Clearing House, is an electronic network for financial transactions in the United States. These transactions include debit and credit entries, also known as sweeps, and are common to facilitate payments such as direct deposit, insurance premiums, or mortgage payments. ACH works by allowing a troop to grant Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, Inc. (GSNWGL) authorization to issue ACH debits or credits to an account. Before any transactions can be processed, we first require a signer on a troop account to complete a Troop/Service Area Bank Account Information and ACH Authorization Form. ACH Debits GSNWGL establishes a schedule to transfer funds from a troop s bank account to the Council as payment for the Fall Product Program and the Cookie Program. Troop product managers will be notified via when a sweep will be made and where to find the amount of the sweep. This will be sent to the address listed in the troop s profile in the Nut-E and SNAP software. The troop s product managers are responsible for entering accurate and current addresses into the troop profile in order to receive important communications. Troops and service areas may request that the Council debit their troop bank account to pay for Council facility rentals and Program Activity Insurance when planning troop and service area activities and events. If the troop or service area chooses this option on their request form the Council will debit the troop account within 3-7 business days of acknowledging the form. Troops are responsible for depositing sufficient funds to cover these debits and will be responsible for any resulting nonsufficient funds fees for both the troop account and the GSNWGL account. These fees differ depending on your bank s policy. If the troop will not have funds available on the date of the scheduled Fall Product Program or Cookie Program sweep, it is the troop s responsibility to complete and submit an Uncollected Funds Form to the GSNWGL Product Program Department at least three business days before a scheduled sweep. If an Uncollected Funds Form is not received, the troop will be responsible for any fees that are incurred by the troop. Troops authorize GSNWGL to repeat a debit that fails for any reason. GSNWGL will contact the troop before repeat attempts are made using the contact information that is entered in the Nut-E, SNAP, or Personify software. ACH Credits GSNWGL pays troops for the items listed below by directly depositing funds into the troop bank account. Receiving payments electronically offers a variety of benefits such as prompt availability of funds. Below is a list of some of the regular payments GSNWGL makes to troop: Financial assistance for troop dues Refunds of program fees as a result of overpayment or cancellation Refunds for overpayment of troop proceeds Payments from GSNWGL will be included as a transaction which will appear on your troop s monthly bank statements.

7 FAQ s about ACH Q: Does a troop/service area need to fill out the Troop/Service Area Bank Account Information and ACH Authorization Form every year? A: This will depend on the year and if any information has changed. However, each year a request will be made to confirm the account information is accurate and current. The easiest way to accomplish this is for troops/service areas to submit a new form. Q: Can the bank account be a savings account? What if my troop does not have a check to void? A: Yes, a troop account can be a savings account. If no check is provided with your account, a bank specification letter can be requested from your financial organization that lists a routing and account number. Q: What happens if the money is not in the troop s bank account when the sweep is planned? A: Troops are responsible for depositing sufficient funds to cover these debits and will be responsible for any resulting nonsufficient funds fees for both the troop account and the GSNWGL account. These fees differ depending on your bank s policy. If the troop will not have funds available on the date of the scheduled sweep for Fall Product Program or Cookie Program, it is the troop s responsibility to complete and submit an Uncollected Funds Form to the GSNWGL Product Program Department at least three business days before a scheduled sweep. If an Uncollected Funds Form is not received, the troop will be responsible for any fees that are incurred by the troop and GSNWGL. Q: Will GSNWGL continue to try and sweep an account if funds are unavailable the first time? A: Yes, subsequent sweeps will be made. If there are insufficient funds in the bank account, the troop leader will be contacted and arrangements will be made with the troop leader for payment. Any fees incurred for each failed attempt will be the responsibility of the troop. Q: What if GSNWGL pulls an incorrect amount from my troop s account? A: Your attention to Nut-E and SNAP is important. Any wrong entries in girls selling, transfers, or reorders will affect your balance. Since we pull funds from your account based on these variables, it is feasible that an incorrect amount could be pulled. Your outstanding balance will be clearly listed on your Troop Balance Summary Report. Please alert a member of the Product Program team if you find any discrepancies. Q: Is ACH mandatory for my troop/service area? A: Participation in ACH is required for troops participating in Product Program, Financial Assistance, or payments/reimbursements. Service areas are also required to participate to receive service area allocations. Every troop/service area must complete and submit the Troop/Service Area Bank Account Information and ACH Authorization Form and return by October 1 each year. For new troops, complete and submit this form within two (2) weeks of setting up your bank account. Every troop must have a completed original of this form on file with our Council. Please submit the completed copy to: GSNWGL Attn: ACH/Finance 4693 North Lynndale Drive Appleton, WI 54913

8 Troop/Service Area Bank Account Information And ACH Authorization Form Troop #: Service Area Name and #: I, signer of the above referenced troop/service area, hereby authorize Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes (GSNWGL) to initiate credit and/or debit entries associated with Product Program and Accounts Payable as outlined in GSNWGL s ACH Procedure that was distributed with this form. In addition, I authorize GSNWGL and any investigation firms it may employ to randomly review this bank account for appropriate use of troop/service area funds. I will notify the Council of any changes to this information. Bank Information: Name of Bank or Financial Institution: Account Type: Checking Savings Name of Account (as it appears on check or bank statement): Bank City: Bank State: Bank Zip Code: Bank Phone: ( ) Routing Number: Account Number: Signer Information: Primary Name on the Account: Address: Address: City: State: Zip Code: Day Phone: ( ) Evening Phone: ( ) List all names authorized to sign on the account: By signing, I agree to the terms outlined in the ACH Procedure and understand this authorization will remain in full force and effect until an authorized signer has submitted in writing the wish to revoke this authorization. In addition, I agree to keep detailed records of all transactions made within this account including keeping receipts for every purchase made and all deposit slips. I understand that no personal purchases may be made using the troop account or troop funds and that theft or intentional misuse may result in criminal charges being filed. I agree to keep girls and families aware of troop finances and turn in a detailed annual financial report to the council by May 31 of each year. Signature: Date: *Please attach a voided check (please do not attach a deposit ticket since they don t always have the same account number or routing number.) Please submit a completed copy to: GSNWGL, Attn: ACH/Finance, 4693 North Lynndale Drive, Appleton, WI Important: Do NOT bank or ACH forms due to potential internet security risks. If forms are ed, the Council is not responsible for fraud. Questions? Contact the GSNWGL at