2012 Fall Product Program Troop Guide

Transcription

1 2012 Fall Product Program Troop Guide Hello Troop Product Chair! Thank you for volunteering to manage your Troop s Fall Nuts, Candies and Magazine Product Program! The Fall Product Program is easy to use and a great way for your troop to earn start up funds for another exciting Girl Scout year. Girl Scouting provides the largest financial literacy program in the world for girls. Product Sales is established to teach the girls five key financial skills that they will carry with them beyond their Girl Scout experience goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. The Fall Product Program funds help support the Troop, Service Unit, and Council Programs. Use this guide to assist you through the steps of the Fall Product Program and to follow the policies and guidelines of Girl Scouts of Central California South (GSCCS) and Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) as they relate to the Product Program. Once you have read through the materials in this guide, please turn in the following to your Service Unit Product Chair: Troop Product Chair Agreement Troop ACH form (if your Troop s bank account on file has changed) Important Contacts Your Service Unit Fall Product Chair has volunteered to be your main point of contact during the 2012 Fall Product Program. The Service Unit Product Chair is responsible for providing training, setting up Troop users in the Nut-E system, assisting troops throughout the program, coordinating delivery and distribution of product and recognitions, and collecting Fall Product Program paperwork. Please use the area below to record their important contact information. The Service Unit Product Chair is first person you contact with any questions or concerns. Service Unit Product Chair: Phone Number: For further assistance, please contact the Council Product Program Department staff: Product Program Manager Dacia Poulson Phone: (800) ext dpoulson@girlscoutsccs.org Product Program Specialist Joe Alaniz Phone (800) ext jalaniz@girlscoutsccs.org Websites to Know Council: Ashdon Farms Nut-E:

2 Timeline September 1 st -21 st Fall Product Troop Training conducted by Service Unit Product Chairs at SU meetings Troop Online training available at Troop Product Chair agreement is signed and submitted to SUPC or Council Troop Product Chair trains girls and parents/guardians Troop Product Chair collects signed parent permission slip for each participating girl September 21 st Agrination kicks off the Fall Product Program Vossler Farms in Visalia, CA September 22 nd Fall Product Initial Orders begin o Girls take magazine and nut/candy orders from friends and family o Girls collect money for magazine orders o Girls do not collect money for nut/candy items money is due upon delivery October 12 th Initial Order period ends Girls nut/candy order cards and paper magazine orders with payment are due to Troop Product Chair Troop Product Chair enters each girl s nut/candy and magazine orders into Nut-E Troop Product Chair is locked out of Nut-E at 11:59pm on October 12 th o Verify each girl s order as the Troop will be financially responsible for all product ordered o Troop s order must be entered at the girl level (not a bulk troop order) to ensure that each girl receives credit for what she sold Submit Initial Order paper magazine orders to the Service Unit Product Chair Troop Proceeds In Lieu of Recognitions Agreement due to Council for all troops opting out of recognitions October 16 th Service Unit Product Chairs review and confirm all Troop orders in Nut-E Service Unit Product Chairs submit all paper magazine order forms to Council October 12 th -November 25 th Girls continue to take orders October 29 th -November 1 st (tentative) Girl Scout nuts and candies are delivered to Service Unit Delivery stations and Council Nut Houses Service Unit Product Chairs schedule Troop Product Chairs to pick up their product on delivery day Troop Product Chairs schedule parents to pick up their product on delivery day November 2 nd -November 25 th Fall Product Boothing period Girl Scouts continue to take orders and delivery Initial Orders to customers Service Unit Pantries are open Troop Product Chairs make frequent deposits of collected money to the Council Bank of America account November 2 nd -21 st Council Nut Houses are open

3 November 25 th Fall Product Program & Boothing period end November 28 th Troop Product Chair enters all paper and online magazine orders into Nut-E down to the girl level Troop Product Chair distributes all troop nuts and candies down to the girl level in Nut-E Troop Product Chair makes final bank deposits (see T2 Nuts/Candy & Mags report for amount owed), and enters all financial transactions into Nut-E Troop Product Chair enters/checks girl recognition orders in Nut-E Troop Product Chair submits all final sale documents to Service Unit Product Chair November 28 th -December 3 rd Service Unit Product Chair reviews all troop s financial recognition orders and final sale documents Service Unit Product Chair submits all paperwork to Council by December 3 rd January 7 th -14 th Estimated delivery of Recognition items to Service Unit Product Chairs Troops sign a T2 Incentives report acknowledging receipt of recognition items January 31 st Service Unit Product Chair submits all signed T2 Incentives reports to Council and returns any unclaimed recognition items Service Unit Product Chair reports any recognition issues to Council (missing items, damaged items, etc.) Note: Service Unit Product Chairs must maintain all Council deadlines. Dates and deadlines can be adjusted within the Service Unit as long as all Council deadlines are met. Troop Eligibility In order to participate in the Fall Product Program, the following criteria must be met: Troop (and all participating girls) must be registered for the Girl Scout year and meet troop eligibility requirements a minimum of two adults and five girls. Troop must be in good standing with an approved leader and co-leader/assistant leader, the Annual Financial Report on file with Council, and no outstanding delinquencies to Council. Troop must submit a Troop Product Chair Agreement and ACH form with voided check (if bank account on file has changed) to the Service Unit Product Chair or Council.

4 Training Troop training is available in two options: Online Training via Troop Product Chair is required to print and submit a certificate when completed One-on-one or group training scheduled and administered by the Service Unit Product Chair The Troop Product Chair is responsible for training the girls and parents/guardians on the Product Program. It is important for parents/guardians to understand their role in assisting their girls throughout the sale and to know all troop, Service Unit, and Council deadlines and policies. To help the girls be successful in the program, here are a few points your troop may want to cover: Important dates and deadlines Role playing as customers and sellers Creative sales tactics Goals short-term, long-term, individual and collective goals Please see the Girls Guide to Girl Scouting for badge opportunities on financial literacy and product program. Program Materials Before the sale, Troop Product Chairs are responsible for submitting the following to their Service Unit Product Chair or Council: Troop Product Chair Agreement. The Troop Product Chair will receive their Nut-E log-in information once this form is on file. ACH/EFT Credit Authorization Form with voided check. Council utilizes this form to electronically deposit any overpayments to the troops. A new form is not needed if the troop participated in the 2012 Cookie Sale and the troop bank account on file has not changed. Contact Dacia Poulson with any questions on the ACH/EFT process at (800) ext. 118 or dpoulson@girlscoutsccs.org. It is the Troop Product Chair s responsibility to alert Council if the Troop s bank information has changed. Troop Proceeds In Lieu of Recognitions Agreement (if applicable). Troops can choose to opt out of receiving recognition prizes, but every girl in the troop must agree to it. The troop must have signatures from all parents and girls in the troop. Troops that elect the in lieu of option will receive an extra $0.10 in Troop proceeds per item sold, and an extra 1% of all magazine sales. Girls will still receive all sale patches, but will not receive any prizes or Nut Bucks. Troops participating in this option must submit the form to Council by Friday October 12 th. Your troop will receive the following program materials: Girl Fall Program Packets including nut/candy order cards, magazine catalogs and magazine order forms. Parent/Guardian Permission & Financial Responsibility forms. Money and/or Product Receipts used to receipt any and all Girl Scout product or money transactions. A receipt should be completed each time money or product changes hands between Troop Product Chairs, Troop Leaders, and parents. Keep a copy of all receipts for a minimum of one year. Council Bank of America Deposit Slips used when depositing cash or checks into the Council account to pay what is owed to Council. Please do not use counter deposit slips. Keep a copy of all receipts for a minimum of one year. At the conclusion of the program, the Troop Product Chair is responsible for submitting the following: A signed T2 Nuts/Candy & Mags report showing a $0 balance due to Council. Validated Bank of America receipts and pink copies of deposit slips for each deposit made to the Council bank account that have been listed in Nut-E.

5 A Parent Delinquent Account Report (if applicable) for any parent who owes money to the Troop, with the parent permission slip and all receipts for product and payment attached. Do not use Troop funds to pay Council for parent delinquencies these monies should be held out of what is owed to the Council. The total amount owed by the delinquent parent(s) should equal the balance due to Council on the Troop s T2 Nuts/Candy & Mags report. Fall Product Money Matters Troop Proceeds Each participating troop will earn proceeds for nut/candy items as follows: $0.70 per nut/candy item base **$0.30 per nut/candy item on time bonus $1.00 per nut/candy item total ** Final paperwork must be turned in on time (by November 28 th to Service Unit Product Chair) for a troop to be eligible, including deposit receipts, a signed T2 Nuts/Candy & Mags report and any Parent Delinquency reports (if applicable). All Nut-E information must be up to date. In addition, troops will earn the following proceeds for magazines: 15% of all paper magazine orders 20% of all online magazine orders For example, $56.00 of magazine subscriptions ordered on paper slips will raise $8.40 in troop proceeds, while $56.00 of magazine subscriptions ordered online will raise $11.20 in troop proceeds. Council Proceeds Each troop is responsible for depositing all Council proceeds from the Product Program into the Council s Bank of America account. Your Service Unit Product Chair will provide pre-printed bank deposit slips. If your Troop is in need of more bank deposit slips, please contact your Service Unit Product Chair or the Council. Your Troop is responsible for depositing all funds minus the Troop proceeds. Troop proceeds should be deposited into Troop bank accounts. Girl Scouts of Central California encourages Troops NOT to accept checks to the Troop in excess of $ It is also encouraged that checks (made out to GSCCS) be deposited into the Council account in order to avoid insufficient fund charges. The Troop proceeds from checks can be taken from cash sales. Council offices have an endorsement stamp for checks available for Troops at the Council office. Donations to Troops from customers do not need to be listed in the Nut-E system Troop & Parent Delinquencies If your Troop has any parent/guardian who owes funds at the end of the program, fill out the Parent Delinquency form found at the end of this guide. Girl Scout Product Programs are built to protect the Troop and girls from parent delinquencies. Troops will not be punished for parent delinquencies and will still receive all troop proceeds earned. Lost or Stolen Funds It is important to make frequent deposits to the Troop and Council bank accounts to avoid accumulating large sums of money. Lost funds are the responsibility of the Troop & parent. All lost funds are still due to Council. Please let your Service Unit Product Chair & Council know immediately after funds are misplaced. If your funds are stolen, please contact the police immediately. NEVER compromise safety for funds. Report stolen money to Service Unit & Council. All Stolen funds will be evaluated on a case by case basis by Council.

6 Initial Orders & Delivery Girls will take initial orders from September 22 nd -October 12 th. Initial orders are due into Snap by 11:59pm on October 12 th the troops will be locked out of Initial orders at that point. Once Initial orders are in, the girls can continue to take orders from customers. Initial orders will be delivered to the Service Unit Product Chair for the entire Service Unit. Your Service Unit Product Chair will let you know when and where your initial order can be picked up please be considerate of your Service Unit Product Chair s time and schedule. Bring a vehicle with ample space for your troop s product. You will sign for your troop s product, accepting financial responsibility for all items. Once your troop has picked up their initial order, product can be distributed to the girls for immediate delivery to customers. When distributing product: Return each girl s order card along with a money envelope. Encourage her to deliver to her customers in a timely manner and remind the girls of the deadline to turn in their product money. Issue a separate receipt to parents each and every time product or money changes hands. These receipts can protect the troop and are a valuable tool if formal collection procedures must be taken. When money or product changes hands, ensure that each party counts and agrees on the count to minimize disputes. Any damaged product can be replaced at a Council Nut House or Service Unit Pantry. Example of Money and/or Product Receipt Additional Sales Girls can continue to take orders after the Initial Order has ended and been delivered. In order to pick up additional product, troops can order and pick up product from the Council Nut House or Service Unit Pantries. When additional product is picked up and signed for, it will be transferred to your troop in Nut-E. It is the Troop Product Chair s responsibility to transfer the product down to the girl level in order for the girls to receive the appropriate recognition items. Any product signed out by the troop (initial orders or pick ups from the Council Nut House or Service Unit Pantry) is the financial responsibility of the troop. Unsold product cannot be returned to the Council. Do not wait till the end of the sale to try to get rid of any extra product troop-to-troop transfers can be utilized to alleviate the burden. Council Nut Houses & Service Unit Pantries FRESNO Girl Scout Council Office 1377 W. Shaw Ave Fresno, CA Mondays - Fridays 11:00am-6:00pm Open November 2 nd 21 st **Closed November 12 th Orders can be placed at the Council Nut Houses by ing gonuts@girlscoutsccs.org. Please include your name, troop number and Service Unit number. Indicate how many the troop needs of each variety (specify items or cases) and which location you will utilize. Please place your order 48 hours prior to your desired pick up time. You will receive a call when your order is ready. Orders can also be placed by calling (800) , ext 142 (Fresno) or ext 240 (Bakersfield). Bakersfield Girl Scout Council Office 1831 Brundage Ave Bakersfield, CA Mondays - Fridays 11:00am-5:00pm Open November 2 nd 21 st **Closed November 12 th

7 Nut-E Nut-E is the online ordering system for Ashdon Farms. All Troop & girl orders will be entered into the Nut-E system. Nut- E manuals will be handed out to every Service Unit Product Chair and Troop Product Chair. Staying Safe Safety is always the primary concern of Girl Scouts of Central California South. We are always working to ensure that all Girl Scouts are in a safe and friendly environment. Please review Safety Activity Checkpoints for policies and guidelines to keep your troop safe. Door-to-Door Sales: Girls must be familiar with the neighborhoods where they sell. Sell door-to-door only during daylight hours. Girls should wear their Girl Scout Uniform or T-shirt if possible. Girls should never enter a customer s house or approach customers in cars. Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors must be accompanied by an adult when selling and delivering. Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors should be supervised by an adult or use the buddy system when selling Girl Scout items. Girls may never sell alone. Girls should never give out their names, addresses or telephone numbers to customers. The Troop leader s information can be provided. Money Management: Girls should have a plan for safeguarding the money they collect. Girls should not carry around large amounts of cash. Money should be given to the accompanying or supervising adult. Recognitions All girls entered into the Nut-E system are eligible to earn recognitions. Transfers must be made down to the girl level in order for the girl to receive credit for the items. Recognitions will be mailed to your Service Unit Product Chair. Your Service Unit Product Chair will contact you to schedule a pick up time. You will be supplied with a checkout sheet for parents in your Troop to sign that they have received their girl s recognitions. *** If any of your Troops recognitions are missing, please inform your Service Unit Product Chair in a timely manner, and Council will reorder your missing recognitions.

8 End of Program Wrap Up The following items must be done by November 28 th : In Nut-E Girl entered in the system with both first and last name. Girls nut orders entered in the system All product transferred down to the girls Girl magazine orders entered Recognition order placed (once all product has been transferred to the girls) All financial transactions recorded Document Check off list T2 Nuts/Candy & Mags with $0 balance Parent Delinquencies (if applicable) All completed paper magazine orders (if applicable) Bank receipts - white deposit slip with validation & pink copy of 3 part bank deposit slip - stapled to Troop Balance Summaries (keep a copy of all receipts and bank deposit slips for a minimum of one year) 3 part bank deposit White bank deposit slip