FALL PRODUCT PROGRAM SERVICE UNIT GUIDE

FALL PRODUCT PROGRAM SERVICE UNIT GUIDE Fall 2017 October 1 December 3 Fall Product Program Contact Us Product Program Department gonuts@girlscoutsccs.org Headquarters: 1377 W. Shaw Ave. Fresno, CA 93711 Regional Office: 1831 Brundage Lane Bakersfield, CA 93304 Regional Office: 230 NW 3 rd Ave. Visalia, CA 93291 Website: www.girlscoutsccs.org Girl Scout Service Unit Product Chair! Thank you for volunteering to manage your Service Unit s Fall Product Program. This guide is here to help you manage your Service Unit Fall Product Program, to lead you through Service Unit record keeping, and to help you 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 the materials in the guide, please turn in the following to the Council s Product Program Department: Service Unit Product Chair Agreement Delivery Site Information Sheet As Service Unit Product Chair, you are the main point of contact for the Troop Product Chairs in your Service Unit for any questions or issues that come up throughout the program. To assist your Troops, please do the following: Make your times of availability known to your Troop Product Chairs. Provide your preferred contact method and information to the Troop Product Chairs. Communicate any date/deadline changes to the Troop Product Chairs (while maintaining all Council dates/ deadlines). Website to Know: www.girlscouts.qspgao.com/gsccs

Dates to Remember Week of August 21, 2017 Monday, August 28, 2017 Friday, September 22, 2017 Saturday, September 23, 2017 Monday, September 25, 2017 Sunday, October 1, 2017 Sunday, October 22, 2017 Sunday, October 22, 2017 Friday, December 1, 2017 Monday, October 23, 2017 Wednesday, October 25, 2017 Service Unit Product Chair Training Troop Product Chair trainings Fall Product Training conducted by Service Unit Product Chairs at SU meetings Troop Product Chair agreement is signed and submitted to Service Unit Product Chair or Council Troop Product Chair trains girls and parents/guardians Troop Product Chair collects signed parent permission slip for each participating girl AgriNation AgriNation kicks off the Fall Product Program Vossler Farms in Visalia, CA Sample the entire Fall Product Line and earn a Fall Rally Patch Troop Product Chair paperwork due to Council (Troop Product Chair agreement) Fall Product Program starts Girls register and set up their online store Girls send emails for online ordering of magazines and nuts and collect in person orders for nuts and candies Girls do not collect money for nut/candy items money is due upon delivery of product Girls hand out business cards to promote their online magazine and nut store Fall Product Program order taking ends Girls continue to take orders through their online store for magazines and direct shipped items ONLY Parents complete orders in UNIFY Girls nut/candy order cards are entered into system Troops complete order in UNIFY Troop Product Chair enters each girls nut/candy orders into UNIFY Verify each girls order as the Troop will be financially responsible for all product ordered 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 Troop Proceeds in Lieu of Recognitions Agreement due to Council for older girl troops (Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador girls only) Extra product is ordered for boothing Troop Product Chair is locked out of UNIFY at 11:59pm O:\FALL SALE PROGRAM\2017 FPS\Forms and Guides\2017 Fall Product SERVICE UNIT GUIDE.doc 2

Thursday, October 26, 2017 Friday, October 27, 2017 Monday, November 13 Thursday, November 16, 2017 Sunday, December 3, 2017 Monday, December 4, 2017 Monday, December 4 Tuesday, December 5, 2017 Wednesday, December 6, 2017 Monday, December 11, 2017 Week of January 22, 2018 Week of February 5, 2018 Service Units complete order in UNIFY Service Unit Product Chair reviews and confirms all Troop orders in UNIFY Council submits order to Ashdon Farms Service Unit delivery of product Girl Scout nuts and candies are delivered to Service Unit Delivery stations Troop Product Chair will schedule a time to pick up the Troop s product Troop Product Chairs schedule parents to pick up their product Fall Product Program ends Deadline for Troops Product Chairs to submit delinquent parent reports to Council Troop Product Chair Distribute all troop nuts and candies down to the girl level in UNIFY Make final deposits into Troop s bank account Enter/check girl recognition orders in UNIFY Troop Product Chair locked out of UNIFY at 11:59pm Service Units Product Chairs review Troop recognition orders in UNIFY. Troop Product Chair distributes all troop nuts and candies down to the girl level in UNIFY Troop Product Chair makes final deposits into Troop s bank account Troop Product Chair enters/checks girl recognition orders in UNIFY Troop Product Chair is locked out of UNIFY at 11:59pm ACH Pull ACH transaction pulled from each Troops bank account equaling their balance owed to Council Girl Recognition delivery to Service Units Estimated delivery of recognition items to Service Unit Product Chairs Troop Product Chair reports any recognition issues to Council (missing items, damaged items, etc.) Note: Service Unit Product Chair must meet all Council deadlines listed above. Service Unit may adjust the dates and deadlines as long as they meet all Council deadlines. Training Service Unit Product Chairs must train the Troop Fall Product Chairs in one of the following ways: At your monthly Service Unit meeting One-on-one schedule as you are available Council led training via webinar Troop Product Chairs will receive sales materials only after they have completed their training and signed a Troop Product Chair agreement. UNIFY accounts and passwords can only be set up and given to Troop Product Chairs who have been trained and have a signed agreement on file. O:\FALL SALE PROGRAM\2017 FPS\Forms and Guides\2017 Fall Product SERVICE UNIT GUIDE.doc 3

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 UNIFY login once this form is on file. Troop Proceeds in Lieu of Recognitions Agreement (if applicable). Older Girl Troops (Cadette, Senior, and/or Ambassador) 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 the parents and girls in the troop. Troops that elect the in lieu of option will receive an extra $0.10 in Troop proceeds per nut/candy item sold, and an extra 1% online magazine, tumbler and organic veggie orders. 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 Wednesday, October 25. Each troop will receive the following program materials: Troop Guide available on the GSCCS website. www.girlscoutsccs.org Girl Fall Program Packets including nut/candy order cards and magazine information. Parent/Guardian Permission & Financial Responsibility forms must be on file with Troop Product Chair for each participating girl in the troop. Money and/or Product Receipts used to receipt all Girl Scout product or money transactions. A receipt must 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. At the conclusion of the program, the Troop Product Chair is responsible for submitting the following: 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. o Delinquent Account Reports must be received by December 3 to be credited on the Troop s ACH transaction processed on December 11. Troop Eligibility In order to participate in the Fall Product Program, the following criteria must be met: Troop (and all participating girls, leaders and the troop product chair) must be registered for the 2017-2018 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 coleader/assistant leader, the 2016-2017 Annual Financial Report on file with Council, and no outstanding delinquencies to Council. Troop must have an approved Troop Product Chair, with an agreement on file. Troop must enter their bank account information into UNIFY for the Girl Scout year (October 2017-September 2018). Troop Proceeds NUTS AND CANDIES $0.70 per nut/candy item base $0.30 per nut/candy item (**on time bonus) $1.00 per item total ** Troop Product Chair must distribute all troop nuts and candies down to the girl level in UNIFY, makes final deposits into Troop s bank account, and enters/checks girl recognition orders in UNIFY by December 4 and the Troop s ACH must be successfully pulled in order for a troop to be eligible to receive the on time bonus. All UNIFY information must be up to date. MAGAZINES In addition, troops will earn proceeds for magazines, tumbler and organic veggie online orders equal to 20%. O:\FALL SALE PROGRAM\2017 FPS\Forms and Guides\2017 Fall Product SERVICE UNIT GUIDE.doc 4

Fall Product Money Matters ACH OF COUNCIL PROCEEDS Troop deposits all collected monies into the Troop s bank account. Council will ACH (Automated Clearing House) all Council proceeds directly from the Troop s bank account on December 11, 2017. Troops will not have to turn in any final paperwork to Council except any parent Delinquent Account Reports (if applicable). MOBILE CREDIT CARD READERS Council will offer the use of a Square Mobile Credit Card Readers this year. Square Mobile payments will be updated in UNIFY!, and will be counted as a payment towards the troop s balance at the conclusion of the program. COLLECTION PROCEDURES Outstanding balances from the Fall Product Program may be subject to collection procedures. Collection procedures are taken to protect the proceeds that the girls have earned. We appreciate your efforts in following all the collection procedures outlined in the Troop Guide. Responsibility for collection and reporting falls on the following: If a girl or parent owes money - Troop Product Chair If a Troop owes money - Service Unit Product Chair After the procedures have been followed and the appropriate paperwork has been turned in, the Council will take over collection responsibilities. MONEY COLLECTION Troops that accept checks as a form of payment must ensure the name, address and phone number are on the check. Troops MAY NOT accept any bills over $20.00. If a troop chooses to accept larger bills, the liability falls on the troop. Council will not reimburse the troop for bounced checks without the required information above in any amount and counterfeit bills over $20.00. TROOP & PARENT DELINQUENCIES If your Troop has any parent/guardian who owes funds at the end of the program, the troop must submit a Delinquent Parent Report, along with the supporting paperwork no later than Monday, December 4, 2017. 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 bank account 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 of funds. Service Unit Proceeds To qualify to earn proceeds your Service Unit must have a Service Unit Product Chair. Service Units can earn up $0.03 per item sold by the troops within their Service Unit..01 All Troop paperwork verified by the Service Unit Product Chair and turned into the Product Program department by 9/15..01 SU sales increase of 10% from 2016 sale..01 SU increase # of troops participating by 10% from 2016 sale. Program Etiquette Do not take orders before the first day of the sale. Do not sell on unsecured internet sites, i.e. Craig s List, EBay, etc. Do not sell items inside a store, restaurant or business. Product cannot be displayed for sale at anything other than a Booth or Lemonade Stand. o Booth A Troop sponsored popup sale (table or booth) in front of a business, on a street corner or in any public space. Booths must be secured by the Troop with the business and property managers. Two girls and two unrelated registered and background checked adults must be present at all times. o Lemonade Stand A personal fall product stand set up on private property with permission of the owner. Must be within our Council jurisdiction (Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera and Tulare counties) and occur during our Product Program dates.. A Girl Scout and an adult must be present at all times. O:\FALL SALE PROGRAM\2017 FPS\Forms and Guides\2017 Fall Product SERVICE UNIT GUIDE.doc 5

Magazine Program With over 600 titles available, this program has something for every member of the family! Girl Scout families, friends and relatives can help by purchasing or renewing their favorite magazine subscriptions. This program is more than just a way of earning funds it offers great reading material for the entire family! Friends and family also have an opportunity to purchase tumblers and organic veggies to support their favorite Girl Scout. With the help of a parent or guardian, girls send emails to family and friends, inviting them to order/renew and pay for their magazine subscriptions online and/or order tumblers and organic veggies. Beginning October 1st, visit www.girlscoutsccs.org, click on Cookies & More Nuts & Magazines. Click on the Magazines & Nuts Online Program icon OR go directly to girlscouts.qspgao.com/gsccs. Participating girls register, create their very own MyCreation avatar and enter their contact email addresses. Girls sending 15 or more emails will earn a special Online patch. Girls sending 30 or more emails also earn the Goal Achiever patch. All magazine, tumbler and organic veggie sales count towards girls earned recognitions and the troop will receive profits equal to 20% of all these online Magazine & More orders. Your Girl Scout will automatically get credit for all online sales through December 3, 2017. Only orders paid in full during the Fall Product Program will count towards the girl s recognitions and the troop s proceeds. Customers can call QSP Customer Care toll free directly at (877) 305-4146 for customer service questions. Nut and Candy Program Our Fall Product Program line of nuts and candies includes 16 delicious varieties. Please see the girl order card for more information. Mint Treasures in Girl Scout Tin Dark Chocolate Caramel Caps with Sea Salt Peanut Butter Bears Deluxe Pecan Clusters Milk Chocolate Penguins Honey Roasted Mixed Nuts Salsa Mix English Butter Toffee Black Forrest Trail Mix Chocolate Covered Almonds Salt & Pepper Cashews NEW! Dill Pickle Peanuts NEW! Fruit Slices Butter Toasted Peanuts Whole Cashews Chocolate Covered Raisins ORDERS & DELIVERY The order period runs from October 1 22. All orders must be entered into UNIFY by 11:59 pm by Wednesday, October 25. At this point, Troop Product Chairs will be locked out of their Troop s Order in UNIFY and will not be able to enter additional orders. NEW THIS YEAR: There will be no Council or Service Unit pantries. If your troop plans to booth you will need to add the additional product to the order placed on October 25. Orders will be delivered to your indicated delivery station the week of November 13 16. If you do not receive a call from the delivery agent to schedule your delivery date and time by the end of Friday, November 10, contact the Product Program Department at GONUTS@girlscoutsccs.org. When product is delivered and anytime product changes hands, both parties must count and verify totals by variety before signing a receipt. Receipts are used to protect all parties, and are referred to when there are any discrepancies. Keep a copy of all receipts for a minimum of one year. Troops are required to round their orders to full cases for Nut & Candy items. Any extra items can be transferred between troops who need additional product. Any damaged product can be replaced by contacting the Council within one (1) week of receiving the product at GONUTS@girlscoutsccs.org. O:\FALL SALE PROGRAM\2017 FPS\Forms and Guides\2017 Fall Product SERVICE UNIT GUIDE.doc 6

UNIFY UNIFY is the online ordering system and is located at www.girlscouts.qspgao.com/gsccs. All Troop & girl orders will be entered into the UNIFY system. UNIFY Guides are available to every Troop Product Chair via the council website www.girlscoutsccs.org. Recognitions All girls entered into the UNIFY system are eligible to earn recognitions. Product transfers must be made at the girl level for a girl to receive credit for any items sold. Recognitions will be shipped to your Service Unit Product Chair who will contact you to schedule a pick up time. Please have the parents in your troop sign the checkout sheet provided to you to confirm that they have received their girl s recognitions. Families not in good standing with the Council or Troop may not participate in the sale. Girls that owe troop monies for current program will not receive recognitions until balance is paid in full. *** If any of your Troop s recognitions are missing or damaged, please inform your Service Unit Product Chair of the item and the quantity no later than Thursday, February 1, 2018 and Council will reorder your missing recognitions. *** End of Program Wrap Up The following tasks must be completed by December 5 at 11:59 pm IN UNIFY: Girl entered in the system with both first and last name Girls nut orders entered in the system Recognition order placed (once all product has been transferred to the girls) DOCUMENT CHECKLIST Parent Delinquencies (if applicable) 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. O:\FALL SALE PROGRAM\2017 FPS\Forms and Guides\2017 Fall Product SERVICE UNIT GUIDE.doc 7