Girl Scout/Brownie Moms

[mom2grace]

DD is in Brownies this year (1st grader), and I need to know if the leader is flaky, or if I don't get it.

We just finished our cookie sales, the money isn't all in yet.

Upcoming GS Council events include and father daughter dance and camp overnight (2 separate events)

I got this email from the troop leader tonight. I added the bolded part.

We talked about what they want to do with the money they earn from selling cookies.
The top things are
Ice skating
Getting their nails done ( which I think we could do for free if I could get some help)
Children's Museum (most of us live 2 miles from this museum and have yearly passes since our children were born, this is not a "Treat" for our kids)
Gymnastics party (Most of the class birthday parties are at gymnastics places)
Local Park ( another free one)

Now, isn't 1 of the points of selling cookies so that they can participate in council events?! Or am I totally off base? I can't see forking out another $100!

Thanks!

 

[scrapquitler]

Keep in mind that the troop only makes either 50 or 75 cents per box of cookies sold (I think its 75 now). Unless all the girls in the troop sell tons of cookies, it doesn't really cover most of the activities for the troop, you still have to pay quite a bit. My DDs troop worked for a year and half to pay for a trip to a dude ranch (it was like $250 for the weekend per child) and in the end, everyone still had to pay at least $100. So that fundraising doesn't add up as fast as you would think it does.

It sounds like that list of activities is ideas that the girls in the troop generated during a brainstorming session. Gymnastics and Children's museum are things they like to do, so obviously that is what they would suggest! Remember that doing those same things with the troop, the leader will talk about the activities in different ways and they will probably use those experience for other discussions, and that can be part of various patches or badgework for the kids. So yeah, same old same old, but maybe with a new perspective.

The money from cookie sales and other fundraisers goes into the troop account, and the troop can decide what to do with that money. Maybe council events, maybe not. Some troops do a lot of those, some not so many, others not at all. Three years ago, my DD's troop did EVERY council event (except camporees). Two years ago, with new leaders, the camporee was the ONLY area wide event her troop participated in.

So, it depends

 

[badblackpug]

Okay, don't know diddly about girl scouts, but it does sound like these are suggestions made by the girls. Maybe you could combine freebie things like the local park with a barbeque. Or the museum with an ice cream party. I think by "getting their nails done" maybe the girls mean at a salon, like grown-ups do. The cutest party I ever saw (at the nail salon, to boot) was a "tea party" where all the girls dressed up, got their nails done and then had a tea party complete with finger sandwiches, tea, and cakes at a local tea parlor. (yes, I was talking to one of the moms)

 

[MickeyHereWeCome!]

This is our first year doing cookie sales, and our troop made much more of a profit than we originally thought. My co-leader and I had several good ideas that we thought the girls would love, but we really wanted to let the girls decide. They came up with ideas like going to a nearby water park, a park, a museum, etc. They voted, and the $6 per person water park won! So, those ideas may have been the things the girls really wanted to do, even if it wouldn't necessarily spend all the money.

We plan to use our money to pay for all of our council events, at least for the rest of the year. Yearly dues barely covers patches, Try Its, and some supplies, so cookie money will really help with some more fun activities that may have been too expensive before. Also, if you have a plan for the money, you can carry it over to next year. This means that our dues can be cheaper for next year and we'll have the luxury of planning more expensive trips, etc.

Oh, and we only made a profit of $ .60 per box sold, so the troop would have to sell quite a bit to have a huge profit. Has she let the parents know how much of a profit the troop made. Perhaps you could just ask, as a point of interest. If there is a large profit, maybe she'd be open to suggestions such as contributing towards council events (we do that a lot....ask parents for half and we cover the rest).

I'm actually off to finish sorting our cookies. We picked up the order tonight, so now we have the fun of delivering them.

 

[ntink]

We are in our 4th year and always let the girls decide what to do with the money. They brainstorm ideas and then we vote. We have done Hershey Park (we had enough for one ticket per girl), a visit to an ice cream parlor and bowling. This is what the other troops do at our school as well. Each girl pays individually for council events that she wants to attend.

 

[grlpwrd]

That's the thing - it's supposed to be by the girls, for the girls. If they brainstormed and voted then it is supposed to be what they want to do.

I am on my 8th year as a leader to older girls plus I have started a troop of 2 Daisies and 2 Brownies with more to join. Anyway, some of the stuff they suggest I don't exactly agree , but it is in alignment with what Girl Scouts is all about, you know?

Of course, those that do not comply with Safety Wise regulations must be vetoed.

Our troop pays for about 90% of our troop and Council activities and events, but that's because I have a sizable troop who really sells cookies and we do other fundraisers. I try to keep out-of-pocket expenses to a bare minimum. I have a troop handbook which I give to all parents in the beginning and I spell out these details. I know there are some troops out there who forego fundraising and just have monthly dues. That wouldn't work for our troop.

Of course, YMMV depending on how the troop is run and how funds are allocated.

Perhaps discuss this with the leader... GL!

 

[#1 Pocahontas]

This is my first year as a leader, and I am a Daisy leader so we haven't sold cookies yet. I am only going by what I have been told by my local council.

It was explained to me that the money they make off of cookies is their money. They get to choose what they want to use it for. The leader can present options and ideas to them but in the end it should be their decision.

Even though some of those options are free or places that are visited often it can be a totally different expereince when visited with friends. Especially with your troop and leaders.

Perhaps if the event is free they will discuss other options for the money. Or save it for a bigger event. I know a local troop that has been saving for Disney World since they were in first grade. The leader has promised them that she will take any girl to Disney World that stays with the troop until graduation. So the girls choose to put part of their money into Disney savings.

 

[lghost]

My daughter's troop voted to go bowling with their money. At the time I felt the same way--shouldn't they use the money for something else?!

I think many leaders have different styles as well. I absolutely love girl scouts but I can't say that I loved our leader. After awhile, I think she was turning the troop into one big "play group" and was not focusing so much on what girl scouts stood for.

I learned a lot from the experience and plan on training to become a leader to a local troop when my youngest daugher is ready.

 

[The Disney Bunch]

Not for nothing but why was the leader so negative about all the things that the kids wanted to do- it is for them. These are not suppose to be a treat just for her kids so if the troop wants to do something & her daughter doesn't want to - well - it should be what the troop wants.

 

[Loriannf]

Here, in OH, if the girls sell less than an average of 100 boxes, we only get 45cents per box. Not alot. You have to sell an awful lot of cookies (200 per girl on average) to get the maximum amount ($.60/box).

We're also told the money is to be spent on what the girls want to do. My troop wants Build a Bear or a waterpark. All things the girls do regularly with their families or various birthday parties. But it's THEIR money. You're also supposed to spend all the troop funds every year and get in trouble if you don't unless you show their "saving" for something big.

 

[McKelly]

Part of letting the girls pick what they want to do with the cookie money is allowing them to set goals, which a leader is SUPPOSED to do prior to cookie selling. We make a giant poster board and write everybody's ideas down. Then I figure out what it will cost and how many boxes sold that equates per girl, well, I let them try to figure it out!! But they are Brownies yet, so..........

I don't always agree on what they want to do either, and they often pick things they are familiar with, or that we have done before. I also add in a couple of other new things I think they might like and often they will pick those, but I always try to incorporate some of their ideas too. Eventually, the troop is supposed to be run completely by the girls themselves, with the leaders there to offer guidance instead of complete leadership.

As far as council events, we go to some, some not. Frankly, for what they charge around here to attend them, I don't see the value and there is no way I could pay for the entire troop to go. Many of them are over $20.00 per girl, there would be no money left for anything else!!

And if your daughter wants to attend the council events, around here, you don't have to attend with your troop, she can attend as a single. Maybe it is different in other places.

As a Girl Scout leader, I would not be offended if another parent had a suggestion for something they thought the girls would like to do. I mean the well does run dry after awhile, you know what I mean?!? LOL!! If you have other suggestions, mention them to her, but also offer to help (not that you don't). Because there is nothing more aggravating then being criticized in a VOLUNTEER capacity. Girl Scouts is a big commitment, I have 18 girls in my troop and it is A LOT of work. More than some people realize.

 

[stacieps]

Not for nothing but why was the leader so negative about all the things that the kids wanted to do- it is for them. These are not suppose to be a treat just for her kids so if the troop wants to do something & her daughter doesn't want to - well - it should be what the troop wants.

I'm not sure, but I think the negatives you are talking about were added by the OP (she says she added the bolded parts).

Another Girl Scout leader here. My troop decides what to do with the money they've earned. As Brownies we went to Build a Bear more often then I would have chosen, but it wasn't up to me. We do very little council events, usually just camporee. Now that my girls are older, and there's only a handful of them, we've raised money this year to fly to Florida and go on a four night cruise - not what some say is "Girl Scout-related", but something the girls wanted and have worked hard (and together) to get to. We will be going in August.

 

[alicenwonder99]

I was a GS leader for many years. Last year was my last year as a leader. I had a run-in with a coleader last year that said our 3rd grade Brownies were too young to decide how to spend the money. UGH!!! We also get parents who complain how the cookie money/fundraising money gets spent.

Many people don't understand that it's the GIRLS who are dictating how their troop is run. The leader is there for guidance and helping things go smoothly...not running the show and entertaining the girls.

Not saying the OP is one of them, but every year there is always a parent who questions what the leader is doing. Last year, one of the parents just kept on complaining how we were spending our cookie money. I finally gave in and told the mom she could help with the activity she was pushing. Of course, that mom never helped out one second.

OK, can you tell that I had enough of scouting...lol!!! I will never be a scout leader again. I did it for 7 years and I finally reached my breaking point.

 

[kldmom2000]

I'm an asst. leader for my DD's Brownie Troop (definitely don't want to run that myself! LOL!) We asked the girls before we started selling cookies what they'd like to do with the $$$ this year.

With last year's profits, we took them to a Build-a-Bear knock off place near us (we live 40 min. from the closest Build-a-Bear). We also had a campout in the leader's back yard followed by a day of horseback riding at a local stable. The girls were not responsible for a dime of it because it was all cookie $ profit.

This year some of the suggestions were:
rollerskating party
rent a couple of hotel rooms @ a hotel for a slumber party with an indoor pool (I'm not fond of that idea! )
Six-Flags

We already had a bowling party during the holidays. Some of the $$ is going toward their try-it patches. We are taking them to a ceramic place this weekend to paint a piece. There are 2 of the Brownie Big-4's in the area that the cookie money covers as well. So far we've sold almost 3,000 boxes We've got a bunch of field trips planned that will use some of the $ and we're definitely open to more suggestions that the girls have.

 

[Eeyore'sthebest]

I'm a Brownie leader. Last year the girls decided they wanted to go to Build-a-Bear. We figured out how many cookies they would have to sell to spend $15/$20/$25. I told them they were capped out at $25 no matter how many cookies they sold.
They sold enough to spend their $25. With the extra money I decided on two smaller activities. We went to a community theater to see a children's play. And we did a try-it activity at the GS camp that was run by a Senior troop. The girls loved both the other two events. Sometimes as a leader with the young ones, you need to guide but also expose them to other events.
This year I let the girls brainstorm and then presented them with an overnight at the Philadelphia Zoo. The girls were extremely excited and chose my idea. Just because the girls brainstorm doesn't mean that the leader can't add an idea or two. The girls should get to vote on the majority spending though. We made enough money to make it a mother/daughter event fully funded by the cookie money. We also have extra money.

And let's be honest, this mother is a volunteer. A volunteer that probably spends out of her own pocket for the troop. Why don't you call her and offer your assistance with something. Maybe plan/run a try-it and meeting for her. When I'm swamped at work and don't have time to fully plan, I know the kids get a craft day! I would be extremely grateful for a mother offering to run a meeting for me!!!!

 

[PrincessKell]

DD is in Brownies this year (1st grader), and I need to know if the leader is flaky, or if I don't get it.

We just finished our cookie sales, the money isn't all in yet.

Upcoming GS Council events include and father daughter dance and camp overnight (2 separate events)

I got this email from the troop leader tonight. I added the bolded part.

We talked about what they want to do with the money they earn from selling cookies.
The top things are
Ice skating
Getting their nails done ( which I think we could do for free if I could get some help)
Children's Museum (most of us live 2 miles from this museum and have yearly passes since our children were born, this is not a "Treat" for our kids)
Gymnastics party (Most of the class birthday parties are at gymnastics places)
Local Park ( another free one)

Now, isn't 1 of the points of selling cookies so that they can participate in council events?! Or am I totally off base? I can't see forking out another $100!

Thanks!

I am a new Daisy leader. But I also have to think that even when we dont really want to do something that the kids want to do because its something they ALWAYS do, they do it so much because they love it so much.

Like other posters have said you could always talk to your troop leader, I think open communication is a must with girls parents and the leader. As I would want this for our girls. If they had suggestions for anything to help with the troop I would be so grateful!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Hi,

I saw Girl Scouts and couldn't resist adding my $.02. I have been a registered Girl Scout for about 34 years, first as a girl, then as a leader, and then working for a large Girl Scout council. I am not currently involved with a troop, but I still try to keep abreast of things.

First of all, a big Thank You to all of you who currently lead or have led troops. You are making a huge difference in the lives of girls, and you should be commended and thanked daily. These girls will grow into confident and capable young women, and you are a part of that. As someone raising a ds who's going to want to marry one some day, I appreciate that!

I think most of the PPs have a huge amount of wisdom. Volunteering to be a leader is a mostly thankless job. In addition to planning activities and running the troop, you also have to have continous training, adult meetings, and deal with parents who may or may not understand what is involved. One point I always had to make more than once when we did a registration -- the leaders are not paid -- this is not gymnastics or dance where you just drop your daughter off, pay a fee, and never give it another thought. In order for your daughter to get the most of her experience, you have to be involved.

If you can't do cookies or meetings, you can do something. Maybe it's buying and prepping all the materials for a craft, providing a snack, driving for field trips, watching the leaders other small children during meetings, etc. -- there is something you can do.

To the OP -- I don't think the leader is flaky. I think she presented the options the girls decided they would like to do for your feedback, and to let you know what the girls would like to do. If you have other ideas, you should feel free to present them to her -- especially if there is something you can assist with, like making a phone call to find out the cost of a particular activity.

Just curious -- did you ask your daughter if they talked about how they would like to spend their cookie money in the troop meeting, and if so what she wanted to do?

When I was her age we used to say things like "Hawaii", or "the Grand Canyon", but I'm sure my mom (the leader), wasn't telling the parents that was a real possibility for the 1st graders! I bet you might get a big chuckle out of the full list of suggestions from the girls...

Best of luck, and I hope you and your daughter really enjoy scouting!
Maria

 

[mandysbus]

If I remember correctly, my cookie money went towards my girl scout camp every summer (horse camp which was always the more expensive one). And between my dad and I, we sold a crazy amount of cookies every year (dad teaches high school and he always took a form to school with him for the teachers and students), maybe that was cheating but it kind of turned into a daddy/daughter thing every year. He was probably thinking of how much it was saving him when I wanted to go to the most expensive camps. But we had fun with it.

I'd have to say that my fondest girl scout memories were from summer camp...my troop leader kinda sucked (in my opinion...but I was more of a tomboy and it always seemed that my brothers cub pack was always doing much more cool, fun stuff) So I guess cooking and making potholders wasnt so much my thing.

 

[ceecee]

I am in my 7th year as a leader with no to minimal parent support. I am a free babysitter for 12-15 girls! I make plans for great activities and can't get volunteer drivers to get the troop anywhere. The girls have always voted, it's their troop afterall.
My girls voted on Build A Bear 2 years, Pizza party and waterpark, a dinner show one year and King's Island last year. At .50 a box we couldn't have afforded our camps since they are $270.00. We do have a council camp that is 2 nights for $40.00, but since not all of my girls wanted to do this, it didn't come out of the cookie money. I also do what the lowest seller sold as in spending profits, as this is what my troop voted on doing (we went over some) so my lowest seller (with booth sales included) only sold 60 at .50 a box (this year it's only .50 if the average of all girls is 100 boxes, if not it's only .40) that would be $30.00. I gave my first, second and third place girls extra gifts last year because it's the same girls who sell all the cookies every year and freeze doing the booth sales. They carried the troop with 1150, 486 and 350, the rest sold around 100 (we did 11 booth sales). I kept some for expenses for the troop...parties throughout the year, snacks, craft supplies, badges, etc. Expenses for out Bronze Award as well.
All of the Girl's Events at the council I charged for, since only 4 out of the 12 usually opted to do these. This year they want to do an indoor waterpark, so I plan to keep a ledger for each girl and the ones who don't sell as much will have to pay to make up the difference.

 

[MrsPooh]

My daughter has an awesome leader for her troop and a great assistant leader. I'm the "back-up" assistant.

They are cadettes and the troop is small. Ever since the beginning back in Daisies the troop has participated in many council events, done field trips and activities on their own and camped a couple of times a year (as soon as they were old enough).

For any troop planned activities the deal is always that the troop pays for half of the cost out of money earned from cookie sales or other fund-raisers and the girls must pay for the other half themselves. This has worked out wonderfully for us.

Many of our girls also attend summer camp together but not as a troop activity so we pay the full price ourselves.

We've done mother/daughter events and the troop pays for half of the girls' cost and moms are responsible for their own full cost.

Next year they are hoping for a weekend out-of-town trip and and working hard to get enough money so that the trip won't be so expensive for them.

A troop of seniors that I know have been saving funds all through high-school to go on a trip to Europe. Whatever the troop can't cover will be up to each family. Most of the girls' families won't be able to afford much so the girls are working hard to get the money they need.

Our troop leader has always had the girls suggest ideas and help with planning. Often the choose things none of us adults would even suggest but they always have a great time.