With your guidance, your Girl Scouts will learn money skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Your Girl Scout troop will plan and finance its own activities, and you’ll coach your Girl Scouts as they earn and manage troop funds. Troop activities are powered by proceeds earned through council-sponsored product program activities (such as the Girl Scout Cookie Program), group money-earning activities (council-approved, of course), and any dues your troop may charge.
Remember that all funds collected, raised, earned, or otherwise received in the name of and for the benefit of Girl Scouting belong to the troop as a whole and must be used for the purposes of Girl Scouting. Funds are administered through the troop and do not belong to individuals.
Establishing a Troop Account 
No matter how much your troop plans to save or spend, you’ll need a safe place to deposit your troop dues, product program proceeds, and other funds. If you’ve stepped up to lead an existing troop, you may inherit a checking account, but with a new troop, you’ll want to open a new bank account.
Troops should set up a bank account within the first 3 months of forming or by December. Check with your service unit to learn their requirements. If they have no specific bank, you can choose a bank. Any bank is allowed. Girl Scouts of Central Indiana has relationships with the following banks so we will be able to help you if you have problems at your local branch.
Before setting up a bank account the troop leader should take 434 Troop Banking Overview. This is required before completing the banking form online. As a new troop leader you should have received an email welcoming you to Girl Scouts with the next steps to take this training.
Both signers must be at the branch to open an account. Every troop can have a debit card, which will be mailed to Girl Scouts of Central Indiana and then sent to you.
General Rules
- There must be two unrelated adults living in separate households as signers that have signatures on the account. Debit cards are allowed.
- The account should be named Girl Scouts of Central Indiana Troop XXXXX with the five digit troop number.
- Online banking is permissible if the bank has capacity. Some banks can only access online banking (free) by using the tax identification number, and that won’t work for us. (Everyone would have access to all accounts.)
- To change signatures on an account, both volunteers (the old and new signers) should go to the bank together. If that is not possible, contact the customer care at Girl Scouts of Central Indiana. We can provide a documentation letter.
If you have questions about banking, please call customer care at 317.924.6800.
Here are a few helpful tips you can take to the bank:
Be sure to find a bank that has free checking and low fees.
Designate a ?troop treasurer,? that is, one person who is responsible for troop funds and for keeping a daily account of expenditures.
Ensure your account comes with a debit card that you can use during activities or trips. These transactions are easier to track at the end of the year.
Be prepared and make sure another troop volunteer has a debit card for the troop account in case the main card is lost.
Handle a lost troop debit card the same way you would a personal debit card: cancel it immediately.
Keep troop funds in the bank before an activity or trip and pay for as many items as possible in advance of your departure.
Follow your council's financial policies and procedures for setting up an account. Most council-sponsored product program activities have specific banking and tracking procedures.
Money-Earning Basics for Troops
Participation Guidance
Additional Money-Earning Guidelines
Sample Money-Earning Activities
Help Your Troop Reach Its Financial Goals
Financial Management and Product Program Abilities by Grade Level
Working with Sponsors and Other Organizations
Disbanding Troops and Unused Troop Funds
Closing the Troop Account
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