April 2022 Monthly Newsletter
Issue 1 | The Power of Girl Scouts
Girl Scout Mission Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
The Girl Scout Program Grounded in the Girl Scout Promise and Law, Girl Scouting is an experiential, cooperative education program that promotes girls’ personal growth and leadership development. Partnering with caring adults, girls design fun and challenging activities that empower them and raise their voices within a local, national, and global sisterhood.
Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: to serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout Law.
April Monthly Newsletter
In This Edition Girl Scout Mission, Promise, and Law...... 2 Contact Us................................................... 3 Cookie Program.......................................... 4 Finance ....................................................... 5 Paint Your World Purple............................ 5 Lifetime Members/Alumni........................ 6
Girl Scout Law
Volunteer Appreciation Month ................. 6
I will do my best to be
GSMW Shops.............................................. 7
honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do,
Community-Wide Council Cleanup.......... 7 NEW: Troop Travel Training ..................... 8 Girl Scout Voices Count.............................. 8 Save the Date: Castle Rock Open House... 8
and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.
Thank you to Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes for sharing their beautiful design with us!
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Contact Us! Phone: 406-252-0488 Email: customercare@gsmw.org Mail: 2303 Grand Ave | Billings, MT 59102
facebook.com/GSMWcouncil
@girlscoutsmtwy
@GSMWcouncil
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ gsmw
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Cookie Program 11 days
left of the 2022 Cookie Program!
The BIGGEST Thank You! Thank you for your patience as we have navigated these delivery challenges due to bakery issues to our agents. We appreciate YOU!
Cookies are Flying! Booths have been very successful from what we’ve heard. How VERY exciting! Hopefully at this point, your troop has received all of the cookies that you ordered on your initial order. If you need more cookies, please request them from your local cupboard. Reminder: Place orders for the following booth weekend by Sunday night at midnight so we can get needed cookies out to cupboards. The more notice we have with orders, the better! Here’s the Help Clip with information about how to order cookies from the Cupboard showing the Desktop View and the App View.
Digital Cookie: Post-Initial Order Girl Deliveries On February 22nd at 10 PM, Digital Cookie Girl Delivery was paused. When girls fulfill new girl delivery orders (after 2/22) by picking up from the troop, those boxes need to be added to the girls in eBudde. If girls fulfill Post-Initial Order Girl Deliveries from extras you have already assigned to her, do not add the cookies to the girl. Please view this Help Clip showing you information on how to see if girls have had additional orders and how to add cookies to girls.
Important Dates Can you believe the Cookie Program is over April 17? While some of you may choose to have booths past April 17, here are some important dates to keep in mind forrewards and closing out the Cookie Program: Due ASAP
ACH Authorization Forms
April 17
Las day of the Cookie Program
April 18
Free camp earner emails go out to girls with 1000+ boxes and free camp choice entered
April 20 at 9AM
Free cookie camp earner selections begin
April 20 at 9:59PM
Boxes assigned to girls in eBudde and final rewards due
April 21 at 9:59PM
Service unit final edits due
April 21
ACH confirmation email sent to Troops
April 24
ACH Adjustment Form due (if applicable)
April 26
ACH Sweep #1 - 70% of amount due to Council
April 27
Camp early regsitration opens for all Girl Scouts
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Cookie Camp Earner Early Selection Begins April 20 Don’t miss the Cookie Camp Earner Early Selection that begins April 20 at 9AM! We have a lot of camp earners each year and encourage your Girl Scout to make her top two choices right away so you are ready to submit. Camp selections are first come, first served with the Cookie Camp Earner selections. We will not being using Camp Docs this year, so please keep an eye out for the email headed your way with more information.
Finance Some Helpful Reminders... With cookie season in full swing and summer Girl Scouting activities around the corner, Troop accounts will likely have a lot of activity. Please be diligent in keeping receipts and records as the busy season picks up using these helpful reminders: • Receipts, receipts, receipts! Get receipts anytime money or cookies exchange hands. The caregiver and volunteer should both sign the receipt, each keeping a copy for their records. • Deposit cookie money often. Caregivers can even deposit directly into your troop bank account, just give them the account number. • Keep receipts for all Girl Scout spending. • All Troop Leaders will receive a confirmation email on April 21 for the first ACH that will occur on April 26, for 70% of the amount due. If the troop account balance is not sufficient for this ACH, please submit the ACH Adjustment Form no later than April 24. • The ACH Adjustment Form cannot be used to eliminate the ACH; some funds must be swept from each troop on April 26. One of the goals of GSMW’s Finance Department is to ensure our banking policies and procedures are followed. Please remember, all troops and service units are required to submit a Year-End Troop Finance Report by June 30th, 2022.
New Money Earning Policy Helping girls earn and manage money is an integral part of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. When girls participate in money earning activities, they learn important skills such as goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics. The Girl Scout Financial Literacy Program, including the Cookie Program and Fall Product Program are the two best opportunities for girls to earn troop funds. Troops must participate in both programs in order to participate in additional money earning activities. Consideration will be given to troops that formed after these opportunities have passed. Troops who participate in both Financial Literacy programs usually do not need to participate in additional money earning unless they are planning trips or other travel. If there is a need for additional funds, please read through our new Money Earning Request Guidelines. Prior to soliciting, receiving donations, or participating in a money earning activity, the Money Earning Request Form must be submitted to GSMW.
Kristen Bell and Girl Scouts: Paint Your World Purple Discover Your Inner Girl Scout and Purple Person - It’s way easier and more fun than you think! GSUSA is
excited to announce the second national membership incentive event in collaboration with Penguin Random House, featuring actress, singer, and author Kristen Bell. Kristen Bell is best known to children as the voice of Anna in Disney’s Frozen. Kristen has authored two books with Benjamin Hart: The World Needs More Purple People (2020) and The World Needs More Purple Schools (2022). The books’ themes align with Girl Scout values by encouraging children to ask questions, use their voice, work hard, and be themselves – all while laughing and having fun! The May 2022 national virtual event will be exclusive to Girl Scouts and registration is open to anyone with a 2023 Girl Scout Membership! Renew your membership today and get registered to join in on the purple fun! GSMW wants to make this event extra fun for your girl and is offering the first 100 girls registered, a free Paint Your World Purple patch! gsmw.org | 5
Lifetime Members/Alumni Girl Scout Travel for Alumni & Supporters Hey Girl Scout alums & supporters! Tag your travel buddies because we have something special for you! GSUSA is partnering with Club Adventures, a AAA-owned tour operator, to provide exciting travel opportunities. Unlock the power of adventure and join a Girl Scout travel experience this fall. Get the scoop here! Who counts as an alumni? An alum is anyone who was a Girl Scout as a child at any level for any amount of time. Daisy, Brownie, Junior, or higher – it all counts! A supporter is any adult who supports the mission of Girl Scouts.
Lifetime Membership for Graduating Seniors Looking for the perfect gift for a graduating Girl Scout? Give her the gift of a Lifetime Membership! You can champion the next generation of change-makers by investing in Girl Scouts and forming a member for life. Your contribution will support Girl Scouts, which gives girls a place to prepare for a lifetime of leadership. And, by helping her in becoming a lifetime member, you’re ensuring her a group of likeminded supporters, dedicated to Girl Scouts’ mission – a network that will be with her wherever her future takes her, a network that will last a lifetime.
Volunteer Appreciation Month Because of You, She Shines! Thank you for being a Girl Scout Volunteer. That’s why National Volunteer Month is so near and dear to our hearts. Every April, we celebrate the powerful, life-changing contributions our volunteers make to Girl Scouts and their communities all year long. As a token of our appreciation, all registered volunteers will be receiving a postcard by email or in the mail later this month. This postcard provides you with the choice of receiving GSMW’s 2022 quilt pin or patch, or a 30% coupon for one item at our GSMW shop. This gift is available to all adult members of GSMW, but you must submit your choice of quilt pin or patch no later than Wednesday, May 5th. The 30% off coupon expires June 1, 2021. Our volunteers are the ones who make Girl Scouting possible — and we are so grateful for everything you do. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
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GSMW Shops Check out our New Merchandise! Hoodies, tumblers, beanies, oh my! The GSMW Shop has some new (or restocked) and exciting merchandise. To place an order, email shop@gsmw.org or call 406-252-0488.
Youth Hoodies S-XL $32
Adult Hoodies S-XL $39 2XL-4XL $42
110 Anniversary Commemorative Coffee Tumber $25
Cookie Boss Beanie $18
Annual Council-Wide Community Cleanup Make the World a Better Place GSMW invites everyone to participate in a Community Cleanup event during GSMW’s Community Cleanup Week, June 4-11. Through these council-wide events, participants will see first-hand the impact of community service. Learn more and REGISTER for a nearby council-run Community Cleanup. Registration closes on May 4. If our council-run cleanup events don’t work for you, you can plan your own cleanup with your troop, service unit, or household. If planning your own cleanup, you can still order t-shirts (only $6) and get free fun patches by registering your participants here. Independent Community Cleanup shirt and patch orders close Wednesday, May 4.
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NEW: Troop Travel Training Troop travel season will swiftly be upon us. If your troop is planning an activity
outside of your regular troop meeting place and time, you’re going on a Troop Trip! To help you prepare for troop travel, GSMW has created a helpful Troop Travel Training, now available through your MyGS account in gsLearn. The new training will help you and your troop prepare, plan, and implement memorable troop trips and high risk activity experiences. Starting on April 1, 2022, GSMW will require the Troop Travel Training for volunteers leading a troop trip or high risk activity with their troop.
Volunteers can access the Troop Travel Training now in gsLearn! Have questions about how to access gsLearn? Check out the My Account Tip Sheet: gsLearn for more information. For more information and a plethora of resources for your troop’s trips, check out Troop Trips & High Risk Activities. There, you’ll find information to help you plan any sort of trip, whether you’re going to the local trampoline park or planning a trip to Switzerland. Email customercare@gsmw.org with all your troop travel questions.
Girl Scout Voices Count At Girl Scouts, we care about your experience and we want to hear from you! In April, Girl Scouts of the USA will be conducting a national survey with girls, parents/guardians, and troop leaders called Girl Scout Voices Count to find out what’s working, and what’s not, in Girl Scouts. If you are not able to rate GSMW at a 9 or 10, then we’re not doing our job. If we are not meeting your expectations, please email customercare@gsmw. org and tell us why.
Save the Date Take a tour and see the magnificent renovations of Camp Castle Rock, located six miles south of Butte, MT!
This event is FREE and lunch will be provided. Grab your entire troop and make it a weekend! Reserve a cabin today by emailing customercare@gsmw.org 8 | The Power of Girl Scouts - April Monthly Newsletter
