TROOP PLAN BOOK 2013-2014 Fall Product Program

912 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, Virginia 23322 757.547.4405 or 800.77SCOUT Fax: 757.547.1872 www.gsccc.org TROOP PLAN BOOK 2013-2014 Fall Product Program WHO SHOULD YOU CALL WHEN YOU NEED SOME HELP? SU Fall Product Coordinator (SUFPC): Phone (day) (eve) e-mail: Call a fall product cupboard to pick up items to fill your troop s extra orders and for booth sales: Nearest Cupboard: Address: Phone (day) (eve) e-mail: Girl Scout Office: Peggy Goetsch, Administrative Assistant Ext. 1261 or 757-410-1376 or e-mail - peggyg@gsccc.org Alexandria Carruth, Product Sales Manager Ext. 1296 or 757-410-1436 or e-mail alexandriac@gsccc.org

TROOP FALL PRODUCT COORDINATOR POSITION DESCRIPTION Reports to: Service Unit Fall Product and Booth Coordinator Position Description: Coordinates and conducts the fall product program for the troop. Works directly with the girls and adult leadership to ensure the program is carried out properly and in a timely manner. Subscribes to the principles of Girl Scout Movement and becomes a registered member; has the ability to work with details; has good communication skills; sensitivity to racial, ethnic, religious, socioeconomic backgrounds and abilities and willing to attend training to do the job. DATES TO REMEMBER AND RESPONSIBILITIES By September 27 - You should have: Attended fall product program training given by your service unit and signed and returned the TFP Coordinator Agreement to your SUFPC. Trained the participating Girl Scouts and parents-guardians in your troop. Stressed to the girls/parents that they may not take orders before the start date. It is an On your honor program. Received from your SU fall product and booth coordinator your NUT-e login and password. Update the troop information on the Nut-e system at www.ashdonfarmsnute.com. Distributed program materials (Order Cards, Parent-Guardian Permission Slips and Parent-Guardian Information Bulletins) to the girls/parents-guardians. Reminded girls/parents to visit the www.gsccc.org to register and complete the Online Magazine Program learning activity so they can send emails to their family and friends to invite them to renew their magazine subscriptions or purchase new subscriptions. Details can be found on the back of the Parent-Guardian Bulletin. Reminded girls/parents that nut/candy payment is collected at time of delivery. Collected the signed Parent-Guardian Permission Slip from the participating girls before they start taking orders. This is very important. September 28 Online Magazine and Nut/Candy Order Taking Begins October 14 Girls Initial Orders Due to Troop Fall Product Coordinator (TFPC) Indicate that your troop is opting out of prior to entering girl orders into the Nut-e. Any Daisy and Brownie troops and troops classified as Group or Other may not opt out of rewards of the nut and candy and magazine, unless they do not contain Daisies and Brownies Collect Girl s Order Form and/or Girl s Initial Order signed by parents/guardians. Enter the girls initial orders online into the Nut-e system. October 15 - All Sales Information Completed Online and Initial Order Report due to SUFPC Reconcile and check the T-2 Nut/Candy/Magazine Report for accuracy from the troop report section of the Nut-e system. Turn in the white copies of signed Parent-Guardian Permission Slips to your SUPFC. Keep the other copies. November 1-2 - Products Delivered to Service Units and Cupboards Prior to these dates, your SU Coordinator will let you know when the products will be delivered. Make arrangements with your SU Coordinator when to pick up the products for your troop. Distribute the products within two days of receiving them so girl/parents will have enough time to deliver to their customers. Return the girls Order Forms (if collected.) Count and recount before signing for products. You are responsible for products you signed for.

Require your parents to count, recount, and sign and date the Money and/or Product Receipt for every product they pick up. Keep all receipts. They are very important for your final report. November 3 Nut and Candy Cupboards are now open and troops continue selling If additional products are needed, check with your SUFPC to see if extra items are still available. Otherwise, go to any cupboard with your completed and signed Cupboard Authorization Card to pick up more products. Cupboards will enter the items picked up by your troops in the Nut-e system and will appear in your Troop Special Order. Transfer the items from Troop Special Order each time the girls/parents ordered and signed for the products. November 3 Booth Sales Begin Only your SUFPC and Booth Coordinator will coordinate all booth sales for your SU. December 1 Fall Product Program Ends Troops/girls may continue selling their products on hand. All checks should be made out to Girl Scout Council of Colonial Coast or GSCCC. (See Banking Procedure Section.) December 4 Girls who participated in the Online Magazine must turn in the Girl s Online Sales Report and the rest of the nut and candy payment December 4-9 - Complete all of the Necessary Paperwork Collect the Girl s Online Sales Report from girls who participated in the online magazines/nut promise orders and enter that information in the Nut-e system. All remaining payments for nut and candy items should be turned in to you by the girls/parents. The total amount due Council should be deposited in to the Council s fall product account. Enter deposits made on the Nut-e system. Complete an Uncollected Form for any outstanding amount. If your troop has any leftover items, pay the Council the amount due then continue to sell the items. Make sure the troop keeps its total rebate. This amount may include any leftover product your troop still has to sell. Troop rebate should be deposited into the troop s account. Only an over payment of $10 or more will be refunded and sent to the troop leader at least two weeks after your troop report has been audited. December 9 - Troop Final Report Due to your SUFP Coordinator Checklist of items to turn in: All Girl s Online Sales Reports collected from the girls that participated with the online magazine program and/or nut promise orders All Money and/or Product and Cupboard Receipts for products received/transferred: o from your SUFPC and Cupboards o from another troop/service unit and/or to another troop/service unit Validated Deposit Slips or Receipts as payments for products received Uncollected Form for any outstanding amount from girl/parents or other volunteers and Receipts signed by girls/parent/guardians or other volunteers for products not paid Signed Parent-Guardian Permission Slips for girls who started selling later on the sale Evaluation Form Go to www.gsccc.org to electronically submit copy

Important Notes Safety has always been our main focus and priority. Always practice it with your troop. Any troop fall product coordinators that had difficulty in the past handling money must not be reappointed. Please refer to this book and Parent-Guardian Information Bulletin for any dates and information that apply to the girls/parents-guardians. Make sure you know how to contact your Service Unit Fall Product and Booth Coordinator (SUFPC) and Community Product Sales and Booth Chair in case you have questions on sales. Follow the program schedule and we encourage you to ask questions if you are in doubt. Collect payments from your girls/parents regularly or at least once a week. Keep accurate records of sales and payments received. Although your troop is ultimately responsible for all of the products you order, promptly notifying your SUFPC about your extra products will enable her/him to locate troops who might need them and might help you transfer them within your service unit. GSCCC is not obligated to accept returns for the products you order and receive; however, we will exchange any deficient or defective products you receive. If you have such a problem please contact the Girl Scout office immediately within a week of receiving the products but no later than December 1. If there are any transfers of products, please attach all signed Money and/or Product Receipts with your final report. This will eliminate problems at the time of reporting and auditing. At the end of the sale, you will be collecting Girl s Online Sales Reports from each girl participating in the online ordering of magazines. You must enter the information on these reports into the Nut-e system for your troop to get credit towards troop proceeds and for girls to receive rewards. Any orders received after the deadline (December 1) will not count towards rewards or proceeds. New Product! Tasty favorite in a cute new mold. Dulce de Leche Owls will premiere and add another option to our product line up. Sell 100+ Club Girls who sell 100+ items, nuts, and candy or magazine subscriptions will be eligible to choose either a $25 dollar Build a Bear Gift Card, or a $25 dollar itunes gift card!!!!! Rewards/Recognitions please refer to the Girl s Order Form for pictures and details. Junior Cadette, Senior and Ambassador troops may opt out of the nut and candy and magazine recognitions for the extra 5 cents proceeds/rebates per item. The decision must come from the majority members of the troop. Any troops classified as Group or Other may not opt out of rewards unless they do not contain Daisies and Brownies. Any girl who sold 12+ nut items will automatically receive the Be Your Best patch, whether her troop opted out of the incentive or not. New! Girl Scout Tin Helping Girls Grow flower pot, with lid. Will be filled with delicious Double Chocolate Truffles and make wonderful keepsakes. Community service project Hometown Heroes is continuing. Customers pay $6 for each can of nuts as their donations. The number of items will be applied towards the girls and troop s final total sales. Girls and troops will not see the actual products. Ashdon Farms will ship the products directly to the Council s designated military location which is the USO of Hampton Roads. **Price chang es have been implemented**we now have 4 items priced at $6, including the Hometown Heroes Thank You Nuts. We will continue to carry 5 items priced at $7. The whole cashews are now priced at $8 dollars a unit.

GIRL REWARDS (A set of rewards is available in your SU or see the pictures on the back of the order form) Nut and Candy Rewards Be Your Best Patch o 12+ Nut items Believe Necklace and 2013-14 Patch o 30+ Nut items Small Plush Bee o 40+ Nut items Council Custom Bag o 60+ Nut items Large Plush Bee o 80+ Nut Items 2013-14 Share Patch o 5+ Nut Items sold for the Hometown Heroes Program Magazine Rewards Grow Patch o 2+ Magazine items sold Collapsible Water Bottle o 4+ Magazine items sold Wrist Rox o 8+ Magazine items sold Mini Locker 15+ Magazine item sold Online Patch o 12+ Email addresses entered o A girl who sells 100+ items of nuts, candy or magazine subscriptions will receive either a $25 dollar Build A Bear gift card or a $25 dollar itunes gift card. *this option is not available to troops who opt out of rewards TROOP PROCEEDS/REBATES/PROFIT Nut and Candy Items Troops may receive an extra 5 cents per item if opting out of rewards: *this option is not available to Daisy, Brownie or troops/groups that have Daisy and/or Brownies registered in these troops. $8 items= $1.30 with girl or $1.35 if opting out of rewards $7 items = $1.20 with girl or $1.25 if opting out of rewards. $6 items = $1.10 with girl or $1.15 if opting out of rewards. Online Magazine Troops receive 20% of any orders sold whether the troop opts out of rewards or not. Participation Each girl participating in this voluntary fall product program activity must be a registered Girl Scout and have a signed Parent-Guardian Permission Slip turned in. Although the program is a voluntary activity, encourage all girls to participate. With everyone s participation, your troop will earn start-up funds for programs and activities this fall. If any girl/parent has shown in the past that they could not be responsible for turning in money promptly, give a few items at a time. When payment is turned in, repeat the same process until the end of the sale.

If the troop participates this year, the Troop Fall Product Coordinators who signed the Troop Fall Product Chair Agreement will receive the volunteer patch. Juliettes or individually registered girls Any individually registered girl at Daisy Girl Scout level or above can take part in product sales programs and other approved Council activities. The income from the product sale does not become the property of individual girl members. Girls might sign up to work at a product sale booth or team up with another girl who is participating. The proceeds they earn must go into a specific "Juliette" or individual registered girl fund administered by community or service unit volunteers. The fund might provide mini-grants for individual travel or other program activities that benefit individual registered girls. The representing group decides how the funds are spent. GSUSA - Product Sale Online Marketing For online and product sales, refer to the Safety Activity Checkpoint called Girl Scout Cookie/Council- Sponsored Product Sales. No girl or adult acting on behalf of girl members can collect money online for Girl Scout products or a money-earning activity online. The only exception to this is the GSUSA approved magazine vendor programs. Using Online Resources to market products Girls 13 and older can use social networks, such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or LinkedIn to let friends and family know that they are selling Girl Scout products. Troops can state that they are selling GS products on their website under adult supervision and link to Council or GSUSA product finders via zip code. Girl Scouts abide by the terms of the sites that they use (including parental permission and age requirements) and follow safety selling guidelines. More detailed information can be found in Volunteer Essentials and Safety Activity Checkpoints which can be found on the Council s website at www.gsccc.org. Booth Sales Prior to the order-taking date, please notify your SU Product Sale and Booth Coordinator if your troop wishes to have booth sales. Also, notify them if you are planning to go beyond your service unit s boundaries. They must obtain special approval from that SU and will make arrangements based on your request Only troops with signed booth confirmation forms issued by their service unit product sale and booth coordinator may hold booth sales on the approved date and time and location Always bring a copy of the signed Booth Sale Confirmation Form from your SU coordinator. Practice the following rules in your booth sales. 1. All members participating will remain in the booth to conduct business. 2. There will be no carnival type barking or any similar forms of soliciting or badgering of customers. 3. The girls must be in her Girl Scout uniform. If uniforms are not available, please wear pins and sash/vest. 4. Only 2 to 4 girls should be in the booth at a time, with 2 adults supervising. This is a requirement. 5. Bring at least 6 to 12 items of each assortment for your booth sale, and make sure someone is available to get more items from the cupboards in case you run out. 6. Bring your troop fall product displays for the table. 7. Only one booth can set up at any one time, at any one place. Verify this schedule with your service unit product sale and booth coordinator. 8. Remember, your troop represents all Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast Council. Be pleasant at all times. 9. Your troop (girls and leaders/adults) is responsible for the maintenance and clean-up of the area used. 10. Be sure to thank the store manager or person in-charge of the place after your booth sale. Banking Checks are to be made payable to GSCCC only. Two-party checks should not be accepted under any circumstances. Make deposits weekly or as frequently as possible using the deposit slips given to you.

Do not hold checks for deposit. All checks are to be deposited immediately to the GSCCC bank account using the deposit slips provided to you. Checks are not to be deposited to personal or troop bank account other than the GSCCC Fall Product account. One personal check may not be written to cover the many checks accepted. Fill out the deposit slips properly before taking them to the bank. List the last names of persons who wrote the checks (not the check number) on your deposit slip. Write your troop number in the memo section of the checks for deposit. Write For Deposit Only GSCCC on the back of each check Deposit all checks into the Council account even if your troop overpays the Council. Always make sure you receive two copies of validated deposit slips from the teller with the correct amount you deposited. Keep them. They are your troop s proof of payment. Deposit slips are three-part NCRs. The tellers will give you two validated deposit slips. Return a copy for your final report. Deposit the fall product proceeds into the troop account. Keep all bank receipts. Notify the GSCCC Finance Department office of any problems that arise when making deposits by calling (757) 547-4405 or (800) 77 SCOUTS, Ext. 1225 or 757-548-8917. Collection and Returned Checks After the Council auditors finish checking the final reports, the product sale/program department will send one letter requesting missing reports and information, bank corrections and past due money. After the grace period, all records with outstanding accounts will be transferred to the finance department to take over the collection process. Eventually, the finance department will turn over the uncollected accounts to our collection attorney to follow up on procedures to collect the debt. The amount to be collected will include collection costs and attorney fees. All non-sufficient fund checks will be processed by an outside company and will be accessed a return check fee allowable by the state laws and electronically represented for payment to include the face amount and the fee upon return. Cupboards and Cupboard Authorization Card Cupboards are available where you and/or your troop authorized representative can pick up additional products during the sale. The list of cupboards will be sent to your SUFPC and Community Product Sales Chair and they will forward you a copy. Individual items (tin, pop top can or box) may be picked up from any of the cupboards. The TFPC or troop authorized representative must have a signed Cupboard Authorization Card when picking up products from the cupboards. There are no exceptions to this requirement. Always call first before picking up products. Reminder about Customer Relations If a customer contacts your girl/parents/troop about a damaged product, take the item back and replace it from the troop s supply. Immediately contact the Girl Scout office so we can arrange the return of the damaged product as well as the replacement for your troop. Online Ordering for Magazines Earn More Money for Your Troops! There are no funds or products to handle. Everything from ordering to payment is online. Click the online ordering link on the Council website gsccc.org to get started or visit www.girlscouts.qspgao.com/colonialcoast to get registered. Girls/parents-guardians register using an adult s email address. Create a password. Girls complete the goal setting activity to create their own personal landing page. Girls email family and friends inviting them to renew their magazine subscriptions online. Girls can then complete the interactive learning activity and invite friends and family to renew their magazine subscriptions online and/or make Nut Promises.

Magazines are paid for online with a credit card and will arrive to the customer sooner than orders placed on the paper order forms. Girls can check back throughout the sale to track their progress and enter additional email addresses to meet their goals quicker. The girls will earn the Online Patch for sending a minimum of 12 email addresses and can also earn cool incentive items when customers place orders. When girls set up their online email program they can choose an option to offer nut and candy items to their family and friends that will be receiving emails. She can select all of her email contacts to receive the offer to make Nut Promises or just a few. Customers can place a nut order online in the form of a Nut Promise. Once a Nut Promise is placed by a customer, the Girl Scout will need to follow up to collect for the order and deliver the products. If your troop opted out of rewards, girls will only receive appropriate Online Magazine patches and your troop will still earn 20% of any magazines ordered online. Using the link on our Council website, girls/parents-guardians log back in and print out the Girl s Online Sales Report. The girls/parents-guardians must turn it in to you no later than December 4 th for their daughter to get credit toward rewards and your troop to get the 20% proceeds. Without this printed form, the girl will not receive credit. Send your emails early as any orders received after the deadline date will not count towards rewards or proceeds. At the end of the program, girls/parents must login and print the Girl s Online Sales Report showing magazines sold online and Nut Promises. Give the Girl s Online Sales Report to the Troop FPSP Manager along with your other orders by the troop deadline date. Girl s Online Sa les Reports will not be accepted after December 4, 2013. Without this printed form, the girl will not receive credit. NUT-E ASHDON FARMS ONLINE ORDER ENTRY SYSTEM Nut-e Online Web Address: www.ashdonfarmsnute.com Your Nut-e Login and Password will be provided to you by your SU Fall Product Coordinator For more information, log onto the 2014 Fall Product Sale Campaign in the Nut-e system. There is a complete manual available for you to download. Notes: