Originated by Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana
Proposal:
TO amend provisions in the Membership Dues and Procedures for Registration section of the Blue Book of Basic Documents p. 25, by inserting after “affiliation” and before “Girl Scout” the wording, as follows:
Current wording:
Membership Dues and Procedures for Registration
In order to be a member of the Girl Scout Movement in the United States of America, a person must register with and pay annual, lifetime or other applicable membership dues to Girl Scouts of the United States of America. This is done locally through the Girl Scout council or USA Girl Scouts Overseas committee with which she or he is affiliated or through national headquarters if she or he has no council affiliation. Girl Scout councils account for membership dues in the custodian fund and transmit to GSUSA within two months of receipt all monies received for membership dues. These funds are not to be invested by the council for the purpose of generating income for the council.
Proposed Amendment:
In order to be a member of the Girl Scout Movement in the United States of America, a person must register with and pay annual, lifetime or other applicable membership dues to Girl Scouts of the United States of America. This is done locally through the Girl Scout council or USA Girl Scouts Overseas committee with which she or he is affiliated or through national headquarters if she or he has no council affiliation. The National Board of Directors must seek approval from the National Council whenever a planned dues increase will result in dues increasing more than a total of 25% in any one triennium. Girl Scout councils account for membership dues in the custodian fund and transmit to GSUSA within two months of receipt all monies received for membership dues. These funds are not to be invested by the council for the purpose of generating income for the council.
If Adopted, Will Read:
In order to be a member of the Girl Scout Movement in the United States of America, a person must register with and pay annual, lifetime or other applicable membership dues to Girl Scouts of the United States of America. This is done locally through the Girl Scout council or USA Girl Scouts Overseas committee with which she or he is affiliated or through national headquarters if she or he has no council affiliation. The National Board of Directors must seek approval from the National Council whenever a planned dues increase will result in dues increasing more than a total of 25% in any one triennium. Girl Scout councils account for membership dues in the custodian fund and transmit to GSUSA within two months of receipt all monies received for membership dues. These funds are not to be invested by the council for the purpose of generating income for the council.
Rationale Submitted by Originating Council:
The most recent membership dues increase in 2017 came in at a rate of 67%. This increase, while financially advantageous for the national organization, posed a severe hardship for the councils. Since it is the responsibility of each council to provide financial assistance for girls in underserved and economically disadvantaged communities, the obligation for the membership dues for these girls falls upon the local councils. The councils are extremely committed to ensuring that Girl Scouting is available to all girls, no matter what their economic status might be. However, such an enormous increase at one time makes it difficult for the councils to provide the necessary funds for financial assistance, and may force some councils to decrease the number of assisted memberships available. This proposal would increase collaboration between the National Board and councils in two ways: 1) Allow the National Board of Directors to continue to determine the amount for membership dues; and 2) Affirm that any increase would not prove to be too burdensome on the members, families, or councils.
Financial Impact Statement Submitted by Originating Council:
Although there will always be some budgetary impact for the councils when the membership dues are increased, this proposal would ensure a more manageable impact by allowing councils to set their financial assistance budget based on the assumption of a membership dues increase below a total of 25% in any triennium.
National Board Update as of 9/4/2020:
Having considered the additional feedback from delegates received regarding Proposal 4, and acknowledging the impact of dues increases on councils, delegates, girls, and communities, the board voted on September 2 to support the adoption of Proposal 4.
Recommendation of the National Board
The board does not recommend adoption of this proposal.
Reasons for the Board’s Recommendations
As financial stewards and fiduciaries of the organization, the National Board needs to be able to make economic decisions on behalf of the organization based on the circumstances at the time. Dues increases will be done after careful consideration of the need and impact. In addition, Proposals C and D will ensure that the board considers all factors and makes informed decisions in making dues decisions by seeking input from councils and delegates on the proposed changes. The NCS Advisory Team also does not recommend adoption of this proposal.
I do not support this proposal. I think the council that submitted it had very good intentions and kudos to them for attempting to find a compromise, but there are too many loopholes. GSUSA and the National Board would take this to mean they could make any sort of change to membership dues outside of annual or lifetime raises. They could create new membership levels, charge different amounts for different levels (Daisies pay less than Brownies, etc.), or even tack on a new member fee such as BSA’s $25 one that they implemented this year. This opens the door to too much.