How Much Should Leaders Charge for Girl Scout Dues?

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When you start a Daisy Girl Scout troop, you have a bank account that begins with a big zero.  The question new leaders ask is "How much should I charge for Girl Scout dues?"

Girl Scouts is, without a doubt, one of the cheapest activities a child will participate in. Other than registration and the uniform, all that is left to pay is dues.   As the girls get older, there will be other expenses, but many troop fundraise to offset those costs and to make them minimal or even free.

Over the years, I have explored this question.  I do not believe in having children pay per meeting, as that not only takes up valuable time, you are going to have girls who do not pay on time, if ever. This method creates a new task for you to do at each meeting, as well as create stress if you have to approach a parent about non-payment. Unless you like confrontation and excuses, avoid this method of dues collection.

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The best method, in my opinion, is to collect Girl Scout dues at the first meeting if you are a brand new Daisy troop.  This is what I did the first year and it worked out well.

For the remaining years, dues and paperwork were due before the first meeting or the girls could not attend. I was only making one trip to the bank with one deposit slip.  This made keeping track of everything much easier for my treasurer and for me. Parents did not want their daughter to miss out on the first meeting, so everyone paid on time.

As the for the amount to charge, it really depends on the area in which you live. I think that $25 for the first year should cover petals, patches and craft supplies.  There is so much online that you can do with recycled materials and cheap Dollar Store items that there is no need to charge more.  Of course, if you live in a financially needy area, then you have to charge accordingly.

It is also a good tip to be transparent with your money spending if a parent asks.  No one ever questioned me as I was always good with how much I spent, but if someone asked, I would have shown them the troop report.

How much are you charging for dues this year?  How did you come up with that amount?