1. Addition to Policies/Solicitation of Contributions on pg. 21 approved by the Executive Committee of the National Board of Directors in August 2011:
Adult members in their Girl Scout capacities may not solicit financial contributions for purposes other than Girl Scouting. Adults may engage in combined fundraising efforts authorized by the Girl Scout council and in which the local council is a beneficiary. Girl members may not engage in any direct solicitation for money. The National CEO in consultation with the National Board Chair may give permission to raise money in times of a major national or international emergency, with prior written notice to the National Board. Councils will be notified of this action in writing.
2. Change in Policies/Girl Scout Council Authority and Responsibility (pg. 21) to allow councils to add an additional fee on top of membership dues as adopted by the National Council in November 2011:
Within the terms of its charter, a Girl Scout council shall have the authority and responsibility to: provide and safeguard the Girl Scout program, build an organization to serve its membership, secure and direct personnel, extend membership opportunities to all girls within its jurisdiction, finance its work, and develop its community and public relationships. A Girl Scout council shall not have the authority to establish any form of local council membership dues; however, Girl Scout councils may charge an annual council service fee for girl members, not to exceed the amount charged by GSUSA for annual membership dues.* A Girl Scout council shall not use membership dues collected from girls and adults registering with GSUSA through the council as a source of investment income. The local council shall be accountable to the National Board of Directors of Girl Scouts of the United States of America for proper exercise of this authority.
Added footnote on pg. 21 referencing council fees:
*This policy is effective beginning with member registrations for FY 2013. The annual council service fee was created by action of the National Council in 2011. It provides councils with the option of assessing a fee to help cover costs related to the administration of Girl Scout program for girls. The amount of the fee is determined by the individual council and cannot exceed the cost of the full-year annual membership dues set by GSUSA for the year that the annual council service fee is being charged. This is a girl fee and only applies to girl members.
Any council charging an annual council service fee must charge the fee consistently, to all girls, throughout the entire membership year, including early registration. Funds must be collected at the time that GSUSA dues are collected.
3. Updated terminology for the Policies/Security of Membership Data (pg. 22):
Girl Scout councils and USA Girl Scouts Overseas use one of two methods for registering members with Girl Scouts of the USA: the GSUSA Membership Management System or a third party system, and the following procedures are in effect:
To obtain and retain access to the GSUSA Membership Management System, every Girl Scout council must sign a written GSUSA Membership Management Systems Use Agreement, which defines the terms and conditions established by GSUSA.
• To obtain and retain access to the Council Data Interface System (CDIS) for transmission of membership data from a third-party system, the Girl Scout council and its vendor must sign a nondisclosure agreement.
• Every Girl Scout council and USA Girl Scouts Overseas committee must abide by GSUSA’s security policies, standards, and confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements.
• Every Girl Scout council must consent to periodic audits by GSUSA, such as the annual review, to ensure compliance with technical configuration standards, security policies, and GSUSA and governmental security and privacy standards.
4. References updated to reflect the increase in the amount of annual dues raised to $15, effective with the 2014 membership year, as approved by the National Board (pgs. 22, 24). Added footnote on both pg. 22 and 24:
* By action taken by the National Board of Directors on January 20, 2012, Girl Scout annual membership dues are raised to $15, effective with the 2014 membership year, beginning October 1, 2013.
5. Added a footnote to the Congressional Charter (§80307, pg. 33):
**Note: Chapter 803, Girl Scouts of the United States of America, Section 80307. This requirement was terminated effective May 15, 2000. See Pub.L. 104-66, § 3003, set out as a note under 31, U.S.C.A. 1113, and H.R. Doc. No. 103-7, at 200.
6. Amendments to the Credentials section in the back of the Blue Book (pgs. 25-29) including updated Criteria and Standards for an Effective Girl Scout Council (pgs. 30-31), approved by the National Board in September 2011. Note: There were so many additions and rewrites to these two sections that it was easier to mark a copy. Here is a PDF file with highlights (yellow for new text and teal for rewrites): 2012_Blue_Book_Credentials_and_Criteria_&_Standards_Sections
Download a copy of this version.