Finance/Inventory Issue Form

What is the Finance/Inventory Issue Form?

The Finance/Inventory Issue Form is an online web form which must be completed in any of the following situations:

• Bank Fees Reimbursement Request (Due to high deposit activity)
• Excess (Unsold) Troop Cookie Inventory
• Family Outstanding Balance to Troop
• Troop Fall Product/Cookie Manager or Troop Leader Outstanding Balance to Troop
• Juliette Girl Scout Outstanding Balance to Girl Scouts River Valleys
• Returned Check (Non-sufficient funds/account closed) Reimbursement Request
• Stolen Product/Money or Fire Damaged Product
• Counterfeit Money Received

Who do I contact if I have an issue with Girl Scout delivery or direct ship orders?

Any question on Smart Cookies Girl Scout delivery or direct ship orders should be sent directly to ABC Help Desk at ABCSmartCookieTech@hearthsidefoods.com.

What does the troop do if it has unsold cookie inventory at the end of the Cooke Program?

If your troop has excess or unsold cookie inventory and the troop is planning to sell to friends and family, you must seek an extension to sell inventory. The troop is still financially responsible for these cookies and by filing a Finance/Inventory Issue Form you are only extending the amount of time you have to settle with Girl Scouts River Valleys.

The second and final ACH withdrawal will be adjusted to not withdraw these funds from the troop account. The ACH date and amount of the excess inventory will be emailed after Finance/Inventory Issue Form is processed.

Please Note: If this Finance/Inventory Issue Form is submitted after the second (final) ACH withdrawal, the balance owed for the excess inventory will be refunded back to the troop’s bank account via ACH credit when the Finance/Inventory Issue Form has been processed.

What if we have a family that has an outstanding balance?

Communicating with the parent/guardian right away is by far the most effective method of collecting payment. Please attempt to resolve the issues within your troop during the sale and be sure to document the situation and all attempted contacts.

If money remains uncollected at the end of the sale, you must complete a Finance/Inventory Issue Form no later than December 7, 2023, for Snacks & Magazines and by April 2, 2024 for the Cookie Program. The ACH withdrawal amount will be adjusted to leave this balance in the troop’s bank account and will short the amount owed to Girl Scouts River Valleys. Girl Scouts River Valleys will then contact the parent/guardian to try and collect the amount owed. If the parent/guardian fails to communicate with Girl Scouts River Valleys, or if the parent/guardian does not abide by a Girl Scouts River Valleys’ Debt Policy, they will be referred to a collection agency.

In order for Girl Scouts River Valleys to accept and process the Finance/Inventory Issue Form for a family outstanding balance, the following documentation is required to be submitted with the form:

1. Signed Family Responsibility Form,
2. Signed receipts for all product or money exchanges, and
3. Communication exchanges

Troop are NOT to use troop proceeds to cover any outstanding balances. The troop proceeds belong to the girls and by using these funds to cover an outstanding balance, the girls lose out on their hard work.

If the amount owed has not been paid by the beginning of the next program season, that girl will have limited participation for the Snacks & Magazines and/or the Cookie Program.

Girl Scouts River Valleys does not follow up with troops and/or service units on the status of Finance/Inventory Issue Forms. Troops and/or service units can contact Girl Scouts River Valleys if they are interested in status of Finance/Inventory Issue Form.

If a Finance/Inventory Issue Form is submitted after the final ACH withdrawal, the amount owed by the family will be returned to the troop’s bank account via ACH credit.

What if there is a returned (Non-Sufficient Funds/closed account) check deposited into the troop account?

Do not attempt to collect repayment from the check writer.

The signer on the troop’s bank account that receives the bank statements is who will receive the legal notice and bank statement in the mail for returned checks. It is required that Girl Scouts River Valleys receives the legal copy of the check (front and back). When you receive the legal copy of return check notification from the bank, complete and submit a Finance/Inventory Issue Form and include a copy of both the bank statement and the legal copy of the returned check (front and back).

The check amount and bank fee (if applicable) will be refunded back to the troop’s bank account via an ACH credit.

You may be charged a fee by the bank if you choose to print a copy of the returned check directly from the troop’s online bank account. This copy will not be accepted by Girl Scouts River Valleys and we will not reimburse for any of these bank fees. If troop does not receive Legal Copy in the mail, it can be requested from the bank by asking for a copy of the Returned Notice.

Above is a sample of the Legal Copy that is required to complete the process for this form.

What bank fees could our troop incur?

Some troop bank accounts have a limit on the number of free transactions that can post to the account per month before a fee is charged. Contact your bank if you have questions on their transaction limits.

What do I do if bank fees are incurred?

If the troop bank account incurs bank fees due high deposit activity during the Snacks & Magazine and/or Cookie Programs, you must complete a Finance/Inventory Issue Form and include a copy of the bank statement. The bank fee will be refunded to the troop’s bank account via a ACH credit.

What if Girl Scouts River Valleys pulls an incorrect amount from my troop’s account?

Your attention to M2OS and Smart Cookies is important. Any wrong entries in girls selling, transfers, or transactions will affect your balance. Since we will pull funds from your account based on these variables, it is possible that an incorrect amount could be withdrawn. If you discover that the incorrect amount was withdrawn from the troop’s bank account, please complete a Finance/Inventory Issue Form and your troop will be credited or debited accordingly.

How do we handle stolen money or product or product damaged in a fire?

If a family and/or troop has money or product stolen from car or household or product damaged due to a fire, you must complete a Finance/Inventory Issue Form. The family/troop will be responsible for any money owed to the troop or Girl Scouts River Valleys unless the following required steps have been completed:

1. A police and/or fire report has been filed. You will need to provide a copy.
2. An insurance claim has been filed. You will need to provide a copy.
   • Depending on the incident, a claim should have been filed with either Homeowner’s or Auto insurance. If insurance does not cover the claim, you will need to get a letter from your insurance carrier stating that your claim is or is not covered. This letter, if applicable, will need to be included in your Finance/Inventory Issue Form .

What do we do if the troop receives counterfeit money from a customer?

Most of the time you will not know you have received counterfeit money until you go to the bank to make the deposit. The bank should give you a letter that they adjusted your deposit due to the counterfeit money. If they do not, request a letter from the bank stating that the bank received and kept the counterfeit money. This letter is required when submitting the Finance/Inventory Issue Form. Once Girl Scouts River Valleys has received all required paperwork, a confirmation email will be sent and a deposit will be entered into M2OS or Smart Cookies.

Who do I contact if I have any questions?

Becky Rettler Troop Finance Specialist 651-251-1211 becky.rettler@girlscoutsrv.org girlscouts@girlscoutsrv.org