Girl Scouts board proposes 240% membership dues increase amid growing deficits

Oct. 18 (UPI) -- Top leaders of the Girl Scouts of the USA are urging members of its national council to approve a dramatic increase in annual membership dues from $25 to $85 as the group faces millions of dollars in deficits.

The 240% fee hike is necessary for the Girl Scouts to cover increased costs for everything from insurance to technology, eliminate deficit spending and enhance efforts to recruit new members amid declining enrollment, the organization's leaders said ahead of Saturday's first-ever special meeting of the Girl Scouts National Council, which is to be held virtually.

"This decision by the National Board followed nine months of discussion with local councils and delegates about our Movement strategy," Girl Scouts of the USA national president Noorain Khan and CEO Bonnie Barczykowski wrote in a message to members. "This strategy has been informed by research, including the clear expectations around what today's girls and families most want and need, and input from stakeholders across the Movement."

They explained that in order to execute their strategy to "more effectively serve" current members and reach out to the "24 million girls who are not yet part of Girl Scouts," membership dues will have to be be raised more than the 25% (or $6.25) that the board has the authority to approve in a single triennium.

The Girl Scouts ended fiscal year 2023 with a deficit of $4.4 million on revenues of $119 million (including $38.7 million in membership dues) and expects to end the current fiscal year $5.6 million in the red.

"Operating at a deficit -- spending more than we bring in -- as we have been doing, is not sustainable," the group said. "We can no longer afford to use our financial reserves, and we cannot pass through all escalating costs to our councils."

Staying at the current membership level of $25 annually, which has been in place for eight years, would mean the Scouts would be forced to implement "dramatic" cuts to current programs and services. Despite efforts to pare back costs, "GSUSA's expenses are still outpacing revenue," the board said.

Because of the dire situation, it is recommending that membership dues be increased to $85 annually per girl and $45 for adult volunteers, rather than a lesser amount such as $45 or $65 for girls, which it said would be insufficient to merely "maintain critical programs."

"At $85 and above, Girl Scouting's future is incredibly bright," the board said. "Together with councils, we will prioritize initiatives and execute them in ways that work for all, including national marketing and social media influencer campaigns, consolidated handbooks and badge books, increased Gold Award Scholarship funds, and more."

The level of the proposed increase brought anguished reactions from some veteran Girl Scout volunteers.

"(If the dues are increased) I think that these girls could lose a lifetime of experiences," longtime troop leader troop leader Sally Bertram of Dearborn County, Ind., told WCPO-TV in Cincinnati. "Where does it go? Who exactly is getting that $25? It's not buying our uniforms; it's not buying our badges."

"The proposals are directly tied to supporting our local councils and improving program delivery for current and future members," a GSUSA, spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.