Thinking Day Letter to Schools
We have created this letter if you wish to contact any local schools and ask if they would permit girls to wear their uniforms to school on Thinking Day.
We recommend you send an email address with your personal contact details so each school can reply directly to you giving permission.
Scoutabout poster
Scoutabout is back for 2024. Download your poster to share with your Guides and put up in your meeting place.
More info on the Scoutabout website.
Subscription Information 2023
We know that volunteers and parents often ask questions about what the annual membership subscription pays for so we have created a simple PDF that explains what your contributions, at each level of Guiding, pays for.
Energy Bill Relief Scheme
The government has released details of new support for charities in England, Scotland and Wales to help with rising energy costs. Reductions will be applied to bills automatically from October. More details can be found in the memo below.
Approved Residential Premises
We have complied a list all all approved residential premises in Surrey West County, you can download this list here.
Budget Spreadsheet
Financial planning for your unit
We already know that the Girlguiding element of the annual subscription payment will go up substantially in 2023, and with the cost of living rising generally (petrol, electricity, gas etc.), we need to start planning now to make sure each unit has sufficient funds to meet its costs. For most units, the girls’ subscriptions are the biggest, perhaps the only, source of income. You may need to raise your subscriptions now to ensure you have sufficient funds available when the next bill arrives.
Attached is a simple spreadsheet that will allow you to calculate the right level of subs you need to be charging. You can overwrite the numbers in the spreadsheet with your own figures and Excel will do the calculations for you. For those not familiar with spreadsheets, this one if really easy to use. Just look at last year’s accounts to see what you spent your money on – you might need to add some categories to the spreadsheet on the empty lines. Then look at how much you spent in each category: is it likely that you will spend the same amount in the next year – or more, or less?
Then think also about your other sources of income. Do you claim Gift Aid? If not, you really should! Do you do fundraising or receive grants or donations? Are you confident that you can continue to raise money through these routes? Do you have a good balance already in your bank account: the Charity Commission suggests holding 3-6 months of operating costs in your account in case of emergencies. The spreadsheet will calculate your annual operating costs, so you can see whether you need to top up your bank balance through charging more in subs, or whether you can subsidise the charge to the girls using existing funds.
How many girls will you have on average in your unit over the year? A few girls more or less can make a big difference so think carefully about what a realistic number of girls would be. Do you have some girls who are excused funds who shouldn’t be included in the numbers? If in doubt, assume fewer girls will pay subs rather than more.
If you need any help at all with managing your unit finances, do ask your commissioner. The county training team is always willing to lay on trainings to help leaders with budgets, accounts and Gift Aid, so please don’t worry and do speak up if you need help.
