On Saturday, the 900 delegates of the Girl Scouts of the USA's National Council will vote on whether to raise dues for the first time in eight years. The Board proposes raising membership dues from $25 a year to $85 per scout - a hike of 240%.
"The proposals are directly tied to supporting our local councils and improving program delivery for current and future members," a Girl Scouts of the USA, or GSUSA, spokesperson said in a statement to CNN.
Membership dues are the Girl Scout's largest source of revenue, generating $38 million in 2023 from its nearly 2 million total members. But the organization is losing money, projecting operating losses of $5.6 million this year, so it's looking for cash.
However, some members believe the eye-popping number is too far out of reach for many families, potentially leaving girls across the country shut out.
"It's an enormous increase," said Sally Bertram, a 30-year troop leader with the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio. "It's like, what are you people thinking? You are going to run yourselves out of business."
Bertram was a Girl Scout herself, just like every girl in her family. Now a troop leader for her three granddaughters, she says the proposed membership increase will impact nearly every girl in her troop. Bertram says it's far too expensive without any additional perks for the girls.
"We get nothing for this money. We don't get our uniforms; we don't get our badges. I just started a new little troop with my youngest granddaughters. I had to ask the moms for $20" to cover expenses, she said.
Part of the problem is that Girl Scout membership has fallen in recent years, leadership said in a video to members in September.
National Board Treasurer Diane Tipton assured members watching the video that "we have reduced expenses in every category possible over the last several years. We have gone through a rigorous budgeting process through all divisions."
By increasing the fee to $85, the organization will "make programs easier to deliver for volunteers and make technology easier to use... more turnkey trainings, recruitment tools and programs, and create new experiences, including opportunities to explore new places," Bonnie Barczykowski, GSUSA's CEO, told members in the video.
Bertran says she could see the cost going up to $35, but calls $85 "insane."
"We will dissolve our unit," Bertran said. "If it goes to $85, we're just going to start our own little girls club out here and follow on and do our own little things with them."
Rising Costs
The Girl Scouts, like nearly every organization, has faced a pandemic, inflation, and changing consumer behaviors.
"Costs have increased everywhere, and none of us - GSUSA, our councils, or you - have been immune to this," Tipton told members. "As a National Council, we must be confident in Girl Scouting's value for our girls. We need to be bold and consider a dues investment that reflects this value."
The Boy Scouts of America's membership fee also rose to $85 in April, but that increase was just $5.
"It is a mess," said Kelly Goldsmith, a professor of marketing at Vanderbilt University, of the GSUSA. Goldsmith, also a Girl Scout Troop leader in Tennessee and a delegate who will be voting on Saturday, spoke to CNN from the perspective of a marketing professional.
Goldsmith believes this fee increase is a last resort to get the organization out of its budget hole.
"That is also something you do if you are circling the toilet bowl, financially," she said.
The organization is also expecting some attrition as dues rise, they said in the video to members. For example, girls in lower-income communities may have the hardest time paying $85 a year. But Goldsmith believes the hit will be bigger than that.
"What is really problematic is that you are boxing out middle-class girls, who are going to think twice about paying $85 instead of $25 dollars when there are so many more options," said Goldsmith.
GSUSA will continue to provide financial aid to "reduce barriers" to any girl who wants to be a Girl Scout, a spokesperson said. The board is also open to phasing in the increase, with a 20% discount on the first year and 10% on the second. The council will also be voting on whether to increase adult volunteer dues from $25 to $45.
But Goldsmith believes there are other ways to find revenue, like reducing office space at the GSUSA offices on Fifth Avenue in New York City or reducing executive salaries. The CEO made $785,000 in 2023.
"You're milking your loyal customers," said Goldsmith. "The optics on this is so bad, it can't not hurt membership."
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