GSUSA Membership Dues History

Back in 2017, I fell down the Membership Dues rabbit hole.   I won’t go into detail here, but I wrote a whole series of posts stemming out of my curiosity about the Farthest North vs. GSUSA lawsuit regarding membership dues and whether the National Council or the National Board/GSUSA has the authority to raise the amount of dues.

The following is a factual play by play complete with proposal wording and voting results.  This is based off the research I did through the years which came from NCS Minutes, NCS Workbooks, newspaper articles about the FN lawsuit, and Blue Books.  Want the Cliffs Notes version?

OCTOBER 2008

At the 2008 National Council Session Convention in Indianapolis, the National Board submitted two proposals that dealt with membership dues.

Proposal 3 requested an increase in yearly dues from $10 to $12.  This historical graph was displayed in the 2008 NCS Workbook showing the increases as voted on by the National Council:

The National Council passed Proposal 3 with the following vote:  1,770 (Yes:  1,310  No:  460)  Prior to 2008, the National Council had always voted on annual and lifetime membership dues.

PROPOSAL 4 – CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT: BALLOT REQUIREMENT

The National Board recommended the following proposal:

To amend Article V, Sessions of the National Council, Section 5, by substitution as follows:

Original wording:

5. At sessions of the National Council each National Council member present in person shall be entitled to one vote. Elections to office and to the National Board of Directors shall be by ballot and a plurality of votes cast shall elect.  Decision on annual membership dues shall be by ballot and shall require a majority of votes cast. All other matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present and voting, unless otherwise provided by this Constitution.

Recommended wording:

5. At sessions of the National Council eEach National Council member present in person at the National Council shall be entitled to one (1) vote. Elections to office and to the National Board of Directors shall be by ballot and a plurality of votes cast shall elect.  Decision on annual membership dues shall be by ballot and shall require a majority of votes cast. All other matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present and voting, unless otherwise provided by this Constitution.

The National Board’s rationale for this change stated that removing the line “Decision on annual membership dues shall be by ballot and shall require a majority of votes cast” meant other means of voting other than by ballot (paper, electronic, etc) could be used.

However, within Proposal 4’s rationale (pg. 51), the National Board additionally included the statement that after the 2008 NCS, it would be the one to set dues amounts going forward and included a lengthy explanation as to why it felt it had the authority.

During the NCS, the proposal was amended to read:

5. At sessions of the National Council eEach National Council member present in person at the National Council shall be entitled to one (1) vote. Elections to office and to the National Board of Directors shall be by ballot and a plurality of votes cast shall elect.  Decision on annual membership dues shall be by ballot and shall require a majority of votes cast. All other matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present and voting, unless otherwise provided by this Constitution.

Proposal 4 passed as amended.

OCTOBER 2011

At the 2011 NCS, the National Board submitted two proposals (one just somewhat) relating to membership dues.

PROPOSAL 1 – AUTHORIZATION FOR A GENERAL PROGRAMMING FEE FOR COUNCILS

The first would allow councils to charge an additional fee on top of the annual membership dues by amending the Girl Scout Council Authority and Responsibility in the Policies section from:

During the session, this proposal was amended to:

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 general program 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.

This proposal passed as amended with the fee starting in FY2013.

PROPOSAL 3 – ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP

The Girl Scouts of Western Oklahoma submitted a proposal in which under Membership Dues and Procedures for Registration in the Credentials section, “The Girl Scout membership year is October 1 through September 30” would be amended to “The Girl Scout membership year commences on the date of registration of the member.”

The National Board did not support this proposal. At the end of its rationale in the NCS 2011 Workbook, it stated: “The National Board has taken action to convene a task group to study the current national dues structure and annual membership registration practice. The purpose of the study is to make sure that our membership processes meet the needs of current and future members and align with national program offerings and pathways. Members of the task group, which will include councils, will be appointed by January 2012. Recommendations will report to the National Board in 2014, with placement of a report (with any required action by the National Council) on the 2014 National Council agenda.”

During the NCS, the proposal was referred to the task group.

JANUARY 2012

The National Board raised annual membership dues from $12 to $15 effective with the 2014 membership year (beginning October 1, 2013) at their January 20, 2012 meeting.  This was the first time in history where the National Board raised annual membership dues without the National Council’s approval.

OCTOBER 2014

At the 2014 National Council Session, there was one proposal relating to membership dues.

PROPOSAL 1 – FLEXIBILITY OF DUES AND REGISTRATION PRACTICES

The “Task Group to Study National Dues Structure and Registration Practices” submitted a proposal designed to allow for more types of membership dues other than annual and lifetime. The recommended language was proposed in three parts:

Part A – To amend the Constitution of Girl Scouts of the USA, Article IX, Membership Dues, by striking and inserting as follows:

The proposal was amended at the NCS to read:

Every person accepting the principles of the Girl Scout Movement and desiring to be a member of the Girl Scout Movement in the United States of America shall pay annual, or lifetime, or other applicable membership dues to Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

This proposal passed as amended.

Part B – To amend the Constitution of Girl Scouts of the USA, Article V, Section 5, Sessions of the National Council from:

Proposed wording:

5. Each member present in person at the National Council shall be entitled to one (1) vote. Decision on annual membership dues shall require a majority of votes cast. All matters shall be determined by a majority vote of the members present and voting, unless otherwise provided by this Constitution.

Part B passed.

Part C – To amend the GSUSA Constitution/ Article VIII/Section 4/Credentials from:

The proposal was amended to read:

4. Charters and other credentials shall be issued for no more than six years. Certificates of membership shall be issued for no more than one year, except for lifetime membership annual, lifetime, or other applicable periods. All the credentials shall bear the name of Juliette Low.

This passed as amended.

JANUARY 2016

The National Board raised annual membership dues from $15 to $25 at its January 21, 2016 board meeting, effective with the 2018 membership year (beginning October 1, 2017).

FEBRUARY 2017

The Farthest North council filed a lawsuit in February of 2017 against GSUSA claiming the increases to $15 and $25 violated the GSUSA Constitution because the National Board didn’t have the authority to raise membership dues when it did so in 2012 and 2016.

APRIL 2017

At its April meeting, the National Board created a new 18 month membership dues level for girls. The wording in the April 2017 Blue Book footnote read as follows:

**By action taken by the National Board of Directors on April 21, 2017, effective May 1, 2018, new girl members who sign up on or between May 1-September 30 of a membership year may elect to pay $35 and their membership will start immediately and continue through the end of the following membership year. This discount (comprising the tail of an existing membership year and the full following membership year) is available on a one-time basis for new girl members only; upon renewal, such girls pay $25 for a regular membership year.

OCTOBER 2017

At the 2017 National Council Session, the National Board submitted a proposal regarding Lifetime Membership Dues.

PROPOSAL 3 PART A: To amend provisions in the Credentials/Certificate of Membership/Membership Requirements/Lifetime Membership section of The Blue Book of Basic Documents.

Lifetime membership as a Girl Scout adult is granted to any person (18 years of age or older or a high school graduate or equivalent) who:

• • accepts the principles and beliefs as stated in the Preamble of the Constitution;
  • has paid lifetime membership dues of 25 times the annual membership dues; lifetime membership dues of 13 times the annual membership dues shall be offered to any girl who is a registered Girl Scout Ambassador at the time of her high school graduation or equivalent, and be available to her before the girl’s current membership expires;
  • meets applicable membership standards.

PROPOSAL 3 PART B: To amend provisions in the Credentials/Membership Dues and Procedures for Registration/Lifetime Members section of The Blue Book of Basic Documents by striking and inserting as follows:

Lifetime members pay 25 times the annual $400 lifetime membership dues at the time they become lifetime members.

PROPOSAL 3 PART C: To amend provisions in the Credentials/Membership Dues and Procedures for Registration/Lifetime Members section of The Blue Book of Basic Documents by striking and inserting as follows:

Lifetime members pay 25 times the annual membership dues at the time they become lifetime members; discounted lifetime membership dues of $200 shall be offered to anyone who was a registered Girl Scout member before the age of 18 and is under the age of 30 at the time of becoming a lifetime member.

All three parts of Proposal 3 passed.

JANUARY 2018

At its January 2018 meeting, the National Board changed the 18 month membership level so that it also included adults. The footnote in the May 2018 Blue Book read as follows:

Effective May 1, 2018, new girl and adult members who sign up on or between May 1-September 30 of a membership year may elect to pay $35 and their membership will start immediately and continue through the end of the following membership year. This discount (comprising the tail of an existing membership year and the full following membership year) is available on a one-time basis for new girl and adult members only; upon renewal, such individuals pay $25 for a regular membership year.

MAY 2018

The Superior Court of Alaska ruled in favor of GSUSA in its court case vs. Farthest North. Farthest North appealed to the Alaskan Supreme Court.

JANUARY 2019

At its January meeting, the National Board created a special discounted lifetime membership rate of $200 for the month of April. The footnote in the Feb 2019 Blue Book read as follows:

*Pursuant to a pilot program approved by the GSUSA Board of Directors on Jan. 24, 2019, the following special pricing is in effect for April 2019:

(i) During the month of April 2019, Girl Scout council and GSUSA employees may purchase lifetime membership for the discounted rate of $200.

(ii) During the month of April 2019, adults with 10 or more years of volunteer service with Girl Scouts may purchase lifetime membership for the discounted rate of $200.

SEPTEMBER 2019

The Alaskan Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Farthest North council and stated the National Council, not the National Board, has the authority to raise membership dues according to the GSUSA Constitution.

Soon afterward, GSUSA filed a Reconsider motion to ask the ASC to review its ruling.

JANUARY 2020

The Alaskan Supreme Court denied GSUSA’s request to reconsider their case.  The matter of who has authority to set membership dues amounts has been settled.  The case has been sent back to Superior Court for litigation and monetary decisions.

OCTOBER 2020

At the virtual National Council Session in 2020, the National Council passed four proposals dealing with the membership dues question.

The following changes to the Blue Book were passed (in green):

Addition to Constitution/Article IX/Membership Dues:

Every person accepting the principles of the Girl Scout Movement and desiring to be a member of the Girl Scout Movement in the United States of America shall pay annual, lifetime, or other applicable membership dues to Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Dues are set by the National Council or the National Board.

The National Board shall implement procedures for communicating with and seeking input from Girl Scout councils and National Council delegates prior to any membership dues change by the National Board.

Addition to Credentials:

COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURES FOR NATIONAL BOARD DUES CHANGES

Prior to any vote by the National Board to change membership dues structure or amount, Girl Scouts of the USA shall communicate with and seek input from all local Girl Scout councils and National Council delegates on the proposed changes, intended use of the funds, and potential impact on the Girl Scout Movement. After action is taken by the National Board, there shall be a report to all local Girl Scout councils and National Council delegates of the decision taken and the impact of the dues change.

Addition to Credentials/Membership Dues and Procedures for Registration:

In order to be a member of the Girl Scout Movement in the United States of America, a person must register with and pay annual, lifetime or other applicable membership dues to Girl Scouts of the United States of America. This is done locally through the Girl Scout council of USA Girl Scouts Overseas committee with which she or he is affiliated or through national headquarters if she or he has no council affiliation. The National Board of Directors must obtain approval from the National Council whenever a planned dues increase will result in dues increasing more than a total of 25% in any one triennium. Girl Scout councils account for membership dues in the custodian fund and transmit to GSUSA within two months of receipt all monies received for membership dues. These funds are not to be invested by the council for the purpose of generating income for the council.

and

Lifetime members pay $400 lifetime membership dues at the time they become lifetime members; discounted lifetime membership dues of $200 shall be offered to anyone who was a registered Girl Scout member before the age of 18 and is under the age of 30 at the time of becoming a lifetime member; discounted lifetime membership dues of $200 shall be offered to anyone who is a registered member and has served as a volunteer for a period of 10 or more years at the time of becoming a lifetime member.

JULY 2021

The Farthest North council and GSUSA reach a settlement of the ongoing lawsuit.

OCTOBER 2024

At a special virtual National Council Session held on October 19, 2024, the National Council voted to raise girl dues to $45 for MY2026 and $65 for MY2027 and to raise adult dues to $30 starting in MY2026.  See the voting summary.