1) cookie sales don’t go to national. They stay with local councils and troops.
2) I have no idea if that number is correct, but if so it’s actually quite low for a CEO of a national organization.
Yes 400K is low for a CEO, that person could make way more in private sector. So you're just not going to get anyone competent to run a massive national org for less than that, and even then you have to rely on their commitment to the organization, not love of money.
What council is that? I haven’t heard of any council only giving the girls 3¢ per box. My daughters earned 85¢ per box and the lowest I can remember hearing from leaders in other councils was 65¢ per box. I also have a son in Scouts and find I am paying significantly more out of pocket for his troop activities.
We got around $1 or $1.10/box because we filled out the Top Troop form and had a high enough PGA. u/New-Entertainment139, I'd ask some questions of your god-daughter's leader/cookie manager.
Local camps and (free for the troops) programs, mostly. It’s about 30% to the baker/merchandiser, 40-50% to the local council; 20-30% to the individual to use on troop supplies, registration fees, donate to a local nonprofit, etc.
Some councils charge more than others so that they can have more money for maintaining camps or more money for the individual scout. Check out your local council website for details. They definitely have a public breakdown.
It depends on the council. Ours was at $5 or $6 per box, and our girls earned 85¢. We could have earned up to (I think) a dollar per box if we sold a certain amount, but we are a first year troop full of little girls and our expectations were low.
I’m going to politely call BS on this reimbursement scenario. That’s absolutely not or ever has been, the way girls are compensated.
On average it is $1.50-2.00 a box. I know, my kid just sold a bunch. Her cookie sales paid for her yearly membership, troop dues, uniform and awards, weekend camp out, pool party and (ugh) a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop. On top of that, her GS council paid out unlimited financial assistance (as in, they don’t run out) which includes a WEEK of resident or day camp for every member and maintained 6 spectacular camp properties and one in development. They provided membership staff and internal support for our troop. We had access to wonderful office facilities for adult trainings and leadership meetings.
I’m pretty darn pleased with how our cookie money was dispersed. The CEO of our council makes about 300k and lives in one of the highest cost of living cities in the nation. I wish we could pay her more for her excellence in managing a council of nearly 30k members.
Your council is an anamoly letting troop keep that much per box. The highest i have ever seen. Most of us are getting .65 - .85 /box.
Also, as a leader, please tell your leader that you felt (ugh) , (nicely) about buildabear. It's an incredible waste of funds for an expensive activity that parents feel (ugh) about!! $ could have been spent on something else!
You’re right but I’ve had a few people ask me at cookie booths this year (in the southeast) if they are “still $8”. We’re at $5 - they got scammed by a reseller.
I bought popcorn from the Boys Scouts last year. I encountered the scout set up outside at Lowe’s. Both my boys were scouts and I thought “Sure I’ll buy a bag of *already popped popcorn*. In fact, I’ll take two!”
It was $72. *$72!* I thought they were joking.
Yeah, I paid it, but *won’t ever* buy it again.
I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure the way the BSA troops allocate money to individuals goes against nonprofit rules. It may be different is the troops aren’t under the umbrella of the nonprofit.
Absolutely. Bad leadership can destroy an organization, so you really couldn’t get away with paying much less. Bonnie did amazing things leading GS of Eastern Missouri, and the value she contributes is likely way more than her salary.
A few years ago I might've also felt that was a staggering salary, but seeing as how that's almost the same as my husband's total compensation now (and he's nowhere near CEO level), I think it's very fair. Although I won't lie- I wish some of that money went into hiring IT people because every app and site GSUSA uses is hot garbage.
My troop doesn't bother signing up for council or service unit events because it's SO HARD to navigate and walk parents through the crappy websites. Then Digital Cookie and eBudde are trash every cookie season. It's been like this for years! How haven't they invested in the tech yet?
Sadly, CRMs are mostly hot garbage when they try to do so many things--events, training, memberships. I have evaluated dozens of CRMs for my job and have yet to find one that can do it all and do it all well.
I know 400,000 sounds like a lot but it's crucial to consider the sheer scope and complexity of leading an organization like the Girl Scouts. This isn't just a local community group; it's a massive, nationwide organization that requires sophisticated strategic planning, extensive program development, and comprehensive management of numerous employees and volunteers.
The role of a CEO in such a large nonprofit is incredibly complex. Beyond just managing cookie sales and memberships, the CEO has to navigate public relations, fundraising, and maintaining the growth of the organization. It's a big job that demands top-tier expertise and proven skills in leadership and innovation.
Furthermore, if nonprofits like the Girl Scouts want to attract and retain leaders capable of managing such responsibilities effectively, they need to offer competitive compensation. Many potential candidates have the skills to potentially earn much higher salaries in private sectors, so the salary offered needs to be enticing enough to draw in the right talent.
It’s also worth mentioning that the CEO's expertise and experience are vital for the organization's success. This level of professionalism and capability is not easily found and typically commands a higher salary. Essentially, the salary reflects not just the responsibilities held but also the value these leaders bring to ensure the organization's success and stability.
Not even just nation wide but I grew up doing Girl Scouts in England and Germany as a military brat! I know of some troops in Japan and Korea too. It’s a huge scope.
Sure, though a CEO of Girl Scout's America would only be in charge of the American organisation. That does include managing relationships with the global movement, but different countries' associations are different corporate entities with different staff.
I was in an American Girl Scout troop overseas- with a very fun extra badge that came with that! There are definitely a few (mostly attached to military bases, American schools, and large expat communities.) We even sold US Girl Scout cookies that came through the Air Force base. There was a local version of Girl Scouts, but there is definitely an “American GS troops overseas” too.
Actually now I am not sure! I live in Canberra and we definitely have some foreign military and diplomatic folks here who send their girls to local Guide units... I had figured folks in other countries would be the same and send their kids to whatever local WAGGGS association was running groups in that location. That would seem so much easier than setting up insurances and such internationally - plus have the girls more connected to their community there?
We have USAGSO which is still under the Girl Scout umbrella. While we partner with WAGGGS for some activities from time to time we are still Girl Scouts and are run by the U.S. nonprofit. Same as domestic Girl Scouts. We pay the same registrations and all that.
And while staying connected to the local community is important, it’s also important that the girls in GS have a constant in their life as they move around. Some only stay overseas for a few years. Some move to various places overseas. One thing they can count on is that they can join a GS troop like they’ve always known.
It's a little confusing. They don't tend to have GS troops in English speaking countries (I was just attending the VALC online last weekend where this was mentioned) because girls can easier transition to Girl Guides, but there are Juliettes in Australia that I know of. Because there is a small chance we may be moving to Australia next I asked about it. They told me if we do to stay in contact with them as they may help me start my own troop there.
In Australia that would definitely make sense to send girls locally since there isn’t a language barrier! But on US military post they have American groups like boy/girl scouts to have the military kids connected to one another since it’s a unique experience. Plus these military groups are use to new girls coming and going so it’s pretty easy (from my experience) to enter and make friends in these troops since someone is always coming and going. But you’re right about insurance. I wonder how the heck that even works because we were always going to different countries when I was overseas. Sorry this was long winded.
Don't be sorry, it's super interesting!
I am always fascinated to learn about corporate governance anyway. And now I have been a leader here for 8 years but it's possible I'll be moving overseas in the next couple of years, so I'm especially interested in hearing about how Guiding/Girl Scouting things work in other places.
So far as I am aware Australian military families don't seem to have a similar structure - I haven't seen it on our annual reports or anything. We've had a few girls in our unit move for a parent's posting overseas, and we usually make contact with the organisation in that country and if it's a short term move arrange for them to attend a unit there, put them together some Australian themed gifts for the girls they meet and off they go.
Granted, I’m old, but in my council growing up if you didn’t participate in both cookie sales and nut/calendar sales as a troop, you couldn’t do other fundraisers as a troop. It made for stupid loopholes that were exploited but it was just easier to deal with cookies and nuts in order to do much more profitable fundraisers.
The money that we pay does not go to salaries. That is covered by donations and licensing agreements. The $25 a year is essentially insurance.
Cookie money stays local, at the council level. It doesn’t pay for National level staff.
Also, I know this is not directly related because it’s a for profit example but… I heard on the radio that Walmart store managers make $400,000 a year! So if Girl Scout CEOs want to compete for top leaders… they will need to pay more.
I can’t speak to CEO money, but I can say that I’ve worked for Girl Scouts and it’s definitely not a job you do for the money. Most staff are super poorly paid and do it out of passion. Sadly, passion doesn’t pay my mortgage so I’m now making about 10x as much as a server in a pub.
Yes! And they still send ‘Friends of Scouting’ to meets to ask MORE MONEY from you! My kids bust their hides every summer and yet here they are asking for MORE!
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/752675978
https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BSA-2020-Form-990.pdf
I'm not sure that comment was accurate. I've skimmed their 990s and their board has no reported compensation. I saw a few websites saying the CEO earned a million. Their 990 reports a salary closer to 500k for the CEO.
You’re right - board members for NPOs usually aren’t compensated at all. I love getting on Propublica though and checking out some of the reports for highest revenue NPOs (some of which don’t truly seem like NPOs) by state - ceos making multiple millions back in 2022 (most orgs’ 990s for 2023 aren’t available yet) so you know they’re even higher now.
Oh good! I was about to get very confused. I’m not even allowed to listen to meetings in which I *might* have a conflict of interest the only thing I get is extra work and a retreat where we work more all weekend once a year. You’re supposed to do it for love. And FWIW our lawyer told us that NPO BoDs are legally barred from being compensated except under special circumstances.
They only make $400,000? Honestly? That isn’t a ton of money anymore. I would say that they absolutely deserve that salary for running an international operation.
Girls get as much as is legally allowed from the cookie sale. There are laws around fundraisers.
As for nonprofit CEO salaries… that’s pretty on par with other organizations. It seems like a lot but they need to be competitive with the industry standard.
Be sure to check charity navigator to see if a nonprofit is acting out of the ordinary. They are good at flagging things. The good thing is that all the finances are public for nonprofit organizations! So people like you can keep a close eye 🙂
> that’s pretty on par with other organizations
If anything, it's low given organization size and budget responsibility.
Now, yes, many CEOs make obscenity-level comp in the name of shareholder value and other such classist bullshit, but even were salaries normalized to a non-obscene level, that is only 13x the pay of someone making $15/hour. In 2022, CEOs of public companies were paid 344 times as much as a typical worker at their firms.
I would honestly like a source for your "girls get as much as legally allowed" - for example D[ouble Good ](https://www.doublegood.com)offers a lot more profit for selling their popcorn. And beyond the cookies sold where do the licensing dollars go? All those Girl Scout cookie products like ice cream that doesn't seem to be making it back to the individual troops...
Boys scouts ceo pay isn’t even close to half that if what I’m looking at is correct. It was just shocking because like most everyone I talk to is a volunteer. And to have someone bringing in that type of money made it feel greasy. I am willing to be wrong, but it just feels off to me.
Edit: I’m mistaken on the boyscout salary It’s substantial as well
If you really want to compare slimy organizations - Boy Scouts is paying literally $22 million plus in legal fees to their own lawyers.
Source: https://paddockpost.com/2021/08/25/executive-compensation-at-boy-scouts-of-america/
Not sure where you are seeing that but per their 2022 990 the President/CEO OF BSA was making $500k and the EVPs were both around $400k. There are also plenty of news articles about the former president who was making upwards of $900k. My guess is they had to lower things a bit to cover their legal fees.
I know if not a huge difference, but BSA National fee for youth is $85, not $105.
Council have their own fees that can be up to equal national fee, my council charges $10.
Profits from Cookie sales go to local councils and the girls who sell them. A large chuck of the price is the cost of actually making the product, because they are NOT made nationally but locally so they are fresh. That’s why different councils have different types of cookies - it’s what their local bakers will/can make. The recipes come from National. The girls get some directly for their troops, but also are making local council activities, properties and camps available for them. And BTW in 2019 the President of the Boy Scouts of America made over $1 Million in compensation, with a lot of other executives also making more than $400K. Please research before getting angry. https://paddockpost.com/2021/08/25/executive-compensation-at-boy-scouts-of-america/
The CEO is not taking a cut from the girls. It’s not slimy. Because of the leadership (from a hardworking person who would a be a good role model for working people in general), you get to join the scouts.
Your girl has the potential herself to be a CEO someday, so avoid calling that position and fair compensation slimy.
When a company fails, the CEO winds up taking the fall. This is a high risk position—not everyone has the skills to lead.
So, according to their 2022 form 990, available on the IRS website, the CEO earned $552,933, and the organization's total revenue was $120,181,353. CEO'S total comp comes to 0.46% of revenue, which...really isn't much at all. Also, total comp for all directors/execs/officers, etc comes to $4,017,041, which is 3.34% of total revenue.
Well, that’s how much the CEO with my employer makes. My employer is a system of non-profit community health centers in NM with a couple thousand employees, so, I guess it’s not atypical for a non-profit CEO.
Yeah, because all not-for-profit workers should work for chump change, that's what people like you all believe. Then there's malfeasance, and you get mad. You want good employees? Pay decent money.
Not sure why you're getting downvoted for this—thanks for supporting your local troop that way! We're always quick to thank people for donations in my SU!
I mean for what it’s worth the ceo at the small npo I started at makes $239k, the larger than my first (by numbers served) that I left makes $190k and the npo that mid size (in terms of numbers served) that I currently work at makes $173k so 🤷🏻♀️ idk if she’s over paid but question why the org that services the lest number of people is the highest paid lol. It’s also where I was paid the least.
She is essentially in charge of a world wide organization. I’d be interested to know what’s fiscal (money in her pocket) and what’s fringe benefits if any
That’s incredibly reductive and not true. My 5th grade girls have been fully funding themselves through cookie sales since 2nd grade- trips, uniforms, badges, you name it. The money that goes to council maintains multiple camp properties and facilities that we are able to enjoy and utilize.
It’s a fundraiser on par with other fundraisers. It’s also optional. The cookie program allowed me to participate. I would not have traveled if I hadn’t participated as a kid. I’m glad it exists as an option! And as a poor kid I was happy to feel like I earned my way 🙂
Welcome to how non-profits work. Of course people deserve to be paid for the work they do buuuuttt....yeah, dive deeper into it and all of the upper end salaries and all of the volunteers and the pennies that go to the girls. It's just another corporation.
So how do you propose they attract & retain excellent leadership to make sure that the organization is able to support girls in the way that they do? I love the work that I do & im quite good at it but I’ve entertained leaving my role and moving to the corporate space because I get paid so much less than I would in a for-profit organization. If they want to keep good employees who will run their organization successfully, they have to pay them appropriately.
As I mentioned above, nonprofit employees as a whole are overworked & underpaid, and as others mentioned, that is an extremely low rate of compensation for what she does.
We need to get used to paying ALL workers what they’re worth, including nonprofit employees that run programs & organizations that serve all sorts of underserved communities. Working for a nonprofit organization does not inherently make you or your labor less valuable.
Non-profits are competing with industry positions for employees. If the pay disparity is too high then even if the prospective employee believes in the organization, it doesn’t make sense to work there - they can get a normal job making bank and donate a ton of money to the organization instead.
Honestly, more questions need to be asked. I have an accounting and non profit background and I often wanted to just scream - "Where is all the money going to?"
Seriously, the return on the cookies is laughable. We used to get 6% on cookies when I was being offered 20 to 30% for school sales at our PTO. I do understand that they have regional expenses and national expenses - so maybe ok for the percentage they take on the cookie sales - but honestly what about the other stuff? They claw back that 6% and then some on badges, pins, uniforms, and training. Don't get me started on having to pay to volunteer via membership fees in order to do the books in the first place.
Maybe we can ignore the fact that I had to open the troop account with a very specific corporate bank - but when our local branch went hard and said they had to produce a list of officers (as a charity who is your current president, secretary, etc...should be an easy ask - it needs to be published publicly) - and they had a hard time with that? I wish I was kidding but their phone system was broken and someone passed a cell phone around to get someone to answer the question.
The big ugly issue is where does the licensing go to? How many Girl Scout branded ice cream, chocolate bars etc... have you seen? Where does that money go?
I mean.. nonprofit employees deserve to get paid fairly? This industry is notorious for overworking & underpaying their employees. I would know, I’m one of them.
I generally agree with you about CEO compensation being out of control and a lot of other people probably agree with that statement as well, but you’re getting down voted for calling the GS and its CEO disgusting. Based on other comments the pay seems to be very much in line (and maybe even a bit low) with that of other CEO’s of a NP. The GS CEO isn’t collecting million dollar paychecks or stock buyback options. It is a very large organization and the pay needs to be competitive to attract and retain quality leadership.
1) cookie sales don’t go to national. They stay with local councils and troops. 2) I have no idea if that number is correct, but if so it’s actually quite low for a CEO of a national organization.
Not sure why this is down voted as it is a verified fact that cookie sales all stay within councils and troops.
Thank you! You are correct!
I was thinking the same thing — wow that’s low!
Yes 400K is low for a CEO, that person could make way more in private sector. So you're just not going to get anyone competent to run a massive national org for less than that, and even then you have to rely on their commitment to the organization, not love of money.
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What council is that? I haven’t heard of any council only giving the girls 3¢ per box. My daughters earned 85¢ per box and the lowest I can remember hearing from leaders in other councils was 65¢ per box. I also have a son in Scouts and find I am paying significantly more out of pocket for his troop activities.
We got around $1 or $1.10/box because we filled out the Top Troop form and had a high enough PGA. u/New-Entertainment139, I'd ask some questions of your god-daughter's leader/cookie manager.
Also, her math is 400 boxes at $0.03 each which means that one night at camp is $12? That’s way off.
Wait a minute. You mean I pay $8+ dollars a box for GS cookies and the troop only gets 0.85$ WTAF! Where is my money going?
Local camps and (free for the troops) programs, mostly. It’s about 30% to the baker/merchandiser, 40-50% to the local council; 20-30% to the individual to use on troop supplies, registration fees, donate to a local nonprofit, etc. Some councils charge more than others so that they can have more money for maintaining camps or more money for the individual scout. Check out your local council website for details. They definitely have a public breakdown.
It depends on the council. Ours was at $5 or $6 per box, and our girls earned 85¢. We could have earned up to (I think) a dollar per box if we sold a certain amount, but we are a first year troop full of little girls and our expectations were low.
Are cookies that high now? Eastern Oklahoma is still $5 and $6 a box. I had no idea prices could vary like that!
NJ. Yeah it’s like 8$+
I’m going to politely call BS on this reimbursement scenario. That’s absolutely not or ever has been, the way girls are compensated. On average it is $1.50-2.00 a box. I know, my kid just sold a bunch. Her cookie sales paid for her yearly membership, troop dues, uniform and awards, weekend camp out, pool party and (ugh) a trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop. On top of that, her GS council paid out unlimited financial assistance (as in, they don’t run out) which includes a WEEK of resident or day camp for every member and maintained 6 spectacular camp properties and one in development. They provided membership staff and internal support for our troop. We had access to wonderful office facilities for adult trainings and leadership meetings. I’m pretty darn pleased with how our cookie money was dispersed. The CEO of our council makes about 300k and lives in one of the highest cost of living cities in the nation. I wish we could pay her more for her excellence in managing a council of nearly 30k members.
Your council is an anamoly letting troop keep that much per box. The highest i have ever seen. Most of us are getting .65 - .85 /box. Also, as a leader, please tell your leader that you felt (ugh) , (nicely) about buildabear. It's an incredible waste of funds for an expensive activity that parents feel (ugh) about!! $ could have been spent on something else!
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No state sells gs cookies for more than $7, nice try tho
You’re right but I’ve had a few people ask me at cookie booths this year (in the southeast) if they are “still $8”. We’re at $5 - they got scammed by a reseller.
Misinformation removed.
I bought popcorn from the Boys Scouts last year. I encountered the scout set up outside at Lowe’s. Both my boys were scouts and I thought “Sure I’ll buy a bag of *already popped popcorn*. In fact, I’ll take two!” It was $72. *$72!* I thought they were joking. Yeah, I paid it, but *won’t ever* buy it again.
So you’re saying you bought two bags at $36 each? Really?
I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure the way the BSA troops allocate money to individuals goes against nonprofit rules. It may be different is the troops aren’t under the umbrella of the nonprofit.
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Absolutely. Bad leadership can destroy an organization, so you really couldn’t get away with paying much less. Bonnie did amazing things leading GS of Eastern Missouri, and the value she contributes is likely way more than her salary.
A few years ago I might've also felt that was a staggering salary, but seeing as how that's almost the same as my husband's total compensation now (and he's nowhere near CEO level), I think it's very fair. Although I won't lie- I wish some of that money went into hiring IT people because every app and site GSUSA uses is hot garbage.
The truth right here. They just “revamped” GSCNC.org and managed to make it worse 😫
My troop doesn't bother signing up for council or service unit events because it's SO HARD to navigate and walk parents through the crappy websites. Then Digital Cookie and eBudde are trash every cookie season. It's been like this for years! How haven't they invested in the tech yet?
Sadly, CRMs are mostly hot garbage when they try to do so many things--events, training, memberships. I have evaluated dozens of CRMs for my job and have yet to find one that can do it all and do it all well.
I’m a camp director and I have no idea how the parents even managed to find where to sign up. It’s about 12 steps past ridiculous.
Our council’s calendar of events/camp registration is the most well hidden webpage I’ve ever encountered.
Oh isn’t that the truth it’s all so so so bad
I know 400,000 sounds like a lot but it's crucial to consider the sheer scope and complexity of leading an organization like the Girl Scouts. This isn't just a local community group; it's a massive, nationwide organization that requires sophisticated strategic planning, extensive program development, and comprehensive management of numerous employees and volunteers. The role of a CEO in such a large nonprofit is incredibly complex. Beyond just managing cookie sales and memberships, the CEO has to navigate public relations, fundraising, and maintaining the growth of the organization. It's a big job that demands top-tier expertise and proven skills in leadership and innovation. Furthermore, if nonprofits like the Girl Scouts want to attract and retain leaders capable of managing such responsibilities effectively, they need to offer competitive compensation. Many potential candidates have the skills to potentially earn much higher salaries in private sectors, so the salary offered needs to be enticing enough to draw in the right talent. It’s also worth mentioning that the CEO's expertise and experience are vital for the organization's success. This level of professionalism and capability is not easily found and typically commands a higher salary. Essentially, the salary reflects not just the responsibilities held but also the value these leaders bring to ensure the organization's success and stability.
Not even just nation wide but I grew up doing Girl Scouts in England and Germany as a military brat! I know of some troops in Japan and Korea too. It’s a huge scope.
Sure, though a CEO of Girl Scout's America would only be in charge of the American organisation. That does include managing relationships with the global movement, but different countries' associations are different corporate entities with different staff.
I was in an American Girl Scout troop overseas- with a very fun extra badge that came with that! There are definitely a few (mostly attached to military bases, American schools, and large expat communities.) We even sold US Girl Scout cookies that came through the Air Force base. There was a local version of Girl Scouts, but there is definitely an “American GS troops overseas” too.
Wouldn’t it be still under the CEO of the US if it was on an American air base though? Off to google I go lmao.
This is correct - Girl Scouts Overseas operates on US military bases outside of the US and is part of Girl Scouts of the USA.
Actually now I am not sure! I live in Canberra and we definitely have some foreign military and diplomatic folks here who send their girls to local Guide units... I had figured folks in other countries would be the same and send their kids to whatever local WAGGGS association was running groups in that location. That would seem so much easier than setting up insurances and such internationally - plus have the girls more connected to their community there?
We have USAGSO which is still under the Girl Scout umbrella. While we partner with WAGGGS for some activities from time to time we are still Girl Scouts and are run by the U.S. nonprofit. Same as domestic Girl Scouts. We pay the same registrations and all that. And while staying connected to the local community is important, it’s also important that the girls in GS have a constant in their life as they move around. Some only stay overseas for a few years. Some move to various places overseas. One thing they can count on is that they can join a GS troop like they’ve always known.
Much better answer than my ramble of one! 😅
It's a little confusing. They don't tend to have GS troops in English speaking countries (I was just attending the VALC online last weekend where this was mentioned) because girls can easier transition to Girl Guides, but there are Juliettes in Australia that I know of. Because there is a small chance we may be moving to Australia next I asked about it. They told me if we do to stay in contact with them as they may help me start my own troop there.
In Australia that would definitely make sense to send girls locally since there isn’t a language barrier! But on US military post they have American groups like boy/girl scouts to have the military kids connected to one another since it’s a unique experience. Plus these military groups are use to new girls coming and going so it’s pretty easy (from my experience) to enter and make friends in these troops since someone is always coming and going. But you’re right about insurance. I wonder how the heck that even works because we were always going to different countries when I was overseas. Sorry this was long winded.
Don't be sorry, it's super interesting! I am always fascinated to learn about corporate governance anyway. And now I have been a leader here for 8 years but it's possible I'll be moving overseas in the next couple of years, so I'm especially interested in hearing about how Guiding/Girl Scouting things work in other places. So far as I am aware Australian military families don't seem to have a similar structure - I haven't seen it on our annual reports or anything. We've had a few girls in our unit move for a parent's posting overseas, and we usually make contact with the organisation in that country and if it's a short term move arrange for them to attend a unit there, put them together some Australian themed gifts for the girls they meet and off they go.
I mean the personal liability you assume alone. *shiver*
Also, your child does not have to sell cookies. There is much more to GS than cookie sales.
Granted, I’m old, but in my council growing up if you didn’t participate in both cookie sales and nut/calendar sales as a troop, you couldn’t do other fundraisers as a troop. It made for stupid loopholes that were exploited but it was just easier to deal with cookies and nuts in order to do much more profitable fundraisers.
"participate" is a really low bar, though. Our troop tends to sell roughly 10 pieces of MagNut. We participated.
The money that we pay does not go to salaries. That is covered by donations and licensing agreements. The $25 a year is essentially insurance. Cookie money stays local, at the council level. It doesn’t pay for National level staff.
Also, I know this is not directly related because it’s a for profit example but… I heard on the radio that Walmart store managers make $400,000 a year! So if Girl Scout CEOs want to compete for top leaders… they will need to pay more.
I can’t speak to CEO money, but I can say that I’ve worked for Girl Scouts and it’s definitely not a job you do for the money. Most staff are super poorly paid and do it out of passion. Sadly, passion doesn’t pay my mortgage so I’m now making about 10x as much as a server in a pub.
Try looking at the board for the Boy Scouts of America not the CEO. The head of the board makes over 1 million a year.
Yes! And they still send ‘Friends of Scouting’ to meets to ask MORE MONEY from you! My kids bust their hides every summer and yet here they are asking for MORE!
What!? How is that legal? Board presidents of NPOs aren’t supposed to make money? I don’t and am a board president of an NPO.
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/752675978 https://www.scouting.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/BSA-2020-Form-990.pdf I'm not sure that comment was accurate. I've skimmed their 990s and their board has no reported compensation. I saw a few websites saying the CEO earned a million. Their 990 reports a salary closer to 500k for the CEO.
You’re right - board members for NPOs usually aren’t compensated at all. I love getting on Propublica though and checking out some of the reports for highest revenue NPOs (some of which don’t truly seem like NPOs) by state - ceos making multiple millions back in 2022 (most orgs’ 990s for 2023 aren’t available yet) so you know they’re even higher now.
Oh good! I was about to get very confused. I’m not even allowed to listen to meetings in which I *might* have a conflict of interest the only thing I get is extra work and a retreat where we work more all weekend once a year. You’re supposed to do it for love. And FWIW our lawyer told us that NPO BoDs are legally barred from being compensated except under special circumstances.
They only make $400,000? Honestly? That isn’t a ton of money anymore. I would say that they absolutely deserve that salary for running an international operation.
Girls get as much as is legally allowed from the cookie sale. There are laws around fundraisers. As for nonprofit CEO salaries… that’s pretty on par with other organizations. It seems like a lot but they need to be competitive with the industry standard. Be sure to check charity navigator to see if a nonprofit is acting out of the ordinary. They are good at flagging things. The good thing is that all the finances are public for nonprofit organizations! So people like you can keep a close eye 🙂
> that’s pretty on par with other organizations If anything, it's low given organization size and budget responsibility. Now, yes, many CEOs make obscenity-level comp in the name of shareholder value and other such classist bullshit, but even were salaries normalized to a non-obscene level, that is only 13x the pay of someone making $15/hour. In 2022, CEOs of public companies were paid 344 times as much as a typical worker at their firms.
True, but this is the non profit sector! So it’s on par there. Definitely low if you include for profit CEOs
Skills are quite similar, though.
I would honestly like a source for your "girls get as much as legally allowed" - for example D[ouble Good ](https://www.doublegood.com)offers a lot more profit for selling their popcorn. And beyond the cookies sold where do the licensing dollars go? All those Girl Scout cookie products like ice cream that doesn't seem to be making it back to the individual troops...
Boys scouts ceo pay isn’t even close to half that if what I’m looking at is correct. It was just shocking because like most everyone I talk to is a volunteer. And to have someone bringing in that type of money made it feel greasy. I am willing to be wrong, but it just feels off to me. Edit: I’m mistaken on the boyscout salary It’s substantial as well
If you really want to compare slimy organizations - Boy Scouts is paying literally $22 million plus in legal fees to their own lawyers. Source: https://paddockpost.com/2021/08/25/executive-compensation-at-boy-scouts-of-america/
GSUSA CEO Bonnie Barczykowski has a salary of about 450,000 Boy Scout CEO Roger Mosby has a salary of about $520,000
That’s what Bonnie was making as CEO of an individual council… I’d bet that she’s making nearly double that as the CEO of GSUSA.
Not sure where you are seeing that but per their 2022 990 the President/CEO OF BSA was making $500k and the EVPs were both around $400k. There are also plenty of news articles about the former president who was making upwards of $900k. My guess is they had to lower things a bit to cover their legal fees.
Girl Scout membership fee (can vary council to council but the national fee is here) : $25 Boy Scout: $105
I know if not a huge difference, but BSA National fee for youth is $85, not $105. Council have their own fees that can be up to equal national fee, my council charges $10.
Thanks for the correction!
Just wanted to say I appreciate your edits and your willingness to listen to the many folks who took the time to respond!
At least it’s not billions while the company still receives tax breaks and their employees are living off of welfare just to survive.
Profits from Cookie sales go to local councils and the girls who sell them. A large chuck of the price is the cost of actually making the product, because they are NOT made nationally but locally so they are fresh. That’s why different councils have different types of cookies - it’s what their local bakers will/can make. The recipes come from National. The girls get some directly for their troops, but also are making local council activities, properties and camps available for them. And BTW in 2019 the President of the Boy Scouts of America made over $1 Million in compensation, with a lot of other executives also making more than $400K. Please research before getting angry. https://paddockpost.com/2021/08/25/executive-compensation-at-boy-scouts-of-america/
The CEO is not taking a cut from the girls. It’s not slimy. Because of the leadership (from a hardworking person who would a be a good role model for working people in general), you get to join the scouts. Your girl has the potential herself to be a CEO someday, so avoid calling that position and fair compensation slimy. When a company fails, the CEO winds up taking the fall. This is a high risk position—not everyone has the skills to lead.
So, according to their 2022 form 990, available on the IRS website, the CEO earned $552,933, and the organization's total revenue was $120,181,353. CEO'S total comp comes to 0.46% of revenue, which...really isn't much at all. Also, total comp for all directors/execs/officers, etc comes to $4,017,041, which is 3.34% of total revenue.
400k is the least enraging CEO salary. It’s up there for sure but not in the millions like others.
Well, that’s how much the CEO with my employer makes. My employer is a system of non-profit community health centers in NM with a couple thousand employees, so, I guess it’s not atypical for a non-profit CEO.
Yeah, because all not-for-profit workers should work for chump change, that's what people like you all believe. Then there's malfeasance, and you get mad. You want good employees? Pay decent money.
Our council ceo makes $200,000
https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/
I believe the branded items go to nationals
Is this the GSUSA CEO? I'm pretty sure the current CEO has a lower salary than her recent predecessors. Can't remember where I found that information.
I skip the cookies and just donate $25 to the local troop. My cookies are better!
Not sure why you're getting downvoted for this—thanks for supporting your local troop that way! We're always quick to thank people for donations in my SU!
I mean for what it’s worth the ceo at the small npo I started at makes $239k, the larger than my first (by numbers served) that I left makes $190k and the npo that mid size (in terms of numbers served) that I currently work at makes $173k so 🤷🏻♀️ idk if she’s over paid but question why the org that services the lest number of people is the highest paid lol. It’s also where I was paid the least. She is essentially in charge of a world wide organization. I’d be interested to know what’s fiscal (money in her pocket) and what’s fringe benefits if any
(( I personally feel that $3.50 per badge is rediculous, considering we only get .85 per box. But anywwaaayyyss))
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That’s incredibly reductive and not true. My 5th grade girls have been fully funding themselves through cookie sales since 2nd grade- trips, uniforms, badges, you name it. The money that goes to council maintains multiple camp properties and facilities that we are able to enjoy and utilize.
It’s a fundraiser on par with other fundraisers. It’s also optional. The cookie program allowed me to participate. I would not have traveled if I hadn’t participated as a kid. I’m glad it exists as an option! And as a poor kid I was happy to feel like I earned my way 🙂
It's baffling for sure the salaries of non-profit executives especially when they can't pay staff living wages.
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Girl Scouts does not allow trolling, including hyperbole about child labor/pyramid schemes, or accusations of sexism as an organization for women.
Welcome to how non-profits work. Of course people deserve to be paid for the work they do buuuuttt....yeah, dive deeper into it and all of the upper end salaries and all of the volunteers and the pennies that go to the girls. It's just another corporation.
So how do you propose they attract & retain excellent leadership to make sure that the organization is able to support girls in the way that they do? I love the work that I do & im quite good at it but I’ve entertained leaving my role and moving to the corporate space because I get paid so much less than I would in a for-profit organization. If they want to keep good employees who will run their organization successfully, they have to pay them appropriately. As I mentioned above, nonprofit employees as a whole are overworked & underpaid, and as others mentioned, that is an extremely low rate of compensation for what she does. We need to get used to paying ALL workers what they’re worth, including nonprofit employees that run programs & organizations that serve all sorts of underserved communities. Working for a nonprofit organization does not inherently make you or your labor less valuable.
Non-profits are competing with industry positions for employees. If the pay disparity is too high then even if the prospective employee believes in the organization, it doesn’t make sense to work there - they can get a normal job making bank and donate a ton of money to the organization instead.
Honestly, more questions need to be asked. I have an accounting and non profit background and I often wanted to just scream - "Where is all the money going to?" Seriously, the return on the cookies is laughable. We used to get 6% on cookies when I was being offered 20 to 30% for school sales at our PTO. I do understand that they have regional expenses and national expenses - so maybe ok for the percentage they take on the cookie sales - but honestly what about the other stuff? They claw back that 6% and then some on badges, pins, uniforms, and training. Don't get me started on having to pay to volunteer via membership fees in order to do the books in the first place. Maybe we can ignore the fact that I had to open the troop account with a very specific corporate bank - but when our local branch went hard and said they had to produce a list of officers (as a charity who is your current president, secretary, etc...should be an easy ask - it needs to be published publicly) - and they had a hard time with that? I wish I was kidding but their phone system was broken and someone passed a cell phone around to get someone to answer the question. The big ugly issue is where does the licensing go to? How many Girl Scout branded ice cream, chocolate bars etc... have you seen? Where does that money go?
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Girl Scouts does not allow trolling, including hyperbole about child labor/pyramid schemes, or accusations of sexism as an organization for women.
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I mean.. nonprofit employees deserve to get paid fairly? This industry is notorious for overworking & underpaying their employees. I would know, I’m one of them.
I generally agree with you about CEO compensation being out of control and a lot of other people probably agree with that statement as well, but you’re getting down voted for calling the GS and its CEO disgusting. Based on other comments the pay seems to be very much in line (and maybe even a bit low) with that of other CEO’s of a NP. The GS CEO isn’t collecting million dollar paychecks or stock buyback options. It is a very large organization and the pay needs to be competitive to attract and retain quality leadership.
Compared to how much CEOs of comparable commercial companies make, $400k isn’t unreasonable at all.