Girl Scouts of Northern California is a nonprofit, and donations to GSNorCal must benefit our collective mission and not provide a private benefit to a specific individual girl. Pass-through donations for troops must go into the troop treasury and be used for the benefit of all girls in the troop. If the troop has decided, by a democratic process, to support an individual girl’s Gold Award project, then pass-through donations to the troop may be used to support an approved Gold Award project based on the approved budget for that Gold Award project.
Monetary donations of $250 or more must be received by the council to comply with IRS laws for charitable donations. Gifts-in-kind can also be considered pass-through gifts but can be received directly by the Service Unit or troop.
The pass-through process can be complicated, and the timeline is often dependent on factors outside of GSNorCal’s control.
To initiate the pass-through process, first a donor must give a donation to GSNorCal directly or through workplace giving and designate the funds to a specific Service Unit or troop.
Once the funds for the troop or Service Unit are received, we will record the donation in our database. All pass through donations are requested within 4-6 weeks after being processed and are typically requested the first week of the month for the prior month. As an example, donations received in January are processed in the beginning of February. After the funds are approved, checks are sent out every Thursday and will be sent to the active Troop Leader or Treasurer unless stated differently. Once the check is mailed out, the recipient will receive an email notifying them of the funds received and should receive the funds within 3-7 business days.
If pass through donations are $1,000 or more a written plan is required. A staff member will reach out requesting a narrative and an explanation of how the funds will be used (e.g. a rafting trip for 10 girls with rental costs of $50/girl).