Subscriptions 2016
FAQs for Commissioners
- Official invoice period from February 2016 to July 2016
Commissioners are often asked by other members about the subscriptions process. Here are some frequently
asked questions and information to help you. This information should be used alongside that in the general
subscriptions FAQs, Subscriptions 2016 business process and the Subscriptions 2016 Quickstart leaflet which are
all available for all volunteers from www.girlguiding.org.uk/subs .
How will we know about the process?
Information about the annual subscriptions process is communicated to all members through guiding magazine
and the monthly Girlguiding e-newsletters. In addition, it is recommended that you regularly check the
www.girlguiding.org.uk/subs webpage for updates. Information on the business process and key dates can also
be found here, and more detailed information will be included in the bi-monthly Commissioners’ mailout.
We will always send any correspondence for a specific unit to the unit’s main contact. It is important that it is
the correct individual and that they have an email address recorded on Go!. All main contacts will have received
a copy of the business process and Quickstart guide in December 2015 by email. Full details about the trial
invoice period will have been sent to the main contact at the beginning of January 2016 and the information
about the official invoice in the week commencing 22 February 2016.
Who pays the annual subscriptions?
Every active member of Girlguiding pays the annual subscription and in return receives membership benefits.
Every girl and every volunteer in whatever role, including roles that do not require membership, must be
registered on Go!, with the exception of parents on a rota. If an individual wishes to receive Girlguiding
membership benefits, they need to be recorded as ‘Member-Active’ on Go! and must pay the full Girlguiding
subscription. This would include any Trefoil Guild member who also wants to receive Girlguiding membership
benefits, including guiding magazine. If they do not have any other Girlguiding role, they should be recorded as
‘Supporting Member’ at the relevant level.
V volunteers, DofE volunteers, Ambassadors, Occasional Helpers, Occasional Residential Helpers and
Unit/District/Division Treasurers are not required to be members, although they can be if they wish to. To
indicate that they are not members their membership status should be set to ‘Recognised Volunteer’ by their
local Commissioner. Do not change this status unless the volunteer does not wish to be a member as changing a
volunteer’s status can cause offence. Please visit www.girlguiding.org.uk/gohelp for information on how to
change a volunteer’s membership status. Remember that any changes to membership statuses after noon on
Monday 22 February 2016 will affect the role entitlement but will not affect the level’s official subscription
invoice.
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When do I pay the annual Subscription?
Official invoices are produced and will be payable from noon on Wednesday 24 February 2016. This invoice
will show the amount to be paid in full. You will need to post your cheque and invoice payment slip to the
address details on the invoice payment slip. Please ensure that there is enough cleared/available funds in the
bank account for your cheque to clear by 16 March 2016.
If you do not think you will be able to pay your official invoice straightaway, you should immediately contact
your County Commissioner who can support you further.
What are the key dates in this year’s process for Commissioners?
Monday 16 November 2015 (noon) to Friday
18 December 2015 (noon)
Thursday 7 January 2016 (noon)
Monday 22 February 2016 (noon)
Monday 22 February 2016 (noon) until
Wednesday 24 February 2016 (noon)
Wednesday 24 February 2016 (noon)
Friday 8 April 2016
Monday 23 May 2016
Tuesday 31 May 2016 (noon)
Friday 1 July 2016 (noon)
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Add local levies
Districts/Divisions/Counties must add their
level’s levy amounts and bank details onto the
Subscription system during these dates.
Trial invoices launch
Use the link in the subscriptions system to check
your invoice and correct it.
No more changes can be made
After the six-week trial invoice period no more
changes can be made.
Role management area of Go! is unavailable
Official Subscription invoices available and
due for payment
Use the link in the subscriptions system to
download and print your invoice. Send it with a
cheque to the address on the invoice. These
invoices cannot be changed and must be paid in
full.
First Repayment made
If 80 per cent of payments have cleared on 4
April, the District/Division/County will receive
their allocated levy amounts into their bank
accounts.
Final Repayment made
Repayment of remaining levy amounts is made
based on payments received by 5 May. The
amount for the national Girlguiding level is
deducted from County repayments.
Countries/Regions and Counties will then
undertake their own procedure to recover
unpaid subscriptions.
Subscriptions evaluation survey ends
All members can provide feedback to improve
next year’s process by today.
Deadline for printing receipts
Your ‘paid in full’ invoice should be
printed/saved by today for your accounts. The
system will then be closed.
© Girlguiding 2016 www.girlguiding.org.uk
Who can access the subscriptions system?
Individuals with the following active roles in a level can access the subscriptions system for that level.
Only District, Division and County users can access the Reports and Statistics areas.
NOTE: Treasurers are able to access invoices and receipts to assist with this financial collection process.
What if nothing happens when an individual clicks the ‘Subscriptions’ tab on Go!?
If a volunteer is unable to access the system through the Subscriptions tab on Go! please advise them to use the
alternative direct link to the Subscription system https://subs.girlguiding.org.uk/userlogin.
If they still can’t access the system ask them to email [email protected] with their membership
number, information about the internet browser they are using. Remember, as a Commissioner you can view as
well as print or email the invoices for the units in your area to assist them where necessary.
How do I view and print the District/Division official invoice?
The following steps can be completed by any active user in a level (see the table above for a list of roles).
If no one in the unit has access to the invoice, a member in the District/Division user group can view and print
this invoice for them through the report (see the section below).
1) Log into the Girlguiding Members’ area and select ‘Go!/Join Us from your admin panel.
2) Select the
tab (from the left-hand menu).
3) If you have more than one role, you will need to select the level you wish to see from the drop-down list and
select ‘Confirm level’. (If you only have one role, you will skip this page.)
4) Select ‘Live Invoices’ from the left-hand side.
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5) You will now see the official invoice on screen:
Note: the invoice payment status will update at 10 am each morning (see details below).
6) Select
. This will open in pdf format.
- Use the printer icon to print it, or select ‘Save’ to save it.
You need to download a pdf before printing the invoice as we cannot accommodate all the variations of printer
settings each individual computer may have.
How to pay your official invoice
1) Access your invoice (see ‘How to view and print my level’s official invoice’ above).
2) Select ‘Download Invoice’. This will open your pdf invoice.
3) Print your invoice on to white A4 paper.
4) Write a cheque for the full amount on the invoice. Don’t forget to write your invoice number and level name
on the back of the cheque.
5) Send the cheque and invoice payment slip to the address details on the invoice payment slip. Please do not
use staples as this will delay the process and can damage the cheque.
You can send payments for several levels in one envelope. However, you must include a separate cheque for
each payment and include each level’s invoice payment slip.
How will I know when my invoice has been paid?
All invoices will go through the following stages;
1. Unpaid – We have not received any payment
2. Payment being processed – A payment has been received but has not yet cleared. This status will be
shown for ten working days. You do not need to take any action.
3. Paid in full – The payment has cleared and the invoice has been fully paid. Save and print this as a
receipt. These receipts will be available until noon on Friday 1 July 2016.
If you see ‘Problem with Payment’ the level’s main contact will be sent an email will full information about the
problem and how to resolve this.
How do I give feedback on my experience of the 2016 process?
The process we used to collect the subscription payments this year is based on the feedback we received from
our members last year. To help us improve the 2017 subscription process, please use the link available on the
Subscriptions 2016 Members’ Area page www.girlguiding.org.uk/subs or included in your ‘Payment Complete’
email.
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How can a District/Division/County user help the units in their area? (This involves using the Subscription
System reports.)
1) Log into the Girlguiding Members’ area and select ‘Go!/Join Us’ from your admin panel.
2) Select the
tab (from the left-hand menu).
3) If you have a role in more than one level, you will need to select the relevant District/Division/County from
the drop-down list and select ‘Confirm level’. (If you only have one role, you will skip this page.)
4) Select ‘Reports’ from the left-hand side.
5) You will now see the report on screen:
This report updates at 10am each morning when trial invoices are viewed/downloaded.
6) Select
to download this report. This will open in pdf format.
- Use the printer icon to print it, or select ‘Save’ to save it.
You need to download a pdf before printing the report as we cannot accommodate all the variations of printer
settings each individual computer may have.
7) Click on a specific level’s name to view and print that level’s invoice (see step 6).
A County/Division user can see the report for a specific District/Division by clicking their link in the report. You
should then click the ‘Reports’ menu to return to the full report.
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We have set up a new unit. Does it have to pay the 2016 subscription?
Any unit that has started meeting needs to pay the annual subscription. Any level that opened (or reopened)
after Monday 22 February 2016 (noon) will not be required to pay the annual subscription in 2016.
A unit has stopped meeting. Does it have to pay the 2016 subscription?
Any unit that was recorded as inactive on Go! as of noon on Monday 22 February 2016 will not be required to pay
subscriptions this year. If the unit was not inactive on Go! by this date the invoice must be paid in full.
As soon as a unit closes you need to ensure that all the active young members have been assigned to new units
and their role in this unit is made inactive. Any individuals waiting to transfer and Join Us enquiries should also
be reassigned. This should be completed by a volunteer in the unit’s user group.
Once all young members have been made inactive, you or a member of the District/Division user group should
make the volunteers in the unit inactive. Information on how to do this can be found in the available Go! Help
Files. You can then contact your County’s Go! Coordinator, who will make the unit inactive. It will then vanish
from your list on Go! and will not have an invoice. If this update was not done by noon on Monday 22 February
2016 then these steps will still need to be followed to ensure correct membership records but the unit’s official
invoice will still need to be paid in full (Speak to your County Commissioner for further support).
Remember that if a unit has decided to close for a designated period of time (previously known as being
‘suspended’) the steps above still need to be completed and then the unit changed back to active when it starts
meeting again.
I have a unit which will struggle to pay its invoice. What should I do?
All members were informed of the national subscription amount and should have been informed of the local
amounts added in their area as soon as this was decided. This allows them to plan and budget ahead. You may
need to sit with the Unit Team to discuss its budgeting and make arrangements to help if necessary. For future
annual subscription collections this could include collecting the annual subscription from girls as part of the
weekly/termly ‘subs’.
Depending on where the unit is, it could also apply for a UK Unit In Need grant (visit Members' area & Go! >
Running your unit > Funding and fundraising > Internal grants at Girlguiding > Guide Friendship Fund – UK Units in
Need for more information). Although this cannot be used to pay the annual subscription, it can be used for
other guiding activities, freeing up funds for the annual subscription. Also speak to your County about other
funding that maybe available, and ways they can help the unit pay their 2016 invoice.
We also recommend reading the ‘Including all’ webpages to help assist units and individuals, visit Members’ area
& Go! > Running your unit > Including all for more information.
Individuals are missing from an invoice. What should I do!?
All members of Girlguiding must be registered on Go! – without this they are not officially part of the
organisation. Levels were able to amend their trial subscription invoice from noon on Thursday 7 January 2016
until noon on Monday 22 February 2016 to ensure that every individual was recorded. If an individual is not
recorded on Go! they will not be included on the official invoice. If a unit sends a cheque to cover more
members than is recorded on the official invoice, the extra money is non-refundable and will be treated as a
donated. If you know of a unit with less members on their invoice that attend unit meetings you will need to
discuss this with the unit team and ensure Go! is updated. Speak to your County Commissioner for more
assistance.
There are too many individuals on an official invoice. Can they be removed?
As detailed in the official Subscriptions 2015 business process it is not possible to amend the official, payable
invoice. The six week trial invoice period was available from noon on Thursday 7 January 2016 until noon on
Monday 22 February 2016 where Go! could be updated and the amendments checked the next day on the trial
invoice. After this six week trial invoice period, now that the update deadline (noon on Monday 22 February
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2016) has passed it is not possible to amend the numbers or amount due to be paid for and the invoice must be
paid in full. Please meet with the Unit Team to offer support and additional training for managing their
member’s record on Go!. Speak to your County Commissioner for support with this situation, including if the unit
does not have the funds to pay the extra money.
If the unit is struggling financially to pay the full subscription invoice speak to your County about other funding
that maybe available to help this unit.
I have a unit that is refusing to update its girls on Go! and pay their invoice. What should I do?
All members of Girlguiding must be registered on Go! – without this they are not officially part of the
organisation. Remember to talk to the unit team and remind them that:The Girlguiding membership policy states that ‘All adult members and recognised volunteers must … consent for
their data to be held on Go! (Guiding Organiser) and, if appropriate to their role, be responsible for ensuring
that details of young members are added and maintained on Go!’ (Online Guiding Manual > Policies >
Membership and recruitment > Adults in guiding).
If a Unit Team refuses to pay the their invoice and/or update Go! and you have exhausted all other methods of
support and assistance, you need to contact your County Commissioner, who can give you guidance in following
this issue further.
How do I know who is paid for on the invoice?
The subscription invoice includes any active member whose main role is in the level (this role has a
it when you look at their personal Go! record) and whose role status is ‘active’ or ‘active-pending’.
next to
Please be aware that only the trial invoices showed the names of the individuals on the invoice as this trial
invoice was for checking and updating purposes. The official invoice is a payment invoice only and so does not
include names of individuals. You can, however, see who is currently in your level on Go!, including who is paid
for elsewhere and who is not included, by running the Level Subscriptions Due report as follows.
1) Log in to Go!.
2) Select ‘Report Management’.
3) Select your level.
4) Select the relevant ‘Subscriptions Due’ report (e.g. ‘District Subscription Due’.
5) The names are detailed from page 2 onwards, in the following categories:
A) Members who are to be paid for at this level = on the invoice
B) Members who are to be paid for elsewhere = on a different level’s invoice
C) Recognised Volunteers who do not need to be paid for = don’t pay the subscription
Note) Only a member of that level team can run this report for that level (eg a Leader can run the Unit
Subscriptions Due report only for that unit, and a Division Secretary can run only the Division Subscriptions Due
report). Remember that this report updates daily based on the information on Go! and so will not necessarily
reflect who was included on the invoice if updated after the 24 February 2016.
Can payment be sent for more than one unit?
You can include more than one level’s payment in the same envelope, but you must include a separate cheque
and Annual Subscription 2016 Payment Slip for each level you are sending payment for. You will need to write
the invoice number and level name on the back of each cheque. Please do not staple the cheques to the
payment slips as this will delay processing and can damage the cheque.
Do Trefoil Guild members pay the Girlguiding annual subscription?
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The Trefoil Guild is a branch of Girlguiding but maintains a separate identity. Trefoil Guild members pay an
annual subscription to the Trefoil Guild. If an individual is also a member of Girlguiding, they will be required to
pay the Girlguiding annual subscription as well.
We have an individual who is appearing on two invoices. What should we do?
Updates to invoices could only be made from noon on Thursday 7 January 2016 until noon on Monday 22 February
2016. After this six-week trial invoice period, no invoice can be changed and all invoices must be paid in full. If
have found an individual with two membership numbers make the incorrect role inactive, then email
[email protected] with the membership numbers and the information in the duplicate
record will be deleted. Please note, as this deletion has been made after, noon on Monday 22 February 2016 this
change will not affect the Subscription 2015 official invoice and the invoice must be paid in full.
When will my level receive its levy repayment?
If 80% of all invoices payments in your County (this includes Units, District and Divisions) have been received and
cleared by 16 March 2016, County, Division and District first levy repayments will be made on 8 April 2016 by
electronic bank transfer to the level’s bank details on Go!.
Levels will then receive their final repayment on 23 May 2015. This repayment will not include any members
who have not paid their annual subscription in full.
Please be aware these are the only two dates repayments will be made. You will only receive 80% in your first
repayment even if more invoices are paid by 16 March 2016.
What happens if the County does not reach 80 percent?
The first levy repayments are based on the subscription invoice payment status on the 16 March 2016 across the
County. This means that 80% of all invoices (Units, Districts, Divisions and County) need to be paid in full before
any District/Division receives their repayment. If this is not reached, no District/Division/County will receive a
repayment until the final repayment date.
It is therefore important as a Commissioner to encourage and ensure that levels in your area pay their official
invoice on time and in full as underpayments do not just affect your level but other levels in your County that
would have paid in full. Remember, District/Division/County User Groups can monitor the payment status
progress of levels in their area using the subscription report to offer support and ensure that their payment
clears and is ‘paid in full’ by 16 March 2016. Please support and encourage levels, rather than punish or ‘shout’
as this is more successful and reduces the possibility of resentment in the future.
Final levy repayments are based on the subscription invoice payment status on the 5 May 2016. The final
repayment amount will be repaid to all levels (District/Division/County/Country&Region). The final repayment
will not include any money already repaid in the first repayment in April. In accordance with the Official 2016
Business Process, an amount will be held back from the level’s final repayment to cover the Association levy
payment of £11.60 for every member who had not been paid for or a percentage if the level’s invoice was
underpaid by an amount which did not equate to one member as of 5 May 2016. The County will be responsible
for collecting all outstanding payments in their area after this date. All levels (including Country/Region) may
follow their own invoicing processes after the 5 May to recover any unpaid levy amounts.
How else can I help units?
You need to ensure that every level in your area has downloaded and paid their official invoice. If a level is
unable to download and print their invoice you can do this for them through the ‘Reports’ in the Subscriptions
tab of Go!. This will also allow you to monitor the payment progress of a level’s official invoice. Please
encourage your level’s to contact you immediately if they are struggling to pay their official invoice in full.
How do I find the contact details for a unit in a District/Division?
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Any member of the District/Division user group (the Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Key User, Secretary
or Administrator) can run the ‘Level Meeting Summary’ report for the whole District/Division in the Report
Management area of Go!. This shows every level, with its level number and the contact details for the level’s
main contact. This is the individual who receives communications about the unit. Alternatively use the
‘Directory’ reports to see contact details for all volunteers in your District/Division. For more information on Go!
reports visit www.girlguiding.org.uk/gohelp or speak to your County’s Go! Coordinator.
Local volunteers (including units) can use the Area Contact Details report to find their Commissioner or County’s
contact details.
If I have a query or need to speak to someone as a Commissioner about the subscriptions process who do I
contact?
In the first instance please try the following areas of support.


Subscriptions 2016 Business Process
Subscriptions 2016 Quickstart guide


Subscription webpage www.girlguiding.org.uk/subs
Your local Commissioner (e.g. your Division Commissioner if your are a District Commissioner), whether
it's help with viewing/printing your invoice or you think your level may not be able to afford the
subscription payment, she's there.
If they are unable to assist you, contact your County for further assistance. Remember, the Area Contact Details
report can provide you with contact information for key volunteer in your level and above.
If the above routes for help have not resolved your subscription queries, contact the Girlguiding Subscriptions
Team via email [email protected] or calling 0800 999 2016 (9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday).
Communications say to speak to your local Commissioner - but I am the Commissioner?
The phase ‘Your local Commissioner’ refers to the Commissioner who supports you. If you are a District
Commissioner then your local Commissioner will be your Division Commissioner or, in areas without Divisions,
your County Commissioner. They are your best point of contact in the first instance for any queries or support.
This includes any questions you have been asked which you don’t know the answer to.
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