Online Membership Registration

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Renew your Girl Scout membership online now!

GSNorCal members can renew their membership online for 2013-14 with a credit or debit card using Personify eBiz. If you are a current Girl Scout member, click on the eBiz/Register tab at the top of this page.

For online membership renewal instructions, click on this link.

If you have questions that are not answered on this page, please go to www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/helpdesk or call 1 (800) 447-4475 ext. 2093 or call your local office phone number ext. 2093 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.

2013-14 Early Bird Online Membership Renewal begins April 1 and ends June 28.

All girls and 2 registered adults per troop with annual memberships who renew online and on-time will receive a limited edition "(With Girl Scouts) Anything is Possible!" patch for registering by June 28.

The annual membership fee for 2013-14 is $15. Adult members who may be considering Lifetime membership need to be aware that it will increase from $300 to $375 online September 30, 2013 at 9 p.m. The discounted Lifetime membership that is only available to girls graduating from high school will increase to from $156 for 2012-13 graduates to $195 for 2013-14 graduates. Because of the discount graduating GS Ambassadors must use paper forms.

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions (Updated 3/27/13)

Online Membership Renewal

Online Troop Management

Online Membership Registration of New Members

Offline Membership Registration

General

ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL

Who is able to renew online?

Girls and adults registered in 2012-13 who have a valid email address in the council's database. The new membership year begins October 1, 2013.

What payment methods are accepted to renew an individual's membership online?

Credit and debit cards are accepted. Check, cash, cookie credit and financial aid require use of paper registration forms.

What are the benefits of online membership renewal for parents?

It's green. It's fast, easy and convenient. It provides accurate spelling and contact information.

What are the benefits of online membership renewal for troop leaders?

No collecting forms. No depositing money at the bank. No completing registration summaries and troop worksheets. No waiting to know who's registered. No entering girls' information in eBudde.

How do parents/guardians and adults renew memberships?

Parents/guardians of 2012-13 registered girls and registered adults go to www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/ebiz.

For step-by-step instructions to print and follow along, click here: http://www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/ebiz-membership-renewal.

Once at the Online Registration site, click on the "FIRST TIME HERE - Create Login" button if you have not previously used Online Registration. Click on the "RETURNING MEMBER - Login Here" button if you have used Online Registration previously.

First Time Visitors: Each member has a record in the system. To create a login for each member, enter the member's First Name, Last Name and Email Address in the proper fields then click on "Continue" to validate customer/member status in the database.
Receive confirmation email validating customer/member status in the database. Open email. Click on link or copy and paste both parts of the link, in order and without spaces, into your web browser in order to create a User Name and Password.
Create User Name and Password. Choose a Hint question. Click on Create Account.
Receive confirmation message of successful log in to eBiz site.
Click on "Renew" to renew membership using a credit or debit card. (Log on separately for each member using each member's UserName and Password.)
Become a Girl Scouts of Northern California Family Giving Partner. Click here to view an inspirational video about all of the good your donation can do. Select a donation amount(s) on the payment page when you renew.

How does a lapsed adult member renew their membership after 10/1?

Adults previously registered with GSNorCal but not in 2012-13 may renew their Girl Scout membership online after 10/1/13.

Go to www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/ebiz. Complete steps 1-4 for renewing a membership. See above.
Click on My Account in the left navigation bar.
Click on Join Now.
Click on the Adult Membership 2014 or Lifetime Membership product from the list of membership products.
Click on "Add to Cart" then on "Checkout"
Fill in the fields markd in bold on the Member Profile.
In the Member Profile screen, select a position and a troop for the current membership year. Click on Add Position. Repeat process for multiple positions and/or troops.

I clicked on the link that was sent to activate my eBiz account and I received a "page not found" message. What do I do?

The link to activate your account is very long and some email clients break it to fit their character count. Please copy and paste both parts of the link, in order with no spaces, into your web browser. This will take you to the proper page to finish your online membership renewal.

If the link doesn't work, try again. As a security measure, the account activation email link expires after 4 hours. Then the member will have to re-start the process.

Is a separate logon required for each person?

Yes. Each indvidual must have a unique user name and password to access her/his account, renew a membership, and make a donation. The logon is linked to an individual's customer account. Only troop leaders with a 01 position code can see multiple members -- troop members -- through online troop management. Therefore, a parent of two Girl Scouts needs to have two separate logons to renew each daughter's membership and make a donation.

What can a parent/guardian do when renewing a girl and/or adult registration?

Execute an existing membership renewal order in Personify.
Update demographic and contact information.
Make a donation to GSNorCal.
Pay for the membership and the donation.
Print a membership card for the current membership year.

Is a parent/guardian signature required for online membership renewal?

No. The parent/guardian's online purchase of a Girl Scout membership replaces the need for a signature.

What happens if a girl wants to renew her membership but is transferring to another troop?

Renewals are existing orders in Personify so renewing and switching troops is a two-step process:

A girl's parent/guardian purchases existing order online to renew membership with the existing troop on record
The current or new troop leader initiates a troop transfer using the Troop Change form: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.

Transfers are made offline by council staff.

Is online membership registration available in Spanish?

Not at this time. Paper forms must be used to register in Spanish.

What types of transactions must be done offline (or back office) by Council staff in the online membership renewal environment?

Lifetime memberships at the discounted rate--graduating GS Ambassadors only--must be processed by council staff and therefore require the use of paper membership registration forms.
Grade changes must be done by Council staff. The Troop Change form is used for this process: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.
Name changes must be done by Council staff, for example, spelling corrections, hyphenated names, new last names. Email ebizhelpdesk@girlscoutsnorcal.org.
Position code assignments must be done by Council staff. To request a position code/assignment with multiple troops, please use the eBiz Self-Reporting Feature available during membership renewal and from My Account. For instructions on how to use this feature, please see the eBiz Help Pages: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/ebizhelp. Requests can also be made from the Troop Change Form: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.
School changes must be done by Council staff. The Troop Change form is used for this process: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.
Troop transfers must be done by Council staff. The Troop Change Form is used for this process: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.

ONLINE TROOP MANAGEMENT

What is online troop management?

Personify eBiz includes a page for leaders called the Troop Management Hub for managing troop communications, membership registration, in-person adult training course registration, etc.

What are the benefits of online troop management for troop leaders?

Know who's registered in the troop and who's not.
Email parents. (The email address in "From" is the leader's.)
Print rosters.
Update girls and parents' contact information.
Update troop meeting information, including the troop's grade level.
Print membership cards for girl and adult members.

For a demonstration of online troop management, click here: http://ceslearning.girlscouts.org/ebizdemos/standalones/TrpMaintenanceCoverPage.htm

Who has access to online troop management?

Access to online troop management is by troop. Only volunteer screened troop leaders with a 01 position code in the Personify database for a specific troop have access to online troop management for that troop. If a troop leader has more than one troop, she must have a 01 position code on record for each troop in order to have access to online troop management for all her troops. Assignment of position codes and troops in Online Registration are done offline by council staff. To request a position code or assignment with multiple troops, please use the Self-Reporting Feature available during membership registration/renewal and from My Account. For instructions on how to use this feature, please see the Online Registration Help Pages: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/ebizhelp. Requests can also be made from the Troop Change Form: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.

What information can leaders see in the Troop Management Hub?

The leader can see each individual’s registration status and the information that is contained on a member registration form only: contact information; grade; school; age; Girl Scout history; custodial care; racial/ethnic background. The leader does not have access to the order processed by the parent.

Should troop leaders renew memberships through online troop management?

It’s preferable for everyone that parents/guardians renew girl memberships online and adults renew their own membership online. An individual renewing their membership online is a one-step process. It’s green. It’s accurate spelling and contact information. It saves a leader time. It’s cost effective.

If, however, a troop decides with the consent of the parents and guardians (signed registration form, email authorization, OR a signed roster authorizing registration) to have the troop pay for each girl and/or adult’s Girl Scout membership then it is recommended that the troop leader use the troop’s bank account debit card to pay for the online membership renewals using online troop management. Using online troop management to renew members is only available from the open date of online renewal through 9/29, 8:59 PM. (Personify is on east coast time.)

What happens to the Troop Management Hub roster after 9/30?

Girls/adults who have not renewed their membership for the new membership year disappear from the roster. The roster will only include registered members for the current membership year.

Should troop leaders use online troop management after 9/30 to renew lapsed members—prior year members who did not renew?

Do not use No. Adding previously registered girls/adults via the Troop Management Hub after 9/30 will create duplicates in the database. To make sure all girls and adults continuing in troops appear on the troop roster, troop leaders should enter members’ missing email addresses in the Troop Hub, email parents/adult members the “Membership Renewal Invitation/Instructions,” which is a link located under Useful Links on the Troop Hub, and remind them to renew by 9/30.

How do troop leaders use the Troop Hub to register new members into existing troops?

In order to affiliate a new girl/adult with a troop, the Troop Hub must be used to register the new member.

The Troop Hub’s “Add Girl” and “Add Adult” features are used to register new members into an existing troop. New girls/adults are defined as new girls/adults to GSNorCal whether or not they have been registered with another Girl Scout council. (If a girl/adult is registered for the current membership year in another council and is transferring to GSNorCal, then an inter-council transfer must be executed. Send an email to ebizhelpdesk@girlscoutsnorcal.org to initiate this process.) Girls registered with GSNorCal prior to 2013-14 but not registered in 2013-14 should use the offline membership registration process in order to avoid creating duplicate records. Adults, on the other hand, may register online with a specific troop by activating their existing Online Registration account, purchasing an adult membership, and requesting to be affiliated with a specific troop. Click here for step-by-step instructions. Or, they can register offline.

Click here for a demo of registering new girls/adults to an existing troop:

http://ceslearning.girlscouts.org/ebizdemos/standalones/TrpNewMbrCoverPage.htm

Click here for step-by-step instructions you can print and follow to register new girls/adults to an existing troop:

http://www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/documents/Use_Troop_Hub_to_Register_NEW_Members.pdf

Below are the seven steps for completing the entire process:

Troop leader distributes paper membership registration forms and Family Giving promo to parents of new girls joining the troop
Parent completes a paper registration form and selects a family giving amount on the form
Troop leader collects form and $15 cash/check plus family giving contribution
Troop leader deposits GSUSA dues & family giving donation in troop bank account
Troop leader purchases membership and donation products and pays with troop debit card or enters parent’s cc # in Online Registration (the three-digit security code is needed). Transactions using the troop debit card and individual credit cards are separate.
Troop leader blacks out cc#/security code, if provided, and keeps registration form in a secure location until the end of the annual membership year
Troop leader sends email to parent via Troop Hub with instructions on how to activate Online Registration account so they can see order history, register for camp in the future, and renew membership online for next year. Click on the Troop Hub’s “New Girl/Adult Member Registration Confirmation” link for an email template.

What should be done with documents collected and used for online membership registration using online troop management?

The troop leader keeps the documents—registration forms, emails, or roster with parent authorization—used for online registration using online troop management. The troop leader is responsible for blacking out credit card numbers on documents after they have been used for online registration. The documents must be kept in a secure location until the end of the annual membership year, which is September 30, and then shredded.

ONLINE REGISTRATION OF NEW MEMBERS

How do new girls and adults joining troops register online?

Online registration of new girls/adults into an existing troop and new troop must be done using online troop management in order to affiliate the girl/adult with a troop.

Girls registered with GSNorCal prior to 2013-14 but not registered in 2013-14 should use the offline membership registration process in order to avoid creating duplicate records. Lapsed adults, registered prior to 2013-14, may register online. Click here for instructions.

What are the benefits of online membership registration for troop leaders?

It’s faster and more cost effective than offline registration.
It increases the accuracy of data entry.
It generates a troop roster instantaneously.
It eliminates the need to complete a dues summary and a troop registration worksheet.
It generates membership cards instantaneously.
It’s more green than offline registration.

How do troop leaders use the Troop Hub to register new members into existing troops?

In order to affiliate a girl/adult with a troop, the Troop Hub must be used to register the new member. The Troop Hub’s “Add Girl” and “Add Adult” features are used to register new members into an existing troop. New girls/adults are defined as new girls/adults to GSNorCal whether or not they have been registered with another Girl Scout council. (If a girl/adult is registered for the current membership year in another council and is transferring to GSNorCal, then an inter-council transfer must be executed. Send an email to ebizhelpdesk@girlscoutsnorcal.org to initiate this process.) Girls registered with GSNorCal prior to 2013-14 but not registered in 2013-14 should use the offline membership registration process in order to avoid creating duplicate records. Adults, on the other hand, may register online with a specific troop by activating their existing Online Registration account, purchasing an adult membership, and requesting to be affiliated with a specific troop. Click here for step-by-step instructions. Or, they can register offline.

Click here for a demo of registering new girls/adults to a new troop:

http://ceslearning.girlscouts.org/ebizdemos/standalones/TrpNewMbrCoverPage.htm

Click here for step-by-step instructions you can print and follow to register new girls/adults to new troop:

http://www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/documents/Use_Troop_Hub_to_Register_NEW_Members.pdf

Below are the seven steps for completing the entire process:

Troop leader distributes paper membership registration forms and Family Giving promo to parents of new girls joining the troop
Parent completes a paper registration form and selects a family giving amount on the form
Troop leader collects form and $15 cash/check plus family giving contribution
Troop leader deposits GSUSA dues & family giving donation in troop bank account
Troop leader purchases membership and donation products and pays with troop debit card or enters parent’s cc # in Online Registration (the three-digit security code is needed). Transactions using the troop debit card and individual credit cards are separate.
Troop leader blacks out cc#/security code, if provided, and keeps registration form in a secure location until the end of the annual membership year
Troop leader sends email to parent via Troop Hub with instructions on how to activate Online Registration account so they can see order history, register for camp in the future, and renew membership online for next year. Click on the Troop Hub’s “New Girl/Adult Member Registration Confirmation” link for an email template.

What should be done with documents collected and used for online membership registration using online troop management?

OFFLINE MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION

Which membership registrations cannot be done online?

Payment Type: Cookie Credit, Financial Aid
Troop Type: Troops without a banking account.
Membership Type: New girls not joining a troop; Graduating GS Ambassadors to Lifetime members--discounted rate only; Girls registered with GSNorCal prior to 2012-13 but not registered in 2012-13.

What is the process for offline membership registration?

The offline membership registration process consists of the following steps:

Parent/Guardian or adult completes blank membership registration form.
Troop leader collects forms and money.
Troop leader completes dues summary and troop worksheet.
Troop leader or Service Unit Registrar deposits cash and checks at a local Wells Fargo bank using the deposit slips provided by the council.
Troop leader submits membership forms, dues summary, troop worksheet as well as the deposit slip and bank receipt if money was deposited at bank to the Service Unit Registrar.
Service Unit Registrar prepares registration materials for submittal to local office.
Service Unit Registrar sends materials to local office.

Where can I get paper registration forms for offline membership registration?

Paper 2013-14 membership registration forms are available at: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/membershipforms

What types of transactions must be done offline (or back office) by Council staff in the online membership registration environment?

Lifetime memberships at the discounted rate--graduating GS Ambassadors only--must be processed by council staff and therefore require the use of paper membership registration forms.
Memberships paid for with cookie credit or financial aid must be processed by council staff and therefore require the use of paper membership registration forms.
Memberships for new girls and adults not joining an existing troop require the use of paper registration forms.
Troop transfers must be done by Council staff. The Troop Change Form is used for this process: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.
Position code assignments must be done by Council staff. To request a position code/assignment with multiple troops, please use the Online Registration Self-Reporting Feature available during membership renewal and from My Account. For instructions on how to use this feature, please see the Online Registration Help Pages. Requests can also be made from the Troop Change Form: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.
Grade changes must be done by Council staff. The Troop Change form is used for this process: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.
School changes must be done by Council staff. The Troop Change form is used for this process: www.girlscoutsnorcal.org/troopchangeform.
Name changes must be done by Council staff, for example, spelling corrections, hyphenated names, new last names. Email ebizhelpdesk@girlscoutsnorcal.org.

GENERAL

What is Online Registration?

Online registraion is powered by Personify, an off-the-shelf Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system hosted, maintained, and supported by TMA Resources, Inc. that has been configured by GSUSA and councils for Girl Scout use. TMA, the vendor, set up a virtual portal for Girl Scouts. In this virtual portal, the templates and functionality are shared but the data is specific to each council. The primary advantage of using a virtual portal is enhancements, bug fixes, and other code changes need only to be deployed once, allowing for faster, more frequent and less costly patches. The primary disadvantage is that the level of customization is limited.

Which browsers work with Online Registration?

Internet Explorer and FireFox are supported browsers. Safari and Chrome, while not supported, work for most users.

Customers running Windows 8 with Internet Explorer 10 need to run Online Registration in the browser's compatibility mode. To do this, use one of these steps:

There is a compatibility icon that is usually located to the right of the URL address bar. It looks like a piece of torn paper. Click on that.
Press F12 and choose the different browser mode.
Right click on the top bar within IE10 and check, "Menu bar" > Click on "tools" > compatibility view settings > Check, "display all websites in compatibility mode"

Why does Online Registration refer to members as customers rather than as members?

All girls and adults (volunteers, parents/guardians, emergency contacts) who have records in our database are customers. Only those who purchase a Girl Scout membership are members. In other words, Girl Scout members are a subset of customers.

What do I do if I made an Online Registration purchase in error?

Refunds will be given for requests received in writing within 10 business days of the online transaction error. Requests should be emailed to eBizhelpdesk@girlscoutsnorcal.org.

What security measures are in place for online transactions using Online Registration?

The safety and security of your online experience is of the utmost concern to us. We ensure the appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures are in place to safeguard and help prevent unauthorized access, maintain data security, and correctly use the information we collect online.

Protecting the safety of your credit card information is also important to us. We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to protect the security of your credit card information as it is transmitted to us. SSL is the industry standard in Internet encryption technology, which is a highly sophisticated method of scrambling data as it travels from your computer to our Web site servers. We also encrypt your credit card number when we store your order and whenever we transfer that information to participating merchants.

To make sure you are accessing our secure server before you submit personal financial information, look at the lower left-hand corner of your browser. If you see an unbroken key or a closed lock (depending upon your browser), then SSL is active. To double-check for security, look at the URL or Address line of your browser. If you have accessed a secure server, the first characters of the address in that line should change from "http" to "https."

It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer. Be sure to sign off when finished using a shared computer.

When is Online Registration not available?

Online Registration will be down for normal maintenance 9 p.m., Saturday - 3 a.m., Sunday, this may cause downtime or slowness.

What are the benefits of Online Registration for Service Units?

One of the benefits of online registration is that the database is updated daily; there is only a one-day delay between when a parent registers and when the data is available. All memberships purchased online (by a parent or a troop leader) on Monday, for example, can be viewed by troop leaders in the Troop Hub and accessed through reports on Tuesday. Therefore, everyone will have access to more timely information.

To make sure Service Unit Team members have the information they need to perform their volunteer roles, staff will email reports (PDF and Excel versions) that contain the data needed. Service Unit Team volunteers are encouraged to contact their CDD to identify the reports they need and develop a schedule for automated delivery the reports.

Why don't Service Unit Team members have remote access to the database?

When we transitioned to Personify, we no longer could give volunteers remote access to the database due to security and cost concerns. This was a difficult decision to make because we did not want to take away access that had previously been given to volunteers. This was an easy decision to make because we know members expect their information to be accessible by only those who have a business need to know. We cannot provide this level of security with Personify.

How are the emails in the database used?

Troops will be able to communicate with parents via email through the Troop Management Hub. Service Units and the Council will be able to communicate important information to parents via email through Excel file exports.