Girlguiding’s finance policy states that unit bank accounts must be in the name of your unit and have 3 signatories. You can open an account with any bank or branch, but they must be a recognised and well-known brand that’s part of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and a registered banking organisation.

Signatories shouldn’t be related to one another, but if your unit is run by members of the same family this might not be practical. In this case, you must have at least one signatory who is not related to the others. And members of the same family cannot approve each others spending. If you need an additional signatory you can ask your district commissioner

Units should have two signatories from within the unit. The third signatory can come from elsewhere, for example, another Girlguiding leader or your district commissioner – but signatories shouldn’t be related to, or in a relationship with, any of the other signatories.

If a signatory doesn’t already have a role in Girlguiding, you should record them on GO as a unit administrator.

To keep banking information secure, signatories must not use a shared email address for banking communications, and they cannot carry out the end of year financial review of the accounts they are signatory for.

As a signatory, you must share the bank account details with the members of your leadership team who need them, and with your local commissioner. If your commissioner changes, you should make sure the new commissioner has the details.

The following details must be shared:

• Bank name
• Account number and sort code,
• Names and membership numbers of signatories
• Where you keep your bank documents, like statements, cheque books, and debit cards