Your first steps as a troop volunteer include the following:
> Form a troop committee
> Decide when and where to meet
> Hold a parent/guardian meeting
> Form a troop committee
> Decide when and where to meet
> Hold a parent/guardian meeting
In your new role as a troop volunteer, you’ll team up with helpers, including your co-volunteer(s), parents and guardians, our Service Unit Support Team, and others who have expressed interest in working alongside you.
The first thing you’ll want to do w/the help of your support group is: > Think about how you would like to work together as a team > When and where to meet as a troop > When and where to hold a parent/guardian meeting > When you might want to hold an investiture (pinning) / re-dedication ceremony > Review dates for required and additional trainings > Review the Service Unit and Councils program calendar for potential troop activities Form a Troop Committee You need to involve other adults in the troop—please don’t try to go it alone or depend on too few adults! Many hands make light work, and the role is more fun when it’s shared. Your troop committee members might help by: > Filling in for you > Arranging meeting places > Locating adults with special skills to facilitate a specialized troop meeting > Assisting with trips and chaperoning > Managing troop records > Attend Service Unit meetings A troop committee may be made up of general members or may include specific positions, such as: > Troop Cookie (Product) Manager: A volunteer who would manage all aspects of Girl Scout Cookie sales > Transportation Coordinator: The volunteer you’d look to whenever you needed to transport girls for any reason; this person would coordinate volunteers who meet the transportation requirements available to drive and chaperone > Troop treasurer: Someone to keep track of the money and keep the books. > First Aider - Certified in First Aid and CPR. Attends meetings and trips. > Event Committees / Event Registrar > Field Trip Coordinator > Set up positions that work for you. |
Remember to call on your Service Unit Support Team, which can help you:
> Facilitate a parent meeting > Assign you a buddy > Help with registration forms > Assist you with opening a bank account > Plan your first meeting, and so on. Also plan to attend SU support meetings - which are usually held monthly - that provide excellent opportunities to learn from other volunteers and learn about upcoming opportunities. Hold a Parent/Guardian Meeting
A parent/guardian meeting is a chance for you to get the know the families of the girls in your troop. Before the meeting, be sure you’ve done the following: > Arranged for a parent, another volunteer, or a group of older girls to do activities with the girls in your troop while you talk with their parents/guardians (if girls will attend the meeting, too) > Asked for a member of our Service Unit Support Team for assistance, if applicable > Determined when products sales (including Girl Scout Cookie sales) will happen in your council; parents/guardians will absolutely want to know! > Created a sign-in sheet. > Determined what information parents should bring to the meeting > Created a one-page information sheet (your contact information, contact information for other troop committee members, the day and time of each meeting, location of and directions to the meeting place, what to bring with them, your troop number, and information on how to get merchandise like sashes, vests, T-shirts, books and so on). > Gathered supplies, including the sign-in sheet, the information sheet, > Permission forms for parents/guardians to keep on hand, any other appropriate forms. > Girl Scout merchandise catalogs if available, pens, and an envelope for dues. Prepared yourself to ask parents and guardians for help with the troop, planning to be as specific as you can about the kind of help you will need! |