Volunteer Essentials

Welcome to the great adventure of Girl Scouting! No matter how you volunteer with Girl Scouts, your investment in time and energy will pay back tenfold. Thanks to volunteers like you, generations of girls have learned to be leaders in their own lives and in the world.

The GSUSA publication, Volunteer Essentials, is your guide to volunteering with Girl Scouts. This national handbook which has been customized for Girl Scouts of Connecticut, will guide you through everything you need to know as a Girl Scout Volunteer. From taking trips and staying safe, to managing finances and program materials, your questions are answered!

Think of Volunteer Essentials as your encyclopedia to Girl Scout volunteering that’s there when you need it. When you have a question, simply look up the topic in the Table of Contents, and you’ll find the answer. Let’s get started! Find the full guide here or click on the individual chapters below.

Quick-Start Guide
The nitty-gritty – what you need to know, as you plan your first meeting with girls and provides a compact overview of Girl Scouts of Connecticut.
    Welcome Letter
    We Are Girl Scouts
   Girl Scouts’ Organizational Structure
    Governance and Operations
    Helping Our Council be the Best It Can Be!
    Getting Started with the National Leadership Program
        through Journeys
    Planning in a Girl-Led Environment
    Meeting with Girls for the First Time
    Using Safety Activity Checkpoints
    Understanding How Many Volunteers You Need
    Following the Girl Scouts Safety Guidelines

Chapter 1: Sharing Your Unique Gifts
Provides information on your role and responsibilities as a Girl Scout volunteer and the variety of learning opportunities available to support you in that role.
    Understanding Your Role as a Girl Scout Volunteer
    Becoming a Girl Scout Volunteer
    Your Support Team
    Taking Advantage of Learning Opportunities
    Knowing How Much You’re Appreciated

Chapter 2: GSOFCT Volunteer Policies and Procedures
GSOFCT board-approved policies that work in conjunction with the council’s by-laws, Blue Book of Basic Documents, Safety Activity Checkpoints, and GSUSA policies.

Chapter 3: Girl Scouting as a National Experience
Provides information on the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and introduces the National Program Portfolio. It also presents the wide variety of activities, awards, and resources available to girls in Connecticut.
    National Program Portfolio
    Putting It All Together
    Emblems and Patches
    Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards
    Other Initiatives and Opportunities
    Girl Scout Traditions and Celebrations

Chapter 4: Engaging Girls at All Grade Levels
Provides tips and resources that will allow you to work with girls from all backgrounds, behaviors, skills, and abilities in a safe and accepting environment.
    Understanding Healthy Development in Girls
    Creating a Safe Space for Girls
    Creating an Atmosphere of Acceptance and Inclusion

Chapter 5: Being Safety Wise
Includes guidelines to ensure Girl Scout programming takes place in an environment that promotes the health, safety and well-being of all girls.
    Knowing Your Responsibilities
    Knowing How Many Volunteers You Need
    Transporting Girls
    Approaching Activities
    Providing Emergency Care

Chapter 6: Managing Group Finances
Details the volunteer’s responsibilities for successful money management and states GSOFCT’s financial policies and procedures for safeguarding troop/group funds.
    Adult Role in Troop/Group Money Management
    Establishing an Account
    Your Troop/Group Bank Account
    Service Unit Bank Accounts

Chapter 7: Travel Ready
Helps you prepare girls for local, regional, or international travel of any scope and duration with safety being foremost in all planning.
    Traveling with Girls
    Reengaging Girls
    Volunteer Opportunities

Chapter 8: Especially For Troop Volunteers
Includes information to get your troop/group up and running, as well as strategies that promote parent/guardian support and involvement.
    Arranging a Time and Space for Girl-Led Meetings
    Forming a Troop Committee
    Holding Troop Meetings
    Looking at a Sample Troop Year
    Changes in Troop Leadership
    Reengaging Girls
    GSOFCT Council Retail Shops
    Quick Guide to Forms

Chapter 9: Financing Your Girl Scout Program
Provides you with information to facilitate girl-led financial planning, including group finance management, product sales techniques, safety requirements around product sales, and more!
    Helping Girls Reach Their Financial Goals
    Reviewing Financial and Sales Abilities by Grade Level
    Money-Earning Basics
    Understanding the Girl Scout Cookie Program
    Understanding the Girl Scout QSP Program
    Product Sales: Financial Literacy and the Girl Scout Leadership Experience
    Additional Group Money-Earning
    Collaborating with Sponsors and Other Organizations

Chapter 10: GSOFCT Properties
Provides procedures and guidelines for GSOFCT property uses, basic summaries of each site, as well as directions to all GSOFCT program centers.
    Procedures For Use of Council Properties - Troop Group
    Procedures For Use of Council Properties – Outsider User Groups
    Frequently Asked Questions
    GSOFCT Properties
    Directions to all GSOFCT Program Centers
    GSOFCT Property Policies

Chapter 11: Forms
Includes the most commonly used forms needed to deliver Girl Scout program.