Leadership is more than “being in charge” or having a title; it’s recognizing that you’re part of a team and understanding that team’s needs and interests.
Here’s how you’ll do that with your troop!
Girl Scout badges covering topics like civic engagement, healthy living, and communication skills help Girl Scouts grow in confidence as they develop the skills to lead their best life!
Whether by exercising and staying healthy, developing strong relationships with family and peers, advocating on behalf of others, protecting our environment, or exploring careers that can truly change the world for the better, girls:
Gain the skills and the inspiration to accept challenges and overcome obstacles
Develop greater confidence and a stronger sense of self
Are happier overall and display more positive values throughout life
Your Role as a Girl Scout Volunteer 
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is based on three keys—discover, connect, and take action—but it’s not just for your troop. As a Girl Scout leader, you will embark on your own leadership journey as you help girls develop the leadership skills they’ll use to make the world a better place. Here are a few basic concepts that outline what leadership means in Girl Scouting.
Leadership is teaching your Girl Scouts:
- That they can do and be anything!
- That they are decision makers and should own their decisions.
- How to live the Girl Scout Law by modeling it for them.
As a leader, see yourself as a coach who:
- Advises, discusses, and cheers on your troop, not as a teacher with a planned lesson or activity but as a mentor and coach.
- Ensures each member understands and can carry out their responsibilities within the troop.
- Encourages Girl Scouts to build their skills and their ethics.
- Gives more responsibilities to the girls as they grow and develop.
It is important to remember that:
- You cannot know everything that your Girl Scouts might ever want to learn.
- You’ll explore and learn alongside your girls and grow your confidence in the process.
- You’re not expected to know everything about Girl Scouting, but you should know where to go for information—and to ask for help when you need it.
Your Responsibilities as a Girl Scout Volunteer
Your responsibilities as a Girl Scout volunteer include:
- Accepting the Girl Scout Promise and Law.
- Understanding and coaching Girl Scouts Three Keys to Leadership—discover, connect, and take action—that are the basis of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
- Sharing your knowledge, experience, and skills with a positive and flexible approach.
- Working in a partnership with your Girl Scouts so that their activities are girl-led and that they learn by doing, individually and as a group. You’ll also partner with other volunteers and council staff for support and guidance.
- Organizing fun, interactive, girl-led activities that address relevant issues and match girls’ interests and needs.
- Providing guidance and information regarding Girl Scout group meetings with troop families on a regular and ongoing basis through a variety of tools, including email, phone calls, newsletters, blogs, other forms of social media, and any other method you choose.
- Processing and completing registration forms and other paperwork, such as permission slips.
- Communicating effectively and delivering clear, organized, and vibrant presentations or information to an individual or the group.
- Overseeing with honesty, integrity, and careful record-keeping the funds that girls raise.
- Maintaining a close connection to your volunteer support team as well as your council.
- Facilitating a safe experience for every Girl Scout.
Planning for Your First Troop Meeting
Depending on the ages of your girls, you might take the lead in guiding the structure and experiences of your troop—from how and when meetings are held to how the troop communicates, from steering girl-led activities to setting financial expectations. You’ll make these decisions collaboratively with your volunteer team or co-leader, as well as with input from the girls and their parents and caregivers.
Use the questions below to guide your conversations with your troop committee volunteers or co-leader before discussing these topics with parents and caregivers.
When will we meet and for how long? How frequently should we schedule troop meetings?
Where will we meet? Your meeting space should be somewhere safe, clean, and secure that allows all girls to participate. Some great meeting space ideas include schools, places of worship, libraries, and community centers. If working with teens, consider meeting at coffee shops, bookstores, or another place they enjoy.
Which components of the uniform will families need to purchase? Which uniform components will the troop provide for each girl?
Will our troop be a single-grade level or facilitated as a multi-level troop with girls of many grade levels combined into one troop? If multi-level, how will we make sure they each get an age-appropriate experience?
How will we keep troop activities and decisions girl-led? Use the Volunteer Toolkit to help you through this process by exploring options for activities and reviewing the meeting plans and resource lists.
How often are we going to communicate with troop families? Which channels will we use to keep families in the loop? Effective communication will help set expectations and clarify parent/ caregiver responsibilities.
Will our troop charge dues, use product program proceeds, and/or charge per activity? How much money will we need to cover supplies and activities? What should our financial plan look like?
Choosing a Meeting Place
What makes a great meeting space? It depends on your troop, but here are a few considerations as you visit potential locations:
Cost. The space should be free to use.
Size. Make sure the space is large enough for the whole group and all planned activities.
Availability. Be sure the space is available for the day and the entire length of time you want to meet.
Resources. Ask if tables and chairs come with the room and ensure that the lighting is adequate. A bonus would be a cubby of some sort where you could store supplies or a safe outdoor space for activities.
Safety. Potential spaces must be safe, secure, clean, properly ventilated, heated (or cooled, depending on your location), free from hazards, and have at least two exits that are well-marked and fully functional. Also be sure first-aid equipment is on hand.
Facilities. It goes without saying, but make sure that toilets are sanitary and accessible.
Communication-Friendly. Check for cell reception in the potential space and whether Wi-Fi is available.
Allergen-Free. Ensure that pet dander and other common allergens won’t bother susceptible girls during meetings.
Accessibility. Your space should accommodate girls with disabilities as well as parents with disabilities who may come to meetings.
Need a few talking points to get the conversation started? Try…
“I’m a Girl Scout volunteer with a group of girls. We’re doing lots of great things for girls and for the community, like [something your group is doing] and [something else your troop is doing]. We’re all about leadership—the kind that girls use in their daily lives and the kind that makes our community better. We’d love to hold our meetings here because [reason why you’d like to meet there].”
Stuck and need additional support? Contact our Customer Care Department for help with a troop meeting place. Call 210-349-2404 or toll free at 800-580-7247, or email customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org.
Virtual Meetings
If your group or troop can’t meet in person or hold a traditional meeting, there are many ways to bring the power of Girl Scouting home! Meeting virtually can be a fun and engaging option for your troop.
Before setting up a virtual meeting, you’ll want to:
- Partner with troop families to make sure the girls are safe online.
- Select a meeting platform that allows families who may not have internet access to call in.
- Think about logistics. Work with the girls to set up ground rules; consider how you will incorporate in-person meeting traditions in your virtual space and how you’ll keep meetings on track.
- Talk with families on how to keep activities girl-led if your girls will be completing them from home.
And don't worry if your girls want to use a web or social platform you’re not as familiar with, because you’ll learn alongside them! For more tips on successful virtual meetings, check out Tips, Tools, and Ideas for Planning a Great Virtual Meeting.
Girl Scout Troop Size
The troop size “sweet spot” is large enough to provide an interactive and cooperative learning environment and small enough to encourage individual development. Though the ideal troop size is 12 girls, we recommend that groups be no fewer and no larger than:
- Girl Scout Daisies: 5–12 girls
- Girl Scout Brownies: 10–20 girls
- Girl Scout Juniors 10–25 girls
- Girl Scout Cadettes: 5–25 girls
- Girl Scout Seniors: 5–30 girls
- Girl Scout Ambassadors: 5–30 girls
A Girl Scout troop/group must have a minimum of five girls and two approved adult volunteers. Be sure to double-check the volunteer-to-girl ratio table in the Adding New Girls to Your Troop subsection below to make sure you have the right number of adults present for group meetings, events, travel, and camping. Adults and girls registering in groups of fewer than five girls and two approved, unrelated adult volunteers, at least one of whom is female, will be registered as individual Girl Scouts to accurately reflect their status and program experience. Individual girls are always welcome to participate in Girl Scout activities and events.
Knowing How Many Volunteers You Need
From troop meetings to camping weekends and cookie booths, adult volunteers must always be present to ensure Girl Scouts have fun and stay safe, no matter their grade level. If you are not sure about the number of adults you will need for your activity, the chart below breaks down the minimum number of volunteers needed to supervise a specific number of Girl Scouts; your council may also establish maximums due to size or cost restrictions, so be sure to check with them as you plan your activity.
Safety in Girl Scouting
The emotional and physical safety and well-being of Girl Scouts is our top priority. Safety Activity Checkpoints outlines the Safety Standards and Guidelines used in Girl Scouting, which apply to all Girl Scout activities. All volunteers should review the Safety Activity Checkpoints manual when planning activities with girls in order to manage safety and risk in Girl Scout-sanctioned activities.
For current COVID-19 guidelines, check our COVID-19 Protocols page.
In Safety Activity Checkpoints, you will find:
Girl Scouts Safety Standards and Guidelines, which apply to all Girl Scout activities, including requirements for adult supervision, permission slips, preparation, field trips and overnight trips, and other vital information.
Activities that are not permitted by Girl Scouts of the USA and actions that girls and volunteers should not take.
Policies surrounding chartered aircraft trips and aviation.
First aid and overall health information.
Standards for well-being and inclusivity along with ways to include Girl Scouts with disabilities and ways to ensure girls’ emotional safety.
Individual safety activity checkpoints for specific activities—such as camping, internet use, and water sports that provide activity-specific safety information.
The document is laid out in three primary sections, Safety Standards and Guidelines, Activities at a Glance, and individual safety activity checkpoint pages.
Girl Scouts’ Activities at a Glance table provides a quick look at the safety standards for that activity with a focus on two critical points to keep in mind when considering and planning activities for your troop:
- age-appropriate activities and participation by grade level, and
- whether prior approval from your council is required before girls participate in a specific activity.
Individual Safety Activity Checkpoint pages provide activity-specific safety measures and guidance on the individual activities that troops and girls may choose to participate in.
Emergency Procedure Steps
These procedures apply to all leaders and volunteers with responsibility for girls and participants at official Girl Scout activities. It is very important that these steps are followed consistently in any emergency situation.
- Always have someone in the group as the designee to call 911.
- Remain calm.
- Give priority attention to providing all possible care for the injured.
- Secure emergency medical services and law enforcement as appropriate.
- Report the emergency immediately by calling the leadership center (210-349-2404 or toll free at 1-800-580-7247) at any time, 24 hours a day. By pressing #1, the automated phone system will forward the call directly to the emergency cell phone.
- In the event of fatality or serious accident, always notify law enforcement. Do not leave the scene of the accident until law enforcement arrives. If you must leave, retain a responsible person at the scene. Ensure that the victim and the surroundings are not disturbed until law enforcement has assumed authority.
- MAKE NO STATEMENTS TO THE MEDIA. Refer all media inquiries (press, radio, television) to GSSWT’s Marketing and Communications department. If no members of the department are available, take a message and inform them that someone will return their call. Do not discuss the incident, place any blame or accept liability.
- Keep record of all relevant conversations concerning the emergency.
- Complete and submit a Group Incident Report form to the Crisis Team Leader within 72 hours of the incident.
Registering Girls and Adults in Girl Scouting
Every participant (girl or adult) in Girl Scouting must register and become a member of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA). GSUSA membership dues are valid for one year. Membership dues cannot be transferred to another member and are not refundable.
Preregistration for the upcoming membership year occurs in the spring. Girls are encouraged to register early to avoid the fall rush. Early registration allows for uninterrupted receipt of forms and materials from the council, helps girls and councils plan ahead, and gets girls excited about all the great things they want to do as Girl Scouts next year. A Girl Scout’s grade level is determined by the current membership year beginning October 1.
Lifetime membership is available to anyone who accepts the principles and beliefs of the Girl Scout Promise and Law, pays the one-time lifetime membership fee, and is at least 18 years old (or a high school graduate or equivalent). Volunteers with ten or more years of service can become lifetime members at the discounted young alum rate.
Adding New Girls to Your Troop
Growing your troop is a great way to share the power of the Girl Scout experience and there are many ways to get the word out, like hanging posters at your girl’s school, using social media to reach families in your community, or including your troop in your council’s Opportunity Catalog or Troop Catalog.
Troop leaders can email our Customer Care Department at customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org for information about marketing and recruitment materials for adding new girls to your troops or details about how to list your troops in the troop opportunity catalog.
Creating an Atmosphere of Acceptance and Inclusion
Girl Scouts is for every girl, and that’s why we embrace girls of all abilities and backgrounds with a specific and positive philosophy of inclusion that benefits everyone. Each girl—regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, physical or cognitive ability, sexual orientation, primary language, or religion—is an equal and valued member of the group, and groups reflect the diversity of the community.
We believe inclusion is an approach and an attitude, rather than a set of guidelines. Inclusion is about belonging, all girls being offered the same opportunities with respect, dignity, and celebration of their unique strengths. It’s about being a sister to every Girl Scout. You’re accepting and inclusive when you:
- Welcome every girl and focus on building community.
- Emphasize cooperation instead of competition.
- Provide a safe and socially comfortable environment for girls.
- Teach respect for, understanding of, and dignity toward all girls and their families.
- Actively reach out to girls and families who are traditionally excluded or marginalized.
- Foster a sense of belonging to community as a respected and valued peer.
- Honor the intrinsic value of each person’s life.
If you have questions about accommodating an individual girl, please reach out to the council. Our Customer Care Department is available to help you. You can reach us by calling 210-349-2404 (toll free 800-580-7247) or emailing customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org.
As you think about where, when, and how often to meet with your group, consider the needs, resources, safety, and beliefs of all members and potential members. Include the special needs of any members who have disabilities or whose parents or caregivers have disabilities. But please, do not rely on visual cues to inform you of a disability; approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population has a disability—that’s one in five people of every socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and religion.
If you want to find out what a girl with a disability needs to make her Girl Scout experience successful, simply ask her or her parent or caregiver. If you are open and honest, they’ll likely respond in kind, creating an atmosphere that enriches everyone.
It’s important for all girls to be rewarded based on their best efforts—not on the completion of a task. Give any girl the opportunity to do her best and she will! Sometimes that means changing a few rules or approaching an activity in a more creative way. Here are some examples of ways to modify activities:
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Invite a girl to complete an activity after she has observed others doing it.
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If you are visiting a museum to view a sculpture, find out if a girl who is blind might be given permission to touch the pieces.
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If an activity requires running, a girl who is unable to run could be asked to walk or do another physical movement.
Focus on a person’s abilities—on what she can do rather than on what she cannot. In that spirit, use people-first language that puts the person before the disability.
When interacting with a girl (or parent/caregiver) with a disability, consider these tips:
When talking to a girl with a disability, speak directly to her, not through a family member or friend.
It’s okay to offer assistance to a girl with a disability but wait until your offer is accepted before you begin to help. Listen closely to any instructions the person may have.
Leaning on a girl’s wheelchair is invading her space and is considered annoying and rude.
When speaking to a girl who is deaf and using an interpreter, speak to the girl, not to the interpreter.
When speaking for more than a few minutes to a girl who uses a wheelchair, place yourself at eye level.
When greeting a girl with a visual disability, always identify yourself and others. You might say, “Hi, it’s Sheryl. Tara is on my right, and Chris is on my left.”
Registering Girls with Cognitive Disabilities
Girls with cognitive disabilities can be registered as closely as possible to their chronological ages. They wear the uniform of that grade level. Make any adaptations for the girl to ongoing activities of the grade level to which the group belongs. Young women with cognitive disorders may choose to retain their girl membership through their twenty-first year, and then move into an adult membership category.
Getting Support for Your Troop
Just as your Girl Scouts rally around each other for support, you will also have a dedicated Girl Scout support team in the Community you are lcoated in, consisting of council staff and passionate volunteers like you. Your Community team is ready to offer local learning opportunities and advice as well as answer your questions about the Girl Scout program, working with girls, product sales, and much more.
Before you hold your first troop meeting with girls, consider the support and people resources you’ll need to cultivate an energizing troop experience. Parents, friends, family, and other members of the community have their own unique strengths and can provide time, experience, and ideas to a troop, so get them involved from the very beginning as part of your volunteer troop team. This team is made up of troop leaders (like you) and troop committee volunteers.
Your troop committee volunteers are the extra set of eyes, ears, and hands that help the troop safely explore the world around them. Depending on your troop’s needs, they can play a more active role—for instance, someone can step up as a dedicated troop treasurer—or simply provide an occasional helping hand when you need to keep a meeting activity on track.
If a parent or caregiver isn’t sure if they can commit to a committee or co-leader role, encourage them to try volunteering in a smaller capacity that matches their skill set. Just like your young Girl Scouts, once troop parents and caregivers discover they can succeed in their volunteer role, they’ll feel empowered to volunteer again.
Troop Management Tools and Resources
From toolkits and guides to regular contact with experienced individuals, you’ll have all the support you need to be a Girl Scout volunteer. Here’s a list of some important resources you’ll want to check out.
The Volunteer Toolkit
With the Volunteer Toolkit, girls and leaders can explore meeting topics and program activities together and follow the fun as they plan their Girl Scout year. Using the Volunteer Toolkit:
Troop Leaders can:
- Plan the troop’s calendar year and meeting schedule.
- Email parents/caregivers with one click.
- View the troop roster, renew girls’ memberships, and update girls' contact information.
- View meeting plans for Journeys and badges, including suggested tracks for multi-level groups (K–5 and 6–12).
- Customize meeting agendas to fit your troop.
- Explore individual meeting plans that show a breakdown of every step, including a list of materials needed, editable time allotments for each activity within a meeting, and printable meeting aids.
- Record attendance at meetings and their troop’s badge and Journey achievements.
- Add council or custom events to the troop’s calendar.
- Submit troop finance reports (depending on the council’s process).
- Easily locate both national and local council resources, such as Safety Activity Checkpoints.
Parents and Caregivers can:
- View the troop’s meeting schedule and individual meeting plans to stay up to date on the badges and Journeys the troop is working on.
- Renew their memberships and update their contact information.
- View their Girl Scout’s attendance and achievements.
- See upcoming events the troop is planning or attending.
- Easily locate both national and local council resources.
- View the troop’s finance report (depending on the council’s process).
Additional Tools and Resources
Safety Activity Checkpoints. Safety is paramount in Girl Scouting, and Safety Activity Checkpoints contains everything you need to know to help keep your girls safe during a variety of exciting activities outside of their regular Girl Scout troop meetings.
Tips for Troop Leaders. When you’re looking for real-world advice from fellow troop leaders who've been there, this volunteer-to-volunteer resource on the Girl Scouts of the USA website has what you need for a successful troop year.
Girl Scout Volunteers in Your Community. Remember that Girl Scout support team we mentioned? You’ll find them in your service unit! Troops are organized geographically into service units or communities. You’ll find a local network of fellow leaders and administrative volunteers ready to offer tips and advice to help you succeed in your volunteer role.
Customer Care Contacts
Questions? Need help resolving an issue? We’ve got you! Reach out anytime by completing the form on the Contact Us page or email customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org. During business hours, you can reach a Customer Care Specialist by calling 210-349-2404 (toll free 800-580-7247).
Newsletters, Communication, and Social Media
We have four easy ways for you to stay up to date with GSSWT:
- Website: This website is the place to find everything you need to know about what’s going on with GSSWT.
- Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas Newsletter: A monthly e-newsletter sent directly to your email with highlights on what’s going on in the council.
- Girl Talk, a quarterly publication mailed to your home with an overview of council events.
- Social media: Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
We encourage our members to connect with us on social media for the latest news about GSSWT and as a place to share your own news about your Girl Scouts and what they’re accomplishing. You can find links to our accounts at the bottom of this website.
Below are a few guidelines to follow when participating in social media:
- Be friendly and respect others. Don’t use social media to attack other volunteers, troop members, or staff members. Don't be mean, call people names, use racial slurs and/or foul language.
- Be courageous and strong. Careful monitoring of social media is important in maintaining a welcoming and supportive community. If you see posts, comments, or behavior that concerns you, please notify us. Don’t be afraid to speak up or ask questions.
- Tell your story. Add value by saying something helpful, witty, or informative. Show how your Girl Scouts are making the world a better place.
- Be responsible for what you say and do. Remember that what you post online will be around for a long time, and nothing is private anymore. Use discretion.
- Be cautious. Do not publish girls’ full names online—girl safety is a top priority!
- Respect authority. If your actions on social media—as with any other kind of actions taken as a Girl Scout volunteer—do not support the Girl Scout Promise and Law, we do reserve the right to take corrective action.
- Speak for yourself. We know your opinions may not always be the same as the council's. Just make sure that your presence in the social media world is in the first person-lots of "l" and not much “we.”
- Use common sense. Think of social media as a giant worldwide billboard. What you post can be seen by anyone—your boss, your co-workers, and your mom. You don't need a poorly chosen Tweet to wreak havoc on the council or your life.
As a representative of Girl Scouts, your online presence can reflect positively or negatively on Girl Scouts. It is always recommended to set your personal Facebook profile to “private” (only your Facebook friends can see it), especially if you have Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas listed as an organization that you volunteer for or represent. Please remember that your Facebook profile picture can always be viewed publicly, so use discretion when choosing how the world sees you.
Facebook Groups
The main Girl Scouts of Southwest Texas Facebook page is the best place to stay connected with what’s going on in the council. For a deeper dive into events, as well as conversations with fellow parents and volunteers, we have several Facebook groups connected to our page. They are:
- GSSWT Volunteers: This is the main volunteer group where you can find information about council events, office updates/closures, etc.
- West Side Girl Scout Leadership Center: This group is where you can find information about events happening at our West Side center.
- GSSWT Daisies-Juniors: Use this group to connect with other volunteers, troop leaders, and parents with girls in the Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors grade levels.
- GSSWT Cadettes-Ambassadors: Use this group to connect with other volunteers, troop leaders, and parents with girls in the Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors grade levels.
Rallyhood
Rallyhood is an online community collaboration platform that allows community leadership team members and co-leaders to communicate about community events, share information, post announcements and photos. Watch for your email invitation to Rallyhood. Missing your email invite to this valuable resource? Contact our Customer Care Department at customercare@girlscouts-swtx.org for assistance.
Resource Center
The Resource Center at the Sally Cheever Girl Scout Leadership Center has been developed for you, the Girl Scout volunteer. Whether you are an experienced or new volunteer, you want the right resources when you need them.
The Resource Center loans items such as flags, ceremony and program supplies, camping and sports equipment, books, badge kits and more to assist adults in providing Girl Scout program to girls. You’ll find a laminator, die-cut machine, copier, comb binding machine, along with assorted office equipment to put your posters, projects, and other program activity resources together. Knowledgeable staff are available in person or by phone to assist you.
Take Advantage of Learning Opportunities
We know that when you have the knowledge and skills you need to manage your girls, both you and your troop will thrive. Visit the Adult Learning section of the For Volunteers page for ongoing learning opportunities that will help you grow your skills and confidence.
We understand your time is valuable, which is why many of our training courses are available online or in a learn-at-home format and accessible 24/7. Registration for free on-demand courses, virtual classes (Zoom) & in-person classes is available through gsLearn.
We also offer in-person courses taught by our awesome volunteer trainers. Get started today by visiting our Event Calendar page and sign up for in-person, learn at home or online classes.
Know How Much You are Appreciated
What begins with Girl Scouts speaking up at a troop meeting can go all the way to speaking in front of their city council for a cause they champion—and they will have your support to thank for that. Your volunteer role makes a powerful difference. Thank you for all you do.
Just as you’ll receive support throughout your volunteer experience, when you reach the end of the term you signed up for, you’ll talk with your support team about the positive parts of your experience as well as the challenges you faced, and you’ll discuss whether you want to return to this position or try something new. The end of your troop year, camp season, overseas trip, or series/event session is just the beginning of your next adventure with Girl Scouts!
If you’re ready for more opportunities, be sure to let your council support team know how you’d like to be a part of girls’ lives in the future—whether in the same position or in other, flexible ways. Are you ready to organize a series or event? Take a trip? Work with girls at camp? Work with a troop of girls as a yearlong volunteer? Share your skills at a council office, working behind the scenes? The possibilities are endless and can be tailored to fit your skills and interests.
Volunteer Appreciation
Without our passionate and dedicated volunteers, there would be no Girl Scouting. That’s why we celebrate National Volunteer Month every April and turn up the party as we ring in National Girl Scout Leader’s Day on April 22.
Girl Scouts also celebrates National Volunteer Week, which falls during the third day of April. What can we say, we love our volunteers!
Each year, we honor volunteers who have been nominated and selected to receive a board-approved award. Learn more on the Volunteer Appreciation page.
Girl Scout Participation in Activities with Other Scouting Organizations
The decision by Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to open the Boy Scout program to girls has fundamentally altered the nature of the relationship between BSA and Girl Scouts nationally and locally. Local relationships between BSA and Girl Scout councils that have led to partnerships and joint activities in the past may now create certain risks or challenges for Girl Scouts. For this reason, councils are encouraged to avoid joint recruiting and/or joint participation in community events or activities.
Marketplace Confusion
To protect the integrity of the Girl Scout brand and reinforce our programming as unique, girl-only, and best in class, we must ensure that we take care that the activities in which girls participate are exclusive to the Girl Scout program, are safe and girl-led, and are conducted under the appropriate supervision of Girl Scouts.
Protecting Use of Girl Scout Materials
Girl Scout materials are intended for the exclusive use of Girl Scouts and are protected as the intellectual property of Girl Scouts of the USA. Materials include but are not limited to: Girl Scout logo, tag lines, and/or program and badge requirements.
© Copyright 2009–2022 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. All rights reserved. All information and material contained in Girl Scouts’ Volunteer Essentials guide (“Material”) is provided by Girl Scouts of the United States of America (GSUSA) and is intended to be educational material solely to be used by Girl Scout volunteers and council staff. Reproduction, distribution, compiling, or creating derivative works of any portion of the Material or any use other than noncommercial uses as permitted by copyright law is prohibited, unless explicit, prior authorization by GSUSA in writing was granted. GSUSA reserves its exclusive right in its sole discretion to alter, limit, or discontinue the Material at any time without notice.
