"So How Do I Start?" You Ask?

1.    Review the New Leader's Checklist.

All volunteers in Girl Scouts of Western Ohio Council (formerly called Great Rivers Council) are required to complete two trainings for their position within six months of appointment.  Click here for information about the required trainings.  This link will take you to the Council's Training/Development webpage.  Or you can click on our Training Link above.

8.    Schedule Meeting Dates, Times and Location.

9.    Hold a Parents Meeting.*

This is a great opportunity to meet your Girl Scouts' parents and to recruit parent helpers.    Things that need to be discussed:

        o  Meeting schedule - remind them about on-time drop-off and pick-up of their daughter.
        o  Sign in/sign out policy.
        o  Troop news - how will communication occur?
        o  Adult volunteer positions - we need your help!  Click here for descriptions.
        o  Dues - how much/how collected/what is covered?
        o  Behavior expectations and discipline policy.
        o  At-home activities that you might require.
        o  Sibling policy (Are siblings allowed at meetings?  Is babysitting provided?)

Also at this meeting, have the parents complete the following forms for your Scouts:

• Girl Scout Registration Form and $10 registration fee (checks should be made payable to Girl Scouts of Western Ohio.)  Be sure that both troop leaders, your cookie mom, and parent treasurer complete an Adult Registration form and submit the $10 fee.
• Blue Medical Health Form (these forms should be with you anytime you are meeting with the girls.)
• Ways Parents Can Help Form (optional)
• Meeting Permission Slips (each girl will need one permitting her to attend your meetings.)  Most leaders list all the meeting dates on one form for the parents to sign.
• Permission Slip if being picked up by a non-parent.
• Adult Volunteer Sign-Up Sheet (optional)

Your troop checking account is required to be set up through a Council approved bank (please check with the Service Unit Registrar or Adult/Girl Recruiter for the current bank to go to) as a charitable checking account.  This keeps you from having to pay monthly checking account fees.  Two people are required to set up the account.  Before going to the bank, however, make sure you have a Girl Scout Charitable Tax ID Form (available at the Girl Scout Council or from your School/Community Recruiter.)  It is up to you if you want to require one signature per check or two.  I suggest having the troop leader and your troop's Financial Person both be authorized signers.  Also, which ever adult keeps the checkbook, the other adult should receive the bank statement.  I also suggest putting a "non-age level" name on the top of your checks such as "Girl Scout Troop 40123."   This way, the name printed on the checks will continue to be accurate as you progress through the different levels, i.e., Daisies, Brownies, Juniors, etc.   See your Safety Wise manual for more information.

Also, keep a copy of all receipts when you spend the troop's money.  This will help you complete the Financial Report that required from each troop and is typically due on June 1 of each year.  Some leaders create their own spreadsheet where they record what each income and expense item was (such as craft supplies, camping fees, cookie profit, etc.)  This makes completing the Financial Form a breeze at the end of the school year.  A copy of the Financial Form can be found on your Adult Resource Manual (ARM) CD. 

11.    Attend Service Unit Meetings.

Girl Scouts - Great Rivers Council is divided into geographic sections known as service units.  Our service unit is called Joining Hands.  Our service unit provides the setting within which the primary services of a council, such as organizing troops and providing direct services to girls and leaders, takes place.  Several times throughout the school year, our Service Unit holds meetings for all leaders to attend.  Click here to see the meeting dates.  Typical meeting activities include workshops, service unit event planning, discussion of successes and challenges with girls, and circulation of information.  All troops should strive to be represented at all service unit meetings.  

It's also a fantastic time to meet other leaders both new and experienced.  At these meetings, you will also get information on upcoming service unit events that your girls can participate in.  I strongly urge you to encourage your girls to attend our service unit events - it's a great opportunity for your girls to meet other Girl Scouts from different schools, age levels, backgrounds, etc.

The service unit is able to provide needed assistance through troop leaders who volunteer to fill service team positions such as Service Unit Manager, Adult/Girl Recruiters, Program Coordinators, etc.  Click here to see a list of the service team position descriptions.  You're never "too new" to volunteer for one of the service team positions.  Not prior experience is needed.  This is a great way to learn more about Girl Scouting.

Also, check our service unit's website often.  It gets updated frequently.

12.    Hold Your First Girl Scout Meeting.*

Review your New Leader's Checklist before holding your first meeting.

Nothing is more nerve-racking AND rewarding than leading your first Girl Scout meeting.  Looking at all those girls' eager faces can be quite intimidating.  Well, all your prior training and planning will finally pay-off.

A few optional suggestions for your first meeting would be:

• Open your meeting by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

• Introduce yourself and your co-leader.

• Play an ice-breaker game(s) so that the girls can get to know each other.

• Explain your behavior expectations and discipline policy.

• Have the girls create a kaper chart (a list of jobs to be done).

• Begin teaching them the Girl Scout Promise and the Girl Scout Law.  They don't need to memorize the Promise & Law right away, that will occur over time with repetition.

• Get the girls excited about the upcoming year by discussing your intentions and activity ideas.  This would be an excellent time to ask the girls what they may want to do (this is a first step to the adult/girl planning process.)

• Plan a basic craft for the girls to do.  GIRLS LOVE CRAFTS!!  For example, during my first meeting, I had my girls create a placemat to eat their snacks on that they could use at future meetings.  I told them to draw pictures on a piece of construction paper that would tell the other girls something about themselves such as their hobbies, pets, favorite activities, etc.  Afterwards, I had their drawings laminated so that they could be easily cleaned.  I brought them with me to all our future meetings.  Other craft ideas include making a sit-upon or decorate a folder to use to take home news/crafts and to bring back future permission slips for field trips, etc.  These can be used at all your future meetings.  Click here for craft website links.

• Teach them the Daisy Song/Brownie Song or play a game.   Click here for crafts/songs website links.

• If your meeting is scheduled to be an hour and half or longer, don't forget the snacks & drinks.  Those are especially popular with the girls!  (Of course, this is optional.)

• Teach the girls a closing song/friendship squeeze to be used at all future meetings.  Suggestions include Good Night Daisies (to the tune of Good Night Ladies), Make New Friends, or Taps.   Click here for songs website links.

During future meetings, you can begin teaching them the flag ceremony (see the Ceremonies Book available at the GS Council.)  To learn more about various Girl Scout Ceremonies, including the Flag Ceremony, click here.

For more ideas, click on this link -  In your 1st three months.  This link will take you to Council's webpage.

For Sample Meetings click on the link(s) below.  These links will take you to Council's webpage.

 - Daisy

 - Brownie

 - Junior

Where Can I Go For Extra Help?

Attend the next Service Unit meeting (click here for schedule.)  There you will get a chance to meet and interact with other leaders who probably, at one time, had the same questions that you have.  It's also a great opportunity to get new ideas and suggestions for your meetings! 

All of the Service Team Members would be more than happy to assist you.  So, please don't hesitate to ask them for help.  Of course there are many people at the Girl Scout Council (489-1025) who could also assist you.  

In addition to service unit meetings, the council website (www.grgsc.org)  provides information on current council resources and program and training opportunities.  Just click on the For Volunteers link on the left hand side of their homepage.

To understand how Great Rivers Council is governed, click here for the Council bylaws.