Unlock a World of Possibilities: Your Guide to Troop Year Planning!

 

Back to troop season is HERE! Are you ready to take your troop on a journey filled with endless possibilities, growth, and unforgettable experiences? Look no further because we have an exciting announcement that will simplify the way you plan out your year: Troop Year Plans, now include plans for multi-level troops!

From Daisies to Ambassadors, our customizable, turnkey plans are designed to meet the needs of every troop, ensuring that each Girl Scout can explore, have fun, thrive, and lead the way.

So, what exactly are Troop Year Plans, and how can they benefit you and your troop? Let's dive in:

1. Comprehensive Planning Made Easy: Our Troop Year Plans offer a curated selection of our most popular activities, organized for two meetings per month. Whether your troop wants to explore the outdoors, dive into STEM, or engage in community service, these plans have everything you need to keep the girls excited and engaged all year long.

2. Badge-Earning Opportunities: With our Troop Year Plans, earning badges has never been simpler or more enjoyable! Each month, you'll find a variety of badge-earning activities that align with the Girl Scout Leadership Experience, empowering girls to develop essential skills and knowledge while earning recognition for their achievements.

3. Customizable and Flexible: We understand that every troop is unique, which is why our Troop Year Plans are fully customizable to suit your troop's interests, schedule, and needs. Whether you're organizing a weekend camping trip or a virtual meeting, these plans offer a variety of activities that can be adapted to fit your troop’s needs. Plus, if the girls want to swap an activity for something they enjoy more, they can! It’s all about making the experience fun and tailored to them.

4. Print-Friendly and Online Versions: Whether you prefer to flip through pages or access resources digitally, our Troop Year Plans are available in both print-friendly and online formats, making them a convenient companion on all your Girl Scouting adventures.

What sets our Multi-Level Troop Year Plans apart is their inclusivity and flexibility. For troops with girls spanning multiple age levels, this tool is an absolute game-changer. No more struggling to find activities that cater to everyone's needs – our plan seamlessly integrates themes that are suitable for troops with Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors as well as troops with Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors. This will help ensure that every girl in your troop feels valued and included.

With our Troop Year Plans and Multi-Level Troop Year Plans as your guide, you'll be amazed at how simple and rewarding it can be to make a difference in the lives of your Girl Scouts. Whether you're a seasoned volunteer or new to Girl Scouting, our plans provide the support and guidance you need to make a meaningful difference in the lives of your Girl Scouts.

Together, let's embark on a journey of exploration, growth, and friendship as we guide our Girl Scouts to become their best selves.

Are you actively using Troop Year Plans and want to share your experience with us and others? Let us know on social media by tagging @girlscouts.

Here's to a great year of adventures ahead!

Cheers to You, Super Volunteers! Inside the Girl Scout Celebration of #YourYearOfImpact

Girl Scout Volunteers make the world go ‘round! Your generosity is the secret sauce making magic happen in the lives of countless Girl Scouts. Join us as we celebrate your dedication in helping Girl Scouts grow and thrive.

Heartfelt Gratitude from Our Leaders:

During Volunteer Appreciation Month, we take time to shine a spotlight on the amazing individuals like you who bring the Girl Scout experience to life. So, to the selfless volunteers who keep the Girl Scout Movement in perpetual motion: We see you and appreciate you…this month AND all year long! Take a moment to see this year’s special note of thanks from Bonnie Barczykowski, our CEO, and Noorain Khan, our National Board President.

“Volunteers are the beating heart of Girl Scouting and make it all possible. They unlock adventure, exploration, curiosity, and community impact while also serving as inspirational role models and mentors for our Girl Scouts—championing, challenging, encouraging, and inspiring them as they move through their Girl Scout experience. We are so grateful for the time, energy, care, and creativity they bring and for all they do to ensure Girl Scouts is truly transformational.”

-Bonnie Barczykowski, GSUSA CEO

“As a proud Girl Scout alum, I know firsthand the impact of Girl Scout volunteers. They activated and empowered me, and they made Girl Scouts a place where I felt like I belonged. None of what Girl Scouting has done in the last 110+ years would have been possible without the very best volunteer force in the world—and that’s what we have. They contribute their time, their living rooms and garages, their treasure, their hearts, and so much more. Their commitment to our mission means everything—to councils across the country, to everyone at GSUSA, and most of all, to the Girl Scouts they serve.”

-Noorain Khan, GSUSA National Board President

Celebrating the Unique Spark of Our Diverse Volunteers:

Sharing is caring—which is why we want the world to get to know our talented, creative, and dedicated volunteers! No two Girl Scout leaders are alike, but they all have that “something special” required to make a real difference in girls’ lives. Here are just a few of the inspiring volunteers like you working their magic across the country.

“When a Girl Scout lost her home to a tornado, she reached out to volunteers council-wide through Leaders Lounge (a Facebook group for GSofSI leaders) to ask for help to make sure this Girl Scout's family had what they needed from clothing to food, and even birthday presents for the girl. In addition to all of this, she has Service Unit events nearly every month and reaches out to each individual family to make sure they know what is available beyond a troop setting.”

Thank you, Debra, Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois

“[...] Ninety-five percent of my girls would never go camping if I didn’t take them. They wouldn’t meet CEOs of companies or meet other Gold Award Girl Scouts. They wouldn’t meet female pilots and astronauts and hear their inspiring stories. But most importantly, they develop the confidence to make a difference in their community.”

Thank you, Patricia, Girl Scouts of Tropical Florida

Want to share your story with us? Take to social media this month and use the hashtag #YourYearOfImpact

A Token of Our Appreciation:

Volunteering is a generous gift that deserves recognition. There are countless intangible benefits of helping Girl Scouts grow and thrive—but there are concrete perks to enjoy, too. For Volunteer Appreciation Month this year, we’re thanking our volunteers with a special 15% discount on $50 or more in the Girl Scout Shop (with promo code THANKS24) from 4/19–4/22!

You can also enter our extra special Volunteer Sweepstakes for the chance to win a grand prize bundle worth up to $1,250 in retail value!

There will be four drawings in the month of April and four winners of a bundle valued at $1,250 that will include troop year essential badges/pins and trefoil fun finds for your troop as well as a customized denim jacket, rose gold journal, and adult recycled vest for you the volunteer. Not to mention, a $750 Amazon gift card—thank you to Amazon for their generous donation. Terms and conditions apply. Visit girlscouts.org/forvolunteers for details.

Gathering Grateful Girl Scouts:

Why do you do what you do? To be the rad mentors, the fun facilitators, the outdoor gurus, and the life skill legends for Girl Scouts of all ages. We've recruited Girl Scouts from coast to coast to shout out their favorite volunteers! This month, girls can download and print our Volunteer Thank You Card to hand to their MVP volunteer, or share the digital version on Instagram to spread the love far and wide!

Download Thank You Card


A Fill-in-the-Blank Volunteer Thank You Card that girls and caregivers can share with a Girl Scout volunteer.

It takes creativity, heart, and energy to serve as a Girl Scout volunteer—but words can’t even begin to express how much every single volunteer means to the Girl Scouts they serve. Simply showing up and encouraging girls to be themselves makes a lasting impact that they’ll carry with them for the rest of their lives. There has never been a better time to help girls grow in your community—thank you for being the superheroes you are!

So, hold on tight for the rest of Volunteer Appreciation Month—expect heartwarming stories, mega thank-yous, and just good ol' fun.

Not a volunteer but curious about becoming one? Find your local council and learn how you can join our movement!

EPIC Girl Scout Volunteer Appreciation Stories 💚

Happy National Volunteer Appreciation Month!

Girl Scout Volunteers are fabulous and magical like unicorns, only better! 🦄

Let’s face it, our Movement wouldn’t be the same without your commitment, spark, and giving hearts. Whether you’re a Girl Scout troop leader, volunteer, or a cookie parent/caregiver, you deserve to be celebrated and appreciated for changing lives, instilling hope, and building girls of courage, confidence, and character.

There are endless ways in which Girl Scout volunteers make the world a better place. So, we asked our community on social media to share their favorite volunteer stories and photos. The response was overwhelming, in the best way possible. Get ready to laugh out loud and even shed a happy tear!

For girls, the impact of volunteers is clear! According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, girls who have at least one adult in Girl Scouts who makes them feel valuable and helps them think about their future exhibit stronger leadership outcomes than girls who lack this support. And Girl Scouts are more likely to have such supportive adults than non-Girl Scouts.

Because you believe, she achieves. Thank you for all you do!

Show Your Volunteers Some Love: visit the Girl Scout Activity Zone to find some ways to show your volunteer how much you appreciate them. While April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, it’s always the right time to say thanks.

Volunteer Appreciation Guest Blogger: Margaret Seiler

Hello Girl Scouts! It’s Sofia Chang, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA. As we kick off Volunteer Appreciation Month, I want to thank all of our 700,000+ dedicated volunteers who work to bring the Girl Scout experience to life for girls each and every day. As a passionate Girl Scout mom and volunteer myself, I know firsthand the impact that our volunteers have—and all the hard work that goes into championing, encouraging, and inspiring girls to be the leaders and changemakers of the future.

110 years ago, the founder of Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Low, imagined a movement where all girls could come together, explore their worlds, and embrace their unique strengths and passions—and, as Girl Scouts has done ever since, she worked hard to turn that vision into reality, engaging countless enthusiastic supporters and volunteers along the way.

I’m excited to have Margaret Seiler, Juliette’s grandniece—a dedicated volunteer herself—join me in celebrating our volunteers and their commitment to our Movement with this guest post for Girl Scouts.

Thank you, Margaret! And thank you, Girl Scout volunteers, for all you do on behalf of the girls you serve!

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April is National Volunteer Month! When our new CEO, Sofia Chang, asked me if I could write something to honor volunteers for the Girl Scout Blog, I enthusiastically said yes. Volunteers, who make up a large portion of Girl Scout membership, are the lifeblood of this organization. Without the dedication, creativity, and generosity of so many troop leaders, service unit managers, delegates, and many others, we would not have the very foundation upon which Girl Scouts resides. Our volunteers nurture girls and young women, challenging them to find new passions, set and achieve new goals, form firm bonds of friendship with other Girl Scouts, serve others in their communities, and be their best selves.

I am privileged to be related to our founder, Juliette “Daisy” Gordon Low. Aunt Daisy (as my mother, her youngest niece, always called her) was raised in a family that valued service to country and community. I was a Brownie, a Girl Scout, and finally a mother to two Girl Scouts. Now I serve as a volunteer on the Birthplace Advisory Committee for the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in Savannah. I’m also a member of the Juliette Gordon Low Society. And I love to visit with girls of all ages, to share stories about my Great-Aunt Daisy, the whimsical, artistic, headstrong woman who never took “no” for an answer as she built the Girl Scout Movement.

My family cares deeply about preserving our Great-Aunt Daisy’s history and legacy. She is a role model for all those who believe in female empowerment and inclusivity. I am proud to serve as a volunteer to uphold her ideals, and I applaud all the many volunteers who serve Girl Scouts during this National Volunteer Month!