1. How do I find a troop for my girl?

 

Thank you for your interest in Girl Scouts!  To view and register your girl into a troop in your community visit www.sdgirlscouts.org/join and enter your contact information.  Once you have entered your contact information you should have the option of searching for a troop via specific troop number or zip code. Select the troop that meets your family's needs and follow the steps to register yourself into the troop.  It is $25 a year to become a member of Girl Scouts with the Girl Scout year running from October 1st through September 30th.  Should you encounter troubles registering please contact customercare@sdgirlscouts.org. Once you have registered your girl into a troop, the troop leader will receive notification and contact you with troop details. Please keep in mind that troops who still need 2 volunteers are troops who do not yet have identified leaders.  If you or someone you know is interested in leading a troop, please see #2 below or contact customercare@sdgirlscouts.org.

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• Give Girl Scouts a try at a free Discover Girl Scouts session

• Why Girl Scouts? brochure

• Girl Scouts Family Guide

• Request more information

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2. How do I start a troop?

 

First of all, thank you for considering volunteering! For a Troop to get started, 2 unrelated adult volunteers are needed to join Girl Scouts in the Leader role.  What really works well is a Team Troop, where a group of parents share the leader role. For a preview of resources for new Troops, check out our For Troop Leaders and For New Leaders webpages. 

For new volunteers, a background check is required for adults who help in a Girl Scout Troop.  After registering into a role, an email will be sent to ask authorization to perform a background check.  Be sure to respond to this email.

Once the background checks are complete, volunteers can log back on to their MyGS Girl Scout account and locate the New Leader Learning Path in gsLearn.  The first video class, Getting Started with your Troop, will be immediately accessible.  It is about an hour and half long and can be viewed in the comfort of your own home. 

Another resource in your MyGS account is in-depth software for Leaders called Volunteer Toolkit.  Volunteer Toolkit can be used to  organize everything needed for a Troop, including step by step meeting plans, rosters, finances and suggestions for events to attend.  Using Volunteer Toolkit, Leaders can plan the entire year in one sitting.  After exploring Volunteer Toolkit you will be inspired and excited to have meetings!  We also have Troop Support Specialist staff members and local community mentors who can help with startup guidance.

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You can begin inviting girls and adults into the new troop by utilizing the “Invite Friends” function in your MyGS account:

1. Under the Welcome Menu on the left side of your screen, click on My Troops(s) and select your Troop number.

2. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and select “Invite friends to join your Troop”

3. Add their email addresses and an invitation will be sent!

 

More resources:

1. The Girl Scouts Family Guide gives leaders, and other troop families, a great overview of Girl Scouts and all the great things ahead for your girls

2. The 4Her Commitment Flyer is a great tool to use for organizing other parents to support the troop

3. More info on recruiting girls

4. For assistance or to request recruiting materials, please contact customercare@sdgirlscouts.org

 

3. Who needs to be background-checked and where to get started?

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All troop volunteers including parents attending overnights must: be currently registered with GS, have a current background-check on file with GS, complete one-time LiveScan fingerprinting with GS, and complete one-time mandated reporter training. Start here.

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LiveScan is free though 12/31/23 for members with a current Membership and completed Background Check! Follow the link above.

 

Please notify GSSD when you are no longer affiliated with the GSSD Organization to be removed from LiveScan reporting.

For questions or concerns, please contact Customer Care at Girl Scouts San Diego: 619-610-0821 or customercare@sdgirlscouts.org

 

4. What is the family's responsibility to their Girl Scout Troop?

 

from the San Diego Girl Scouts Family Guide:

• Attend family meetings, family events, and ceremonies.

• See that she has the necessities, like uniforms, dues, permission slips, etc. (financial aid is available).

• Help her arrive on time to meetings and events, and pick her up on time, too.

• Lend a helping hand when you can—troops run best with family support.

• Complete paperwork like forms and permission slips on time.

• Communicate with troop leaders. Share your joys and questions. If an issue comes up, speak directly with the leader in private--don't involve the girls.

• Support your girl if her troop participates in product programs, but don't market the products yourself. It's a girl thing!

• Set an example for your girl by following the Girl Scout Promise and Law, too.

• Donate to SHARE (Share Her Annual Real Expense), if you can, to help keep Girl Scouts affordable for all girls in our area. We spend $467/girl each year to make all the good stuff happen.

• Appreciate troop leaders and volunteers. Remember, most volunteers don't have lots of time, just lots of heart!

 

5. Disbanding your troop/group

 

Eventually all troops/groups disband, whether it is due to the girls bridging to adult Girl Scouts or due to the troop/group running out of steam. A troop is considered disbanded when it is no longer functioning or has not re-registered within six months of the expiration date of its last registration.

Here is a checklist of what you should do before you call it quits:

 

1. Notify the Service Unit Registrar and the Service Unit Treasurer for troops.

2. Work with the Service Unit Troop Contact for the girls' level to find new troops for the continuing girls and adults. This is the most important thing you will do when disbanding your troop. With the help of the Service Unit Troop Contact, encourage and assist the girls and adults still interested in scouting to find a new troop. There is also the option of registering next year as an Individual Girl Scout Member (IGM).

3. Dispose of the troop’s equipment. If the troop purchased equipment, the girls should have a say in what happens to it. If your troop owns camping equipment, the girls might decide to give it to a younger Girl Scout troop that is just starting camping or see if Council can use the equipment. Our service unit has a “Help Yourself” table at the monthly meetings if you or the girls have Girl Scout items you no longer need.

4. Determine what the remaining troop money will be used for. Remember that the troop money belongs to Girl Scouts, not the individual girls in the troop and the money should be used in a manner compatible with the Girl Scout program goals. If money remains after all troop activities are over, the troop should decide what to do with it. The money could be donated to Girl Scouts to benefit a program that the girls like or it could be donated to a charity the girls feel strongly about. If the troop does not decide, the remaining money is given to the service unit. Note: If troop money is given to the service unit and some of the girls continue with another troop, a portion of the funds are distributed to the new troop on a prorated basis (girl membership). For example, if there were seven girls in the disbanding troop and two of the girls continued with another troop, one seventh of the remaining troop funds would be distributed to the new troop for each continuing girl. This is subject to the direction and approval of the service unit team. If the troop does not reorganize within one year from the date of the troop’s last registration, the remaining funds will be used in the interest of Girl Scouting in the service unit.

5. Request from the bank a cashier’s check for any remaining troop funds payable to: Girl Scout Scripps Ranch Service Unit 695.  Close the bank account.

6. The following should be turned in to the Service Unit Treasurer for troops:

• Troop/Group Disbandment Report

• Troop/Group Annual Financial Report (accounting for all troop income and expenses since the last financial report)

• Money-Earning Project Application (if applicable)

• Last bank statement reflecting a zero balance

• Cashier’s check (if applicable)

• Unused checks 

 

Last but not least, thank you for your dedication to the girls in your troop! Your hard work has made a difference in their lives!

 

6. Pool party rules - also see Safety Activity Checkpoints for Swimming

 

Pool Facility

• 6-foot fenced area around the pool

• Locking gate (can include controlled access from the back of a house)

• Pool water depths are clearly marked

• Shallow areas are marked “No Diving”

• Periodic maintenance checks are made

• Chlorine and pH are maintained at safe levels. Tests are documented.

• Diving areas are clearly marked, with or without a diving board.

 

Adult Supervision – For help finding a lifeguard, contact customercare@sdgirlscouts.org

• 1 lifeguard for every 25 swimmers (26 swimmers requires 2 lifeguards)

Lifeguard must have a current American Red Cross or equivalent certification.

• 1 adult watcher for every 10 swimmers (11 swimmers requires 2 watchers)

A watcher is someone who actively watches swimmers, helping to maintain safety and point out areas of danger to the lifeguard.

 

Skills Assessment

• Before swimming, all swimmers are oriented to the Pool Rules by the lifeguards

(Front dives only, walking feet, designated areas, no horse play, etc.)

• Swim Test: The lifeguard/s will conduct this test and create a system of placing swimmers at a depth in the pool that is appropriate to their skill level.

 

 

7. Help re-registering

 

• Family Renewal Guide

• Troop Renewal Guide

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