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Volunteer Essentials
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  1. Members
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  4. Volunteer Essentials

Volunteer Essentials

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  • Troop Finances
  • Engaging Girl Scouts and Families
  • Safety
  • Additional Resources and Support
  • Policies and Procedures
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Welcome! Adventures Ahead!

As a Girl Scout volunteer, you are a community-builder, mentor, champion of fun, and a role model for what it means to lead with your heart. And because of you, Girl Scouts of all ages will have the opportunity to discover that a little imagination can go a long way as they chase their dreams, explore the world around them, take action to improve their communities, and make the world a better place. Thank you and welcome. We’re glad you’re here!

These pages are designed to support you as a Girl Scout volunteer. Here, you will discover essential information that is easy to access and even easier to come back to. We recommend that you begin by browsing the sections below and return throughout the year to find answers to your questions as they arise. 

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About Girl Scouts

Everything you need to know about how Girl Scouting works.

group of girl scouts looking at laptop computer with adult volunteer group of girl scouts looking at laptop computer with adult volunteergroup of girl scouts looking at laptop computer with adult volunteer
Troop Management

Tips and tricks for helping your troop run smoothly.

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Troop Finances

Help your Girl Scouts build their cookie businesses and entrepreneur skills.

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Engaging Families

Get your Girl Scouts and their families involved with your troop.

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Creating a Safe Space

Keep Girl Scouts safe in every activity they enjoy with these guidelines.

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Product Program

Learn to think like an entrepreneur and developing business smarts.

Volunteer Essentials


All guidelines in our Volunteer Essentials are subject to change as new information or changes noted by federal or state health agencies regarding the spread of COVID-19 emerge. Please review and stay updated with our COVID-19 guidelines, which require all volunteers to take all reasonable precautions to limit potential exposure for girls, volunteers, and families.

New troop leader? We’ve got you covered. Check out the New Leader’s Guide to Success on our Volunteer Resource Board, a resource designed especially for you! Plus, council staff and volunteer coaches are ready to help throughout your first year and beyond!

Here at Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GSGCNWI), we're a global movement that thinks big and acts locally. Our programs and experiences are designed to help every girl discover her strengths.

Our mission sounds simple, but it ultimately changes lives by building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. 

Whatever your volunteer position, your hard work means girls will embark on new adventures, make friendships that last a lifetime, and deepen their connection to their community and the world. We’re calling on all members of society to help girls reach their full potential, and you’ve answered that call. So thank you, from the bottom of our hearts!



Customer Care

Our Customer Care team is ready to assist you! We will do our best to answer questions, connect you to specific staff members and help you find important resources. Email us at customercare@girlscoutsgsgcnwi.org, call 1-855-ILOVEGS (855-456-8347) ext. 6313 or chat with us online from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. 

Visit the GSGCNWI Online Shop to find uniforms, badges and activity booklets, Girl Scout swag, and more!

 

© Copyright 2009–2024 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.

 
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