Working with Volunteers

In the past few months, I have seen two organizations struggle to work with volunteers in a respectful manner.  Those who volunteer do so for various reasons, but those I hear most are to spend time with their child/loved one or because they have had experience with the organization, feel passionate about it, and want to give back.  Sometimes these volunteers work within the organization at a more basic (and very important) level while others strive to be on boards or committees.
I encourage all those involved to remember that everyone is a part for a reason.  Everyone is giving of his/her time, energy, and expertise. Everyone has a voice and should be heard, no matter what level they volunteer.  Organizations should not be completely run by the board or committee, and voices should not be silenced just because a few want to be "in charge."

The most valuable volunteers in an organization are those who know the organization/program, were a part of it for years, and are passionate about it.  In Girl Scouts, former Girl Scouts can be a great asset, not only to the girls in troops, but to new leaders learning the organization.  Girls who grew up in Girl Scouts and earned their Gold Award have a passion that is hard to explain and should be built upon.

Service Units who are struggling to find leaders, visit your local college/university.  Members of campus organizations need volunteer hours, but also, you can tap into girls who are new to the area who were Girl Scouts back home.  They can be part of an organization with which they are familiar in a new area.


Good luck working with your volunteers.  Remember, they are human and would like to hear a little appreciation every now and again.  Treat them as you would want to be treated.

Planning For the Year

Have you begun planning the 2011-2012 year? 
Not having the new materials reminds me of starting a new school year without the new curriculum.  I am a planner.  I like to spend time looking through all the resources, making decisions about the year, deciding what trips we will take & which events we will attend, and setting a tentative, yet firm, calendar. 

When looking at the year, I create a document that looks like a lesson plan.  My document includes the date of meeting, plan for meeting (activities, crafts, etc.), materials needed, plan for dinner/snack, and notes about upcoming events to discuss with parents.  I tend to plan as detailed as possible for the first semester, make changes as we go, and then build the second semester closer to December.

My co-leader and I have not planned our year yet, but we are seriously considering beginning with one of the Journeys and work through it until we can add the new materials to it.  We will have a tri-level troop this year, so we will work to keep everyone on their level but doing activities/crafts that tie the levels/Journeys together.

So . . . have you planned your year yet?  What plans do you have?