Photo credit: kconnors from morguefile.com
For me, being a Girl Scout leader is a job that keeps my creative juices flowing, as well as keep my teaching skills well honed. Unlike teaching, where I was alone in a room with up to 28 children, I have a terrific co-leader and many parent volunteers.
A friend of mine, who is also a leader, asked how I get parents to volunteer.
First of all, when I signed up for this job, it was under the condition that my troop moms would be available to help. Fortunately for me, I had many helpers.
This year, my troop grew from seven to twelve girls. With so many first graders, I feel it necessary to have another mom or two besides my co-leader.
For each meeting, I simply ASK for volunteers! In my first email to everyone, I gave a list of dates and asked for volunteers. This is helpful for parents who work full-time, but who also want to help. They clear a date a month or two in advance, and have reserved their spot.
I also ask for help in each and every email I send to parents. If I do not get any response, I ask again!
Older troops wanting to earn badges for helping younger scouts are also a tremendous help. Contact your local council and see if they can give you the phone number of a Junior troop leader who is willing to have her girls volunteer. The younger scouts love the attention from the older girls, and the older girls get a real confidence boost by helping the younger scouts. It’s a win-win situation!
