VOLUNTEER DEVELOPMENT


We Appreciate Our Leaders!
“Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.” - Margaret Cousins.

This month, we prepare not only for National Volunteer Appreciation week (April 19-25), but also for Girl Scout Leader’s Day, April 22.

So, how do we show appreciation for our leaders and for the other volunteers who support
us as Girl Scouts? Fortunately, we have some ideas...

Nearly 8,000 Girl Scout volunteers from all over the U.S. participated in the 2007 Volunteer
Recognition Survey recently conducted by GSUSA. The responses were from a broad pool
of volunteer positions and lengths of service. Ninety-eight percent were women, and 78
percent were between the ages of 30 and 49.

The volunteers who completed the survey were given a long list of appreciation ideas that
are currently used in councils nation-wide. They were asked to choose which of those
appealed most to them.

Here is what they had to say:
88.9 % of the participants liked the idea of being recognized by troops and individual
girls.

  • 88.5 % found free Girl Scout trainings and workshops appealing
  • 87.5 % liked Girl Scout store discounts
  • 82.7 % said that acknowledgement in council publications appealed to them
  • 80.2 % responded in favor of GSUSA awards - badges, pins and certificates

Here are a few ideas for helping Girl Scouts show appreciation.

Parents can help their Girl Scouts show appreciation in several ways:

  • It can be as simple as giving their leader a hug and saying “Thanks for being my leader!”
  • Girls can make a special thank you card and present it to the leader at the meeting that week.
  • Girls might give a small homemade gift.
  • Families might purchase a small gift from the Girl Scout shop to present to the leader.
  • Families can offer to make dinner for the leader’s family on her troop meeting night.

Leaders can help their Girl Scouts show appreciation to other volunteers:

  • Make or buy and mail a Thank You card.
  • Girls might make up a skit and present it as a way of saying thanks to the volunteer.
  • Do a “good deed” service project for the volunteer or the volunteer’s family.
  • Give a picture of the girls in the troop.
  • Make and present a scrapbook of the volunteer’s activities with the troop.

Margaret Cousins was an associate and managing editor of Good Housekeeping for 17 years before becoming managing editor at McCall’s for four years. She was also a senior editor at Doubleday and Company for 10 years.


First Annual Florida Conference for Women
The first annual Florida Conference for Women will be held Tuesday, May 12 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, and you are invited attend!

Hosted by the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, the Florida Conference for Women is a non-profit, non-partisan, one-day annual conference that features more than 75 renowned speakers sharing inspirational stories and leading seminars on the issues that matter most to women, including health, personal finance, business and entrepreneurship, career resources, work-life balance, media and more. Click here to learn more about the conference.


Showcase of Skills Patches Still Available
Didn’t purchase a patch at Showcase of Skills and now wish you had one? A limited number of patches from Showcase of Skills 2008 and 2009 are available for purchase for the reduced price of $1.50. Please contact the adult learning manager if you would like to purchase a patch.


Training

April 20
Traveling Troops
St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, Ocala

Event/Encampment Director Training
All Saints Lutheran Church, Lutz

April 4
Service Team Consultant
Service Team Organizer
Family Fundamentals, Lakeland

Small Craft Safety/Kayak
Camp Scoutcrest

April 25
Wilderness Training Part 1 – Backpack Expo
Plant City Troop House

Small Craft Safety/Canoe Certification
Camp Scoutcrest

April 25 – 26
Basic Camp Training
Camp Dorothy Thomas

May 2
Small Craft Safety/Kayak Certification
Camp Scoutcrest