Volunteer Scoop: August
08/21/2025
News & Updates
Back to Troop: Let the New Adventure Begin!
A new Girl Scout year is right around the corner—let’s get ready for more friendship, discovery, and adventure!
The Fall Troop Management Guide is here to help you start strong. It’s packed with planning tools, key dates, and reminders - everything co-leaders need in one convenient place.
Take a moment to renew your membership and volunteer roles in MYGS so you don’t miss any important updates or communications.
Here’s to making the 2025–2026 Girl Scout year our best yet!
Troop Year Plans
Troop Year Plans for each grade level and multi-level troops provide the entire year mapped out—just follow along to help your Girl Scouts complete badge activities, improve their communities, and explore the world around them!
Fall Product Program - Brave. Fierce. FUN!
Brave. Fierce. FUN! is this year’s theme, and we are excited about new product offerings, a fun volunteer incentive, amazing troop proceeds opportunities, and our new mascot, the Grizzly Bear!
Troops and girls can earn great returns with minimal time and effort investment through the Fall Product Program! We encourage troops to kick off the new Girl Scout year with all the possibilities and money earned to fund upcoming adventures!
The 2025
Fall Product Program will run from September 26 through
October 27 (with online and order card opening the same day). The
program features the customer’s favorite nuts and chocolates along
with a new Sweet & Smokey Almonds, Peanut Butter & Dark
Chocolate Delight, Taco Peanuts, Black Pepper, and Sea Salt Cashew
halves! We’re also offering magazine subscriptions, Tervis Tumblers,
personalized high-quality stationery, notepads, and photo frames, and
new this year, 5 different Bark Boxes! Troops will get $5 in proceeds
for each of their Mags and More sales! Proceeds for nuts and
chocolates are also going up by 50% to $1.13 per item sold.
Volunteer training for Service Unit Fall Product Managers and Troop Fall Product Coordinators is now available in gsLearn. Service Units will receive materials and disperse to troops in late August/early September. This will allow Troop Co-Leaders/Fall Product Coordinators plenty of time to host a parent/caregiver meeting and distribute materials to the girls before the program begins on September 26.
Girl Scout Travel Adventure: California 2027
We’re thrilled to announce our next Girl Scout travel experience—California, Summer 2027! Girl Scouts from across our council will have the opportunity to explore San Francisco and Los Angeles, two of the most iconic cities on the West Coast.
From the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf to the excitement of Hollywood and sunny beaches, this trip promises unforgettable memories and meaningful adventures for every Girl Scout traveler.
To help families start planning, we’ll be hosting a virtual Informational Session on August 28. This session will provide all the details, answer questions, and share how Girl Scouts can be part of this adventure of a lifetime.
📍 Destination: San Francisco & Los Angeles, California
📅
Informational
Session: August 28 at 7:00 PM CDT
Please encourage the Girl Scout families you support to attend the session and learn more. Adventure is calling—let’s go to California!
Get Wilderness First Aid Certified!
Be prepared for outdoor adventures - learn how to confidently respond in remote situations!
Join us in Aberdeen at beautiful TDAF by Lake Richmond, September 19–21, for a Wilderness First Aid certification course.
The American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid course teaches advanced skills to use in emergencies when professional help may be delayed. This course is ideal for adult Girl Scout volunteers and Girl Scouts age 16 or older. Registration deadline is August 29. View course details and registration.
Volunteer Advisory Go Team
Put your volunteer experience to work and help shape the future of Girl Scouts! Join the Volunteer Advisory Go Team—a group of dedicated adult volunteers who meet virtually once a month to share feedback, exchange ideas, and partner with council staff on key projects.
Applications are open now through October 17. Learn more about the Volunteer Advisory Go Team and apply today!
Girl Scout Impact Fund
Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons is excited to implement our Girl Scout Impact Fund. The Girl Scout Impact Fund is a funding opportunity designed to support innovative community-based projects and initiatives that create positive changes in local communities. This fund aims to empower service units and their members by providing financial support to foster community development.
Examples of projects:
- Neighborhood clean-up
- Plant trees in your local park
- Charity walk
- Make hospital hope kits
- Organize a riverbed or stream clean-up
We have more details, eligibility requirements, and more on our website. Read more about the Girl Scout Impact Fund here.
Cookies, Corks, & Brews: Fargo/Moorhead & Sioux Falls
Get ready for an unforgettable evening of fun, flavor, and philanthropy at Cookies, Corks, & Brews! This annual fundraiser brings together friends of Girl Scouts for a night of interactive games, sweet treats, and community spirit—all while supporting the leadership experiences that shape future changemakers.
✨ Moorhead – September 11
✨ Sioux Falls –
September 18
Whether you want to attend as a guest or lend a hand as a volunteer, we’d love to see you there. Learn more and secure your spot on our website!
Retail Services
Dakota Horizons' retail services offer a variety of ways to shop for badges, uniforms, awards, gifts, specialty items and more! Find the shopping option that best meets your needs at gsdakotahorizons.org/shop.
Free shipping on Thursdays! Orders placed on the First Thursday of each month directly with our retail services will ship free to your doorstep. Call 1-800-666-2141 or email help@gsdakotahorizons.org to place your order.
Member Services
Member Services is your first-stop help center and can answer most questions on your first contact with the council office! Contact Member Services at 800.666.2141 or help@gsdakotahorizons.org.
