Volunteer Scoop: July
07/17/2025
News & Updates
Back to Troop: Let the New Adventure Begin!
It’s time to start thinking ahead and planning for another fun-filled year of friendship, discovery, and adventure with your Girl Scouts!
📘 Check out the Fall Troop Management Guide—your go-to resource for everything troop co-leaders need to kick off the year with confidence. From planning tips to important reminders, it’s all in one place!
✅ Don’t forget to renew your membership and volunteer roles through MYGS to ensure you receive all the important updates and communications you need for the year ahead.
Let’s make the 2025–2026 Girl Scout year one to remember!
The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) Has Rolled Over for the New Girl Scout Year!
The VTK officially rolled over on July 14 and is ready for you to start planning an amazing 2025–2026 Girl Scout year!
📅 Get Started:
Explore the Troop
Year Plans available for every grade level—including
multi-level troops! Each plan lays out a full year of activities, so
you can hit the ground running. Just plug your chosen plan into the
VTK, add your meeting dates, and you're ready to lead your troop on
new adventures!
✨ Why Use the Volunteer Toolkit?
- ✅ Access the latest badge and award requirements
- 📚 Download badge booklets for free
- 📝 Use ready-to-go meeting plans and templates to make planning a breeze
- 👥 Download or print your Troop Roster
- ✅ Track attendance and achievements with ease
📘 Need Help Using VTK?
Check out our VTK User Guides tailored to your role:
- Troop Co-Leader
- Caregiver of a Girl in a Troop
- Caregiver of a Juliette/Individually Registered Girl
- Service Unit Volunteer
Let the adventure begin—explore, create, and lead with confidence using the Volunteer Toolkit! Girl Scouts is more fun with friends!
Product Program: Gearing Up to Fund the Fun
Fall Product Program
We are busy gearing up for the 2025 Fall Product Program. This year’s theme - Brave. Fierce. Fun! There are exciting new product offerings, and our new mascot, the grizzly bear!
BUT what we are most excited about is HIGHER TROOP PROCEEDS on nuts and chocolates…50% Higher!
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 our customers’ favorite nuts and chocolates along with new items…Sweet & Smokey Almonds, Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Delight, Taco Peanuts, and Black Pepper & Sea Salt Cashew Halves! We’re also offering magazine subscriptions, new Bark Box options, Tervis Tumblers, and new personalized products (including some lower-priced options). Mags and more items earn troops $5 a piece in proceeds.
Volunteer training for Service Unit Fall Product Managers and Troop Fall Product Coordinators will be available in gsLearn in early August. 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.
Troops and girls can earn great returns with minimal time and effort investment through the Fall Product Program!
Cookie Program
The Girl Scout Cookie Program will run from February 9 to March 23. The Cookie Program mascot is the black footed ferret!
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.
👉 View course details and registration
S'more Fun Outdoor Skills Patch Program for Volunteers
Explore the outdoors with your Girl Scouts and earn the S’more Fun Outdoor Skills Patch! This program is designed for volunteers of all experience levels to guide you through the Girl Scout Outdoor Progression, helping you and your girls build confidence, learn essential outdoor skills, and develop a love for nature.
Complete the steps with your girls to earn the main patch, then continue the adventure by adding logs to your fire for even more outdoor fun!
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.
