Volunteer Scoop: May
Spring Renewal
Be sure your troop members are renewed so your troop is ready to go in the fall! All girls renewed by May 31 will receive the Spring Renewal patch, 2024 charm, and a ticket to the BIG Event in the fall. And, troop co-leaders can claim a free badge for every renewed girl.
Troop co-leaders or caregivers can renew girls online in MyGS. Visit the Renew Page of our website to find details about incentives and refer to our convenient Troop and Caregiver Renewal Guides with step-by-step instructions.
Spring Troop Wrap-Up
It’s time to reflect on the troop’s accomplishments from the year and start planning for the next year! Use the Spring Troop Wrap-Up Guide to wrap up the school year and be ready for Back to Troop in the fall.
Bridging Guide and Kits
Are your girls bridging to a new level this year? Check out the Bridging Guide for everything you need to know about awards and planning a ceremony! Bridging Kits are available through the GSUSA Online or GSDH Retail Stores. These kits include the bridge award, certificate, membership star, a fun patch, and a pencil. Just add the girl’s name and they are all set for presentation!
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.
Annual Finance Reports are due June 15
Finance reports are due from each troop and service unit with an open bank account by June 15.
Troop finance reports must be submitted through the Volunteer Toolkit Finance Tab and service unit finance reports must be submitted through an online form. Follow the steps in the Just in Time: Finance Reports to prepare for and submit the report.
Finance Report Submission Incentives!
Every troop and service unit that submits a complete finance report by June 15 will be entered into a drawing for one of five $50.00 payouts for your group!
Cookie Program Survey
We’d love your feedback about your experience with the 2023 Cookie Program. We appreciate everything you do to support the Cookie Program and want to hear about your successes, your challenges, and what updates or changes you’d like to see. If you served as a Troop Cookie Coordinator or Service Unit Cookie Manager, we’d appreciate getting your thoughts about this year’s program by completing the 2023 Cookie Program Volunteer Survey. Your responses will help us determine how we can support all of your efforts as we begin planning for next year. We anticipate the survey will take about 10-15 minutes to complete. The survey will remain open through May 28th.
Summer Camps and Events
Attending a camp or event together as a troop is a great way to keep the fun going in the summer! Girls can also attend camps and events without the troop, so be sure to also let families know to check out the Event List. Camps are filling fast so register right away!
Camp and Outdoors
Outdoor experiences prepare girls for adventure, inspire environmental stewardship, and instill natural curiosity that activates risk-taking in our young leaders. Being prepared and knowing what your girls are ready for is key to successful and fund outdoor experiences!
Review the Girl Scout Outdoor Progression Chart and take the ‘Girl Scouts in the Outdoors’ course in gsLearn to learn more about ways to share the outdoors with your girls and determine what type of outdoor activity they are ready for.
Earn Your Tent Charm
If your Girl Scout joined or renewed her membership during the 2022 Spring Renewal campaign, she received our Explore More Patch with the chance to earn additional charms throughout the year. Now is her chance to earn the Tent Charm!
Please read carefully, we have widened our guidelines to earn the charm.
To earn the Tent Charm, your Girl Scout must:
- Attend a Girl Scout activity between June – August of 2023. Girl Scout Activities include events from council, service unit, or troops (regular troop meetings do not qualify.)
- Girl Scouts attending must complete this form by July 17th to claim their charm. Girls attending council events do not need to complete the form.
The charms will be mailed out in August to a troop co-leader with spring renewal incentives.
Trips and Travel
Is your troop traveling this summer? Visit the Trips and Travel section on our website for travel resources. Please be sure to submit a Travel Application for approval before taking girls on a trip.
Discover, Connect, & Grow with your Adult Girl Scout
Community
Getting to know the volunteers in your local service unit will make you feel connected to something special. Think of it as your own adult Girl Scout troop! Visit your service unit manager about the opportunities in your service unit or contact Member Services to be connected at 800-666-2141 or help@gsdakotahorizons.org.
Volunteer Years of Service Pins
To thank our volunteers for their dedication we are pleased to provide Volunteer Years of Service Pins to those who have been serving for 5 or more years. If you have been a volunteer for 5 or more years you can now request your pin and we will mail it directly to you.
Welcome Rose Powell to the Dakota Horizons Team!
We are excited to announce that Rose Powell has joined the team in our northwest region. Rose has taken the position of Director of Community and Troop Engagement. Rose will be based in our Bismarck office. She joins us from the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage Council in Boise, Idaho.
Join the GSDH Team
Girl Scouts Dakota Horizons offers amazing opportunities for talented, forward-thinking individuals who share our vision of helping girls and young women change the world for the better. At Girl Scouts, you can build a rewarding career in everything from accounting, information technology, and research, to marketing, fund development, public policy/advocacy—and more.
Open positions:
*NEW* Development Manager – Sioux Falls, SD
*NEW* Part-Time Development Support Specialist – Sioux Falls, SD
Troop Engagement Specialist – Bismarck, ND
Membership Specialist – Fargo, ND
