For Keeps!
Recruiting, Engaging, and Retaining
Girls to Grow in Girl Scouting

By Jennifer Goddard

Girls and their families have so many choices about how best to spend their time these days — how do we help them continue to choose Girl Scouts?

By identifying and meeting the needs of each age level, many Girl Scout councils have used innovative, contemporary approaches to develop and/or implement age-specific programs to recruit and retain girls.

Using an enticement to attract girls initially (like cheerleading or dance), councils assimilate registration, activities, earned awards and leader recruitment into an event. Effective flyers and brochures that describe the activities incorporate membership registration forms and leader recruitment information. Membership dues and patch costs are built into event registration fees (average event fees are $5 for current Girl Scouts and $15 for girls new to Girl Scouts). Because it may be required by law in some states, councils itemize the costs to be clear that membership dues are a separate and optional item.

it's a Daisy age!

In addition to coordinating with local schools, the Girl Scouts of Mississippi Valley organizes fun events like Teddy Bear Tea Parties that target girls ages 5-6. As a result, their Daisy Girl Scout membership increased 23 percent in 2004.* Allison Johnson, the council's director of membership services, plans events with recruitment and retention goals in mind.

"We want to offer events that draw girls, but that appeal to them beyond the initial event. So, we talk about Girl Scouting and do similar or actual activities from Girl Scout resources; we try to pull all that together to give girls a Girl Scout experience [in addition to the event's 'enticement' like Teddy Bear Tea Party]."

breakfast club Brownies
In the Lubbock, Texas, area, busses bring students to school one hour before classes begin in order for them to eat breakfast. After five or ten minutes, students finish eating and sit in the cafeteria with nothing to do until school starts. Enter the Girl Scouts of Caprock Council!

The council seized this ideal opportunity to deliver their Brownie Girl Scout program and collaborated with the schools to offer 30-45 minute Breakfast Clubs for girls ages 6-8. Of the council's 700 individually-registered girls, about half are in Breakfast Clubs.

"It's an ideal situation because nothing else is competing for their time (no sports or other youth-serving agency)," says Shani Shofner, the council's former director of membership services. "After school, there's a lot of competition like gymnastics and dance (if parents are able to take them). Many of the girls who take advantage of the Clubs have parents who work late shifts or second jobs so it's just not feasible for them to attend a troop meeting."

Breakfast Clubs are a great example of contemporary changes in the way that girls participate in Girl Scouting. In recent years, membership has gradually shifted from a solely troop setting to more fluid group settings like in-school, before/after school, at a community center or church. Often these groups, facilitated by council staff, meet weekly for six-weeks to do program activities. Upon conclusion, in the case of Breakfast Clubs for example, the Caprock Council transfers these new Brownie Girl Scouts into existing troops or creates a troop comprised of Club participants — both of which can be problematic.

"Finding a person to run a troop is the most difficult part," explains Shani. "The girls are there and very interested; it's a matter of finding the adults who will volunteer their time." This problem is not unique to the Caprock Council. Finding adults is difficult because many would-be volunteers work and lead busy lives. "The days of relying on stay-at-home mothers to deliver Girl Scout program are no more, and we can't depend entirely on paid council staff. Instead, we must find new ways to tap into human resources in our communities. In the meantime, it's unfortunate [when we can't find an adult to partner a new Girl Scout] because the girl gets a taste of Girl Scouting but doesn't get the full experience," says Shani. "But we're working on that to make it more successful."

soothing the Junior jitters

Girl Scouts in grades K-4 is usually an easy fit with girls' interests. However, as they begin to transition into adolescence and middle school, girls often question whether or not Girl Scouting is still for them. This is also the time when these girls really need the self-confidence, leadership and teamwork skills that they develop in Girl Scouts, so their answer to the continuity question should be a resounding, "YES!"

To keep this age level involved, the Girl Scouts of Northwest Georgia offers workshops in the spring called Madness which are organized and facilitated by middle school and high school Girl Scouts. Junior Girl Scouts get a preview of what they'll be able to do in the next age level program, complete activities to bridge and enjoy a bridging ceremony. The Madness workshops are part of the council's retention effort that includes Bounce into Brownies, Jump N2 Juniors and S.A.I.L. Savvy (Strong And Independent Leaders) — all activities are coordinated and executed by girls of the next age level. Adult training occurs separately from and concurrently with the girls' workshops so everyone gets exposed to the next age level simultaneously.

"It's a good retention tool, especially for Juniors," says Margaret Paschal, program resources specialist for Northwest Georgia. "They'll say, ‘I wasn't sure I was going to stay but now I am!' There's a good chance they'll remain Girl Scouts if they see girls older than themselves who are still active."

terrific teen turn-out

As girls grow into young adults, their time is consumed by school, friends, jobs and college preparation. Recruiting and retaining them in Girl Scouts is challenging but the Connecticut Valley Girl Scout Council makes it look easy. Over the last three years, they've cultivated a 45% increase in their pre-teen and teen membership, according to Ayodele Shell, the council's director of program development. Prior to GSUSA's implementation of the STUDIO 2BSM approach (offering a "menu of options" to girls), the council had a program called All About Teens that features its own yearly magazine. They've since adapted the program to the STUDIO 2B approach and offer girls the chance to visit colleges and New York City. In the spring of 2005 both R U Ready 4 College tours sold out.

"For a lot of girls, the college tour is their first exposure to Girl Scouts," explains Ayodele. "We track them and follow up after the tour to get them into troops via service units." Thanks to the success of their teen program, "product sales are phenomenal. For instance, one girl sold 317 boxes of cookies so she could go on both college tours for free."

Ayodele credits the council's strong partnerships with sororities, hospitals and the University of Hartford for their ability to deliver relevant and engaging program to girls in middle school and high school. She says, "We're not duplicating services; we're just tapping into what's already available in the community." For example, last April, 20 college athletes at the University of Hartford facilitated GirlSports® Day — a full day of sports clinics including cheerleading, dance, basketball, soccer and step.

Appealing to teen girls regarding their concerns is a priority for the council's program staff. Among the many teen programs they offer, Safe Dates, a date-violence prevention program is very popular. Every March, the council organizes a Teen Conference that attracts about 500 attendees with workshops like "managing your parents," dating and college 101. The conference is free to all girls. They also offer programs to as few as 12 girls like the cheerleading team they started for 6-8 graders, who didn't make their school team. After participating in the Girl Scout cheerleading team and learning the sport's fundamentals, four girls made their high school teams. "Sometimes, it's not really about the numbers, but about the successes," Ayodele says.

think Globally; act Locally

If your council does not currently offer programs or events like these, you may be able to work with them to organize new or similar ones. Or as a volunteer adviser or leader you can adapt some of the approaches that these councils have used. By recognizing the unique ways that girls need to connect with Girl Scouting, and finding new ways for girls to participate, you will enrich girls' experiences and ensure that they are in Girl Scouts — for keeps.

*Four-year-olds comprised some of this membership; however, after careful evaluation in September 2005, the GSUSA National Board of Directors decided that 4-year-olds will no longer be recruited.

One small step for Troop 1265, one giant leap for Girl Scouts

For Jane Trudeau, her daughter Mandy's fifth birthday was a big deal for two reasons: she started school and became a Daisy Girl Scout. A life-long Girl Scout and Gold Award recipient, Jane was anxious to serve as a leader and share her family's Girl Scout tradition with her community. Jane is also a mother of three and a full-time registered nurse, but she still carved out the time to plan, organize and design a busy activity calendar based on girls' interests, that includes patches girls will earn, as well as field trips they'll go on (see Troop 1265's calendar). She distributes color photocopies of it to parents in an effort to keep them informed and involved. One of Jane's recruitment initiatives included setting up a table at the local elementary school for kindergarten registration day. She displayed visuals of Troop 1265's activities, calendar, photos and flag, and fielded questions from parents about the benefits of Girl Scouting and why their daughters should join. She also attends local events like a Teddy Bear Parade with the troop to display and distribute information about Girl Scouts. For their participation in the parade, Jane rewarded the troop with "GS" teddy bear pins she'd purchased at her own expense. The cost was nominal but, Jane says, "the reward is priceless."

Adapted from LEADER, Winter 2005. © Girl Scouts of the United States of America.