Frequently Asked Questions
Volunteering

• Who can volunteer?
• What is involved in the process of becoming a Girl Scout volunteer?
• What does Girl Scouts look for when interviewing volunteer candidates?
• Do Girl Scouts run background checks on their volunteers?
• What happens when you select new volunteers?
• Will new Girl Scout Volunteers receive orientation?
• How will new volunteers be supported in their volunteer positions?
• Are new volunteers trained for their volunteer positions?
• Are volunteers recognized for their service
• What happens when a volunteer's contract ends?

Q: Who can volunteer?

A: Membership is open to women and men over 18 who accept the Girl Scout Promise.

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Q: What is involved in the process of becoming a Girl Scout volunteer?

A: We gather specific information from all potential volunteers. With the implementation of the Single-Entry System (SES)—an online-supported data management system and volunteer intake tool—we ensure that all candidates participate in a consistent and thorough placement process. Potential volunteers can expect to receive the following:

• Volunteer application form complete with contact information, references request, background check authorization, and interests indicator form
• Information on Girl Scout Program and Outcomes
• Information on Girl Scout Pathways, including all short-term and long-term opportunities for adults to volunteer
• Girl Scout marketing and communications materials, including brochures, fact sheets, flyers, and council newsletters

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Q: What does Girl Scouts look for when interviewing volunteer candidates?

A: GSUSA and its New Girl Scout Leadership Experience program offers girls a variety of opportunities to discover themselves, connect with others, and take action to make the world a better place. As such, we seek a variety of adults who will use their expertise, skills, interests, and life experience to shape fun and enriching leadership experiences for girls, and inspire girls to reach their personal best. Our goal is to match the right volunteers to the right positions, which increases girls' and volunteers' satisfaction with their Girl Scouting experience. Through Girl Scout Pathways—the ways that girls and adults participate in Girl Scouting—volunteers can shape their experience to fit their lifestyles. They can participate regionally, nationally, and/or internationally, and can choose to work directly with girls or provide indirect service to girls on a short-term or long-term basis.
The proposed pathways for girls are:

• Camp: day or resident camps with a focus on the out-of-doors and/or environmental education
• Events: different events (e.g., career day)
• Special Interest: a series of programs with the same group of girls relating to a specific theme or purpose
• Travel: plan, earn money, prepare, and participate in regional, national, and international trips
• Troops: a series of programs with the same group of girls over the course of an academic year
• Virtual: participate in interactive, high-quality program activities in a safe, secure, online environment supplemented by live events

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Q: Do Girl Scouts run background checks on their volunteers?

A: Yes. Protecting the girls and young women in our charge as well as the Girl Scout Movement is top priority, and screenings and reference checks are integral parts of our due diligence process and risk management policy. Background screening is the process of authenticating the information supplied to a potential employer by an applicant on his of her resume, application and during interviews. At Girl Scouts, the screening of volunteers (and employees) includes references checks and criminal background checks, which are performed by independent, third-party, background-screening agencies.

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Q: What happens when you select new volunteers?

A: If the interview and background screenings results are successful, Girl SCout councils will notify volunteer candidates of their appointment in an official congratulatory letter sent by regular mail generally within ten business days (of the results). The successful candidate may also receive a telephone call or an e-mail. In addition to the official letter, which confirms the volunteer position and start and end dates, the envelope will include a volunteer agreement that has to be signed and returned, the name of the volunteer's contact person, and the next steps to take.

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Q: Will new Girl Scout Volunteers receive orientation?

A: Yes. The new national, online volunteer orientation is an exciting, educational presentation that welcomes all new Girl Scout volunteers to the organization. The orientation, which is also available in Spanish, takes approximately 45 minutes to complete, but can be stopped at any point and resumed later. It contains information on the history of the organization, the Girl Scout Leadership Experience program, and the proposed Girl Scout Pathways for girls and adults. It ensures consistency of and solidifies the Girl Scout message and brand—one purpose, one movement. The council-specific orientation may vary depending upon a volunteer's position or role.

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Q: How will new volunteers be supported in their volunteer positions?

A: The volunteer coach will meet frequently and regularly with the new volunteer to develop a close working relationship with her or him. The frequency will depend on the volunteer's position or role (short or long term). The coach will provide:

• Guidance and direction, as needed and requested
• Ongoing verbal feedback on role performance, competencies, strengths, and challenges
• Written review of the volunteer's performance, using checklists and self-reviews
• Conflict mediation, as needed
• Arrangements for ongoing training, as needed
• Assistance with formulating personal development goals
• Recommendations for awards and recognitions

At the end of the year, the coach explores the volunteer's interests for the following year, and relays that information to the appropriate council staff and volunteer manager.

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Q: Are new volunteers trained for their volunteer positions?

A: Yes. Based on the volunteer's placement, additional training may be necessary. If so, the council's volunteer development staff/volunteer manager will inform the new volunteer of the training/learning requirements, schedule, and location, and provide a choice of learning methods: online at any time (asynchronous), live (synchronous or real time), classroom, or self-taught. Evidence of satisfactory completion is forwarded to the relevant council staff/volunteer manager, who will record the completion in the volunteer management database and notify the volunteer.

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Q: Are volunteers recognized for their service?

A: Yes. Collectively, volunteers contribute thousands of service hours each year at every level and in a number of ways. For this reason, we believe that volunteer recognition or appreciation should happen periodically, not only at the end of each year. GSUSA and council partners have recently reviewed the volunteer recognition/appreciation awards process to streamline and enhance it. Volunteers were surveyed about how they want to be acknowledged and rewarded for their contributions, and councils provided feedback on the issue. Then we analyzed the results, developed a list of recommendations, and presented the information to councils to incorporate into their volunteer recognitions process.

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Q: What happens when a volunteer's contract ends?

A: The decision to reassign the volunteer to the same or a different position, or to release a volunteer, is made by the volunteer development staff/volunteer manager, after reviewing—with the volunteer and her or his council staff members and manager—the volunteer's performance, interests, and training. The decision is provided verbally or in writing to the volunteer, and documented in the volunteer's file alongside supporting rationale. Reassignment is particularly important for short-term volunteers because they may want to volunteer again in a year. Having the information readily available in the Single-Entry System (SES), the online-supported data management system, will give councils and GSUSA the ability to track volunteers throughout their time in Girl Scouting.

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