Troop Leader Experience: A Podcast about Girl Scouts for Troop Leaders and other Girl Scout Volunteers

This week we are bringing you an awesome interview with Susan Eckers, who was a Girl Scout leader across all levels for her own daughter and then stayed on to train and mentor other volunteers, and to serve on her council's history committee. She's attended both the 75th and 100th anniversary celebrations and has gone to nearly every convention in her time as a Girl Scout volunteer. Girl Scouts is...

This episode is based on a question from an anonymous leader on Facebook recently... (Actually, she wasn't anonymous, but I forgot to include her name in the screenshot I took of her question... oops!) A new leader friend wants to know a whole bunch of things about where to start as a new, overwhelmed troop leader who really wants to plan a high impact experience for her Daisies and Brownies... wh...

This episode is based on a question from an anonymous leader on Facebook recently... An anonymous leader friend wants to know how to manage finances for a multi-level troop. In particular, she has seniors and ambassadors who want to plan activities that would be specifically for them without including the younger girls in the troop. Here are my thoughts! If you could go to coffee with me and ask m...

On this podcast, we LOVE to talk about GSLE, but if you're new to Girl Scouts, you probably need a brief overview. In this Back to Troop Bonus, we are talking about the three keys to leadership and the three processes as outlined by the GSLE framework. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week I am joined by guest Jennifer from GS NorCal. She’s a troop leader for older girls and a member services manager supporting the volunteers in her area. She’s got advice for new troop leaders, shares her best tips for older girl retention, and best of all: we are talking ALL about her trip to Savannah with 13 twelve-year-old Girl Scout Cadettes.  Have you taken a big trip with your troop...

Last week's Back to Troop Bonus episode was an introduction to uniforms, so this week we are talking about insignia and badge placement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is based on a couple of questions from Facebook recently... An anonymous leader friend wants to know: "Girls voted to go to Savannah and then a parent suggested families should go as well. And the girls were on board with that. How do I go about handling this. Shouldn't it be just girls and enough chaperones for this kind of trip?" Toni wants to know: "What do your troops do when they...

It's time to buy new uniforms and opening up the website or walking into your council shop can be OVERWHELMING. In this Back to Troop Bonus episode, we are covering some uniform basics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is based on a couple of questions from Facebook recently... Elizabeth wants to know: "Do you give the membership star at the end of the year or the beginning of the year?" Beckie wants to know: "My kid bridged to Brownies this past spring. She's completed some fun patches during the summer as well as has worked on a Brownie journey and badges, too. Can I put the fun patches on her Bro...

It's a new Girl Scout season, so for the month of September, I thought it would be important to have some bonus episodes on Thursdays that are geared toward newer Troop Leaders who might be overwhelmed coming into the Girl Scout movement for the first time. In this episode, we are talking about some basics and clearing up some general concepts and the structure of the Girl Scout organization. Lear...

This episode is based on an anonymous question from one of our leader friends: "What are we supposed to do with unsold GS cookies? An extra case was ordered and could not be sold no matter how hard we tried. Now I have a case of cookies taking up space that I'm unsure of what to do with." If you could go to coffee with me and ask me anything about Girl Scouts and get my unfiltered, unrehearsed opi...

You've met my friend Sheryl a few times if you've been listening to this podcast for awhile, but I'm so excited to share a preview of one of her podcast episodes! Did you know she hosts a podcast for the Girl Scout fam too? She interviews Gold Award Girl Scouts all about their projects and it's so cool! I hope you love it. https://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

This episode is based on a couple of questions I received in the Facebook group recently... Tina asked: "How do you get girls interested in working on the real meat of the Girl Scout program - journeys and higher awards? The topics seem to be too complex compared to badge topics, which I anticipate they’ll be more interested in, based on our past two years together as Brownies (they are now junior...

Girl-Led does not mean "let them do what they want." It does mean: 1) Understand what motivates them 2) Set boundaries together 3) Listen to them 4) Notice what they notice 5) Share happy moments 6) Respect their opinions 7) Empower them In this episode, I'm digging in to all the details of what those 7 tips might look like in your troop. Also, I mentioned that I would throw the Etsy link in the s...

This episode is based on a question submitted by Erica on Facebook. Erica asked: "How do you handle new girls coming into your troop part way through the season? Do you offer them the opportunity to catch up and earn patches/petals on their own time and just offer the tools or ideas for earning? Or do you just move on and they earn from when they join and forward?" The Ask Me Anything series is so...

This episode is based on a question submitted by Kelly on Facebook. Kelly asked: "Do you have any info on how to work through councils? I know it's not a one size fits all, but is a degree needed? How do you get your foot in the door? Is there a way to get notified when jobs are needed?" The Ask Me Anything series is something I did last year in the fall, and it was super successful and got TONS o...

This episode is a mash-up of a few questions. Kate asked about service team roles and how they're appointed by council staff. Then, Ying asked about the different structures of troop leadership, which leant itself really well to Nicole's question about parent helpers and parent involvement.  You can ask me a question in the Facebook group (www.facebook.com/girlscoutpodcast), in a private message,...

This question was asked by Jennifer in the Facebook group, who wanted to know about supporting new leaders, building community among service unit volunteers, and how to build a service team. You can ask me a question in the Facebook group (www.facebook.com/girlscoutpodcast), in a private message, or by e-mailing me at girlscoutpodcast@gmail.com. The Ask Me Anything series is something I did last y...

This question was asked in the Facebook group by Nicole. "How do you address implementing changes in your troop when they affect parents? I’m looking to change our communication from text/email to an app like Band or a Facebook group. Do I ask parents what they would prefer or just make a decision? How do you handle pushback? I’ve got 12 girls and I’m tired of unread emails, group texts get messy...

This was a question asked by Rachel in the Facebook group: "What drives troop retention year-to-year?" You can ask me a question in the Facebook group (www.facebook.com/girlscoutpodcast), in a private message, or by e-mailing me at girlscoutpodcast@gmail.com. The Ask Me Anything series is something I did last year in the fall, and it was super successful and got TONS of questions… I have a few I h...

In this episode, I'm joined by the creator of the official licensed partner, GS Moneyville, Chrissy. We talk about: the Financial literacy gender gap and why financial literacy is important a great resource for troop leaders: GS Moneyville from VictreeFi how to become an official council partner and what kinds of programs you might consider running Check out GS Moneyville's brand new design of the...

We're back this week with another troop leader spotlight. I had so much fun sitting down and chatting about growing along with our girls, growing up in a multi-generational Girl Scout family, transitioning to balancing a staff role along with a volunteer role, SWAPS, and so much more with Kala from GSNWGL. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I mentioned in the Facebook group a few months ago that I was thinking about trying to have some conversations with some council CEOs. This is my first run at one of these conversations - I do not know if there will be others, but I definitely enjoyed hearing from Susan Douglas of Girl Scouts of Kentucky's Wilderness Road. She shared what the girls in her council are up against and why Girl Scouts...

Connect with Cara: Book: www.the15minuteformula.com/free Podcast: www.apurposedrivenmom.com/podcast  Take Cara's Free Trello Class: www.apurposedrivenmom.com/trello Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Looking for ideas for hanging out with your troop this summer? Whether you take a break and just want to plan a "Summer Reunion" activity or if you meet and play all year round together, this episode is jam-packed with ideas for you with your troop (or your family) this summer. Join the FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/girlscoutpodcast Shop with us on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/Iconi...