What is the Participation Catalog?
The Participation
Catalog is an online listing of available troops. The catalog makes it
easy for new and returning members to find a troop that best fits
their needs and makes Girl Scouts accessible to everyone!
How does the Participation Catalog work?
- Troop Leaders should update their troop information by logging into MyGS, selecting the Troops tab, and clicking on the View/Edit Troop Information link.
- You will tell us how many available spaces you have in your troop by updating the Desired Total Number of Girls field. (Please note, your desired total number of girls must be greater than the number of active girls on your troop roster.)
- Once updated, girls and potential volunteers will be able to select your troop from the Participation Catalog. Your troop will be displayed in the catalog until the desired number of girls is reached.
- When a new girl or volunteer joins your troop, you’ll get an email notification. Please reach out as soon as possible to welcome the new member to your troop and provide them with any important information for getting started.
How can a girl join my troop?
Make sure that you update
your troop information in
MyGS and that your desired number of girls is
greater than the number of active girls on your troop roster. Once
your troop is posted in the catalog, her parent can go to the online
Participation Catalog to add her to your troop. Once your troop is
full, your troop will no longer appear in the catalog. You can also
add a girl or an adult through the Add a Member link at the bottom of
the Troops tab in your
MyGS Member Profile.
What information will my listing in the Participation Catalog
include?
Since girls and volunteers will be looking for
opportunities in their areas, it will list the schedule (Meeting Day,
Meeting Frequency, and Meeting Start Time) and the approximate
location of your troop meetings, as well as your troop number and
troop level. If you meet at a person’s house or other private
location, you may choose to identify a nearby intersection or
landmark. The exact address of your meeting location is never displayed.
What if I don't know the new girl who joins our troop? What about
new volunteers?
Since the system is location-based, we
expect that most parents will enroll their daughter near the area she
lives or school that she attends. Because parents will select troops
whose meeting dates and times fit their schedules, our hope is that
more parents will also choose to volunteer. For new volunteers who are
not parents, they will have already gone through the background
screening process. We encourage you to reach out to the new volunteer
to discuss his or her role before the first meeting. Please let your
Membership team know if you have specific concerns.
Are there troop size requirements?
Opening your troop to
new members is a great way to embody the Girl Scout spirit! If you
would like to request a different troop size, please update the
Desired Total Number of Girls field by clicking on the View/Edit
Troop Information link on the Troops tab of your
MyGS Member Profile, or contact your
Membership team to discuss the options.
How long does it take for my troop information to be updatd in the
catalog?
Meeting Day, Meeting Frequency, and Start Time
are updated as soon as you hit save. The remainder of the troop
information is sent to council for review, and we then manually update
these fields within one week. We may make minor revisions to your
information based on our requirements. For example, we have standards
for the Meeting Location Name to ensure consistency across all troops.
Our troop has certain requirements. What if the new girl can't meet
them?
When a new member joins your troop, take it as an
opportunity for everyone to decide if it will be a good fit. Please
explain any requirements you may have – for example, if all parents
must take a volunteer role. Please contact your Membership team if you
have concerns that your troop will not be the right fit for any reason.
What if the new girl doesn't attend meetings, or her parent never
responds to my welcome email?
Please contact your
Membership team so we can connect with the member. There may have been
a miscommunication, or we may find another troop for the girl so that
we can open up that spot in your troop for another girl.
What if I have an opening mid-year, or I need to make changes to my
meeting information?
You can update your Troop Meeting
Information at any time through your online
MyGS profile! Please update it anytime you
have changes to your meeting location or troop availability.
What if I have enough girls in my troop but I need more
volunteers?
Your troop can be open in the Volunteer
Participation Catalog without being listed in the Girl Participation
Catalog. Once the volunteer positions are filled, it will no longer
appear in the catalog. Call your Membership team if you would like to
open up a volunteer role or if you have any questions!
What if submit my information for the Participation Catalog and
some of my girls do not renew by September 30?
If all of
your existing members do not renew by September 30th, their spots will
be opened up to anyone looking for a troop in your area. For example:
if you currently have 9 girls and you open your troop up for a total
of 12 girls, but only 8 girls renew for the next membership year, 4
available spots will be listed for your troop starting October 1st. If
a girl renews after September 30th, she can still renew into your
troop, but there is a possibility that your troop will be above the
desired number of girls.
Please contact your Membership team or Customer Care with any questions at customercare@girlscouts-gsci.org or 888-623-1237
