Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Policy Manual Folsom Trails Service Unit Approved @ Service Team Meeting 8/13/2009
Table of Contents General Information Page 1 Leader Meetings Page 2 New/Disbanding Troop Procedures Page 3 Trip Notifications & Trainings Page 4 Event Policies Page 5-6 School Facilities Use for Troop Meetings Page 7 Finances Page 8 Scholarships/Sponsorships Page 9 Recognitions Page 10-11 Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E Service Team Contact List Service Unit Budget Service Unit Event Calendar FTGS Event Planning Packet Service Unit Forms: Program Fee Form Sponsorship/Scholarship Form Reimbursement Form Trip Notification Form Super Troop Forms
Welcome to Folsom Trails Girl Scouts! The Folsom Trails Service Unit was formed in 2009 when the Folsom Lake Service Unit grew too large to efficiently serve the needs of its members. Fifty-five troops were assigned to the new Service Unit. Folsom Trails Service Unit has the same geographic boundaries as Folsom Middle School. The Folsom Trails Service Team established this Policy Manual over the summer of 2009 in order to clarify and establish the Service Unit s policies and procedures. These can be adjusted at Service Team meetings to best suit the needs of Folsom Trails Girl Scouts. Responsibility of Service Team: General Volunteer Responsibilities in FTGS Service Team will work to ensure that Girl Scout policy and procedures are upheld in all Service Unit activities. Team Members will take any required Council position training. Service Team will provide education, support, recognition and information to Leaders to help in delivering a positive Girl Scout experience. Service Team will be responsible for appropriately managing any Service Unit funds. Service Team will do it s best to efficiently plan, run, and/or attend the Leader Meetings and be available to Leaders. Responsibility of Troop Leaders: Take required Council training and adhere to Council policies and procedures. Make EVERY attempt to have a representative of the troop at the Monthly Leader Meetings. Second Thursday of each month 7:00pm at Folsom Hills Elementary School. (If the troop cannot have a representative at the meeting, a troop representative can pick up their materials from the OPEN PORCH) 1
Leader Meeting Policy Folsom Trails Service Team will endeavor to do the following in order to provide for the needs of FTGS Leaders and Volunteers: Operate green : One flyer per troop. Local places (rather than Council) to gather & drop off forms and paperwork. Utilize the Internet as much as possible. Offer Leader Meetings that benefit the leaders. Show awareness for the Leader s Time: o Manage the time at Leader s Meetings (start on time, prepared with agenda, and staying on track). o Have paperwork and information organized for easy collection by leaders (flyers & bank statements in leader boxes before meetings begin). o Offer babysitting for leaders who need to bring their children. o Provide opportunities for leaders to drop off necessary paperwork (Open Porch.) o Provide easy access to assistance. Provide all leaders a contact sheet, and include contact information on the website. Build Relationships: o Encourage networking (name tags). o Welcome new leaders. (Mentors will meet with new leaders before or after Leader Meeting and sit with the new leader to facilitate questions.) o Provide meetings that are accessible by all types of learners including visual representations of discussion pieces whenever possible. Meetings will have some level of interactivity and/or movement. o With permission of leaders, provide a list of e-mail & and phone number of leaders to other leaders. Educate Leaders: o Offer instructional and suggestions to leaders that will help them better serve their scouts and families. o Include Girl Scout traditions at meetings. (Songs, flag ceremonies, ceremonies, etc.) o Encourage council participation. o Address leader issues. Have mentors at all Leader s Meetings to facilitate age level questions. Have a Needs Sheet on all tables so that thoughts or concerns can be addressed in a full and complete manner by communicating in depth with the leader at a later time. Encourage girls to grow and develop leadership skills Flag Ceremonies (Contact Service Unit Mgr. to volunteer) Public speaking Babysitting for leaders during leader meetings (Contact Service Unit Mgr. to volunteer) 2
New Troops New/Disbanding Troop Procedures Persons interested in starting a new troop should first contact Council Membership Director or Service Unit Organizer and fill out a Volunteer Application. Meet with Orientations Specialist Sign up for Council s New Leader Basics and Age Level Training Contact Service Unit Manager to make sure troop gets added to e-mail distribution list and receives troop file Get names of interested girls from Service Unit Organizer and/or networking at school Have parent meeting Register Troop Contact Treasurer/Banking Coordinator to set up checking account Plan to attend Leader Meeting on the 2 nd Thursday of the month. Fill out Leader Information Form and turn in to Service Unit Manager. Disbanding Troops All disbanding troops shall submit a Notice of Disbanding Troop form to the Service Unit Registrar within 30 days of the decision to disband. BEFORE THE TROOP DISBANDS Check with troop parents to see if there is a volunteer willing to take over the leadership of the troop. If not, notify parents of existing troop funds and give the opportunity for the girls in the troop to use monies prior to September 30. PLACEMENT OF GIRLS Every effort should be made to transfer those girls wishing to continue into another troop. It may be necessary for girls to be placed into different troops. The organizer is available to assist you. If the girls cannot be placed in other troops, they can be placed on the service unit waiting list or in a Service Unit friendship troop or become an IRGS (individually registered Girl Scout). TROOP FUNDS AND OTHER ASSETS Girls and leaders, with the help of the service team if necessary, should make the decision as to the disposition of troop funds and other assets. At least $10 must be left in the troop account when it is returned to the Service Unit. If none of the girls are placed in another troop or troops, remaining troop funds from the disbanded troop shall be deposited in the Service Unit account and will be held for one year. 3
Trips Notifications & Trainings Trip Notifications Trip Notifications must be filled out for any trip involving 100 miles or more roundtrip or for any overnight. Completed forms are due at least one week in advance and should be e-mailed to the FTGS Service Unit Manager. (See the Folsom Trails or Council website for forms.) For Trips of 250 miles or over, or involving 3 or more nights away, an Intent to Travel form must be completed and turned in to Council 9 months prior to the trip. Trainings At least one adult member of the troop should complete these trainings prior to planning and implementing the following: First Aid/CPR trained adult should be present for troop meetings and outings. Intro to Outdoor Activities for In-Town overnighters (backyard campout, cabin overnight, etc.) Basic Troop Camping is required for any regular outdoor camping trip. Backpacking Adventure is required before taking Girl Scouts on a backpacking trip. Trip Planning Training to be completed prior to planning any trip 3 days or longer, or more than 250 miles round trip. Certified Lifeguard is required to be present whenever Girl Scouts are in the water, including a backyard swimming pool or beach setting. *These classes can be found on the Council s website under Adult Education. Council Sites Available Council owns several properties available for rent by troops including Fleming Lodge and Camp, Camp Menzies, the Tracy Cabin and Davis Cabin. In addition, other Councils own properties which may be available for use/rental by Girl Scouts outside their Council boundaries. Look around on the web or ask your Service Unit Managers for ideas! 4
Event Policies Anyone wishing to chair an event should complete the Event Intent Form (in Appendix D) and turn it into the Folsom Trails Event Manager at least three months before event is to be held. Budgeting Events: It is the policy of Folsom Trails Girl Scouts that Events should be affordable. It is our goal that all girls should be able to attend all Service Unit Events, in as much as it is possible. Events should be 0 based (set price based on costs only) except for those created for fundraising purposes. If event collects more than expected the money is kept in the Service Team Account and used in the future, as much as possible, to underwrite events to aide affordability. Fundraising principles: Troops must fill out council required forms for fundraising. The troop organizing the event must participate or have participated in Fall Sales and Cookie Sales and state where the proceeds of the fundraising event will go. Every attempt should be made to limit fundraising to no more than $2.00 per girl in attendance, as the concept of affordability should be carefully considered. Follow Money Matter Rules. The budget should not be designed to exceed $500 in profit for any Service Unit event. Event Flyers: Distribution: Each troop should receive one hardcopy of each event flyer in their Leader Box. Each flyer should be posted to the website. Each flyer should be distributed via e-mail to all troops. Information on Flyer: Flyer should identify event s name, time, & location. Flyer should clearly state the cost per girl and cost per adult. Flyer should list chairperson s name and contact information. Flyer should include: whether or not tags are allowed, a statement regarding refund policy, indicate registration deadline. Folsom Cordova School District Facility Use for Special Events: To save costs of using school facilities, every effort should be made to group event usage of schools at the start of the year when the facility requests are submitted to the School District. Remember that a custodial fee may be attached to usage of multi-use rooms when using the School District. Please be aware that charges are assessed on an hourly basis. Limit your set-up and take-down time to the extent possible. Event Chair people do not make arrangements with the school district. This will be done by the Event Manager and Association Facilities person. The chairperson will, however, need to verify with the school itself as the event date approaches, to gain access, availability of requested things (example: microphone), and double check the hours of usage. Use of facilities other than FCUSD facilities should be cleared by the Event Manager or Service Unit Manager 5
Time line for planning an event: 1.. Up to a Year In Advance Present Event Intent Form: 2. Up to a Year in Advance Event Manager will supply Event Planning guide to Chair Person. 3. Three months prior to event Discuss Event Plan at Service Unit Meeting: *Budget approval, Flyer approval, Facility 4. Two months prior to event 5. Two months prior to event 6. Two weeks prior to event approval, Risk Management plan Present flyer to Leaders at Leader s Meeting: *Flyers must be placed in Leader Boxes prior to Leader Meeting. When at all possible, have girls make the presentation. E-mail copy of Event Flyer to Webmaster for posting to the website. Chair Person supplies Event Manager with Risk Management Plan and Proof of Insurance if necessary. 7. Have event. 8. One month after event Wrap Event. Return to the Service Team Meeting, review the event, turn in any receipts for reimbursement. Turn in your notes (budget, plan, risk management, etc) and evaluations. This is an important process as we try to make events better and easier for future planners. 6
Use of School Facilities for Troop Meetings Program fees of $5 per year are charged to each girl registering for Girl Scouts within the Folsom Trails Service Unit. These fees primarily cover the use of school facilities for troop meetings, special events, and Leader and Service Team meetings. In order to use school facilities, please do the following: 1. Gain permission from a classroom teacher or school administrator for the use of a space at school. If possible, use the same space all year. We get charged according to each separate space we use. 2. Fill out the District s Facility Use Request and turn it in to your school office. It will be forwarded to the District office, where our Facilities Coordinator will work with the District to group requests and process payment through the Service Unit. Our Facilities Coordinator, Tammie Newell, has put together the following to assist in filling out this form: Instructions for completing the Facilities Use Form for Folsom Cordova USD Here is the link for the application. http://www.fcusd.org/facweb/facuse/facusepdfs/2008use.pdf You can fill it out and then print it and take it to the school for signatures. Organization Folsom Lake Girl Scouts (Please use the association name so we can combine payments) Represented By; The name and troop number of the leader requesting the facility Non-Profit #: Leave blank Billing address: PO Box 6863, Folsom CA 95763-6863 Alt Contact: Tammie Newell Alt Telephone #: 916-747-6415 For Dates requested, print a copy of the school district calendar and then circle the dates you are requesting. On the application under dates, print see attached calendar We do not usually have a problem with requesting dates for the whole year. If you do have a school that will only let you request three months at a time, please let me know. Tammaria Newell is the name to print under Signature of Authorized permittee representative. I will sign these once they are forwarded to the district. I will also initial the insurance requirement. After you have completed the form, take it to the administration office at your school for approval of dates. It will be forwarded to the district for payment. Once your dates are approved, please email your Service Team Manager with the school name and room number so we can arrange payment of the fees for the facility. Any questions? E-mail: tammarialynn@gmail.com URGENT questions call 747-6415 7
Finances Budget Policy Sources of income include Program Fees ($5 per year in 2009/2010); Special Event profits; donations; disbanded troop accounts; and Council funds for cookie sales, recognitions, etc. Expenses include school district facility use and janitor fees, Service Unit operating costs, recognitions, scholarships & sponsorships, and Special Event costs. A budget will be created prior to the start of each Girl Scout year and expenses will be tracked according to each category. A budget report will be given to the Service Team monthly and the Leaders by the Service Unit Treasurer in October, January, April and August. These reports will include detail about income and expenses. Service Unit funds will only be used to further the goals of the Girl Scout program, and/or for girls and volunteers within the Folsom Trails Service Unit. Treasurer/Banking Procedures Troops will receive accounts with $10 in them, and when disbanding, leave at least that amount in the account. Funds in disbanded troops will be held for 1 year, during which time troop funds can follow girls who join or establish a different troop. The Service Unit Treasurer needs to be advised when girls join/form a new troop to which funds should be transferred. Receipts for any Service Unit related expenses are to be turned in to Treasurer for reimbursement within 30 days of the event for which items were purchased, and no later than June 30 of the fiscal year. Checks will be written within 3 weeks and placed in the troop files. A special event budget should be approved, or expenses approved by a Service Unit Manager before purchases are made. Monthly troop account bank statements will be placed in the Leader files upon receipt. Troop accounts may be frozen as 10/31 if troop is not re-registered and/or previous year s Financial Report is not turned in. Forms will be available at Leader Meetings or from Banking Coordinator/Treasurer to start a new bank account or to change signers on an account. Program Fee Program fee of $5 per girl is due October 1 or whenever a new registration is received. Program fees must be paid for troops to use school facilities or to attend Service Unit events. Troops may choose to ask families to pay the fees or pay for them with troop funds. A Program Fee waiver is available for individuals for whom the fee causes a hardship. 8
Scholarships/Sponsorships Policy Folsom Trails Service Unit will financially support the efforts of Folsom Trails Girl Scouts as funds are available, using the following as guidelines for scholarships & sponsorships: Criteria Scholarships for Girls Program Fee Individual girl s stated financial need* $5 Folsom Trails Events Event cost paid by individual girl s family (father/daughter, mother/daughter, etc.) and Girl Scout has financial need to be able to attend. * Camp One camp per year, based on stated financial need* $25 Sponsorships for Girls Silver Project Gold Project Training Costs for Older Girls Adult Volunteers Training Costs All pre-requisites completed, Silver project proposal has been approved, Presentation to Service Team All pre-requisites completed, Gold project proposal has been Council approved, Presentation to Service Team Training must be required for putting on an event, earning an award, etc. (Go For It, Prepare 2B Ready, CPR/First Aid, etc.) Class must be offered by GSHCC. Other classes may be eligible with prior approval, if they are needed for GS award or event and not available through GSHCC. 50% reimbursement is available after class has been completed.* 50% reimbursement of training fees for classes that cost $20 and over, including Camp Certification, Lifeguard, First Aid, Backpacking, etc. Training must be required for a Girl Scout activity a volunteer is leading for Folsom Trails Girl Scouts. Reimbursement form must be filled out and turned in to Service Unit after event for which training was required.* Maximum grant per recipient 50% of the event cost *Forms available at Leader Meetings or in forms box located at 100 Denure Ct. $25 $50 $25 $25 General Policy Information Scholarships will be granted as annual budget constraints allow. Girls are required to have secured additional sources of funding for Gold/Silver sponsorships, and to have a completed budget prepared to present to the Service Team. Recipients must be registered Girl Scouts and identified as Folsom Trails Service Unit members. 9
Folsom Trails Service Unit Recognitions The Service Unit receives funds from Council annually to be spent on Recognitions. Those monies can be spent on Girl and Adult Recognitions. Our Service Unit supplements Council s funds to provide both Volunteer Recognition for our adult volunteers and additional recognition for the girls achievements that are above and beyond regular badge programs. Recognitions are as follows: Girls Recognitions Presented annually at the Service Unit Court of Awards Award Criteria Service Unit budget per recipient Super Troop Awarded to each girl and leader in a troop when Super Troop criteria are met and all paperwork is submitted by Bronze Silver Leadership Program Aide Silver Award Gold Leadership Gold Award Rose Award Community Recognitions deadline. For individual girls who have completed all the prerequisites for the Bronze and who have completed or will complete their project by the end of the school year. For individual girls who have completed all the requirements for their Silver Leadership Award For individual girls who have completed Council training to be a Program Aide. For girls who have completed their Silver Award and turned in all paperwork to Council. For girls who have completed the requirements for the Gold Leadership Award. For girls who have completed their Gold Award and turned in all paperwork to Council. For girls who have completed their Rose Award requirements. If community groups have recognitions for girls, we can present them at the Court of Awards with prior approval of the Service Team *Certificate and small gift (wrapped flower, etc.) $1-$3 1 st yr- patch & rocker Rockers only after $5 (patch, certificate & flower) $1* $1* $15 (gift, certificate & flower) $1* $25 (gift, certificate & flower) $20 N/A General Recognition Policy Information: Girls must attend Service Unit Court of Awards to receive their recognition awards. Awards budget may be adjusted annually to reflect Service Unit funds available. 10
Adult Recognitions Presented at Court of Awards or Leader Appreciations Award/ Recognition First Year Leaders* Ongoing Troop Leaders* Years of Volunteer Service Pins Folsom Trails Special Recognition Leadership Development Pin and leaves Outstanding Leader* Outstanding Volunteer Appreciation Pin Criteria Completed required training and have lead a troop for at least the last 3 months of the school year Registered troop leaders who have registered troop members and who are actively leading meetings, outings, etc. Volunteer in Girl Scouts, recognition in 5 year increments. Volunteer time counts for Leader, Asst./Co Leader, Service Team, running Service Unit events, etc. (Volunteer will receive gift certificate for pin, to be redeemed if recipient would like pin) Determined by Service Team for volunteers who have performed exceptionally well in a particular year or cumulatively. Council form completed with training information, etc. completed Nominated by troop, letters of support, goes to Council for approval Nominated by members of Service Unit for outstanding performance in one role, letters of support, goes to Council for approval Nominated by members of Service Unit for outstanding service to a Service Unit in multiple roles, letters of support, goes to Council for approval Service Unit budget per recipient $2 $2 $5 $10 Pin and leaves provided by Council Pin provided by Council $2 Flowers Pin provided by Council $2 Flowers Pin provided by Council $5 Flowers *Includes Leaders, Co-Leaders, Assistant Leaders Awarded to Leaders in attendance at May Leader Meeting or May Leader Event 11