As we approach Mother’s Day, think about the parents that have helped you the most. How did you get them involved? Was it a letter, phone call or text? Or was it a flier, Facebook post or through a friend? Most often, it was because of one simple thing – you asked.

Girl Scouts doesn’t just ask for parent involvement to help spread the work – Girl Scouts needs parent and volunteer help because the organization wouldn’t be here without them.In fact, it thrives on it. Troops and service units that have engaged parents are successful and often long lasting. While parents only have so much time and energy to give, there are ways to engage the parents in your troop and service unit. Volunteer and parent engagement is the key to the legacy that is Girl Scouts and key when parents are helping girls make decisions about where to spend their time.

Here are some tips for engaging those parents and caregivers:

• Get to know them – find something they’re excited about, and have them share it with your troop
• Maintain clear and consistent communication – no one likes being left in the dark. And tell them more than once!
• Divide and conquer – have parents sign up for different activities, requests and trips. Make the tasks attainable and reasonable.
• Say thanks – use troop time to write thank you notes to parent helpers in line with Mother’s and Father’s Day.
• Create times where the parents can experience Girl Scout activities and see the benefits of Girl Scouting first hand.
• For more strategies, check out the presentation on parent engagement from the January 2014 roundtable.

Finally, there are a lot of moms out there reading this and we just want to thank you for all that you do for Girl Scouting and the girls who you support each day.  So thank you!