Since Girl Scouts of the USA unveiled their new digital resource for volunteers named the Volunteer Toolkit last fall, they’ve been steadily updating content and rolling out new features in a quest to make this a critical resource for our busy volunteers.

There are many reasons to rejoice over this new resource (in fact, here are 6 Reasons to Love the Toolkit) and we’re excited to update you on some of the newest features available to both volunteers and caregivers for Western Ohio members!

New Badge Content for Brownies and Juniors! No longer do volunteers have to buy the badge sets to get the requirements for the Brownie Home Scientist or Junior Product Designer badges. All Brownie and Junior badge requirements are available in this digital resource. You can log into your account through the My GS tab at gswo.org, open the Volunteer Toolkit, and search for the Meeting Overview for any badge in your age level under the Resources tab. If the girls like what they see, then add it to your Year Plan by clicking Add to Meeting. Simple and easy, right?

Parent View is Live! Primary caregivers now have the ability to view their girl’s troop year. Features include read-only views of My Troop tab (no contact info), the troop’s Year Plan, and their Meeting Plan. For tech savvy parents, that means less needing to call troop leaders to ask what’s on the packing list for the annual camp out, when/where the next meeting is, or where the permission form is for the next field trip. It’s like a digital Girl Scout parent planner/calendar that instantly updates when changes are made!

Searchable Resources for Multi-Grade Troops! PDF versions of the badge content for Daisy, Brownie, and Junior are available when you search the Resource tab. Example: a multi-grade troop may have a majority of Brownies so they have access to the Brownie Toolkit but may have some Junior members. They can find the Junior badge requirements by searching the Resources tab. Pretty cool, huh?

More updates and features are planned for the future, such as a Finance tab that allows leaders to track their troop’s finances and submit their financial reports through the Toolkit. This tab will also let parents see what the troop funds are being spent on too. As GSUSA updates us on a timeline for additions and new features, we’ll spread the word to our dedicated volunteers and members!

So if you haven’t checked out the Toolkit yet, head to My GS and go digital with us! For questions and feedback on the Toolkit  (or if you have issues creating a log-in) please contact Customer Care at 888.350.5090 or customerservice@gswo.org.