How to Become Rally Ready!
by Jo Anna Harris
The days are long and hot! The kids are
at camp or summer school and you’re planning family
vacations. Girl Scouts might be the last thing on your mind;
however, summer is the best time to get rally-ready for the
fall. In order to have a very successful rally season, you
must plan and market to the Girl Scouts in your area. Here
are some things to consider in making sure you are well prepared
in the fall:
Know your area – What
kinds of schools do you have in your service unit? Are they
private or parochial, magnet or year round schools? Are the
schools downsizing or growing? Are new schools being added?
Being aware of what is going on in your service unit is the
first guide to a successful rally season. Knowing the needs
of the girls in your community will also aid in this success.
If there is a lack of girl activities, you can increase the
awareness of Girl Scouts not only at schools, but at health
fairs, the library, community fun days, and more. If there
are a lot of activities for girls, from sports camps to the
chess club, see if you can partner with some of these groups
to get the word out about Girl Scouts.
Know your needs – How
many troops are established in your area and how many of these
troops are returning? Is there a lack of Daisy, Brownie, Junior,
or Cadette Girl Scouts in your area? If this is the case,
your service unit might consider focusing some of their recruitment
efforts at these targeted areas. A service unit could have
a Daisy Day and invite all the kindergarten girls in the schools
and day cares in their area to participate in arts and crafts,
songs, dance, and games at a school or park in the area. This
will give them a taste of what being a Daisy Girl Scout is
all about.
Focus on Adult Recruitment
– Yes, Girl Scouts is not only for girls ages 5-18.
We also need capable female and male adults to make this a
successful organization. Develop clever plans to assist the
recruitment of new adults. For example, offer established
leaders incentives from the service unit if they recruit adults
to leadership positions.
Alternative Recruitment Sites
– Service units should also think about recruiting at
sites other than schools. These sites would include apartment
complexes, Head Start or other Pre-K programs at the local
schools, home-school support groups, faith-based institutions,
and housing authorities. These sites will show a true representation
of your community and diversity within your troops.
Most importantly, make sure that your adult
volunteers are fully prepared to start rallying. You might
want to have a couple of “rally run-throughs”
for first time Girl Scout ralliers. This will help them become
more comfortable with answering questions from parents, encouraging
parents to become volunteers or leaders, and encouraging girls
to become Girl Scouts.
We want Girl Scouts to have a prominent place in your community
and the only way for this to occur is if we all go out and
pump up the Girl Scout organization. So, go Girl Scouts, go! |
