Event Planning

We had a mini-training at the September Service Unit Meeting about Event Planning. Here is a recap of the information we covered.

Thank you for your interest in running an event for our service unit! Girl Scouts has a number of forms that are designed to help you think through the budget and safety for your event and this checklist is designed to help you understand what forms need to be filled out and who to give them to in order to have your event. All the forms are available on the San Diego Girl Scout website: sdgirlscouts.org under “forms”. If you want to request the Elk’s Club as a location for your event, please contact Laurie Ayala with the Elk’s Club Rental Request Form. The earlier you can get this whole process started the better the turnout will be at your event!

In most cases you need to plan to sell both cookies and nuts in order to have an extra money-earning project. Daisies are not allowed to do any extra money earning projects, Brownies can do one in a calendar year, Juniors can do two and Cadettes and Seniors can do three and may petition the VSC to do more than that. You are welcome to recycle, sell cookies and nuts to raise money without filling out a money earning form.

To begin, brainstorm with your troop about what they want to do using the guidelines on the back of the money-earning project form. Ideally you will brainstorm for a fall event in the spring and for a spring event in the fall in order to have plenty of lead-time to plan and get organized! You make sure that your goal activities as well as the money-earning project are in keeping with the Girl Scout Promise and Law, and Program Goals. If your project involves making an item to sell, like a craft, baked goods, party favors or plants etc. the sale may not be held during either nut or cookie sales.

In order to submit a request for a Money Earning Project you need to have all prior year Financials in to the Service Unit treasurer and your Bank Authority Forms must be current. For many events it is really helpful if you have taken the Event Director Training, which is given several times a year through council (but I don’t see it on the schedule right now.)

To request approval for any large group activity you need to fill out:

Money Earning Project Application Bring this form to the service unit team meeting 4+ weeks in advance to review your plan and budget with the team. We need to give you approval before you can hold the event, announce the event at the service unit meeting, put it in the newsletter or on our website. We meet once a month from 6-7pm before the service unit meeting. The Event Budget Worksheet can be used to help you figure out what to charge for your event.

Along with the Money Earning Project Application please bring a copy of your advertising (to put in the newsletter) and a copy of your flier (to hand out at the service unit meeting and put up on the website.) We also like to get those electronically for ease of sending out to everyone and for the website, so please email a copy to website@gssunnytrails.com and communication@gssunnytrails.com

If you are planning to advertise in Program News, or to request VSC e-mail distribution, to open your event to the whole council, you also need to fill out the Event Approval Checklist 12+ weeks before your event and submit it to the Council Program Manager. This form will need signatures from the Activity Consultant and the Service Unit Manager (or VSC if your earnings will be over $250.)

In order to fill out the Money Earning Project Application you’ll need to find a site, investigate if local city/county permits are required and check to see if additional insurance is necessary.

To help figure out how to plan insurance and safety fill out the:

Event Safety Management Checklist (same form as Safety and Risk Management Checklist) (this form gets turned in to the Activity Consultant or staff VSC prior to the event. You will attach an additional copy of your flier and a sample permission slip to this.)

This form requires you to get extra insurance for any non-girl scouts who are attending. The Mutual of Omaha form is available through Mary Mautino at girl scouts.

If necessary according to Safety Checkpoints fill out an Activity Approval (if the event involves camping, cooking, riding horses, swimming, boating etc) and turn it in to the Activity Consultant or staff VSC at least one month prior to the event with a copy of your permission slip. Check on the Girl Scout website under forms, certificates of liability insurance, if you are holding the event someplace where insurance is required. If they are not listed then talk to the Activity Consultant about how to get them to fax a copy of their liability insurance to girl scouts.

If you are requesting funds from the service unit before or after the event, and have gotten approval from the service unit managers, download a Check Request form to turned in at the team meeting to Beth Ann Coleman, the service unit treasurer.

Be sure to let the service unit managers know when you’d like to be on the agenda with your troop to present the event to our leaders managerDBr@gssunnytrails.com, managerJrCad@gssunnytrails.com and managerSrAmb@gssunnytrails.com . Remember to get plenty of fliers to bring to the service unit meeting. We usually plan for 60 leaders to show up.

Finally, give our leaders a month or two to check with their troops and assess interest, get the event on their calendars and collect activity payments from their girls before your registration deadline. The earlier you can get this whole process started the better the turnout will be at your event!