Getting Organized

Girl Scouts involves so much planning, paperwork, and their are so many different areas to deal with. So I knew that if I did not get things organized that I could quickly get overwhelmed. I split everything up into separate binders so that I could quickly find things I needed to!

TROOP BINDER (multi-colored)

• Roster- Lists the girls, their level, parents name, phone number, email address, ways parents are able to help, a place to check off once the girl was registered, and once there was an adult registered.
• Snack sign up sheet- Each girl signs up to bring snacks and drinks to one meeting throughout the year. Click here for my snack sign up form
• Alphabetical dividers-I have a section for each girl. This includes her girl release permit, ways parents can help form, girl health form, adult health form, shot records, girl registration form, and adult registration form.

FINANCIAL BINDER (red)

• Zipper pouch-this is where I can keep all the receipts for the troop. 
• Troop form- This is where I have to date of each meeting and all events, listed going down the left side of the page. I have all the girls names going across the top of the page. I can use this to keep track of the dues that each girl brings to each meeting (we have $2/meeting for dues) and when they have paid for an event. 
• All the papers when we opened the troop bank account.
• Papers for things that I know Ill have to order or purchase, I can check them off after I get them.
• Multiple copies of the Non-member Insurance that we have to send in when we are planning events where non registered people will be attending. (I have it in this folder because we have to pay for the insurance)
• Copies of the troop financial report that has to be done at end of the year. 

EVENTS BINDER (black)

• Dividers that are labeled for each month
• Under each divider I have flyers from the locations we plan on going to, the flyers that I made to pass out to the troop, and a sign up sheet for girls that are planning on going. 
• The sign up sheet has a place for the girls name, how many registered adults are coming with her, If they are willing to drive and help transport people, and how many total spots in their care are available. 
• I also have permission forms once they are filled out, behind the specific event. 
• I also have a divider labeled Forms, where I keep copies of all the forms we may need.
• Low risk activity approval 
• Medium to high risk approval 
• Event registration request 
• Camp reservation and approval 
• Non member accident insurance 
• In the back flap of the binder I have flyer for other events that we would like to do but don't have fit into our schedule.

COOKIE BINDER (white)

• Instructions- This is one of the papers I pass out to mom's during our November cookie meeting. It has things that they need to do before and during cookie season with dates that they have to do them by and any other information they need to know about how to do it.
• Online cookie permission form 
• Initial cookie order turned into me 
• Cookie pick up from me 
• Family booths 
• Council and troop booths
• Cookie booth attendance- This is the form I use to mark down which girls come to each cookie booth. Down the left side of the page I list all the girls in the troop. Across the top of the page I leave blank boxes to add in the date and location of each booth. 
• Girl's pages- I have a blank page for each girl so that I can staple each one of her cookie receipts to one page so you can see them all at one time. 
• Cookie booth forms- I found a cookie booth form online somewhere, I cant remember where right now. On this form I can mark down all the cookies I started the booth with and all the money I started with. Then it has somewhere to mark down all the cash I have at the end of the booth and all the cookies I'm left with. That way I can see exactly how many cookies we sold and how much money we received in donations. 
• Once I get cookie stuff from the service unit cookie coordinator I keep a copy of the things in this binder as well. 
• Click here for cookie forms

1ST YEAR DAISY BINDER

• I keep a spiral just for this level for when I'm planning lessons or want to add something to the badge or journey. 
• Zipper pouch-for pens or whatever I need for the meeting
• I took the handbook that is in the big blue binders at the girl scout shop and I moved them into my own binder, so that I could add more papers to it. 
• Once the handbook gets to learning the daisy petals and two leaves for the first year, I add a sheet protector behind each petal. 
• One side of the sheet protector I put in a detailed sheet of how I am having the girls earn the petals
• I include the requirements, craft with instructions, supplies needed
• Second side of the sheet protector I put in a sample craft that will be done at the meeting.
• I have the requirements for the my faith, my promise pin that the girls can earn, I usually have them do that one at home with parents if they choose to do it. 
• After the 1st year daisies complete their petals and leaves they will join in with the 2nd year daisies and complete a journey. I keep all the journey information in the 2nd year daisy binder. 
• So for the 1st year daisies this is what their year will look like:
• Petals for 9 meetings 
• 2 leaves for 1 meetings 
• Journey #1 for 6 meetings 
• The option to do my promise, my faith year 1 at home. 

2ND YEAR DAISY BINDER

• I keep a spiral just for this level for when I'm planning lessons or want to add something to the badge or journey. 
• Zipper pouch-for pens or whatever I need for the meeting
• I have a the handbook that covers the last two leaves in this binder. Also with a sheet protector behind each one 
• One side of the sheet protector I put in a detailed sheet of how I am having the girls earn the petals
• I include the requirements, craft with instructions, supplies needed
• Second side of the sheet protector I put in a sample craft that will be done at the meeting.
• Off of my service units shutterfly page, I got the packets for a year outline for each journey. 
• I do not take a year to do each journey. I go through the packets and highlight the parts that I want to cover with the girls.Then I see which highlighted parts I can work together, for example several parts that cover being outside I can include in one meeting. 
• Most of the stories are not that interesting to kindergartners and 1st graders, so I tend to shorten them pulling out the main parts of the stories so I don't loose their attention. 
• I can usually finish a journey in 3-5 meetings. 
• So for 2nd year daisies this is what their year looks like:
• (they complete all their daisy petals, 2 leaves, and journey #1 during their 1st year)
• Journey #2 for 6 meetings 
• 2 Leaves for 2 meetings 
• Safety Pin for 2 meeting 
• Journey #3 for 6 meetings
• The option to do my promise, my faith year 2 at home.
• Click here to see everything a Daisy should have by the end of her second year!

MEETINGS FOLDER

• This is the folder that I am able to take with me to my meetings, It is thin enough to fit into my bag. 
• A Calendar for each month that has the meetings and events on it, with due dates for any money and permission forms 
• Attendance sheet for all the meetings: Girls down the left side, meeting dates across the top 
• My year plan for 1st year and 2nd year daisies for each meeting
• A Daisy petal tracker, to mark each girl when they earn certain petals or leaves. 
• (Brownies and Juniors are lead by the other 2 leaders. So I don't have lesson plans or anything for those levels) 

EVENTS FOLDER

• This folder is small enough that I can take it will me to events and keep it in my bag
• Permission slips- If one is needed for the event, I have one for each girl signed.
• Attendance sheet-Girls on left side, event name, date, time across the top
• Patch sheet- All patches needed throughout the year (events and cookies) on the left side and girls names across the top
• A Small roster with each girls name, birthday, mom's name, phone number, email address, and physical address (for emergency purposes) 
• Print out of safety wise numbers, to make sure we have enough adults for each event. 

MAILBOXES

• This is a plastic box I got from office depot. It can fit the file folders in it. 
• I used green file folders for this, cause we are Girl Scouts! I have one folder for each girl, if i have hand outs I need to send home I can put them in their folders. 
• I also have folders in the back that have all my extra forms. 
• Registration forms: Girls and Adults
• Girl Release forms
• Health forms: Girls and Adults 
• Ways a parent can help form 
• Financial assistance forms (which may have switched over to all online this year)
• Permission forms
• Adult Volunteer Service Record 

These have all helped me out so much this year! Since I have a place for everything in its own binder or folder, it has made it much easier for keeping records and finding information when I need it!