Monarch Service Unit
Best Practices

Advice from other leaders about what works well for them.   Please share your ideas by filling in and submitting a "best practices" form .

* I try to take a troop photo each year and make copies for each girl.  At the end of the year, I reprint photos from our activities and make a small "photo album" for each girl that has the troop photo and photos of activities including that girl.

* Give parents a blank trip permission form, have them their daughter's emergency data ONLY then make their own "personalized" trip permission blanks.  When the leader e-mails trip information they simply add the trip location and date and sign one of the "personalized"  copies.

* We keep disposable cameras on hand to take pictures of meeting activities and outings. Then we don't have to worry about having our personal cameras always on hand, (or in harms way). After we get the photos developed, we put them in our Troop's photo album that one of our parents maintains for us. The Troop pays for the camera and developing.

* I got a no-fee Visa card that I use only for troop expenses (mine is a REI Visa card that earns a dividend). This way, when the bill comes in, I can note what the expenditures were for, attach receipts, and give to the treasurer for payment. Before I did this, I would often lose receipts and forget to ask for reimbursement. Especially helpful on travel trips.

* In the spring the girls make lists of ideas for activities the following year. I create a "draft" calendar for the last meeting and the parents sign up to help with the activities. Over the summer I can finalize the entire years calendar which I put in green folders along with the roster, promise and service unit calendar. Girls receive their folder at the first meeting and then they can lead the meeting following the calendar that they set up!

* I use four canvas bags labeled: "Opening Ceremonies Leadership Team", "Activities Leadership Team", "Historical Leadership Team" and "Closing Ceremonies Leadership Team".  Each bag is equipped with activities for each team.  The girls lead the meeting using the materials in the bags.  The historical bag has a camera and a journal.  The activity bag has badge activities.  The opening bag has roster, roll call, agenda, pledge and bell. Closing bag has songs and end of meeting remarks.

* As the girls grew, I gave them more responsibility.  They are now in charge of 2 meetings a year.  They choose what badges we work on and the activities we do for those 2 meetings.  It gives them a chance to be a leader as well as let the other girls know what kinds of things they are interested in.