Short on Time?
Consider Short-Term Assignments

By Mikki Morrissette

	Girl Scout adults volunteer on a project basis: from sharing skills to consulting to publicizing events.

Many volunteers are unaware of the many roles adults can play in Girl Scouting. From consulting to mentoring to providing a badly needed a skill, short-term assignment may be just what you're looking for.

As the mayor of Brownsville, Texas, Blanca Bela has plenty to keep her busy. Yet despite a sometimes overwhelming schedule, this former council board member wanted to keep her link to Girl Scouting alive. Blanca found the ideal opportunity: a campaign to build a new camp for the Girl Scouts–Tip of Texas Council.

With nearly 50 other busy adults from three major cities, Blanca developed a list of contacts and fundraising strategies. Some committee members made presentations to community leaders or hosted events in their homes. Others gave talks or had one-on-one meetings about the importance of Girl Scouting within the community. "Having someone other than a paid staff person give testimonials has been priceless," says Laura Rebello, the Tip of Texas director of development. "The passion of a volunteer is so credible."

The "New" Volunteer

"Episodic" or project volunteers offer important contributions of time, wisdom, skills or networks. "Organizations like Girl Scouts are creating these episodic volunteer opportunities because it fits into where most adults are in their lives," said Christina Lightbourne, GSUSA's director of volunteer development and diversity. "Many people, of all ages, don't always have time to commit to lengthy volunteer positions, but they do want to give back to the community." Yet, most adults surveyed in the National Profile of Adults in Girl Scouting (1998) did not know Girl Scouts offers short-term volunteer opportunities.

Flexible Assignments

As a result, councils are placing greater emphasis on creating flexible assignments that are mutually beneficial.

For example, Norma Torres, originally from Colombia, South America, has an active life as a mother, part-time student and employee, and regular churchgoer. She's also run a small business and served as president of her condominium association. Yet she had another unmet goal—to practice her English in an office setting. When she approached her local Girl Scout council to volunteer, they happily found part-time office work for her. Both sides won. "I love it!" says Ms. Torres. "Knowing English is very important, and they are very nice people who have helped me learn a lot."

Diversity Outreach

Hundreds of volunteers, nationwide, help councils with community outreach campaigns, especially related to GSUSA's Every Girl, Everywhere initiative. These volunteers work in a range of capacities—filling a database for membership drives, welcoming new volunteers, researching community needs to be served by Girl Scouts or establishing a database for membership drives.

Betty Shelton, of the Girl Scout Council of Tropical Florida, works with Hispanic students in her community. As part of their class requirements, students and faculty at Miami Dade Community College have supported Girl Scouts by orchestrating a day of activities for students with disabilities, helping recruit members from the local migrant community and much more.

One of those students, Andy, wanted to apply his computer engineering skills as a volunteer, despite his full-time course load. A member of a male-dominated engineering society, Andy aimed to dismantle the misconception that you have to be a guy to be analytical. "I want to see how I could provide a window to technology on behalf of Girl Scouts," he said. Currently he's working to organize a computer workshop.

Be Specific

Although it might take time to develop the right match, most councils recognize the importance of satisfying the volunteer's needs as well as their own. "Be specific about what you want to do," advises Christina Lightbourne. Do you want to work with kids or adults? How many hours a week, month or year are you available? Would you prefer to be hands-on, perhaps taking girls on a tour of the lab where you work? Or do you wish to be behind-the-scenes, helping organize a one-day career fair?

Are There Options?

If you want to be involved in Girl Scouting, but cannot commit the time or energy to be a troop leader, consider:

Teaching. Mentor girls or adults in skills related to your career or hobby. Give instruction on anything from cosmetology to fitness to stained-glass window making.

Consulting. Offer your services, professional or otherwise, in areas like fundraising, law or technology.

Virtual volunteering. Stay home and tutor girls online, develop or maintain your troop's local Web site, build a database or programming system, monitor a Girl Scout online discussion or edit your council's e-newsletter.

Networking. Be the Girl Scout liaison for a local community group or employer. Develop an employee volunteer program; find meeting spaces for Girl Scouts activities or solicit donations for special events.

Whether you have two hours or two months to give, there's no limit to the ways you can serve the Girl Scouts.

Adapted from LEADER, Spring 2003. © Girl Scouts of the United States of America.