VTK User Guide | Service Unit Volunteer

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit

Volunteer

Updated: Summer 2022

The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK)

helps troop leaders deliver

easy, fun troop meetings

year-round! With this

step-by-step guide,

you’ll discover how your

volunteers can take

their troop experience

to the next level!

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Who Has Access to the Volunteer Toolkit?

SERVICE UNIT VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers who hold the following service unit roles are granted

access: Leader Support Manager (LSM), Membership Support

Manager (MSM), and Program Support Manager (PSM).

TROOP LEADERS & ASSISTANT TROOP LEADERS

Active volunteers registered for the current Girl Scout membership

year in a troop leadership role. Volunteers in this role have full access

to all VTK functionality.

TROOP TREASURERS

Active volunteers registered for the current Girl Scout membership

year as the troop treasurer role. They have read-only permission for

the meeting schedule, agendas, and resources.

CAREGIVERS OF GIRL SCOUTS IN A TROOP

Each primary caregiver has access to see their troop’s VTK account.

They have read-only permission for the meeting schedule, agendas,

and resources. (Caregiver accounts can only be accessed if the troop

leader has set up a year plan.)

CAREGIVERS OF GIRL SCOUTS NOT IN A TROOP

(JULIETTE/INDIVIDUALLY REGISTERED GIRL MEMBERS)

Each primary caregiver of a currently registered Girl Scout who is

not part of a troop will get troop leader-like access with their girl(s).

Access is granted through the council based on confirmation of

individually registered status.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

▶ Who Has Access? | 2

▶ Where to Find the Volunteer Toolkit | 3

▶ Look What’s New | 4

▶ Basic Navigation | 3

▶ Set Up a Year Plan | 7

▶ Add Dates and Locations | 9

▶ Add Badges, Journeys, and Awards | 11

▶ Add Activities to the Year Plan | 12

▶ Tools for Planning a Meeting | 13

▶ Resources | 15

distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic or mechanical methods, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system,

now known or hereinafter invented, without the prior written

permission of Girl Scouts of the United States of America, except

in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and

certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For

permissions requests, write to Girl Scouts of the United States

of America at the address below or visit the www.girlscouts.org

website to access permission request forms.

First published in 2019 by

Girl Scouts of the United States of America

420 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018-2798

www.girlscouts.org

TIP: If you hold multiple roles, you’ll have a Volunteer Toolkit

account for each—all under one login! Look for the grey drop-down

box in the upper left-hand corner of your screen to navigate between

accounts.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Where To Find the Volunteer Toolkit

The Volunteer Toolkit (VTK) can be used from any computer,

tablet, or smartphone with internet access.

1. Go to our website, www.gsnorcal.org, and click the MyGS

link at the top of the screen.

2. Log in using the username and password you created when

you set up your Girl Scout member account.

3. Once logged in, click My Account in the upper right-hand

corner of your screen.

4. Select Volunteer Toolkit from left side menu.

VTK Troubleshooting

For best results, use a VTK-friendly browser such as Chrome,

Firefox, or other browser with a cleared cache and visit www.

gsnorcal.org.

NOTE: Avoid using Internet Explorer.

Steps to resolve VTK access issues on a desktop/laptop

▶ Clear browser cache and browsing history

▶ Ensure cookies are enabled

▶ Add cdns.gigya.com as a safe URL to any privacy/security

extensions or settings on your device and/or browser

▶ Still need assistance? Contact member services at

info@gsnorcal.org or call 800-447-4475, ext. 0

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VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

LOOK WHAT’S NEW!

More that Just Badges...

Starting this Spring, more than just badges and

Journeys were available in the Volunteer Toolkit.

Programs such as Paint Your World Purple were

released, and we needed to update some terminology

to match! Now you’ll see “patch steps,” “patch

requirements,” along with Award, Challenge, Service

Project and much more! Our program team is working

hard to bring more types of content to the VTK..

Speaker Invitation - Email Template

We know our leaders aren’t experts on everything, and the

badges available span a wide range of topics. To support our

volunteers in asking for help and inviting experts into their

troop meetings, we’ve built a template they can use to invite

subject experts to their troop meetings. They can customize

the body of the email, but we start with some prompts to get

them started. They can also attach meeting aids that might be

helpful for the speaker to use or see in advance to prepare.

Updates to My Troop

We know the My Troop tab is the one stop shop to all things related to the members of your troop. We’re updating the

information you have access to on this tab to be even more useful.

▶ A member’s grade has been added under their Age.

▶ Contact and photo preferences have been added and pull directly from their record in MyGS.

▶ Issues with phone numbers, emails and secondary contact information have been addressed so that information is

filled consistently and accurately.

Explore Even More, Without Resetting!

The Explore tab is your place to find detailed Meeting Plans before you add them to your Year Plan and to find out the

time-saving packages of meetings we’ve already grouped based on providing variety or a specific program topic. Starting

Summer 2022, keep coming back to the Explore tab to add to a year plan WITHOUT resetting it! We’ve separated the ability

to delete (previously known as resetting) from the Explore tab so you can mix and match individual meetings or mix and

match groups of meetings to save you time and effort.

Check out New Badges and Journeys to see the latest badges, Journeys, and awards available in the VTK.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Basic Navigation

Welcome to the Volunteer Toolkit! We’ve outlined everything you need to know to set up your troop volunteers for

success!

The Volunteer Toolkit is divided into tabs that feature unique tools to help you plan a troop year and manage each

meeting. If you’re on a computer, you’ll see the GREEN TABS across the top of your browser window.

You’ll also find exciting Girl Scout partnerships and promotions in the rotating banners at the top of your screen. Tired of

seeing them? Just click the “X.”

TIP: Print – Download – Help

You’ll notice these three icons on almost

every page of the VTK.

Print your current screen by clicking

the green printer icon.

Download calendar appointments,

pages, or resources by clicking the

green down-arrow bracket icon.

Seek out additional help by clicking

the green question mark icons

by clicking the binoculars next to

Take a Guided Tour.

Mobile users will see a grey drop-down menu at the top of their

screen, with tabs beneath.

MY TROOP EXPLORE YEAR PLAN MEETING PLAN RESOURCES

The MY TROOP tab displays

sample girl information for

service unit volunteers.

This is the space where troop

leaders and caregivers find

their complete roster, along

with primary caregiver names

and contact information.

They’ll click the green arrow

next to each name to expand

and see each girl’s personal

information and a snapshot of

achievements and attendance.

Troop Leaders can also:

▶ Email caregivers

▶ Download and print a troop

roster with achievement and

attendance information

▶ Renew memberships

▶ Customize the page with a

troop photo

NOTES:

▶ Caregiver users and

individually registered girl

users will only see their own

Girl Scout information.

▶ Demo users will see sample

information for placement

only, which is not tied to any

specific troop or girl.

You’ll find all the exciting

options for your troop year in

the EXPLORE tab. You’ll be

able to:

▶ Browse prebuilt tracks of

badge and Journey activities

based on your troop’s

program level

▶ Browse individual badges

and meeting types to build a

plan from scratch

▶ Preview individual badge or

award requirements

▶ Download or print

an overview of each

preselected track so you can

easily review your options

with your girls at your first

meeting!

Once you’ve made a choice,

your year plan will be

automatically populated.

Selecting a year plan is

required before other features

become available, but don’t

worry--you can always add,

remove, or change your plan

as you go, one meeting at a

time.

▶ Caregiver users and troop

treasurers will not see the

Explore tab.

From this tab you can:

▶ Schedule meetings

▶ Set meeting dates and

locations

▶ Add or swap badges,

Journeys, or awards

▶ Add custom activities

▶ Preview badge and Journey

requirements

▶ View previous years and

important dates from your

council.

Setting up your year plan

allows caregivers to see their

side of the VTK, too!

For a walk-through of all the

tools at your fingertips, click

“Take a Guided Tour” on the

YEAR PLAN tab.

▶ Caregiver users and troop

treasurers will see a read-

only version of the year plan

their troop leader has built

in the VTK.

▶ Demo users will be able

to see the plan they set up

under “Demo-Troop Leader”

in Demo-Parent” so they

can learn both sides of the

system.

Here you’ll find the tools to

make each badge, award,

meeting, and activity a

success. We’ve provided:

▶ Meeting prep information

▶ Suggested scripts

▶ Materials lists

▶ Printable meeting aids

▶ Customizable meeting

schedule that you can

rearrange or add and delete

meetings

From this tab, you can also:

▶ Email families with meeting

reminders and information

▶ Find virtual meeting

resources

▶ Track attendance at each

meeting

▶ Check off completed badges

and awards

▶ Caregiver users and troop

treasurers will see a read-

only version of the meeting

plan their troop leader has

added to their year.

If you’ve got questions, you’ll

find the answers you need in

the RESOURCES tab. Here

you’ll find national and local

resources by topic, access the

Girl Scout shop, and explore

tips for leaders. All user types

can see this tab and interact

with it in the same way.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Set Up a Year Plan

When you log in to the Volunteer Toolkit the first time, you’ll need to select a year plan before you can customize

meetings or activities. The EXPLORE tab displays available prebuilt year plans for you to choose from based on the

grade level you select.

TIP: Quickly access

the Award and Badge

Explorer from the

bottom of the tab

to mix and match

potential award

options. Use this to

come back and create a

custom plan as unique

as your group.

First-Year Troop Leader Experience

The First-Year Troop Experience supports new leaders

with additional guidance to get them acquainted with the

Volunteer Toolkit. After logging in and navigating into the

Volunteer Toolkit, you’ll be prompted answer the question,

“Is this your first year as a Girl Scout troop leader?” If you

only have a service unit account, just click “I am not a

troop leader” to bypass this. If you answer “Yes” you will

follow a guided path with recommended steps to navigate

the VTK.

If you would like a refresher on the VTK, you can click “Take

a Guided Tour” on any of the Volunteer Toolkit tabs to see

the same guidance that a new leader would.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

EXPLORE MEETING PLANS PRESELECTED TRACKS

▲ EXPLORE MEETING PLANS allows troop leaders

to mix and match badges, Journeys, and activities with

the interests of their girls. As well as, search through all

badges and Journeys regardless of program level.

Use the filters to sort through all available programming

and the Select Meeting check boxes to choose which

badges and Journeys to add to your year plan.

Once you’re finished, click Add to Year Plan at the bottom.

TIP: Click the badge Preview button to see the badge

meeting overview, activity plan, materials list, meetings

aids, and agenda BEFORE you add it to your year plan. If

you like what you see, add it to your Year Plan.

▲ PRESELECTED TRACKS are a preset selection of

meeting plans for a specific Journey or set of badges.

Click View Popular Tracks, and from there you can

Preview each combination of awards. Use the printer

icon under each preview to download or print a copy

of the Year Plan. Once you’ve found the right one, click

Select Track and your year plan will be created.

Once you’ve made your selection in the EXPLORE tab,

you’ll automatically be taken to the YEAR PLAN tab. This is

also the tab you’ll be brought back to each time you log in.

TIP: Click on the badge images to the right. Some

meetings will give you an overview of the badge

requirements.

Check out New Badges and Journeys to see the latest

badges, Journeys, and awards available in the VTK. .

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Once you’ve set this up, when you use the Manage Calendar link again, you’ll notice it looks entirely different! Now

you can customize each individual meeting, add the location, or even reset the entire schedule.

Add Dates and Locations

As a service unit volunteer, you may

not need to set dates for meetings, but

to continue planning your year, the

system requires that you set meeting

dates for your year plan.

At the top, click the green Manage

Calendar link. Using the pop-up

widget, choose a date and time

for meetings to start and set the order of

your meetings. Click Update Calendar

when finished. Don’t worry, you can still

make changes after this, simply select

any combination to get started.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

CALENDAR: To edit the schedule, select the green calendar

icon to the left of each meeting date to change the date or

time of that specific meeting.

You can also choose to cancel one or more meetings or combine

meetings. Select the two meetings you’d like to combine, then select

the new date that meeting will occur. After you’ve made any changes,

click Save and your year plan will be updated.

To the right, you’ll see a green gear icon. This takes you back

to the original view of the Meeting Date and Location widget,

where you can reset the entire order of your meetings if needed.

LOCATION: Now that your dates are set,

you can connect an address to each one. If

you’re meeting in multiple locations, add each

address then connect it to the appropriate

meeting using the check boxes. Click Assign

or Apply and then close out of the window.

TIP: You can also get to the Meeting Date

and Location widget simply by clicking on a

date in your year plan. Change a date quickly

or select See More Calendar Options.

TIP: Virtual Meetings

Instead of a physical

address, you can add

links for your virtual

meetings here.

TIP: Manage Your Meetings

Select the calendar icon to change

date or time, or cancel or combine

meetings.

Select the gear icon to reconfigure

calendar from a specific date forward.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

TIP: View Past Year Plans (service unit volunteer year plans do not archive. This feature is for troop leader and

caregiver users only.) - Each July the VTK resets. Year plans will be archived and you’ll no longer be able to make

changes. Renewed troop leaders and caregivers will still be able to view the plan through the green Past Years, for the

last 3 years. YEAR PLAN tab. Achievement and attendance records DO NOT archive. Troop leaders and caregivers

should download a copy of this information for their records.

TAKE NOTE: meeting titles with numbers at

the end are part of a series and you’ll want to

add all of them to meet the requirements for

the award.

Add Badges, Journeys, and

Awards

Girl Scouts are ready for whatever comes their

way—and that includes changes in meetings

or their year plan. Start by using the green

Add Badge/Journey link at the top of the

year plan or Search to Add Meetings at the

bottom of the year plan.

Use the search feature or filters to sort

through available meeting types and choose

which ones to add to your year plan. Meetings

already in your plan will be clearly marked.

Once you’ve made your selections, click

Add to Year Plan. Get tips on choosing and

customizing your year plan.

Year Plan Tab

The YEAR PLAN tab appears first each

time you sign in, once your track is chosen.

Your typical view will display the following:

Gray boxes: Past meetings & activities.

Past events cannot be moved or edited.

Orange bars: Milestones set by GSNorCal

to remind troops of important dates in the

Girl Scout year. Some may include links.

Blue boxes: Added activities. You can list

council, service unit, or troop activities

such as cookie booth dates.

Orange box: Next meeting.

Green boxes: Future meetings. Upcoming

meetings can be moved using the bar in

front to drag and drop into a new place.

Need to wipe the slate clean and

start fresh? Use the Delete button at

the top of the year plan. Be careful

though, deleting your plan will remove

all meetings including the attendance

and achievements you’ve tracked on

them. It cannot be undone and is not

recoverable, so use it carefully!

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Add Activities to the Year Plan

Meetings and badges are only one part of a go-getting Girl Scout’s troop year! You can also add things like field

trips, service projects, or cookie booth sales to your year plan. Any activity you add will appear in blue and show up

chronologically.

At the top of the year plan, click Manage Activity.

CUSTOM ACTIVITY: Add your activity name, date, time, location, and details to your year plan. From the service unit

volunteer view, no one else can see this event.

COUNCIL ACTIVITY: GSNorCal does not use this tab. You can view all GSNorCal’s Activities and events on

GSNorCal’s website, under Events, click on Events Calendar or go to events.gsnorcal.org

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Tools for Planning Your Meeting

Set yourself—and your troops—up for success at each meeting! The MEETING PLAN tab has a robust collection of

tools and information to help you plan an engaging meeting every time.

PLANNING MATERIALS: High-level

resources show you from start to finish

what your girls will achieve during the

meeting (Meeting Overview), what you’ll

do and say (Meeting Plan), the meeting

aids plus the materials you’ll need (Material

List), and virtual meeting resources (Virtual

Meeting Planning).

MANAGE COMMUNICATIONS: Send

templated emails to caregivers to remind

them of meetings and keep them up to

date on what’s happening. Use the Speaker

Invitation to bring guests to your meeting

and prepare them ahead of time with

relevant information for the badge or award

you’re working on. Emails are pre-populated

with relevant meeting information, but you

can customize them based on your needs.

You can even attach meeting aids or other

relevant documents from your council

website at the bottom of the screen before

sending.

ATTENDANCE AND ACHIEVEMENTS:

Troop Leaders can record attendance and

achievements. They’ll use the check boxes

to mark who’s at the meeting—and if it’s a

meeting where you’re finishing a badge or

award, you can mark that too.

You can see the full picture of what a girl

has earned on the MY TROOP tab, with

the option to download the report.

If at any time you want to replace or delete an entire meeting, just use the respective links at the top of the meeting

plan.

Don’t forget, if at any time you want to download or print your year plan or meeting plan, look for the icon

throughout the page.

MEETING LOCATION: Troop Leaders can click here to add a

meeting location, or if they’ve already added one, they’ll see it

linked here. Click the link to access URLs, or get directions to

physical locations.

STEPS: Quickly see the high-level view of what it takes to earn

a specific badge or award. You’ll see how these steps connect

later in the activities, where you’ll see subtext showing which

activity fulfills which step.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

MEETING PLANNER: Here, you’ll find

instructions and details for each activity,

opening and closing activities, materials

needed, time it takes to complete, and the

recommended sequencing. There are lots of

ways to customize your meeting agenda:

▶ Select your activity choice for each step.

▶ Drag and drop activities to reorder.

▶ Use the drop-down to change the amount

of time allotted for that activity.

▶ Delete an activity by clicking the “X.”

Heads up: if you accidentally delete a

required activity for earning an award, you

won’t be able to add that activity back

without first deleting the meeting.

▶ Click Add to Meeting to add your own

activities!

MEETING AIDS: These resources are the

leg-up you need for each meeting! Some

are geared toward the adult supporting the

meeting and some are for girls completing the

activities. You can find all meeting aids to add

to your meeting by clicking Add Meeting Aids.

You can find more information on how to use

these resources in the Activity Plan.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: Here you’ll find

videos, documents, or suggested events

that go beyond the required steps for a

badge or award, and they can help your girls

do a deeper dive into the content they’re

most excited about. You’ll find links to the

Girl Scout Shop to purchase printed award

booklets or the award themselves. You can

Add Additional Resources if you have a

URL. These materials connect to the Manage

Communication email templates, so you can

share them with families.

NOTES: Add a note at the end of a meeting

plan with any important reminders or meeting

details for yourself or other troop leaders.

VOLUNTEER TOOLKIT USER GUIDE:

Service Unit Volunteer

Questions?

Looking for more Volunteer Toolkit support? Check out the GSNorCal VTK Webpage where we have gathered all the

resources you need to learn more about the badges and Journeys available and get the latest news, information, and

resources. Contact Member Services at inf[email protected]rg or call 800-447-4475, ext. 0 for additional assistance.

Resources

The RESOURCES tab provides several GSUSA and GSNorCal resources. The resources are grouped by program level

and other helpful topics.

TIP: Be sure to click on the to see additional resources under each section.