Starting a New Unit. The Guide Association

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2 Contents Introduction and an overview 3 Establishing a need 4 Forming the Leadership Team 4 Finding a venue 6 Registering on Go! 8 Money matters 8 Fundraising 11 Resources for a new unit 13 General structure of meetings 14 2

3 Introduction and an overview Setting up a new unit or reopening an inactive one is an exciting challenge, whether you are relatively new to guiding or even if you have years of experience as a Leader. This document will give you advice, information and practical help so that your new unit can be up and running speedily and you can spend your valuable time working with girls and young women. (Please note that throughout this document the term parent is used for parents and any individual with parental responsibility.) What you need to do: An overview Chat to your local Commissioner Find out about the process, any formal requirements etc. Recruit your helpers If you do not already know who will be running the unit, you will need to put together your team in discussion with your Commissioner. Find a venue Look for tips on pages 6 to 7 on how to do this, and then decide on a day and time for your meetings. Register on Go! Your local Commissioner needs to do this to get you on your way. Think about the finances Estimate how much it will cost to start up the unit and then maintain it; apply for a Grant. Raise funds Once you get started, your unit will benefit from fundraising; pages 11 to 12 tell you how to go about it and what funding is available. Plan your resources Think about what you will need to get your unit off the ground. Prepare your initial meetings Plan what you will be doing; see page 14 for ideas. You re ready for your first meeting! 3

4 Establishing a need Before considering opening a new unit you should establish whether there is a need for one in the local area. You must do this in consultation with the Commissioner who is responsible for the management of guiding in the local area. Understanding the area, its growth and its development are key ways to understanding the membership needs of Girlguiding. Different factors can affect guiding in your local area. Below are a few things to think about. What guiding already exists in the area, where do the units meet and do they have any capacity to take more girls? Are there any new housing developments, or ones planned in the future? What public transport is available and are there plans for this to change? Are there any new schools, colleges or community provisions (such as youth clubs or activities), or areas with increasing populations? Ask your local Commissioner if any mapping of the local area has taken place to identify potential for development. Forming the Leadership Team If you and the local Commissioner establish that there is a need to open a new unit and that the unit will be sustainable, you have to make sure that there are sufficient adults willing to volunteer to create a sustainable Leadership Team. How many you need will depend on the numbers and ages of the girls involved (see table on mandatory and suggested ratios, below) and how much time the adults are able to give. Suggested minimum unit size Suggested unit size Suggested maximum unit size Suggested ratio of adults to girls Mandatory ratio Rainbow units Brownie units :5 Minimum of 2 adults irrespective of the size of the unit :8 n/a Guide units :12 n/a The Senior Section 5 n/a n/a n/a n/a The new unit will need a team of Leaders and other helpers. The team might consist of one or more Leaders, Unit Helpers and/or Young Leaders. The Unit Team may choose to have one person with overall responsibility or several people to share the leadership. 4

5 If more help is needed with the unit, here are some ideas to get you started. Ask local Guide Leaders if they have any Guides under 14 who would like to be Rainbow Helpers or Brownie Pack Leaders. Ask around for Guides or Senior Section members who want to become Young Leaders. Young Leaders are between 14 and 18 years old, and can be a great source of help in the unit. Talk to parents at schools, pre-schools and toddler groups about guiding and the opportunities it offers. Contact Girlguiding shops for free recruitment resources (posters, postcards and leaflets). Talk to colleagues at work or put up a sign about helping. Get leaflets into local businesses about opportunities for volunteering and the benefits to the employer as well as the individual. Place posters and leaflets in libraries, community centres, shops and so on. Give clear contact details. Have a recruitment display at local events. Ask local colleges or universities about having a stand at Freshers Week, or ask about childcare students wanting practical experience. When advertising for help publicly take care not to give away too much information about where and when the unit will meet. Ideally just provide the name of someone who can give more information with a telephone number and/or address. Your Commissioner may offer to be the point of contact. Don t forget, you re not looking only for female volunteers a male helper can be just as much of an asset! Parent rotas Once the unit is up and running you may find it useful to send out a calendar of activities to families at the beginning of each term and ask for a volunteer to help out each week. This could be a parent, an older sibling, a grandparent or another family member who could sign up for an activity that best suits their interests. You could ask a parent to organise/operate the rota for you. This may allow someone who can t attend meetings to be of help. There are also other roles which people could help out with, such as doing the shopping for the unit, organising events, providing transport and keeping the accounts. Remember, sharing the load makes things easier for everyone. Parents on a rota and those who help out occasionally (ie fewer than three times a month) do not require recruitment checks but must always be supervised when working with young members. Being flexible Remember that the key to a successful Leadership Team is flexibility. Everyone has heard of the Leader in the neighbouring District who single-handedly runs Rainbows, Brownies, Rangers and anything else that crops up, but remember that this won t be the case for many units. It s equally common now to find a group of four or five people sharing leadership of a unit, helping out on different weeks and for different tasks, which makes it much easier for volunteers to cope with demanding home or work lives (or both!). 5

6 You do not have to meet every week once a fortnight or even only during school holidays may suit you better. You need to pick a day and meeting time to suit the volunteers you have. It is also worth thinking about role-sharing, using fathers or partners, and linking with community resources such as a local children s centre which might be able to offer childcare facilities (so younger siblings can be left there). You could also consider using the 12 Hour Challenge to recruit occasional helpers either initially or once you are established. Once you start thinking flexibly, the options are endless! Visit the Growing Guiding section in the members area of the website for more ideas on how to be flexible. Tips on the Leadership Team You don t need to have completed Girlguiding s Leadership Qualification to run a meeting (so long as your local Commissioner is happy with the arrangements you have made), but there must always be at least one volunteer attending the unit meetings who has undergone all the recruitment checks. If you are running a unit for the first time, ideally you should be supported by a more experienced local Leader who might also be your Mentor. If an adult is going to be helping you on a regular basis (ie three or more times a month), it is important that your local Commissioner is told so that she can have an informal meeting with the person and carry out the recruitment check process. For more information visit the Policies section of the online Guiding Manual. Your Commissioner does not need to know about parent helpers or other occasional helpers, other than the fact that you have a rota in place. Finding a venue An important consideration when thinking about opening (or reopening) a unit is where you would meet. If you re in a small community, your choices may be limited. In more urban areas there may be a number of places you can check to compare prices, availability and suitability, and this may take some time. Safety must also be a consideration: is the area well lit; is it an area where groups regularly congregate outside; is there safe parking? You might also want someone to come with you to visit potential meeting places two heads are better than one! Where should you look? Ask your local Commissioner about where other groups meet, but remember that some of these may have been running for quite some time and there may now be other cheaper or more suitable venues available in the area. It s worth checking these out to make sure you get the best deal for the unit. The following places may be able to offer facilities: community halls or centres sports centres or clubhouses schools or children s centres it may be possible to be part of the extended schools provision in your area 6

7 libraries halls at places of worship guiding venues some areas have their own Guide huts or properties businesses which have meeting rooms not used during late afternoons, evenings or weekends other voluntary organisations which have their own facilities, eg the Scouts or youth clubs. What should you look for? Space you will need a hall or room ideally with enough space to play games. Access to toilets and hand-washing facilities. Ideally enough tables and chairs for all girls and adults to use. Accessibility for members with disabilities or special needs. General access is it easy and safe for girls and Leaders to get to? Is there safe parking? Availability is it available all year? Are there certain days, weeks or occasions in the year when it will not be available? Is it available for access before and after the meeting time to allow setting up and clearing away? Restrictions are there any restrictions on the types of activity which can take place? Cost and deposit is there a charge for using the premises? Will you have to pay a deposit? Is the cost sustainable? Will you be the sole user or will others be meeting at the venue at the same time? If the latter, the type of group may impact on your decision eg a noisy dance class in a next-door room could be quite disruptive! Check the written terms and conditions of hiring the venue. Other things you will want to consider but which are not essential in a venue: access to a safe outdoor area for activities some kitchen facilities for cooking lockable, dry storage space for equipment. When should you meet? When choosing a time to hold your meetings, you may be restricted by venue availability or by the times volunteers can help out. Bear in mind these considerations. 7 If you already have girls waiting to join the new unit, be sure to ask their opinions about the day and time. What times do schools in the area finish and how far are they from the venue? Generally you need to allow enough time for girls to go home, have a snack and get changed before coming out to your unit meeting unless you are offering guiding as part of an extended schools arrangement. What other activities are available for young people which days do they take place? If there are a lot of after-school activities or girls travel out of the area for school, would a Saturday or Sunday meeting be more appropriate (this could be a longer meeting on a fortnightly or monthly basis)? Does the meeting time work for parents? Find out what members of local ethnic and cultural groups would find acceptable. Ask other local units what they have found to be successful. For younger girls make sure the meeting doesn t finish too late remember that they have to travel home and then get ready for bed.

8 Registering on Go! Before you can apply for a Grant, the unit must be registered on Go! as an active unit with its full address, postcode and details of the meeting day and time. Your Commissioner can arrange this and will add details of the Leadership Team, ensuring that the relevant recruitment checks are completed. Once the unit is active on Go!, it will begin to receive enquiries through the Join Us system from girls wishing to join the unit they will then transfer to Go! once they become young members (you can view and manage the unit waiting-to-join list in the Join Us system). Insurance The liability and personal accident policies for Girlguiding cover all members and other persons associated with the organisation while taking part in guiding. Members do not have to be in guiding wear or have made their Promise for the policy cover to operate, but they must adhere to any rules or policies associated with the activity, otherwise any claim may be invalidated. Each unit or area must arrange insurance for its own property eg camp equipment will need its own insurance. The Leader must ensure that there is adequate insurance cover for any vehicle used during a guiding activity. See for more details. Keep a Notification of Accident or Incident form with you to use in case of an accident or incident. Money matters First financial steps When setting up your new unit there are issues to do with finance that will require your immediate attention. You will need to: estimate start-up costs how much a venue will cost in your area, what initial resources you will need and so on set up a bank account for the unit estimate annual costs this includes working out how your members will pay the annual membership subscription (ie will it be included in the unit subs or will it be a separate payment?), who will help you organise Gift Aid and how members will pay for unit costs (ie weekly, monthly or termly) identify any grants or other available funds which can help you with your set-up costs. Estimating start-up costs To estimate your start-up costs you will need an idea of how many girls you expect to join the new unit. This should not exceed the suggested maximum number for a unit as outlined on page 4. Next, think about how these costs will be covered. Options include: 8 a joiner s fee for each new girl, to cover the cost of her books and so on Starting A New Unit Grant (see box overleaf) Trefoil Guild Starter Pack grant (a one-off contribution of up to 40; ask your Commissioner for details) spreading the cost over the year in subs (whether weekly, termly or other) loan from guiding locally (this could be offered at District, Division or County level).

9 Grant This grant is available for all new units and any unit that has been inactive for more than a year and is being reopened. Leaders can apply for up to 500 to help with the set-up costs. Visit for more information. Setting up a bank account Before setting up a bank or building society account the unit must be registered on Go! and the Leadership Team assigned. Your Commissioner is responsible for ensuring that these two things happen. If there is a delay, you could ask your Commissioner whether any funds you collect could be kept in the District/Division bank account as a temporary measure. A pettycash box may be useful to keep small amounts of money but this must be kept to a minimum for security reasons. Visit local banks and building societies to find out what Treasurers accounts, Club accounts or Community accounts are on offer. Try to choose an account on which bank charges are not levied. A withdrawal from any bank or building society account will require at least two signatures. The people who sign (signatories) must not be related to one another. It is recommended that an account has three signatories, with two signatures necessary to make a withdrawal. Banks will require picture ID and proof of address when opening an account, so remember to take these with you when you go. All the signatories will need this, and all will need to go at the same time to open the account. It is a good idea to take along to the bank your Certificate of Charitable Status to make the status of the unit clearer to the bank. The certificate can be downloaded from the Girlguiding website. Subscriptions There are two different subscriptions (or subs ) that members pay during the year. In order to cover the day-to-day costs of the unit, girls and young women should pay a unit subscription. It is important that the unit subscription is realistic, so you should work out on a per head basis the cost of any venue hire, an average cost of any activities, refreshments during the meeting time, etc. This should be revisited on a regular basis (eg once a year) to take into account increases in the cost of living, venue hire and so on. Check what other local units charge and also compare your proposed subscription with that of other similar youth organisations or activities locally. In addition, every year Girlguiding collects an annual subscription (membership fee) for every member who is active on Go! in mid-february. The income from the annual subscription goes towards the development of resources, insurance for guiding activities, and training and support for adult volunteers. The membership subscription fee varies according to costs in different Counties, Divisions and Districts. Your local Commissioner will be able to inform you (usually some time between September and December) how much you will be expected to pay in your area. In February each year you will be asked to download an invoice from Go! based on the number of young members and adults in your unit registered on the 9

10 database. It is the policy of Girlguiding that all young members and volunteers have their personal details recorded on Go!. For more information, see the Membership and Recruitment Policy in the online Guiding Manual and the subscription pages on the website. Each member pays only once irrespective of how many roles she has. The Unit Team s subs Here s one way to make the members of your unit s Leadership Team feel valued. When budgeting for the annual subscription, include the team s subscription in the unit expenditure so the team members do not have to fund this out of their own pockets, unless of course they feel that they are financially able to do this and want to. You can decide how you will collect the subscriptions over the year. Some variants are listed here, but remember you can choose any way that works for you and your members. Divide the annual membership subscription into the number of weeks your unit meets in one year and include it as part of unit subs. Collect subs at the beginning of each term or half-term which cover the annual subscription and the unit subs. Collect the annual subscription in January, and unit subs on a more frequent basis. Make sure that whatever method you choose is communicated to the parents and that it is sensitive to the local area. Not every parent or carer can afford to pay termly or annually, so you may need to collect weekly. Estimating ongoing annual costs As mentioned above, you could talk to your local Commissioner about how much the annual membership subscription is in your area. Ask a local unit to give you its typical costs for a year as a realistic first year s budget. The Unit Team needs to work out the best way to cover both unit costs and the membership subscription over the year. If the parents of the girls in your unit are taxpayers, Gift Aid is a good way to make money go further (see page 12). Expenses To comply with the law governing charities, only out-of-pocket expenses that are actually connected with guiding activities may be refunded from unit funds. The most common form of out-of-pocket expense for volunteers is travel and training costs. Make sure you keep all receipts and always use the most reasonable form of transport available for your journey. (Note: Expenses cannot be claimed in advance except in special circumstances.) Unit accounts Girlguiding is a registered charity, which means that all units are legally obliged to maintain proper accounting records. The Unit Leader is responsible for making sure this happens, but another responsible adult (such as a parent) can help her out with any part of the task. 10 Girlguiding requires that accounts are independently reviewed each year. The Unit Leader is responsible for ensuring that this is done and that a simple annual report statement,

11 about a page in length and explaining unit activities over the year, is written to accompany the annual accounts. The independent review can be done by a volunteer with relevant experience, eg a parent or a member of the Trefoil Guild. The local Commissioner will make sure that the unit accounts are run properly and in accordance with the law for charities. See the Finance section of Running Your Unit in the members area of the website and the online Guiding Manual for more details on managing guiding finances. You will also find an account spreadsheet with information on how to claim Gift Aid. Fundraising Units may decide not to do fundraising for their own needs but to rely on weekly subs to fund activities and ask for extra contributions from parents towards outings or special events. Every area will be different and have different needs, so do whatever feels right for the unit. To ensure that your new unit will be sustainable financially, you may need to think about how you are going to fund unit activities and outings over the year. Building the unit fundraising into your planning from the start can make things easier as time goes by. Be realistic about what you need of course it would be great to have a laptop and camp/holiday equipment right from the start, but could these be postponed in favour of activity resources? You may find it helpful to list expected costs in two sections those essential to the running of the programme and a wish list of items such as welcome bags, play parachute, camping equipment and so on. You could consider fundraising for these specific items separately during the course of the year. If you are thinking about doing any fundraising activities, bear in mind that there are laws governing how funds are raised and spent. An important one is that all the money must be used only for the purpose stated when being collected. Think about safety when organising your fundraising. There may also be local government byelaws controlling fundraising activities your local Commissioner will be able to help you with more information. If you have a question about fundraising, ask your local Commissioner or consult another local Leader. For more information and ideas on fundraising, visit the fundraising section in the members area of the Girlguiding website. 11

12 Gift Aid Through Gift Aid you can claim back a percentage on your subscriptions. At the moment it is 25 per cent, so for a unit of 20 girls paying 1 subs for 42 weeks, this could be worth 210 at the end of every year! The Starting Rainbows/Brownies/Guides/Senior Section leaflets that you give out to parents include a section for them to complete, agreeing that their donations and subs should be treated as Gift Aid donations. Encourage parents who are taxpayers to sign this, and point out what the money will mean for the kinds of activities the girls will be able to do. You can request free a Gift Aid information pack by calling the Girlguiding Information Team ( ), or you can download a copy from the website. Once you have registered with the Inland Revenue, you can easily complete your annual return by using the accounts package in the members area of the website. You could ask a parent or Trefoil Guild member to help out by administering Gift Aid for the unit. Girlguiding sources of funding Guide Friendship Fund Grants (UK Units in Need): Up to 250 is available for any unit that operates in an area of social deprivation. Units that have received a Grant in the previous six months are not eligible. County, Division or District financial support: Contact your local Commissioner for details of any local funding. Other sources of funding Awards For All: Lottery-funded grants of up to up to 5,000 in Wales and 10,000 in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are available for a wide range of community projects. Local councils: These are often a good source of fundraising for youth projects. Sponsorship or help from local businesses: Note that employers frequently have an Employer Supported Volunteering (ESV) scheme under which employees who volunteer are given time off, or have their fundraising (for example, for a trip) matched by the employer. Local schools: They may be willing to provide funding/assistance as part of the extended services for schools provision. There are a number of other grants that units can apply for. For details of all internal funds visit Running your unit > Finance and insurance > Funding and fundraising in the members area of the website. 12

13 Resources for a new unit When a unit first opens, a few resources such as The Guiding Handbook and a copy of the appropriate section resources are essential. The Leaders should ideally have guiding wear. As the unit grows and becomes established, other resources may be needed, but while it is in its early stages these could be borrowed from other Leaders, who will be more than happy to share. This will help keep your start-up costs down until you have collected the funds you need through unit subscriptions, fundraising activities and grants/funds. Girlguiding shops Girlguiding has a mail order and online shop for a wide range of publications, clothing, equipment and gifts. Some areas also have local depots, run by volunteers, which sell Girlguiding items. Note: Profits made through the mail order service, online service and volunteer-run shops are reinvested into guiding, whereas this is not the case for resources and uniform purchased from high-street outlets. Call to find out where your nearest depot is or to order a free Guiding Essentials catalogue, or visit the online shop ( Additional resources Remember that, quite early on, you may need materials for girls who are ready to progress to the next guiding section. My Pot of Gold resources for Rainbows, the book Brownies Adventure On (containing Brownies Go For It!) and leaving certificates for Brownies are among some of the things you might have to consider budgeting for within your first six months as a unit. Other resources available from Girlguiding will be useful and can be purchased gradually. Have a look through the Guiding Essentials catalogue or browse the online shop to see the range of uniforms, books, CDs and gifts. Training and support As in the workplace, Leaders in guiding need training and support. You are not on your own there are many people locally, including other Leaders and Trainers, who will be happy to help. You might find it helpful to visit other units and talk to their Leaders about how they do things. Each County has people with special skills (such as outdoor activities, international links, arts etc) and if you need advice they are there to help. Your local Commissioner will be able to give you contact details, and many Counties produce directories with all the information that Leaders might need. Leaders who are working on Girlguiding s Leadership Qualification will have the support of a Mentor as well. 13

14 General structure of meetings If you are new to guiding and want some ideas, try visiting two or three other units in your area or talking to their Leaders. Ask how they start and finish meetings, how they arrange celebrations, what are the three most popular games, how they take subs and record attendance, and what resources they particularly recommend. (If you re lucky you may even be able to borrow these!) Visit the Activities section of the members area of the website for ideas, access to a forum and downloadable activity packs. Remember that meetings need to be tailor-made by and for the girls. Guiding is about a balance of challenges, opportunities for creativity and games. Girls participate in activities with the whole unit, as well as in small groups and as individuals. When planning each meeting, think about the ways in which the girls can have input into the planning of the meeting and organise part or all of it themselves. Initially you may need to plan meetings one by one, in order to tailor activities to your particular group of girls. After that, your team could make plans for a whole term or at least half a term using the girls own ideas and suggestions so that you can organise yourselves and obtain resources for activities. Make sure you plan timings of activities, equipment lists and who will do what. Remember also that you will need to keep records of members and attendance, and a record of the weekly programme. The Guide Association 2013 Published by Girlguiding Buckingham Palace Road London SW1W 0PT Tel: info@girlguiding.org.uk Website: Girlguiding is an operating name of The Guide Association. Registered charity number Incorporated by Royal Charter. 14