Today, April 22, is Girl Scout Leader’s Day, aptly celebrated during National Volunteer Week (April 21-27). While we often think of “leaders” in terms of business, military, or sports powerhouses, the true definition of leadership spans a diverse and wide-reaching continuum of positions, ages, and industries. One area of leadership that is perhaps overlooked, but certainly not undervalued, is the area of leading without a paycheck: that is, volunteer leaders.

Volunteer leaders aren’t concerned with making their way up any sort of ladder–their primary motivation is giving back, helping others, and paving the way for those they lead. Volunteering your time, energy, and skills has its rewards, but those rewards are rooted in what you can give, not in what you can get. There’s no money to be made from Girl Scout Leadership. In fact, leaders have to pay annual membership dues, just like the girls they are serving. And although troops are meant to operate self-sufficiently through fund raising, leaders aren’t “reimbursed” for the supplemental expenses that inevitably go along with their job, like printing out correspondence, filling up their gas tanks for field trips, or often, providing treats and crafting supplies.

Jill Graves, who served as her daughter’s Girl Scout troop leader for 8 years, and is now starting fresh with a new batch of Kindergarten girls, describes her leadership tenure as “challenging, but also rewarding and fun.” She began her journey because she “knew Girl Scouts was a great organization that taught good values to young girls.” She wanted her daughter to learn leadership skills through community service projects, peer interaction, and educational program experiences. And she wanted to be a part of the process. My own daughter, Emma, was a beneficiary of Mrs. Graves’ dedication throughout her grade school years, having been a member of her troop from Brownies to Cadet.

Most of the same leadership principles found in business also apply to volunteer leadership. Experienced troop leader Mrs. Graves, who eventually increased her volunteer commitment to include the additional responsibilities of Membership Organizer/Membership Consultant at her daughter’s grade school, outlined the traits and skills a Girl Scout leader needs:

• Organizational Skills: Leaders need to be organized. The duties of a leader are vast, and often include maintaining troop funds; planning meetings and trips; setting and maintaining the schedule; filling out and collecting paperwork; and corresponding with parents and girls. “When I started, I didn’t even know what an email was,” Mrs. Graves said, “I communicated with the girls and parents through a typed newsletter that was distributed through the school.”
• Flexibility: While troop meetings may run on a set schedule, dates and times for activities, field trips, and service events vary widely. Leaders need to be flexible with their time as well as their skill set. They need to be open to learning new things and taking on new challenges. Mrs. Graves explained, “I learned more than I ever dreamed I would about the outdoors, and picked up new skills like cooking over a campfire and setting up tents.”
• Patience: A troop of 18 excitable, sociable girls meeting after a long day of school? Need I say more? “Things got a bit chaotic at time,” Mrs. Graves admitted, “but somehow I made it through while still having fun doing it!”
• Creativity: Keeping girls engaged at different age levels is a testament to a scout leader’s creativity. “I had fun playing the games and teaching the songs,” Mrs. Graves said. Meetings are chock full of crafts, enrichment exercises, and ceremonial “rituals” that all require the guidance of an energetic, creative influence.
• Passion/Drive: Like anyone in a leadership role, being passionately driven is essential. Girl Scout leaders are fueled by their desire to help bring out the best in the young ladies they lead. They believe in the Girl Scout methodology of empowering girls to become independent, strong, confident thinkers and doers. Mrs. Graves said her proudest moment as a leader was the night her 8th grade girls held their final meeting. “I gave each girl a small charm and asked them to put it somewhere in their room. I told them each time they happened to come across it, they should think about something they learned as a Girl Scout. My little 1st graders had grown into beautiful young women.”
• Goal-oriented: Scouting is a progressive journey, where skills and experiences are nurtured, grown, and expanded upon year after year. Setting goals is important for both the leaders and the girls in each troop. Goals can include fund-raising benchmarks, skill mastery, or patch-earning opportunities. “One of my troop’s goals was to raise enough money to travel to Savannah, GA to visit the home of Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Lowe,” said Mrs. Graves. “The girls devoted 2 years to various fund-raising projects, including cookie selling, to reach their goal. They learned the value of hard work by not being given a trip to Savannah, but rather, by earning it themselves.”

Volunteer leadership is a gift given to others. Those who take on these types of important roles are selfless, hardworking, and inspirational. I’d like to extend my personal thanks to Girl Scout leaders everywhere, including Jill Graves, for their tireless efforts. And in the spirit of Volunteer Week, I’d also like to recognize all of the other “unsung” volunteer leaders of the world for epitomizing the definition of WOW.

–Sheri Staak