As the Events Manager, you're planning 1-2 field trips or events per semester. These can be as simple as visiting the local fire station or as involved as an overnight at the zoo. You'll create and distribute permission slips, collect fees, coordinate with venues, and make sure the troop meets Girl Scouts' safety requirements for each activity.
Trip and travel training is tiered -- you take more training as you plan more ambitious coutings. Log into MyGS, navigate to gsLearn, and look for:
Council Travel/Trip Policies Course - Most councils have a short course covering their specific policies and procedures for traveling wth your troop. This is usually required for any outing away from the regular meeting location and must be retaken every few years. Your council may call this Traveling Troops or Let's Go Policies or something similar.
Day Trips / Out & About Course - This trains you to lead field trips, basic day hikes, and simple overnights in buildings with heat, electricity, and running water (think a slumber party or lock-in). Required for day trips and overnights in climate-controlled environments.
Overnight Excursion Training - Required if you're planning overnights beyond climate-controlled buildings. You don't need this right away -- take it when the troop is ready for that step.
Ask your Council: "What training do I need to take the troop on a field trip?" and "What additional training is needed for overnights?" by emailing Customer Care on your Council's website. The first-tier course (policies & day trips) is all you need to get started. The rest can wait until the troop is ready for more adventurous outings.
There are 4 places to find events: your council's website, your Service Unit's regional events, parent-hosted activities ("Bring the Troop to Work Day"), and community outings.
Talk to the Treasurer about how payments will work -- individual families paying venues directly vs the troop writing one check.
Check the Safety Activity Checkpoints on your Council's website for any activity you're planning. These outline the safety requirements for different types of outings.
Be sure to check with the At-Home Emergency Contact for your troop for each event, to confirm they'll be available in case of emergency.
Most overnights, and most activities involving fire (even "just grilling in the backyard") require additional paperwork. This paperwork typically takes 2+ weeks to process. Plan ahead.
Attending the monthly service unit leader meetings is the best way to hear about upcoming events before they're posted publicly.
Download the Events Manager role sample letter.
This is a customizable Word document that your co-leader can fill in with your Council's specific training links and hand to you.