Getting started as a volunteer
What to expect once you've registered your interest in volunteering
Welcome to Girlguiding. We’re so glad you’re thinking of joining us.
Thanks to you, we’ll be able to help even more girls know they can do anything. Along the way you'll make memories that will last a lifetime, meet friends, develop new skills and grow in confidence.
Here you'll find out what happens once you've registered your interest to become a volunteer.
92% of girls from the most economically deprived areas say that Girlguiding is a place they can be themselves - Girls' Attitudes Survey 2024
I've registered my interest, what next?
1. We'll be in touch
You’ll receive a confirmation email shortly after you register with instructions on how to set up your volunteer account on our membership system GO. If you don’t receive this email, please check your junk folder.
One of our wonderful local volunteers will then aim to be in touch within a week, but it can take longer. They'll be your main contact at the start, and they're there to support and help you find the right role for you. They can tell you more information about Girlguiding in your local area and the joining process for volunteers. During this chat, you can let them know how you’d like to get involved and how much time you have to give.
2. Visit a unit or meet your local team
Units are what we call the groups of girls who meet regularly in their community, led by volunteers. If you plan to volunteer with girls at regular meetings, your local contact can arrange a taster visit to a unit meeting for you. It's a great way to get an idea of how meetings are run, talk to other volunteers and see the fun in action!
You can visit a unit up to 4 times before starting your recruitment checks. And you don’t have to stick with the first unit you visit - your local contact can arrange for you to try different sections and groups until you find the right one for you.
If you plan to volunteer behind the scenes or on a one-off basis, your local contact can put you in touch with other local volunteers who you’d be supporting. It’s a great way to get to know them and how your skills and interests could help guiding in your local area.
You don’t have to stick with the first local team you meet, your local contact can arrange for you to meet different local teams until you find the right one for you.
3. Recruitment checks
To keep our members safe, anyone over 18 who wants to volunteer for Girlguiding must complete the recruitment checks relevant to the role they're applying for. This includes reference checks and could include criminal record disclosure checks if your role involves regular contact or staying overnight at an event with girls.
Your local volunteer contact will be able to advise on the checks needed for different roles and begin this process when you’ve chosen the role that’s right for you.
Take a look at our recruitment and vetting procedure if you'd like to know more about the checks we make. The table on our role requirements page shows the different roles available and the checks and training you'll need.
4. Training
As well as these checks, for most roles you'll need to complete some training designed to help keep our members safe called safer guiding. You can get started on this once you’ve chosen your volunteer role. You can complete this training either via the learning platform as an e-learning, as an online trainer-led session, or as an in-person session in your local area.
Find out how to use our learning platform to do the training. If you've just created your GO account, you may need to wait a few hours before you can access the learning platform.
We also offer lots of additional online and in-person training sessions which you can take part in, to support you in your volunteer role and your personal development. Find out more about the learning and development opportunities we offer.
Questions you might have
Guiding should never leave you out of pocket. Check our guidance on claiming expenses.
Your local volunteer team can give you more information about Girlguiding in your area and the opportunities available. They’re there to support you in making the right decision.
There’s no pressure to decide which role is right for you straight away and you can try out different local groups and roles as part of your welcome into volunteering with Girlguiding. Remember you also don’t have to stay in that role or group if you’d like to try something different further down the line.
There are so many friendly faces waiting to welcome and support you into guiding.
If your role is in a unit with girls or supporting a unit with admin, the other volunteers in your unit will be able to provide you with help and support. They'll be your main everyday contacts after you’ve joined a unit.
If your role is supporting behind the scenes, your local contact will introduce you to your local volunteer team who’ll be your main contacts in your role.
Commissioners are volunteers in your area who are there to support other volunteers like you, whether you volunteer directly with girls or behind the scenes. You can find out who your commissioner is by logging into GO and clicking on the My communications panel. You can contact them via GO if you have any concerns that aren’t related to regular unit meetings. They can also help you try out a different units if you don’t think yours is the right fit for you, or talk to you about other flexible volunteer roles you can get involved with.
Some local areas operate a buddy system for new volunteers. A buddy is an existing volunteer who’ll help you settle in. They’re a great person to be in touch with in the early days.
Buddies are there to offer advice and support as well as listen and share experiences. You could meet up for a coffee or just chat over the phone, text or email. If you’d like a buddy and haven’t been appointed one yet, talk to your local volunteer team.
The volunteer section of our website is also your one stop shop for all things guiding and is there to support you in your role. Our regular newsletters and blogs are also packed with useful information, hints and tips.
You’ll receive an email shortly after joining inviting you to create an account with GO, our online membership system. See our guidance on how to use GO as a volunteer. Once you’ve created your GO account, you can manage your volunteer application under the ‘My enquiries’ page from the drop-down menu under your name at the top.
Your volunteer enquiry will be listed here. If you haven’t heard from a member of the local volunteer team you can contact your local team and follow up your enquiry by selecting ‘Ask a question’ from the drop-down arrow under Actions.
