Making guiding happen checklists

Use our standards and checklists to make guiding the best it can be

Every member of your unit is part of the guiding family.

These standards and checklists describe how we all work together to make Girlguiding the best it can be.

Encouraging equality, diversity and inclusion

We welcome all girls and young women and give them equal chances to join and participate in our units. We make every volunteer who meets our requirements for their role feel welcome and treat them fairly.

  • Are all volunteers familiar with and following our equality and diversity policy?
  • Do you make adjustments where needed so that all girls have a great guiding experience, and their individual needs and beliefs are respected?
  • Do you help each volunteer to contribute in a way that reflects their individual strengths and abilities?
  • Are you encouraging girls to celebrate diversity and to make sure their behaviour and language includes and respects everyone?
  • Are you doing all you can to make your unit representative of your local community, including trying to remove any barriers to access for both girls and volunteers?
  • Do your promotional materials and information sheets make it clear that your unit is open to all girls and welcomes volunteers from different backgrounds?

Building a strong unit team

Volunteers make sure they have the knowledge and skills needed for their role, and keep themselves up to date. Everyone in the team is supported to make a positive contribution for girls – and we recognise and celebrate their contributions.

  • Do you make new volunteers feel welcome and give them induction information to help them get to know their role, unit and guiding area, and the different ways they can contribute?
  • Do the volunteers in your unit work well as a team, sharing responsibilities and supporting each other? Do you recognise and celebrate the contribution that each volunteer makes to your unit?
  • Do all volunteers complete required and ongoing learning for their role, in line with our learning and development policy?
  • Are you encouraging young leaders and helpers to develop the knowledge and skills they’ll need for future roles in guiding and beyond?
  • Do your team members regularly review and update their knowledge and skills so they can give the best possible experiences to all the girls?
  • Do volunteers share what they’ve learned with the rest of the team and use their new knowledge and skills to make the unit even better?

Being part of the guiding family

Unit members are proud to be part of Girlguiding. Leaders keep themselves up to date with guiding news locally, nationally and internationally, work with other units, and help to spread the word about guiding.

  • Does everyone in your unit represent guiding in a good light, and do girls and volunteers proudly wear their uniforms and other guiding wear?
  • Are your unit materials in line with the latest Girlguiding visual brand and writing style?
  • Do you regularly take part in local guiding meetings? Do you work with other guiding units to share knowledge, skills, ideas and experiences – and to create opportunities for girls?
  • Do you keep up to date by reading Girlguiding and local guiding e-newsletters and websites, guiding magazine and other communications – and use what you learn in your unit?
  • Do you make sure all volunteers and girls know about what’s happening in guiding beyond your unit, and encourage them to make the most of opportunities?
  • Do you make members aware of opportunities to experience global guiding through the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS)?  Do you help them learn about guiding life around the world – both as part of Girlguiding (British Guiding Overseas and Branch Associations) and in WAGGGS member organisations? 

Managing your unit’s money

Leaders make sure their unit’s finances are well managed and keep accurate and up-to-date accounts. 

  • Do you manage your unit’s money and accounts in line with our Finance policy and procedures? If there are specific guidelines for your country or for an organisation your unit is connected with, do you follow those as well?
  • Do you keep unit money in a bank or building society account that’s in the name of the unit and needs at least three (unrelated) signatories for all transactions?
  • Do you keep the unit’s accounts accurate and up to date? Do you keep financial records for seven years (including the current financial year) and then destroy them securely?
  • Do you have annual accounts prepared and independently reviewed at the end of your unit’s financial year?
  • Does your unit pay subscriptions for every active member to support local and national guiding?
  • Do you plan ahead and manage the unit’s money well so that you can offer as much as possible to your girls? Have you looked at using Gift Aid and other ways of raising money for your unit?   

A quick note on the terms we use in the checklists

  • 'Girls' means the young members enjoying the Girlguiding programme in a unit
  • 'Volunteers' are everyone in the team who delivers guiding: leaders, young leaders, unit helpers, occasional helpers and parent helpers
  • By 'parents' we mean parents, carers and other adults with responsibility for a young member
  • When we say 'term' or 'termly', we're assuming units have three terms in the year
  • When we say 'you', we're speaking directly to the leaders and assistant leaders in a unit

Download making guiding happen checklists

Download making guiding happen checklists

Download making guiding happen checklists