VTK and You: We’ve Only Just Begun

National Operations 3 Comments badges we don't need no stinkin badges, brownies, journeys, just trying to help, leader issues, volunteers, vtk, vtk and you

This is the second in a series of videos about Volunteer Tool Kit (VTK) and my attempt at using it and offering suggestions on how to fix and improve it. It’s not necessary to watch the first video, but here it is if you’re interested. I’m not sure how many of them there will be in total. Probably until I feel like I’ve covered enough of what I think should be fixed, modified, or improved. Or I get bored. Or YouTube cries, “Uncle!”

I’ll let the videos speak for themselves, but here’s the rundown that you should know before watching:

These are not “how to” videos at all. If they help, great! But that’s not the purpose of them.
I do NOT represent my council’s viewpoints so please do not take it as such. I’m just a regular ole Brownie & Cadette leader trying to navigate her way through the VTK jungle.
It is NOT my intent to bash VTK. I actually think it has potential, but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done.
I have a background in IT and have worked with developers to roll out applications, so I will be looking at it from that standpoint as well.
I’m just trying to help. 😉

December 4 2017

VTK and You: The Saga Begins (A Video Series)

National Operations 6 Comments badges we don't need no stinkin badges, brownies, just trying to help, leader issues, meetings, volunteers, vtk, vtk and you

I knew that at some point I wanted to do a series about Volunteer Toolkit (aka VTK) when our council finally got it. I realize it’s been three years since it launched so I’m way behind the curve, but I couldn’t do anything about it since our council was one of the last ones to come onboard. Originally I was going to put together a list of what doesn’t work and how it could be improved. But after thinking through this approach, I realized it would be more effective if I just recorded me attempting to use VTK than to try to document every little quirk and bug. Continue reading

November 26 2017

R.I.P. Daisy Brown

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 8 Comments cats, kittens

I am utterly devastated. If you’ve followed this blog for a period of time, you’ll know that last year we added three kittens named Penny, Scout, and Daisy to our family after our longtime family members Athena and Orion passed away. Unfortunately, Daisy passed away suddenly this morning due to what was probably a heart defect. She was much smaller than Scout and Penny but more than made up for it in spunk. Her purr was twice as loud as Penny and Scout’s. She was the first out of the carrier when we originally brought them home – and she didn’t just slowly ease out – she burst onto the scene! Continue reading

November 19 2017

Oct 2016 – Sept 2017 Hours Tally

Experiences as a Leader No Comments city slickers, delegate, leader issues, national delegate, service unit, time, time tally, troop stuff

Salvador Dalí sums things up pretty well.

In a continuance from my earlier October to May 2017 Hours Tally post from earlier this year, here’s the FINAL numbers for the 2016-2017 year (Oct 1, 2016 – Sept 30, 2017). As I’ve done in past posts, I calculated time based on these categories, which was the same as last year, except I included a late arriving National Delegate category:

Troop
- Trips, Events, Cookie Booths
- Paperwork and Planning
- Meetings
Service Unit
Delegate (SU)
National Delegate
City Slickers (our service unit’s summer camp)
Other (Scout Sunday related and random meetings)

October 31 2017

Proof of J-Low and a Letter from Rudyard Kipling

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 3 Comments halloween, j-low

Happy Halloween and Happy Birthday to Juliette Gordon Low, or as I affectionately call her, The Original J-Low. I was once admonished in a comment about how disrespectful I was to refer to her as J-Low instead of Daisy. Well, I have proof that she even referred to herself as J-Low! I once highlighted the The Juliette Gordon Low Papers Collection from the Digital Library of Georgia in a previous post, so I’d like to refer back to it for a glimpse at how she signed some of her letters: Continue reading

October 28 2017

Rename the Savannah Bridge!

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me No Comments j-low, national convention, savannah

There was a display in the Hall of Experiences at the G.I.R.L. 2017 Convention about renaming the Savannah River bridge in Savannah, GA to the Juliette Gordon Low bridge. They had an enormous banner that everybody could sign, plus they had laptop stations set up if you wanted to electronically (and OFFICIALLY) sign the online petition. And then you got a G.I.R.L. Agenda pin!

Here’s the link to the petition:

https://www.girlscouts.org/en/about-girl-scouts/advocacy/the-girl-scout-advocacy-network/sign-a-petition-to-name-the-savannah-bridge.html

Update 3/6/18: It looks like Georgia lawmakers are backing away from the “Low” Bridge due to the name “low.”

October 26 2017

2017 National Convention: What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been

National Governance 2 Comments 2017 NCS, farthest north council, national convention, OFFICIAL scarf, patches, swaps

Whew. I’ve already covered what happened during the 2017 National Council Session, so here’s my experience with the rest of it! This was my first convention, so going into it, I had no idea what to expect. It was definitely sensory overload, but a good kind. Like going into Willy Wonka’s factory but it was all Girl Scout related. But there were no oompa loompas. Or Everlasting Gobstoppers. OK, maybe it was nothing like Willy Wonka’s factory. Nevermind. I’m really not sure what to equate it to. But can I just say OFFICIAL Scarfapalooza?? I’ve never seen so many in one place! Anyway, here’s a few highlights! Continue reading

October 11 2017

2017 National Council Session Wrap Up: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

National Governance 8 Comments 2017 NCS, blue book, delegate, gsusa, membership dues, money, national board, national convention, national council, national delegate, roberts rules

I walked in the door from the 2017 National Council Session and Convention a little after midnight Sunday night, and it will probably take me a number of days to recover. Things are still a blur. Plus I’m old. 😉

At first, I had planned on combining both my convention and session experience in one post, but I realized they each need to stand alone. I was also going to let a week or so pass in order to let things settle in my mind. However, I believe I need to at the very least get the business out the way first so that my recollections are as fresh as possible. Feel free in the comment section to add to this commentary or correct any mistakes you come across. Continue reading

September 29 2017

The Calm Before the Storm

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 2 Comments national convention, OFFICIAL scarf, swaps

There are only a few days left until we leave for the National Convention, and I’m starting to kinda sorta get ready. I’ve made all of my swaps. I’m not quite to 300, but I will have three different kinds plus two limited editions. I have 97 of the OFFICIAL scarf swaps, 150 something of my cat comic swap, and 40 something of swaps from my daughter’s Destination from this past August. So catch me early if you want an OFFICIAL scarf swap and bring a good one to trade!

September 18 2017

Lifetime vs. Annual Membership Dues Rebuttal

National Governance 2 Comments 2017 NCS, blue book, comics, gsusa, membership dues, money, national board, national convention, national council, roberts rules

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: The following is my own personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the view of my council’s delegation. Addendum 9/26/17: To clarify, this rebuttal speaks solely to the claim that National Board has the authority to raise membership dues and does NOT speak to the amount of lifetime membership dues. In my opinion, Proposal 3 is specifically about the amount of lifetime membership dues and does not imply authority whether it passes or not.

This blog post is (yet) another continuation of a series about membership dues, proposals, and who has the authority to change them. It’s not really necessary to read the previous three if you haven’t already, but I highly recommend it because I might have already answered some questions, plus I go into depth as to my explanations and rationales as to why the National Board does not have the authority to raise membership dues. You can start here. But this one is a direct follow-up to the blog post called The Lifetime Membership Dues Amendment Contradiction where I stated that this year’s National Session Proposal 3 contradicts the National Board’s previous assertion. Before we begin and in case you’re just joining us, here’s a refresher: 1) The National Council DID NOT vote at any point to give authority to the National Board to raise dues, nor was there ever a proposal. 2) The National Council DID NOT vote to raise membership dues from $12 to $15 at any session. 3) The National Council DID NOT vote at any time to raise membership dues from $15 to $25. For a list of all proposals since 2008 and their results, read this blog post. Continue reading