Unit requirements
All units must have a Contact Guider and Treasurer before they can open. If a unit does not have one or both of these roles filled, ACLs or a designated Community Guider should reach out to the Guiders listed on the roster to see who would like to take on the role. It is good practice to provide Guiders with a description of each role so that they can make an informed decision. It should also be made clear that the unit will not be permitted to open until these roles are filled.
Tips to help with placement:
- Contact Guider does not mean they carry the burden of the unit. This role is simply one of communication
- Part-time Guiders can take on the role
- The Treasurer position can be filled by non-member volunteers, including men
- Treasurer training is provided.
Opening, re-opening and closing units
All decisions related to the opening, reopening and closing of units rest with the ACL. Should a new unit be needed, ACLs should first check with the memberunitsupport@girlguides.ca to see if a unit can be reopened. At times, a unit will have been closed within the last two years in the area and it is sometimes easier to reopen these units. If there is no unit to reopen, an ACL should work with the Member Unit Support Team to open a new unit. It is preferable, however not required, to have the location and supervision secured before a new unit is opened.
The decision to close a unit is a difficult one but is sometimes necessary for an ACL to make. If after exhausting all efforts a unit is no longer viable, you must make the decision as soon as possible so that families have time to find alternate units. There can be several reasons that a unit must be closed:
- Lack of supervision
- Lack of girls
- Lack of space
If you must close a unit (even temporarily), please contact memberunitsupport@girlguides.ca and let them know. They can assist in notifying families if needed. Please note that unit finances stay intact for two years after closure. To reopen a recently closed unit, please contact the member unit support team.
Merging Units
Merging units is often a great strategy to use when trying to save two or more units. There are several reasons you may wish to merge units:
- To share a leadership team to cover ratio
- To share space
- To share programming
A unit may be merged one of two ways; hard or soft.
A hard merge is one where two units officially become one. These units will share a name, bank account and rosters. Reversing a hard merge is far more complicated and should only be done as a long-term solution.
A soft merge is more of a temporary solution. Units involved would maintain separate bank accounts, names and rosters. This type of merge is often implemented when supervision needs to be shared. The decision to softly merge a unit is at the discretion of the ACL. Please note that the ratio for any merged units sharing leadership must continue to meet Safe Guide and should be adjusted accordingly with the permission of the DPC.
To merge units in either fashion, please contact memberunitsupport@girlguides.ca
Unit Finder Updates
To make changes to the unit finder, please contact unitmembersupport@girlguides.c
a. Please provide them with iMIS information and pertinent address information.